Divine Convenience Store

For the second time, Lin Mo escorted Jin Bao to the Celestial Shuttle Network hub inside the store.

The young master's intel was valuable, but he still had a store to manage and the young master still had a proposal to deliver.

As for how the store would deal with the Violethaven Temple's plan, Lin Mo instructed Liu Xiaoyu to contact her father or grandfather to send out a group of cultivators from their now-solidified alliance to scout the western edge of the Abyssal Forest. They needed to stop that Soul Lure Array before it could be deployed.

Given that Jin Bao attested to the intel being freshly reported to him, it would still take time for the Violethaven Temple and its allies to cause an Anchor breach and set up that array.

They had plenty of time to prepare for it.

"Your information has been… convenient, Young Master Jin," Lin Mo said, his tone back to that of a polite shopkeeper, "Should your guild wish to proceed with the distribution partnership, you can either contact me directly through the Viewing Jade or have your Guild Master travel to our store. We can formalize the details then. Your username, [GoldenInvestor], has been noted. You're one of the Golden Patrons, so… you have the privilege of sending me a private message."

Jin Bao gave a stiff nod, "I will relay everything. Shopkeeper… be careful. The Violethaven Temple will not stop at just this."

"I'm counting on it," Lin Mo replied with a thin smile. Somehow, he's feeling weird that another arrogant young master folded under the might of 'convenience'.

"Inconvenience is bad for business. I have a very strict policy against it."

With a final, complicated look, Jin Bao and his guards boarded the shuttle and vanished in a shimmer of light.

Lin Mo turned and dropped his amicable mask. It was then replaced by a cold, calculating focus. He walked back to the second-floor lounge, where Wu Meiyu and Liu Xiaoyu were waiting.

"Grandpa is on it, Boss!" Xiaoyu reported with a proud grin as if she were waiting for a 'job well done' from Lin Mo, "He said he's going to mobilize a joint task force with our Liu Clan disciples, the Lightning Amethyst Sect, and the Azure Gale Sect. Scout teams would be deployed to multiple points along the forest's edge. They'll find that array before anyone from the Western Sacred Lands could set it up."

He didn't disappoint her. Lin Mo approached the young woman and patted her head, "Good. But finding it is only the first step. The Temple will surely have it heavily guarded, likely by their own elites or allies. It goes to say that a direct assault from a scout team will be costly. And they might activate it prematurely if they're discovered."

"Remember, the quality of their cultivators is higher than the ones in our region. Our store products can enhance everyone, but we can't be too complacent." Lin Mo continued as his mind continued to process all possibilities.

"A surgical strike, then, Shopkeeper?" Wu Meiyu suggested, "Send in a small, elite team to disable the array and eliminate the operators before they know what's happening?"

"Well, if someone's capable of accomplishing that, then that's the ideal move," Lin Mo agreed. "But who? Patriarch Liu is a sledgehammer, not a scalpel. It won't be surprising for them to account for his presence. A cultivator of a similar stage will be among them to keep him in check. The sect elders are powerful, but they lack the specific skills for this kind of infiltration. We need a specialist."

His eyes drifted to the system interface as his mind raced through the assets available to him. He could post a high-stakes commission on the Mercenary's Guild, but that would take too long and alert the enemies. After all, spies can have already gotten their hands on a Viewing Jade. He needed someone discreet, ruthlessly efficient, and had already been bought by the power of convenience.

Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind. It was quite audacious and something he hadn't tried yet. Or at least, not to the extent of this kind of problem.

Just like with Venom Master Xun, he could call in a favor from one of his more… unconventional partners.

Lin Mo accessed the Divine System Interface and scanned the registered users before homing in on one who had just recently activated their Viewing Jade and opened a private message.

Shopkeeper: "Clan Leader Wei, this is the Shopkeeper. A situation has arisen that requires the unique talents of someone from your esteemed Shadow Veil Clan. I have received intel that an act of terrorism is being planned that threatens not only my store but the stability of the entire region. I require an expert in stealth, infiltration, and silent elimination. A 'pest control' problem, if you will. I trust your clan has someone suitable for such a… convenient service?"

