Divine Convenience Store

Lin Mo's thoughts churned as he started coming up with methods on how to provide Venom Master Xun the help she's asking for. Without a Store or Distributor Token, sending something through the Divine Interface System was impossible. That's the limitation of the current system. He couldn't just magically teleport a box of high-grade talismans to her. She needed a physical intervention.

Reinforcements. She needed more bodies on the ground. A particularly large distraction to even out the odds. She went there without the full force of the Poison Demon Cult and had only taken a small elite from the branch she's leading. At the moment, fighting thousands of broodlings on top of the Crystalweb Tyrant, as well as being vigilant against the Ironbone Clan and Spirit Haze Sect, was an impossible task. She had to spread herself thin. No matter how cunning she was, the difference in personnel could tip the scales beyond her control.

His first thought was the 'Mercenary & Adventurer's Guild'. He could post another high-priority commission, offering immense rewards to any cultivators willing to divert from the Sunken Caverns raid and head to the Southern Wilderness. But that would take too long. Travel, even for Foundation Establishment experts, would take days. By then, Venom Master Xun's situation could be dire.

He needed a faster solution. A more convenient one.

His eyes fell upon the still-open evaluation panel from the previous day. One line, in particular, stood out.

Celestial Shuttle Network Trips: 3112 passengers

The network. It was the key. But how? The network only connected to established hubs at the store, the two Conduit Towers, and the one he tasked Xiaoyu to deploy at the Graypeak Mountains. There was no network established at the Southern Wilderness... yet.

"Unless..." Lin Mo's face brightened as an idea came to him.

Before long, he's already typing a response to Venom Master Xun and someone else who's essential to the help he could provide.

[To: ArachnidMistress]

Shopkeeper: "Dear customer, your request for a distraction is approved. However, reinforcements will take a different form. Your current position is untenable. Your new primary objective is to execute a tactical retreat. Disengage from the Tyrant, retrieve our candidate Branch Manager, Chi Yang, and escort her and the villagers to the Blazing Ridge. Our new patron from the Emberfall Tribes will be waiting for you there to guide you to the rising branch of the Divine Convenience Store. Once there, I will remotely install her as the Branch Manager and complete the construction of the new branch. The Celestial Shuttle Network will be automatically constructed within it. From there, reinforcements will be a single, convenient ride away. Optionally, you can first secure the villagers in a safe location and travel with Chi Yang alone to expedite the process. The safety of our future Branch Manager is your top priority."

He sent the first message, then immediately began composing the second. This one is a direct message that will be projected at the new branch where the Blazing Maw Tribe should be stationed.

Shopkeeper: "Chieftain Akasha, an opportunity to repay your debt to the store has arrived sooner than expected. Our new Branch Manager is currently under threat and requires an escort to the branch site at Blazing Ridge. Another loyal patron of our store, Venom Master Xun, will be leading her to you. Your task is to receive them, secure the area, and protect our new manager with your lives until the branch is officially established. Succeed, and the Blazing Maw will be recognized as the official guardians of the Divine Convenience Store's Southern Wilderness branch. Your tribe will be the first to benefit from its convenience."

He sent the second message, a satisfied glint in his eye. He was turning one set of his new, incidental allies into the rescue party for another. It was a beautiful, convenient synergy.

Venom Master Xun's reply quickly came as she attached an image, showing the battlefield wherein her Doom Spiders were holding back the almost swarm-like quantity of the Tyrant's broodlings. Within it, Lin Mo also noticed how her Celestial Field was opened but it was glowing in an eerie purple and instead of spiritual projections of summoned units of the Celestial Duel Platform, it was littered with her own enhanced broodlings. They seemingly evolved and took on the properties of whatever Unit Card was applied to them.

His eyebrows knitted slightly but he soon shook his head, shelving the thought for a later visit. The situation was urgent.

ArachnidMistress: "A tactical retreat to facilitate a remote branch opening that activates a teleportation network for reinforcements... Shopkeeper, your mind is a terrifying and beautiful thing. It is audacious. I like it. Consider it done. We'll likely be hindered by all three factions here but it's not a problem. I do require a bit of an additional reward when I return, however... For example, a personal time with you."

