Wu iyu's smirk widened. She paused mid-scan and leaned closer to Lin Mo.
"Oh, Shopkeeper, don't play coy. A man who juggles a Sword Fairy, a Verdant Sky Pavilion Emissary, a Crimson Vale vixen, a Poison Demon Cult mistress and a Princess of a Kingdom? That's consort material in any court. My father would approve of the chaos you'd bring. I would keep the advisors on their toes."
Lin Mo's grin held firm, albeit it was twitching a bit at how ridiculous she made it sound. The Convenience Saint title might evolve to a Convenient Skirt-chaser.
"Alright. Flattery won't get you a discount, Your Highness. And I think you're misunderstanding sothing here. I never juggled anyone. Let's keep the store's partnerships strictly business, shall we?"
As though she had gotten her desired reaction, Wu iyu laughed. It was a bright, unrestrained laughter that turned a few custors' heads.
She resud scanning a card pack and instant noodles, making the custor in front of her speechless, "Business it is, then. But don't be surprised if I slip a partnership proposal into our next proper eting. The Southern Wu Kingdom could truly use a touch of your… convenience."
"Your Highness, be careful or you might get bitten." Lin Mo warned as he played along with her teasing. It's not that he's oblivious or trying to act dense, but he truly believed none of the won droning around him currently was truly serious about their intentions. At most, it was nothing more than a playful banter, or they're rely testing the waters in charming an enigma like him. However, what they're truly interested in is the store behind him, not him specifically.
After a while, Lin Mo walked away from the counter to check on the multipurpose hall. He could still feel the spark in his chest thumping as more and more users of the Bulletin Board echoed his na or his title.
His cultivation also never stopped increasing. With his passive absorption from the Silent Stream breathing and core techniques, the 8th Level of Spirit Condensation Stage was not too far from him.
Suddenly, a young cultivator approached him. From his robes, he looked like soone from a minor sect. He was clutching a pack [Spirit Embodint Sticker Seal] and a few packs of [Spirit Replenishing Candies] and [Taihao Spicy Noodles]. Clearly, he's a new custor visiting the store for the first ti.
"Shopkeeper, I have only heard about this from a guy from another sect, but you do have such an amazing shop! I'll tell everyone from my sect about this place!"
Lin Mo's grin widened. "Please do so, custor. You know. You may also watch the Celestial Duels happening in the hall. Don't worry. It's free."
The cultivator nodded eagerly, "Oh? Alright. Thanks, Shopkeeper! I'll do so after paying for this!"
"Also, don't forget to buy a Viewing Jade. You'll be surprised."
"Viewing Jade? Is it that the artifact everyone is fiddling with?"
He nodded, "Mhm. You'll learn a lot from the threads, and you can freely express yourself there."
"Intriguing… Intriguing. I will purchase it!" The young cultivator then dashed away to fall in line at the counter.
Lin Mo watched him for a mont before turning his attention back to the hall. Finding everything was in place, he turned back and returned to the counter.
Wu iyu shot him a sidelong glance. "Shopkeeper, you're wise beyond your years, aren't you? You can be a sect elder if you keep giving advice to our young cultivators. Ever think of teaching a class at the Red Lotus Academy? They'd pay in spirit stones and prestige."
Lin Mo snorted, "I'd rather sell them the textbook than teach it. Besides, the store's my sect, and these custors are my disciples. They learn by spending."
Wu iyu laughed again and she couldn't help but express her agreent.
At this point, most nearby sects are now reliant on the store's products. Even the professionals who were initially unhappy with their custor taken by the store started frequenting to sell what they crafted in exchange for Store Credit. That way, they could buy more high-quality products related to their professions and study them.
"Oh. Shopkeeper, an elder inquired about your promised lecture from a divine being. He left disgruntled when I couldn't give him an answer."
Hearing that, Lin Mo brought up the [Divine System Interface]. He navigated through the [Feedback and Suggestion] nu, looking for a reply to one of his suggestions he brought up before.
While it remained unresolved, it was still there. Just waiting for soone to pick it up.
Or so that's what Lihua told him.
The cultivators of the Eastern Abyssal Domain were hungry for knowledge, especially when it ca with the divine stamp of the store's mysterious backers. But Lin Mo knew better than to overpromise. The divine beings, Taihao and whoever else pulled the strings behind the [Divine Convenience Store], operated on their own whims, and their 'lectures' were as rare as a phoenix feather.
