Divine Convenience Store

The three spider broodlings paused, their multiple, glassy eyes swiveling to face Marrow Weaver and the priests.

The villagers, caught between two terrifying forces, froze in place, their sacks of sunstone ore dropping to the dusty ground before hurriedly dropping to their knees.

They had no idea who these new arrivals were but they're conscious enough that they were about to be caught in the middle of their clash. They're powerless against them, so they could only pray not to get hit accidentally.

One of the broodlings, the largest of the three, let out an aggressive, chittering hiss, the purplish foreign energy spreading from it.

It took a step forward with its scythe-like legs digging into the earth, seemingly ready for a challenge.

It recognized the newcomers as a threat, but its arrogance, born from months of unopposed dominance, made it reckless. Or rather, it never passed its mind, if it had any, that they're not invincible.

Marrow Weaver didn't even flinch. She simply threw a handful of bones in front of her, followed by the unleashing of her necrotic energy. A moment later, the bones transformed into skeletal constructs of wolves with sharp fangs and claws.

"Sunstone Village. The Mistress sends you her sincerity, courtesy of the Divine Convenience Store's convenience," She stated with a flat and cold voice, her words clearly meant for the villagers, and specifically, for the woman watching from the Community Hub.

At the same time, one of the priests stepped to the side and methodically began unpacking items from his spatial bag, placing them on a hastily summoned bone table. A packet of [Taihao Spicy Noodles], a can of [Heavenly Dew Soda] and [Frosty Lotus Bloom]. He even produced a small, portable burner talisman and a clay cooking pot.

It was a surreal, almost insulting gesture. While his companions prepared for battle, he was about to prepare a meal, as if the outcome was so certain it wasn't even worth his attention.

The villagers tilted their heads in confusion, and even Chi Yang, watching from where she was, was dumbfounded.

The lead broodling, enraged by this display of contempt, shrieked and lunged at Marrow Weaver. Its scythe-like legs blurred, aiming to cleave her in two.

Marrow Weaver didn't move. She didn't even draw a weapon. She simply made a subtle gesture with one hand.

The ground erupted.

Two of her skeletal wolves shot forward. They didn't aim to attack the spider head-on. Instead, they moved to intercept its legs, their bone jaws clamping down with enough force to crack the creature's chitinous armor.

With its momentum broken, the broodling stumbled.

Marrow Weaver is a late Core Formation Stage cultivator. She's only a minor realm below Venom Master Xun. In comparison, this lead broodling had a strength closer to the peak Foundation Establishment Stage. It was impossible for it to overcome that difference in strength, even if it had already adapted to the Realm of Nine of Heavens' spiritual energy.

Simultaneously, the other two priests acted. One clapped his hands, and the spiders at his feet spat out thick, green webs. They shouldn't be as potent as the Crystalweb Tyrant's own silk, but not even the foreign spiders' thick carapace could defend against them. The webs latched onto the other two, smaller broodlings, pinning them to the ground. Their struggles only tightened the venom-laced strands.

The entire battle, if it could even be called that, was over in less than three seconds. It was a demonstration of absolute, effortless control. Marrow Weaver and the Arachnid Branch's Priests had thorough information about their targets.

It had to be done this quickly to prevent the Crystalweb Tyrant from being alerted right away.

The lead broodling, caught in the bone-wolf's grip, thrashed violently.

Marrow Weaver walked towards it calmly. She placed a single, gauntleted hand on its crystalline carapace.

Black necrotic energy pulsed from her palm and seeped through its body. The broodling's violent struggles gradually ceased, and before long, it let out a final, gurgling chitter as its glassy eyes dimmed, its life force drained in a single, silent moment.

Its body didn't even twitch as it collapsed, now nothing more than an empty husk.

Marrow Weaver turned her impassive gaze towards the Community Hub, directly at Chi Yang.

The priest at the bone table chose that exact moment to finish his task. He had just finished cooking the spicy noodles, its tantalizing aroma filling the air, contrasting with the scent of the broodling's death.