While the Shadow Veil Clan had only been added to the original alliance, the fact that he stepped up to allow them to join had already earned him goodwill from them. Not to mention, the contingent that the clan sent to the store was already acting like the store's ambassadors, spreading the word of convenience within their clan in the Inner Abyssal Region.

Like the Poison Demon Cult, they are more or less conquered already.

As he expected, the reply was almost instantaneous. It's like a testament to the Shadow Veil Clan's efficiency and their eagerness to prove their new loyalty.

ShadowVeilFang: "Shopkeeper, your convenience is our command. Such a service is our specialty. May I ask what this threat you're facing?"

Shopkeeper: "The Violethaven Temple."

Despite his reply only stating that name, Lin Mo could already imagine the Clan Leader gulping down his saliva. After all, with their clan only based on the outskirts of the Inner Abyssal Region, their Ancestor, if they have any hibernating within their territory, should only be on par with the Ancestor of the upper-tier sects of the Eastern Abyssal Domain.

A tense silence followed for a full minute. Lin Mo waited patiently. This was a test of the Shadow Veil Clan's commitment.

Finally, a new message arrived.

ShadowVeilFang: "The Violethaven Temple is a major power. A direct confrontation is… unwise. However, the Shadow Veil Clan has never shied away from a challenge, especially when our newfound appreciation of convenience is at stake. We do have a specialist for such a task. Our Clan's Shadow Scythe. He is our most elite assassin. A peak Nascent Soul Stage expert like me, whose mastery of shadow arts is unparalleled. He has never failed a mission."

A Nascent Soul assassin? Perfect. Although the claim of not failing a mission was naturally exaggerated. The Clan Leader omitted that those missions were well within this Shadow Scythe's abilities. He wouldn't take a mission that had a high risk of failing.

Shopkeeper: "Excellent. What are his terms?"

ShadowVeilFang: "For the honor of serving the Divine Convenience Store, he will undertake this mission. However, his methods are... resource-intensive. He requires a full set of your highest-grade stealth and assassination-related products. Specifically, a pack of [Void-Step Talismans], three vials of [Silent-Death Poison], and one [Shadowmend Salve]. All of those should be within your shelves as Elder Jin and Chen reported. Additionally, he requests one other item... a single, guaranteed Golden Patron ticket to the specialized lecture by the Goddess of Refinement."

Lin Mo's lips curled into a smile. A shrewd but quite overreaching request.. He could give them the item but a seat for the lecture was too valuable. Especially for someone who had yet to shop at the store.

In any case, it's not like he had a lot of use for the slots allotted to him.

Shopkeeper: "The terms are acceptable. However, I cannot give him a Golden Patron ticket. Those were sold out the day it was announced."

ShadowVeilFang: "Is that the case? A shame."

Shopkeeper: "However, I have a more valuable ticket. But this commission, even if he's successful, isn't equal to its value. Therefore, I will offer it as a reward for a different, long-term arrangement."

ShadowVeilFang: "A different arrangement? Shopkeeper, please elaborate."

Shopkeeper: "I am offering the Shadow Veil Clan a formal contract to become the 'Official Security & Intelligence Partner' of the Divine Convenience Store. Your clan will be our primary contractor for all future missions requiring discretion and infiltration. In return for this mission and your future loyalty, I will grant your Shadow Scythe one of my limited Divine Patron tickets to the specialized lecture. This will grant him not just a seat, but also access to this exclusive floor and a direct line of communication with me. It is a symbol of my trust."

Given how things were rapidly changing around him, Lin Mo had no choice but to think far ahead and use the influence that the store had gained. They may have a nefarious motive when they first visited the store but can they overcome their fear of the revolver that destroyed a heaven-grade artifact in one shot? Absolutely not.