Divine Convenience Store

Upon reading the whole content of the report, the chaotic energy of the Jade Hollow Plains faded into a dull roar in Jin Bao's ears. The triumphant shouts of tower-climbers, the bartering of merchants became background noise. The only thing that felt real for him was the cold dread seeping into his bones from the glowing words on the token.

"...direct a wave of foreign creatures to the Eastern Abyssal Domain..."

"...trample on the Divine Convenience Store..."

His guards, noticing his deathly pale face, stepped closer. "Young Master? Is something wrong? Is it news from the Guild Master?"

Jin Bao didn't answer. His mind, the sharp, calculating mind of a successor of a prominent trading guild, was racing, processing the implications with terrifying speed.

What he had just read was an act of asymmetrical warfare. The Violethaven Temple, cornered and humiliated, was about to unleash a catastrophe to let the people who did that to them pay for it.

His first instinct, the ingrained reflex of a Western Sacred Lands native, was to do nothing. Let the backwater Eastern Abyssal Domain burn. Let this arrogant Shopkeeper and his strange little store be wiped off the map. It would solve a great many problems for the established powers in the West. It would be... convenient.

But then, another thought, one colder and more pragmatic, cut through the first.

He looked at the Celestial Shuttle Network hub, a marvel of engineering that had transported him across long distances in a breath and the Shopkeeper said it would be the same even if the hub was at the other side of the realm as long as there's a hub there. That's something not even an immortal-grade teleportation array would be able to accomplish.

He glanced at the Conduit Tower. Simply by deploying a Store Beacon inside, a source of a new, powerful currency that his guild had no access to could be gathered.

He thought of the Bulletin Board, a network of information and commerce that made his own guild's spy network seem like children playing with messenger birds.

"It is the future…" Jin Bao muttered with gritted teeth.

If the Violethaven Temple succeeded, they wouldn't just be destroying a store, they would also be destroying this entire nascent ecosystem centered around convenience. They would be smashing the future of commerce to pieces out of petty revenge.

What will they gain from that? Not only will it let the realm threat run rampant, but it will also put the other region to becoming the next target.

And the Golden Carp Trading Guild, which wanted to continue spreading their influence as the greatest trading guild in the realm, would be forced to abandon many of their outposts.

"...or be made irrelevant by it." His own words echoed back at him.

"Young Master!" His guard pressed.

Jin Bao finally looked up, his eyes hard and decisive. The bruised ego of the young master was gone, replaced by the cold focus of a high-stakes investor. He had just discovered the most valuable asset in the realm, and he would be damned if he let a pack of angry, short-sighted fanatics destroy it before he could figure out how to profit from it.

"Change of plans," he said, his voice sharp and clear. "We're going back."

—

With Jin Bao's departure, Lin Mo had nothing else to do again other than wait. To not let himself be idle, he went over to Wu Meiyu to go over the final details of the employment contracts signed by Pan Ruo and the others.

As the Temporary Staff Manager, Wu Meiyu had helped draft them, adding clauses about non-disclosure and loyalty that were surprisingly ruthless for a princess.

Or maybe it was to be expected? Lin Mo wryly smiled as he continued to read line by line of clauses.

"A 'spiritual resonance' clause that flags any intent to betray the store?" Lin Mo raised an eyebrow. "Your Highness, this is more binding than most sect oaths. Not even you, Xiaoyu, or Xiao Ya have this kind of contract. I simply hired them, and the system acknowledged it."

"Indeed. But that's being careless, Shopkeeper. If you like, I will also draft a contract for me and my escorts. A loyal workforce is the foundation of any stable enterprise, Shopkeeper," She replied, her unwavering gaze was enough to tell Lin Mo she thought of this properly. "Convenience must be protected."

Lin Mo chuckled and shook his head. "Alright, Your Highness. I defer to your expertise in... ruthless human resource management. I'll have the system formalize these contracts."

Just as he was about to approve the new contracts, the glass doors to the Celestial Shuttle hub slid open with a soft hiss.

Lin Mo looked up, expecting another surge of customers coming from the other hubs. Instead, he saw Jin Bao stride back into the store, his two guards scrambling to keep up.