Ignoring that last part of her message, Lin Mo checked the livefeed from the Guardian Construct at the Southern Wilderness Branch. There, the red-skinned Blazing Maw Chieftain could already be seen shouting orders to her tribesmen.

"The Blazing Maw answers the call. We will protect the Convenience Saint's chosen. The debt will be honored with blood and fire. We are waiting."

Lin Mo almost choked upon hearing that title. That shouldn't have reached her ears, given that she didn't possess a Viewing Jade yet. It seemed that she came up with it herself. Once again, a sliver of faith energy nourished the spark of divinity in his chest.

With the pieces in motion in the Southern Wilderness, he turned his attention to the final, most crucial part of his plan.

Arranging the reinforcements.

With the raid consisting of most sects within the alliance already geared up for tomorrow, there's only one faction left that was on standby. The one Venom Master Xun belonged to. The Poison Demon Cult.

[To: PoisonedOracle]

Shopkeeper: "High Priest, an urgent matter has arisen in the Southern Wilderness. One of your esteemed Venom Masters, Xun Caiyin, is currently engaged with a powerful Outer Realm entity and is holding the line against two other major powers. She requires immediate reinforcement. She is acting on a commission from my store, one that is vital to our expansion and the stability of the region.

The Flash Raid in the Abyssal Forest is for the righteous sects and adventurers. This... is a more delicate matter. It requires a certain… unorthodox flair. I am officially commissioning the Poison Demon Cult to act as the primary reinforcement for this operation.

I am about to open a direct, instantaneous route to the front lines. I need your cult's most powerful Venom Masters, priests and poison-bearers to be ready. Are you prepared to spread the glory of the Great Poison Demon and the convenience of our store to a new and untamed land? Also... if you're successful, your proposal to become our second Official Distributor will be yours."

Lin Mo let out a breath as a cold, calculating smile appeared on his face. He was pitting his most chaotic and dangerous assets against each other in a controlled burn while dangling the position that the High Priest covets.

The High Priest's reply was, as always, swift and filled with a terrifying zeal. Just as instructed to him by the Great Poison Demon.

PoisonedOracle: "The Convenience Saint calls, and the Great Poison Demon's faithful shall answer! Our venoms have grown restless, our beasts hunger for new flesh! The righteous fools can have their little raid. We will handle the true work! The Poison Demon Cult is mobilized and awaits your signal, Shopkeeper! We will show the ignorant savages of the south the true meaning of fear... and convenience!"

"Perfect," Lin Mo murmured. He now had a rescue party, a diplomatic shield, and a potent army all moving in concert, orchestrated through a series of messages.

He stood up from his seat in the second-floor lounge, his brief rest over. The calm before the storm was about to give way to the storm itself.

He walked down from the second floor and projected the full Divine Interface System in front of him.

Wu Meiyu, who had been silently observing his flurry of messages, approached with a curious yet concerned expression.

"Shopkeeper, you are mobilizing the Poison Demon Cult en masse. Are you certain that is wise? Unleashing them on the Southern Wilderness could have... unforeseen consequences."

"Unforeseen consequences are a part of any bold business venture, Your Highness," Lin Mo replied, his fingers already flying across the interface. "Besides, the Poison Demon Cult is already a loyal patrol. A very dangerous and volatile patron, but useful nonetheless. It is up to the user to wield it correctly. Today, they will be our 'convenience' saviors."

He accessed the [Convenience Nexus Hub] and navigated to the Southern Wilderness branch profile. A new set of options had appeared, linked to his recent messages.

[Branch Status: Under Construction - Awaiting Manager Designation]

[Manager Candidate: Chi Yang (SunnyDay) - Awaiting Proximity for Confirmation]

[Option: Expedite Branch Completion & Manager Installation (Remote)]

[Cost: 500,000 Dimension Essence]

[Warning: Expedited construction will cause significant spiritual fluctuations and will be highly visible. The Celestial Shuttle Network hub will be immediately functional upon completion.

[Proceed? Y/N]

It should've been free if he had traveled there and inaugurated the opening himself. Unfortunately, the situation wouldn't wait for that.