Luke opened the Inn Supply Storage Dimension and browsed through the options. Inside were basic tunics, dresses, cloaks, and other items he hadn't expected to find.
He chose a dark grey tunic and black leggings, along with a pair of soft leather boots. The items materialized on the counter right after he paid, and he handed them to Nyx.
"Here. Go change. There's a washroom down the hall."
Nyx took the clothes carefully, as if they were precious, then disappeared down the hallway without a word.
Luke leaned against the counter, staring at the corridor where Nyx had gone, and sighed. "This is gonna get complicated, isn't it?"
"Thanks for the reassurance, Arx."
"It was a rhetorical question, you dumbass."
The inn rumbled in his mind, laughing.
A few minutes later, Nyx appeared in her new clothes. The tunic was slightly too big, but the dark color suited her pale skin.
Her wings folded neatly against her back, gleaming faintly now. She looked comfortable, clean, and refreshed.
"Feel better?" Luke asked.
She nodded with a small smile.
"Hahah, good. Nyx, now here's the deal. If you're staying here, you're gonna help out. I'm not running a charity. You clean, you serve, or whatever, and don't cause trouble. Got it?"
Nyx looked at him and nodded eagerly. "I can do that."
"Nice," Luke said. "We still have a lot of cleaning to do. I have a quest to settle."
—
They spent the next two days working from sunrise to sunset. Luke and Nyx scrubbed every surface of the inn, polished the windows until they shone, and swept and mopped the floors until they gleamed.
They cleaned and organized the storage rooms, discarding anything too damaged to repair.
Nyx always worked silently but quickly and efficiently. She never complained, and seemed excited to have something to do, something that made her feel useful and needed.
Luke found himself impressed. "You're a hard worker," he told her one afternoon.
She glanced at him, then looked away shyly. "I… I just want to be useful," she replied softly.
"You are. Trust me," Luke said without hesitation.
On the third day, they moved outside to clean the area around the inn. Luke dug and turned over stubborn weeds, while Nyx pulled smaller ones with gloves. Sometimes her wings fluttered to help her balance.
"This place must have been nice once," Nyx said softly.
"Yeah," Luke agreed. "Arx says it was. Before it got abandoned."
The inn's voice sounded sad.
Luke smiled, touched. "We'll make it beautiful again. Just gonna take time."
They worked through the morning, clearing the garden bed by bed. Luke's back ached and his hands reddened from digging, but he didn't stop. The quest reward would be worth it.
By midday, the garden looked much better. The clearing was tidier, and the path to the inn was clearly visible again. Luke stood back, satisfied.
"Not bad," he said. "Not bad at all."
Nyx wiped sweat from her forehead. "Are we done?" she asked.
"Almost. Just need to clean up the edges of the clearing and we should be~"
The system panel appeared suddenly before him, delivering the reward.
[Quest 100% Complete]
[Reward Granted: Dimensional Rooms]
Luke grinned and shouted with joy. "Yes! Finally!"
"What is it?" Nyx asked curiously.
"The quest. We finished it, and the reward is…" He read aloud. "Dimensional Rooms!!"
Another panel appeared, explaining the reward.
[Dimensional Rooms: Pocket spaces larger on the inside than the outside. Each room can be customized to suit guest needs, with climate control, soundproofing, and enhanced comfort included. Current limit: 10 rooms. Limit increases with quests completion]
Luke held his breath as he read, his mind immediately imagining monsters like krakens coming to stay.
"Wait, so the rooms upstairs are now bigger inside than they look?" he asked Arx.
Arx didn't answer for a moment, as if checking the rooms inside its body.
"That's insane. Totally cool," Luke said, then looked at Nyx, who couldn't see the system or hear the inn. "You know what this means?"
She shook her head.
"It means we can host way more guests than I thought. And they'll actually be comfortable. This changes everything," he said excitedly.
Nyx smiled at his joy. "That's good, right?"
"That's totally amazing. Come on, let's go check them out."
—
They went inside and climbed to the second floor. The hallway looked the same as when they had cleaned it, wooden doors lining both sides.
But when Luke opened the first door, his jaw dropped.
The room was massive, three times larger than it should have been. A huge bed sat against one wall, covered with thick blankets.
There was a sitting area with comfortable chairs and a stone fireplace burning. In one corner was a private washroom.
Even a small balcony offered a view of a starry night sky, despite it being daytime outside.
"What the hell…" Luke muttered, awestruck. "This is incredible."
Nyx followed, eyes wide. "It's so big."
Luke approached the fireplace, testing the warmth of the flames. They were real.
He checked the bed, it was soft and clean. He opened the washroom door and found a bathtub three times his size, with clean towels and soap.
"Arx, this is… I don't even know what to say."
"Pleased? I'm blown away. This is better than any hotel room I've ever seen."
Luke checked the other rooms. Each was just as impressive, though layouts varied.
Some had larger sitting areas, some bigger beds, and one even had a small library.
By the time they finished inspecting all ten rooms, Luke was grinning like an idiot.
"Okay," he told Nyx. "Now we're ready for guests."
But Nyx looked uncertain. "What if they're dangerous?" she asked cautiously.
"Then we deal with it," Luke said seriously. "But this inn is neutral ground, so as long as they follow the rules, they'll be safe here. And so will we."
Nyx still looked worried. Seeing that, Luke added, "Besides, we've got Arx. We'll be fine."
She nodded slowly, though still uneasy.
Luke placed a hand on her shoulder. "Trust me. This business is gonna work."