Divine Convenience Store

Lin Mo almost laughed out loud. Seventy percent? He's not offering a partnership. Instead, he was planning a hostile takeover disguised as a business proposal. And how oblivious could he be not to consider that he already met that 'genius'? He was even easily suppressed by her.

This Young Master Jin was too inexperienced.

"Seventy percent," Lin Mo repeated, letting the number hang in the air. "A bold opening offer. Tell me, Young Master Jin, what value does your Guild bring that I don't already possess?"

Jin Bao scoffed. "Value? We bring the world. We have established trade routes not just in our Sacred Land but also in the Northern Arctic Dominion. We have a network of a thousand storefronts, and relationships with powers you've never even heard of. You have... a single, isolated shop in a backwater city."

"An isolated shop? Looks like your intelligence is outdated, dear customer." Lin Mo smilingly shook his head before calling to the disciple of the Verdant Sky Pavilion who recognized them.

"You, dear customer. Come here for a moment."

The disciple, surprised to be addressed directly by the Shopkeeper, quickly bowed and approached. "Shopkeeper, how may I be of service?"

"You're from the Verdant Sky Pavilion, correct? Your Emissary, Yu Qingyan, is currently acting as our Official Distributor in the Northern Arctic Dominion. Would you say this shop is 'isolated'?" Lin Mo asked, his gaze remained fixed on Jin Bao, watching his expression slowly change.

The disciple puffed out his chest with pride. "Of course not, Shopkeeper! Emissary Yu has already established a trade caravan and is spreading convenience as we speak! In fact…"

He pulled out his Viewing Jade and continued, "She had just finished recruiting an elite team on the Bulletin Board for a high-level mission!"

Jin Bao's smirk faltered. "A... what board?"

Lin Mo didn't answer him. He turned to another customer, one wearing the robes of the Azure Gale Sect. "And you, friend. Would you say our logistics are lacking?"

The disciple grinned. "Shopkeeper, I took the Celestial Shuttle from the Jade Hollow Plains this morning. The journey took less than a breath. I'd say your logistics are the best in the entire realm."

Jin Bao's expression soured further. He had heard whispers of this 'shuttle', but had dismissed them as provincial exaggeration.

"A thousand storefronts are impressive," Lin Mo continued, changing his tone to a blend of polite amusement and sharp steel. "But I have over twelve thousand active users on my Bulletin Board, a direct-to-consumer digital marketplace. Something you didn't even try to find out. I have a transportation network that makes distance irrelevant for a cheap price. Oh, wait. It may be expensive for those who don't have a source for a special currency."

100 Dimension Essence was equivalent to 1 high-grade spirit stone, a cost that even an elite disciple of a sect would frown at needlessly spending. But thanks to the appearance of the Towers and Anchors with Store Beacon, all patrons of the Divine Convenience Store could earn Dimension Essences by finishing challenges or slaying foreign creatures.

"We have a branch currently under construction and soon to open in the Southern Wilderness. An Official Distributor from a prominent information-centered sect. A partnership with an entire Academy that has made my product a mandatory part of their curriculum. And lastly, our store heads the alliance consisting of upper-tier sects and organizations from this region and in the Inner Abyssal Circle. So, I will ask again. What value does your Guild bring to my table?"

Every point Lin Mo made was a hammer blow to Jin Bao's arrogant proposal. He had come here expecting to deal with an ignorant provincial merchant, only to find a visionary running a futuristic, vertically integrated empire that made his own guild's methods seem archaic.

Of course, Lin Mo also had no idea about the total scope of their guilds' reach. Since they're from the Western Sacred Lands, they're possibly more prominent than the Verdant Sky Pavilion when it comes to trade and network.

Still, looking at how stumped the young man in front of him was, his words seemed effective.

Eventually, Jin Bao opened his mouth, but no words came out. His seventy percent commission now sounded utterly absurd.

Lin Mo pressed on, his smile never leaving his face. "However, I am always open to new partnerships. My store operates on a simple principle. To spread convenience. We do not do exclusive deals. We do not operate on predatory commissions. Our network builds itself just by buying one specific product. Your Golden Carp Trading Guild has a significant presence in the Western Sacred Lands, a region I have yet to fully tap."

