Divine Convenience Store

Setting aside the origin of the Chieftain's Viewing Jade, Lin Mo read the content of the thread.

"We went to the Sunken Caverns. The little man's 'data' was good. Nest was there. A big, glowing hole in the rock. We fought. Many sky-vermin died. They bleed green. Their weakness was true. Aim for the neck. They fall easily if done right. There were those with strong magic. The big ones inside were tougher. But we are Stormhowl. We are stronger. The nest is not empty. We go back with more warriors. This debt will be paid."

The attached image showed the entrance to an underground cavern. Further inside was the tell-tale distortion of an Anchor. From what the barbarian chieftain attached, the ground before it was littered with the dismembered bodies of dozens of Decrint Tribe creatures.

In the center, Chieftain Borok stood with one foot on the corpse of a massive Decrint Tribe Chieftain, his lightning-charged axe held high in triumph.

The comments under it varied from being shocked to finally seeing an image of the foreign creatures from an Anchor to utter disbelief that a 'barbarian' tribe had accomplished such a feat.

Comments:

BlueRibbonMerchant: "By the heavens! That's the entrance to an Anchor! And look at those corpses! The Stormhowl Tribe actually did it! They launched a full-scale assault based on the Shopkeeper's information! This is incredible!"

HollowAdept: "So the 'data' was given by the Shopkeeper? Truly a Convenience Saint!"

GentleSwordEnthusiast: "I can confirm those are Decrint Tribe creatures of the Highland Realm. Fascinating. They also have winged variants. The Anchor that the Shopkeeper and I recently reset originated from the same Outer Realm. Chieftain, you must not underestimate them, especially when venturing inside their Anchor. They're stronger with the amplification of their foreign energy, and they don't leave behind corpses. You will be absorbing a sliver of their energy, which could be both beneficial and detrimental to your cultivation, depending on how you cleanse your dantian afterward."

- IWantToMarrySwordFairy: "The Sword Fairy is still the best! She cleared an Anchor all by herself with the Shopkeeper!"

-- FairyWorshipper: "You again! I've reported you to the Sub-administrator FlowingStar! Change your name!"

SkepticalCatHunter: "Hold on, am I the only one seeing this? A barbarian chieftain, who two days ago was trying to smash the Red Lotus Academy's barrier, is now posting tactical updates on the Bulletin Board? Did the Shopkeeper sell him a soda and a social media account? What is happening to this world?"

AzureBladeNumber10Disciple: "The Stormhowl are strong! Their brute force is legendary! Imagine if they had our sect's techniques and the store's talismans! They would be unstoppable!"

StrugglingAcolyte: "So much green blood... My Venom Master would find their physiology… inspiring. Perhaps a new poison can be derived."

Lin Mo chuckled, shaking his head. The Bulletin Board was becoming a real-time chronicle of the realm's slow, chaotic, but undeniable unification under the banner of convenience. SkepticalCatHunter's comment was particularly on the nose though. How did that guy even know the barbarian showed up at the Red Lotus Academy? Is he one of the students or professors?

"That is fascinating, indeed. He's already influencing the major powers by showing evidence of a true Anchor breach," Wu Meiyu murmured, her eyes wide with the strategic implications and a hint of apprehension. "Shopkeeper, it seems the threat of the Anchor will soon be felt at every part of our realm. I must also warn my Royal Father and Royal Brother to raise their alertness in keeping an eye out for possible breaches. It'll be disastrous if it happens near one of our most populous cities."

"Indeed. You must," Lin Mo agreed, his expression turning serious. "With the insectoid breach and the large spider down in the Southern Wilderness and the three known Anchors nearby, the threat of them is going to escalate. Every faction needs to start pooling its resources and intelligence to prevent the region from being overrun."

"Boss, there's more!" Xiaoyu's voice got their attention back to her. "Look! A new post from 'StormAxeBorok'!"

Lin Mo's eyes snapped back to the screen. A new thread had just appeared in the 'Mercenary & Adventurer's Guild' section.

[Commission Post: Stormhowl Tribe Seeks Axe-Wielders. And Healers. – StormAxeBorok]

"The nest is deep. The vermin are many. Our axes are strong, but their shamans use foul magic that weakens the spirit. We need more warriors. We also need those who can heal strange wounds.