His arrogance was still there as he kept his chin up but mingling with it was a frantic and wild-eyed urgency.

He marched directly to where he was standing, ignoring the line of customers and the surprised looks of the staff.

"Shopkeeper!" Jin Bao slammed his hand on the shelf with his voice sounding like a harsh yet strained whisper. "We need to talk. Privately. Now."

Liu Xiaoyu, who already grew tired of smiling at the customers entering from the front door, rolled up her sleeves and hopped over. "Hey! You again! What's the big idea, barging in like you own that place!"

"Xiaoyu, it's fine," Lin Mo said as he grabbed her by the collar, putting her behind him.

He was intrigued by the reason for this young master's return. And his gut tells him it's something important.

"Your Highness, could you please manage the floor for a moment? And you, you're going to deal with this kind of disturbance when I leave to open a new branch. So, watch and learn."

Wu Meiyu nodded, her expression sharp and curious, and smoothly began directing the flow of customers away from the confrontation. Meanwhile, Xiaoyu grinned in satisfaction before nodding enthusiastically.

After that, Lin Mo gestured for Jin Bao to follow him. He led him past the bustling main floor and up the grand staircase to the now-empty second-floor lounge.

He used an instant sound-isolating formation kit from the store around them.

"Alright. This is private enough. You look like you've seen a ghost. What happened?"

Jin Bao took a deep breath before his words tumbled out of him in a rushed, panicked stream. "The Violethaven Temple. They've lost their minds. Their Grand Elder is gone, and they're blaming you. They're activating a contingency... a plan to direct a wave of foreign creatures... Possibly an Anchor breach... directly in this region. To wipe out your store from the map."

Lin Mo put a hand on his chin. Their Grand Elder is gone? Didn't that guy run away with his tail between his legs when the heaven-grade artifact got destroyed by the revolver? How is he gone?

Before he could say anything, Liu Xiaoyu gasped before scoffing, "That old man is gone? Hah! I bet he's still alive and kicking! A Void Refinement Stage cultivator wouldn't die that easily! They're just using his absence as justification for an act of war!"

Lin Mo looked from Xiaoyu's indignant face to Jin Bao's panicked one. Her assessment was likely correct. The Grand Elder's disappearance was a convenient excuse. But the threat was real, regardless of the pretext.

He turned his full attention back to Jin Bao.

"Details. I need everything you know, dear customer. Where is this Anchor they're targeting? How are they 'directing' the wave? What is their timeline?"

Jin Bao shook his head, running a hand through his previously immaculate hair. "My source didn't have the exact location. The plan is highly classified. But they spoke of using a 'Soul Lure Array'. It's a forbidden array formation that uses a massive sacrifice of life force to create a beacon that infuriates and attracts anything within its vicinity. It drives them into a frenzy, causing them to swarm towards the beacon's location. They intend to place it somewhere on the western edge of the Abyssal Forest, close enough to Fanling City to be an undeniable threat. With the demonic energy prevalent at that place, it can… amplify its effect."

"A Soul Lure Array..." Lin Mo's eyes narrowed. His knowledge of forbidden techniques was naturally lacking but he knew well how to deduce it from the name. But the place they're planning to deploy it… Liu Xiaoyu's grandpa should be able to notice their movements there. Unless… the forces from the Inner Abyssal Region keep him occupied.

"I see," Lin Mo nodded, his voice dangerously quiet. "This is an act of terrorism. They are willing to sacrifice countless innocent lives and potentially destabilize an entire region just for revenge. I get it, that heaven-grade artifact must be too valuable."

"Eh? Heaven-grade artifact? Is that why…? Oh… Exactly!" Jin Bao stuttered at first as he didn't know exactly what the Violethaven Temple had lost. "It's madness! It's bad for business, it's bad for the realm! You have to stop them!"

Lin Mo gave a humorless smile. "Oh, we will. But this raises a question, Young Master Jin. Why are you telling me this? Why warn me? Why not let them succeed and pick over the ashes?"

Jin Bao flinched as he carefully formed his reply.

"Because... because a world without spicy noodles and a Celestial Shuttle is an inconvenient one…"