He leaned forward slightly, acting like he was about to whisper a secret. "So here is my counteroffer. You want to be a distributor? Excellent. I can list you as one,but you will purchase my goods at the same wholesale price, just like my other distributors. You can then sell them in your 'thousand storefronts' at a markup of your choosing. Your profit is your own to make. Your network becomes my network. My products bolster your offerings. It's a convenient, symbiotic relationship."

He then looked directly into Jin Bao's eyes. "Of course, you must ensure that our products won't be sold to those who consider us as enemies, such as… the Violethaven Temple and their allies. They're blacklisted in our store. Even if you try to hide funneling our products to them, I will notice it and I will instantly revoke your privileged status."

"As for the identity of the Heavenly Physique... you can have it, of course. For a price. One million high-grade spirit stones. A bargain, for information of that caliber, wouldn't you agree? And it comes with a clause that will prevent you from acting against that individual. Ah, well, you'll be the enemy of the whole region if you try to move against them anyway."

Ending that with a shrug and a confident smirk, Lin Mo watched as Jin Bao started sweating.

This backwater shopkeeper had not only dismantled his entire proposal but had turned the tables, offering him a deal that was both insultingly standard and undeniably profitable, all while dangling a piece of priceless information like a lure.

Was he actually in a negotiation? No. Like many others, he's nothing more than the store's customer. And the Shopkeeper himself was giving him a lecture as if he were a foolish student who didn't know what was left and right.

Jin Bao's mind raced as he tried to find a counter or even a simple flaw in Lin Mo's logic. Unfortunately, there was none. He had been completely and utterly outmaneuvered. The humiliation was profound.

Lin Mo straightened up, his tone shifting from that of a negotiator back to a simple, friendly shopkeeper.

"But we can discuss the details later. You've traveled a long way. You must be tired. It would be inconvenient to make a major business decision on an empty stomach and a clouded mind, wouldn't it?"

Before Jin Bao could react, Lin Mo turned to one of his new hires. "You. Prepare a meal for our guest from the Golden Carp Trading Guild. A bowl of [Taihao Spicy Noodles], a can of [Heavenly Dew Soda], and a bag of [Pizza-flavored Spirit-Infused Potato Chips]. Put it on my tab."

The new employee, a nimble young man, nodded eagerly and dashed off to the dining area.

Jin Bao was stunned into silence. One moment, he was being intellectually torn down; the next, he was being offered a free lunch. The whiplash was disorienting. His two guards looked at him, their expressions a mix of confusion and… was that hunger?

"What... what is this?" Jin Bao finally managed to stammer out.

"It's called customer service," Lin Mo said with a warm smile. "A core principle of convenience. You can't truly understand my business without experiencing the product firsthand. Please, take a seat in our dining area. Consider it a... complimentary consultation. And here, a gift."

Upon handing him an unactivated Viewing Jade, Lin Mo gestured towards the dining area, a silent dismissal that was somehow more powerful than any threat.

Jin Bao, for the first time in his life, felt completely powerless. He had no leverage, no counter-argument. His pride was in tatters, his business proposal was a joke, and now his stomach was starting to rumble in anticipation of the spicy noodle aroma wafting from somewhere within the store.

Defeated, he gave a stiff, jerky nod. He turned and walked towards the dining area, his two guards following him like lost puppies. The crowd of onlookers parted, their gazes a mix of pity and amusement.

Liu Xiaoyu lightly hit his back as she couldn't contain her excitement, "There you go again, Boss. Turning a troublemaker into a loyal patron."

Lin Mo shrugged, picking up a can of iced coffee that Xiao Ya silently handed to him. "He was just overwhelmed. As for whether he will be a loyal patron, that's still up in the air. After all, he's from that region. And he's nothing more than an experienced young master. Those behind him would not easily accept this result. I'm not worried, though. Has there been anyone who managed to resist our convenience?"

He took a sip, watching as the new employee placed a steaming, fragrant bowl of noodles in front of the stunned Young Master of the Golden Carp Trading Guild.

"No. Not even one." Liu Xiaoyu giggled, "Everyone succumbed to it."