The starry blanket of the night painted the sky in hues of black and violet as the nineteenth day of the store's operation drew to a close.
Lin Mo stood on the second-floor balcony, a rare mont of quiet reflection amidst the controlled chaos that had beco his life. Down below, the final preparations for the raid, which the store sponsored, were already in full swing. The makeshift army outside Fanling City had swelled to over two thousand cultivators at the minimum of the Foundation Establishnt Stage. A sight that made even the unflappable City Lord Wei Xian, who had beco used to seeing high-level cultivators visiting his city, nervous.
Liu Xiaoyu, having spent the entire afternoon at the city gates personally handing out 'Convenience Combat Kits' to registered participants, had just returned, her face flushed with excitent, along with Xiao Ya and her little brother, Liu Xiaoping.
"Uhm… Boss, are you also going to join the raid tomorrow?" The little girl, Xiao Ya, was the first to ask, a hint of concern laced in her voice. At this point, she was no longer a lucky mortal who got her Bloodline Physique awakened by Lin Mo's Celestial Providence. She had already reached the peak of the Spirit Gathering Stage. After close to two weeks as an employee of the store and having been able to cultivate alongside Lin Mo and Liu Xiaoyu, her perception of the world had already broadened. She's not the little girl who brought the poisonous mushrooms to the store in exchange for Store Credits anymore.
And given the current state of the realm and the previous crisis when the Violethaven Temple appeared above the skies of Fanling City, concern couldn't help but well up in her chest.
Lin Mo patted her head before answering, "Nope. That kind of battle is not sothing I can join in. Well, your Sister Xiaoyu might want to co though. But first… she's going to bring you on a trip."
"A trip?" Her eyes sparkled.
Instead of Lin Mo, Liu Xiaoyu filled her in, "Yeah! We'll go to the Sunken Caverns near the Stormhowl Tribe and deploy a Store Beacon. You're coming too, Xiaoping. Father will use the ship construct to take us there."
She paused for a mont before turning to Lin Mo with a mischievous smirk. "But Boss, are you going to stay here? Are you and Sister iyu planning to spend the night together?"
Expectedly, Lin Mo flicked her forehead, fully understanding what she was trying to play there. Despite her constant attempts to link him to the won around him, he knew where he should stand. At least, for now.
However, before he could answer, Wu iyu, who was directing the other staff as they finished the closing preparation, walked by. Her lodious voice started with a giggle, "Are you worried, Xiaoyu? That I can have Shopkeeper all to myself tonight?"
"Your Highness, let's not stoke the fire, shall we?" Lin Mo interjected, a wry smile on his face. He'd learned that engaging further in this banter would be a losing battle. "Anyhow, has Pan Ruo exhibited more signs of her past life's mories resurfacing?"
Wu iyu pursed her lips before shaking her head, "Not as of the mont. However, Shopkeeper, Pan Ruo is possibly going to naturally enter the Spirit Gathering Stage. Her body is unconsciously absorbing the spiritual energy within the store. The quality of her spirit roots was extraordinary."
"I see. Then, Your Highness, since these three are going out on a trip tonight, can I ask you to accompany her?"
"No problem. Are you going to use the cultivation room again? I thought you had finished consolidating your gains."
"Ah. That… No. I have to oversee the army outside and… handle the reports that will co from Shadow Scythe and Venom Master Xun."
Although he couldn't participate in the raid or take an essential post at the two upcoming events, he still needed to oversee them since both would be done under the na of the store.
Even if Taihao or Zhenren Lihua didn't contact him about it, their silence could also be taken as agreent to the steps he'd taken. They were watching him from up there, for sure.
Nevertheless, he's hoping that either of the two will contact him before the Divine Lecture. He's also curious about when the Starshot Revolver would be returned to him. He might have the spear now as his main weapon but he wouldn't mind having it as a sidearm.
"Oh… Boss! I can see everyone is so fired up! I saw rogue cultivators who usually wouldn't give each other the ti of day forming teams and sharing strategies from the Bulletin Board. It's like a giant, chaotic, but super-hyped-up party!" Liu Xiaoyu chirped, already forgetting her mischievous streak monts ago.
"What party? It'll be a pretty risky party, don't you think so? One with a very high chance of casualties," Lin Mo reminded her gently, though he couldn't hide a small smile. "You should prepare for that trip. Is Master Liu, your father, coming to pick you up?"
"Mhm! He'll be here soon. We'll fly over with the Liu Clan's ship and drop right at the entrance of the Sunken Caverns. I already sent a ssage to Chieftain Borok about our plans. They'll be setting up a periter." She shuddered theatrically. "Anyway, the safe zone is up, and a shuttle hub will soon materialize next to it. I think they also want to send a few warriors to help with tomorrow's raid."
"Good," Lin Mo nodded, a sense of satisfaction settling over him. The pieces were in place. He had turned the Violethaven Temple's weapon into a community-building exercise.
As if on cue, the familiar chi of the Divine System Interface echoed through the store, signaling the day's end.
[Weekly Tasks - 6 days left]
[Register New Viewing Jade users: (4112/10000)]
[Attract New Custors from outside the Eastern Abyssal Domain: (1203/5000)]
[Entice Custors to rent the Training Rooms: (415/2000)]
[Earned Dinsional Essence from Celestial Shuttle Network: 288100/1000000]
[Deploy Store Beacons: 0/3]
—
[Day 19 Evaluation: Excellent]
[Sales Summary: 3451 Transactions]
[Revenue: 2388432 Interdiate-grade Spirit Stones]
[... so lines omitted…]
[Store Bulletin Board User Count: 19723 users]
[Dinsion Essence Balance: 2,091,212 DE]
[Tier Progression: Renowned Store (7568779/100000000), Golden Card Patron (251/1000)]
The numbers were, as always, staggering. The influx of cultivators for the raid and the upcoming Divine Lecture had driven sales to a new record. The user count on the Bulletin Board was also exploding. He was well on his way to completing the weekly tasks.
But Lin Mo's attention was drawn elsewhere. He pulled up the encrypted 'Shadow Commission' channel. There was a new, single-line report from Shadow Scythe.
[Shadow Scythe - Mission Update 02]
[Target acquired. Awaiting optimal conditions for neutralization. The bait is in the water.]
"The bait is in the water," Lin Mo murmured, slightly confused. He racked his brain before understanding that it was a classic assassin's phrase. It ant the target was in position, unaware, and the trap was set. Shadow Scythe was about to make his move. What about the location for the Anchor though?
Scratching his head, Lin Mo quickly typed in a response, asking him for it.
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