Job: Join the Stormhowl assault on the Sunken Caverns Nest. Fight beside us. Kill sky-vermins and their kin.

Requirements: Must be able to swing an axe or a big sword. Brute strength is good. Fear is bad. Healers must know how to fix wounds from poison and spirit curses.

Compensation: A share of all treasures found in the nest. The Stormhowl do not care for shiny trinkets, only good weapons and strong liquor. You take the rest. Also... Chieftain will teach you the 'Storm-Fury Cleave' technique if you kill many vermin.

Note: Show up at the Graypeak Mountains. Follow the dead vermin. You will find us."

The post was as blunt and direct as its author, but its effect was outstanding.

It was the first major, large-scale combat commission posted by a faction leader in the new guild. It was a call to arms that offered tangible, valuable rewards: treasure and a powerful, unique technique.

"Heh. I like this Chieftain. He's so quick at adapting, it's insane." Lin Mo grinned as a look of genuine admiration appeared on his face. "He saw Yu Qingyan's recruitment post, saw the guild, and immediately understood how to use it. He's leveraging the entire network of patrons to solve his manpower problem."

"Maybe I should ask Grandpa to do the same! He's looking to recruit more disciples. All of us from the new generation of the Liu Clan were not enough to expand our forces," Xiaoyu nodded a few times, acting like she had just thought of a genius idea. "Anyway, Boss, this is huge! The Mercenary's Guild is working! Rogue cultivators from all over will be flocking north for this!"

Wu Meiyu nodded, "This sets a powerful precedent. Other factions will follow suit. The kingdom could post commissions to quell beast tides, sects could hire escorts for dangerous expeditions… There are a lot of possibilities."

Lin Mo also thought the same. This was better than he could have hoped. The ideas might be borrowed from the fictions he had read but to think that they could be applied in a cultivation world like this, he was more than surprised. Now, he just has to wait to see if they're truly going to be effective. Because, despite all the moderations placed within the board, there still existed the possibility of those bad eggs taking advantage of its convenience. For example, inherently evil cultivators who got their hands on the Viewing Jade or those enemies he recently created like the Violethaven Temple and its allies.

He should also start sweeping through all the activated Viewing Jade connected to the system and identify those with malicious intentions.

Unfortunately, that's still a feature that had yet to be implemented, or rather, he hadn't brought it up to the Divine Pantheon yet. After all, it's only been a week since its release.

"Xiaoyu, I'm giving you a new administrative permission," He said. "The ability to create and manage 'Official Store-Sponsored Commissions. '"

"Ooh! What does that do?"

"Since we have quite a stable source of Dimension Essence by now, we can now invest some of our profits into promising guild commissions," Lin Mo explained, his eyes gleaming with strategic light. "We're going to officially sponsor the Stormhowl Tribe's assault. In the future, you could also put some Martial World expedition recruitment there."

"Got it, Boss! That sounds exciting!"

Watching her become a little giddy from that made him almost forget that she's an unparalleled talent with her Nine Heavens Exquisite Body. She could fight someone at a higher stage than her and win. Not only that, her cultivation would also be smooth. Maybe not as smooth as his but still… her Heavenly Physique is a cheat code. An enviable golden finger for a protagonist in a cultivation novel.

After quickly drafting a new announcement, Xiaoyu promptly posted with her administrator privileges. It appeared as a glowing, high-priority banner at the top of the Mercenary's Guild.

[Official Store-Sponsored Commission: The Sunken Caverns Assault]

"The Divine Convenience Store recognizes the threat posed by the Anchor in the Graypeak Mountains. In the spirit of realm-wide cooperation and convenience, our store is officially sponsoring Chieftain Borok's commission.

Store Contribution:

- A [Store Beacon] will be deployed in the Sunken Caverns, providing a safe zone and a direct supply line for anyone who attempts to join the expedition.

- All registered participants in the assault will receive a 'Convenience Combat Kit'. The kit includes 1 pack of Basic Card Talisman, 3 bottles of Spirit Replenishing Candies, and 1 mat of Fruity Healing Tablets.

- The first team to successfully enter the Anchor and extract the data and detailed map of Area 1 will receive a bonus reward of 10,000 Dimension Essence.

Let us work together to make the realm a more convenient and safer place!"