He transferred it into a bowl. Chi Yang noticed how the Priest himself was holding himself back from salivating. As for the villagers, their stomachs were already rumbling.

"That is a gift from my Mistress. A token of sincerity. Your current landlord will be informed that the property is under new management."

She gestured to the two remaining broodlings, still pinned and helpless in the venomous webs. "These two will carry our message back to their queen. She'll be given a choice. Subjugation or annihilation. A very convenient offer, wouldn't you agree?"

With another gesture, the venomous webs dissolved, and the two terrified broodlings scrambled away, fleeing back towards their canyon nest with a speed they had never before displayed.

Chi Yang stood in the doorway, her knuckles white as she gripped the frame.

She put a hand on her chest, calming down the frantic drum of her heartbeat. She had just witnessed a level of power she couldn't comprehend. The monsters that had terrorized her village for months, the beings she had to negotiate with just to ensure her people's survival carefully, had been neutralized with contemptuous ease.

That couldn't even be called a fight. It felt more like Marrow Weaver handled a pest control service.

However, Chi Yang still couldn't help but be worried. Venom Master Xun or Marrow Weaver might be strong but could they truly subjugate that gigantic otherworldly spider?

She still had no idea why the Shopkeeper took an interest in her. She was probably being tested right now. What if she declines the store's offer? Will the Convenience Saint turn on them? The thought sent a chill down her spine as worry started to settle in her head.

But then, she recalled all the stories about Lin Mo in the Bulletin Board threads…

He shouldn't be the type of person to turn a mortal village like theirs into a convenient source of manpower. He should be this trustworthy manager of the mysterious Divine Convenience Store.

'I… I'll put a bit of my trust in him.' She thought.

The priest who had cooked the noodles bowed slightly, then placed the steaming bowl, a can of soda before leaving behind a bag filled with other snacks and items from the store.

He then turned and, along with his companions, melted back into the shadows as quickly as they had appeared.

Only Marrow Weaver remained, watching Chi Yang intently.

"... That big spider. It will unleash its fury on us. You can't just kill its broodling and disappear." As she cautiously approached the table, Chi Yang's eyes fixated on Marrow Weaver, airing her very real and immediate concern.

Surprisingly, her voice remained steady. She truly exhibits the quality of a leader responsible for her people, not a terrified victim.

Marrow Weaver's lips curled into a semblance of a smile. "That is the point. We are not disappearing. We are simply… changing the terms of your lease."

Chi Yang stopped, her gaze unwavering. "And what are those terms?"

"My Mistress has already sent them to you," Marrow Weaver stated, gesturing with her head towards the Community Hub where the Viewing Jade lay. "Safety. Sustenance. Salary. All under the banner of the Divine Convenience Store. All we ask in return is your cooperation. Your… management."

She took a step closer, her necrotic aura dissipating to ease the pressure and calm the nerves of the villagers.

"The Tyrant's fury is a foregone conclusion. The question is not if it will come, but under whose protection you will be standing when it does. Will it be under the flimsy protection of your stone walls and your bartered deals, or will it be under the protection of the same power that provides this?"

She gestured to the steaming bowl of noodles. "The choice, 'SunnyDay', is yours to make. My Mistress is patient, so is the Shopkeeper. Take your time, but you know the clock is ticking."

Marrow Weaver didn't wait for a reply. She gave a final, sharp nod, turned, and dissolved into the shadows, leaving Chi Yang alone in the square with the dead spider, the silent, terrified villagers, and a steaming bowl of noodles that represented a choice between two different kinds of monsters.

Chi Yang looked at the cooling bowl, then at the husk of the broodling. She looked at her people, who were now staring at her, their faces filled with a mixture of fear and desperate hope.

After quickly eating the savory noodles and drinking the amazing refreshment, she walked back into the Community Hub and picked up her Viewing Jade.

Her fingers typed out a single, concise reply to Venom Master Xun.

SunnyDay: "When do I start?"