There's also the fact that they're constantly producing and inventing new products for the store.
"An elder, huh?" Lin Mo muttered, "Let guess—gray beard, permanent scowl, probably waved a staff at you for emphasis?"
Wu iyu smirked, swiping a custor's [Celestial Peach Gummies] with a flourish. "Close. It's a grumpy elder from the Crimson Vale. He looked like an artificer. He said you promised them a lecture on 'divine crafts' during their initial visit. He's waiting for it to improve his artificing thods."
"... Alright. I'll make a follow-up on that suggestion. If soone asks for it again, tell them that we're working on it."
With that, he turned around and started writing another entry to the [Feedback and Suggestion].
—
At the Conduit Tower in Jade Hollow Plains, Monk Huiyin moved through Floor 5 with the grace of a flowing river. His staff spun in precise arcs, hitting the foreign creatures that were thrown at him.
His robust spiritual energy resonated with his [Thousand Spring Chant], making him near invincible. Even if pressed by the pressure of the Tower's foreign energy, he could fend it off with his golden aura. Not to ntion, he had the [Celestial Duel Gear] summoned units fending off the bulk of the pressure.
The chamber's walls pulsed with foreign energy, and the Tower System's panel updated with each defeated foe:
[Dinsion Essence Earned: 400]
[Total Dinsion Essence: 28200]
[Tir: 24:19]
[Next Wave in: 15 seconds]
As he waited for the next wave, the monk sat down, chanting a short prayer that cald down the storm of energy around him. The gear on his wrist absorbed the foreign energy in the surroundings, maintaining his summons.
"Amitabha," He murmured as the walls gradually opened, welcoming the next wave. "The Shopkeeper's gear balances the heart and blade. This tower tests both. I never had such an easy ti climbing. But I must be fair. The origin of this tower… I must confirm."
—
Inner Abyssal Circle. Bone Ash Syndicate's Frontline Walled Village
After crushing the can of [Heavenly Dew Soda], Marrow Weaver's skeletal construct roared, its bone spikes slashing through a cluster of Doom Spider hatchlings. Unable to defend against it, the hatchlings' silk snapped like brittle thread. And then the miasma from the construct's runes thickened, forcing nearby Arachnid Branch acolytes to retreat, their faces pale from the corrosive necrotic energy.
Venom Master Xun stood unmoved, her expression remained to be wrought with fury.
The largest Doom Spider she was mounting lunged at the skeletal construct, its venomous mandibles clamping onto a bone-plated limb.
The venom sizzled, eating through the runes, but the construct's sheer mass kept it standing, its red-glowing sockets fixed on Xun.
Marrow Weaver gritted her teeth and unleashed a torrent of necrotic energy from her gauntlets. The blast carved a trench through the forest floor, scattering Wasp Branch warriors and forcing their Hunting Wasps to scatter.
"Hah! Watch decimate your troops, Venom Master! Your store-bought tricks won't save you from the Syndicate's wrath!"
Xun's laugh was a silken blade, cutting through the din. "Tricks, little bird? You mistake convenience for weakness. Observe carefully."
She flicked her wrist, and an Arachnid Branch priest slapped a [Spirit Embodint Sticker Seal] onto the largest Doom Spider. The glossy paper flared, and a spectral projection of a [Venomous Warbeast] rged with the spider, and its carapace glowed with an eerie violet sheen.
The spider's next strike shattered the construct's arm, the bone crumbling into ash as the runes flickered out.
Huangfeng's Wasp Branch seized the mont. Their venom-laced spears rained down on the construct's joints. A priest activated another talisman, summoning a [Spectral-Wraith Lancer] that rged with his body. His spear strikes carved deep gashes into the construct's rune-etched torso.
Marrow Weaver's eyes widened, her gauntlets flaring as she tried to stabilize the construct, pouring more of her necrotic energy to support it. "Impossible! These talismans… they're amplifying your forces beyond reason!"
"I told you. Embrace the convenience and you'll be enlightened.
Xun's smirk was predatory, her fingers weaving a strand of spider silk as she posted another comnt on her Viewing Jade:
"The little bird's toy will snap like twigs. Convenience is power. The Syndicate's Bones are too brittle."
She glanced at Huangfeng, who was directing his warriors to tighten the flank. "Huangfeng, signal the Broodmother. It's ti to end this farce. We still have a store to visit. My Shopkeeper awaits."
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