After calculating for a while, Lin Mo gestured for Ying Sha, the assassin leader, to take the fourth crate.
"Mhm. Miss Ying, you take the last one. As the eyes of this operation, you need to survive things you cannot see."
Ying Sha’s eyes widened behind her veil of hair, but she didn’t hesitate. She stepped forward and claid the crate.
The other two leaders, Iron Pan and Lei Hu, watched with a naked, burning envy.
They were the strongest n in the city, the rulers of the underworld, yet they were being bypassed. The Shopkeeper was arming their subordinates and their rivals.
"Do not look so sour," Lin Mo said as he caught their expressions. "This is the standard uniform for my ’managers’ and key personnel. You want one? Earn it. Fill the storehouse with resources. Keep the peace. Prove that you are partners, not liabilities. Then, you can buy your own. Or perhaps... earn a Decanus set."
"Decanus..." Lei Hu muttered the word with a hint of longing as if he was tasting the power it implied.
"Now, put them on. We don’t have all day."
Hesitantly at first, then with growing reverence, the four selected candidates began to equip themselves with the armor set pieces.
They removed their battered leather and worn cloth, strapping on the heavy plates of the Argent Covenant.
To them, these armor pieces were baffling. While they truly felt like they were made from tal, they were as light as their robes. Then, there were no buckles, no leather straps. The armor pieces seed to magnetically snap together, adjusting their size to fit the wearer perfectly.
When Tie Zha placed the helt over his head, it seed to lock his head perfectly within.
"I... I feel uncomfortable," His muffled voice sounded like he was about to gasp for breath. He wasn’t used to stuffing his head in a tight and narrow space.
"Hold this," Lin Mo tossed each of them an [Aether Shard].
"Insert it into the slot on the chest. It’s the... heart of the armor."
They did as instructed.
And as soon as they did that, the room vibrated with a low, synchronized hum.
The silver hexagonal patterns on the four suits of armor flared to life, glowing with a cold, pale blue light that cast long, sharp shadows against the walls.
"Gah!" Hu Gan grunted, dropping to one knee. "It’s... heavy! No... it’s... pulling!"
"Relax. It’s simply calibrating itself to your soul," Lin Mo observed, his eyes scanning the data provided by his system connection.
Unlike his own experience, where the Store Token hacked the interface instantly, or his theory about cultivators needing a converter, these martial artists were different.
They had no spiritual sea to suppress. Their ’inner energy’ was purely physical. Sothing like a bio-electric force generated by their cells and tempered by their will.
To the Aether-forged armor, this bio-energy wasn’t a foreign contaminant. It was... fuel. And that’s why they still need the Aether Shard to activate it.
[Alternate Energy Source Detected...]
[Source: Bio-Kinetic Energy (Inner Energy).]
[Compatibility: High.]
[User Vital Signs: Optimal]
[Sync Rate: 60%... 75%... 90%...]
[Soul Binding: Complete]
[Detecting Equipnt...]
[Equipnt Grade: Argentum II ’Legionary’ Class Armor]
[Experience: 0%]
"Eh, what is this? Bio? Sync Rate? Equipnt Grade?"
Waves of confusion washed over the four individuals as those lines of ssages appeared on the helt’s HUD. They had no idea exactly what it ant but one thing they could focus on was the ’Soul Binding’ being complete.
Lin Mo’s eyes lit up. "Looks like it truly works on you. Calm down and inspect your bodies."
Naturally, he didn’t just decide to test the armor set on them. He had already gotten the confirmation from Liu Zhongzhu and Scholar Wei that mortals, most of whom were starting their cultivation journey as a Body Cultivator, had successfully bound to it.
Unlike those who started with sensing the spiritual energy and drawing it to their dantian to beco a Spirit Gathering Stage cultivator, they start with the Body Tempering Stage, which, like its na, involves tempering their bodies.
And it was similar to the Martial World martial artists.
As for whether they could advance further even with the armor set already bound to their souls, Lin Mo couldn’t guarantee it. After all, if the armor could grow by continuously using it, they might abandon their martial arts path.
He’ll let them decide that themselves. After all, he also bound the Decanus Set to him, and despite that, he’s still going to pursue cultivation alongside it. To him, the Argent Covenant Armor Set was nothing but a tool to amplify his strength. In a way, he’s going to walk two paths at the sa ti.
Three, if he also counts the still-tiny spark of divinity within his body.
Soon, the four martial artists stood up.
The jerky, chanical movents Lin Mo had experienced during his first test were absent. Instead, they moved with a fluid, terrifying grace. The armor didn’t hinder them.
Possibly, that’s the benefit of binding a lower-ranked armor set.
Tie Zha clenched his fist as if trying to feel his palm through the gauntlet. He punched the air, and a visible shockwave rippled through the room, blowing out the candles on the table.
"What is this power..." Tie Zha whispered, "I feel... I feel like I’ve opened the Fifth Gate. No... maybe the Sixth!"
Ling Qiui drew her new sword. The inner energy-fueled Aether from the gauntlets flowed into the hilt, causing the blade to hum.
She executed a simple technique and swung it. A crescent of pure wind blade carved a gouge into the stone wall across the room.
"This is... how is it responding to my intent?" She gasped.
Hu Gan laughed. He jumped and launched himself to the ceiling, where he caught himself effortlessly, hanging like a spider. "I’m fast! I’m heavy, but I’m fast!"
Ying Sha was silent. She also channelled her inner energy, which also powered the Aether before reading her intent. With that, her whole figure beca shrouded as if she were erasing her visual appearance using a basic light-bending field. She didn’t vanish completely, but she beca a blur, a ghost in the wind.
Dojo Master Iron and Tiger Lord Lei Hu stepped back, their faces pale. They realized with dawning horror that any one of these four could now kill them single-handedly. The power dynamic of Sleeping Dragon City had not only shifted but also been completely rewritten.
"This is the Argentum-II Legionary Set," Lin Mo announced, his voice cutting through their awe. "It makes you a match to any Peak Stage martial artists and you can stand your ground or even defeat a Transcendent Stage if you have fully adjusted your martial arts and the strength of your opened Gates."
As for the Aetheric Link. They’ll figure it out on their own.
He looked at Luo Lanyi, who was staring at her bodyguard with wide, shining eyes.
"I’ll repeat. Miss Luo, Tie Zha is now your shield. His duty is to protect the trade. Miss Ling, you are the sword. Your duty is to protect the order. Hu Gan, you are the claws. You assist both of them. And Miss Ying, you are the shadow. You watch for threats."
He turned to the cowering faction leaders. "And you two... You are the workforce. You don’t answer to them but to . Do not think of rebelling. Do not think of stealing the armor. It is bound to their souls. If you kill them, the armor dies with them. If you try to take it, it will reject you. Your only path to power is through . No. Through the store’s convenience."
It was a lie, partially. The armor could be reset, but they didn’t need to know that.
"We... we understand, Shopkeeper," Dojo Master said, bowing low. The fight was completely gone from him. He was witnessing gods being made.
"Good." Lin Mo clapped his hands. "Now, for the logistics."
Luo Lanyi stood, her face flushed with excitent and the weight of responsibility. "Leave it to . I will not fail you, Shopkeeper. I have been preparing contracts in my head since we left the gorge."
"I knew I picked the right person," Lin Mo nodded.
He then reached into his inventory and pulled out a stack of [Basic Card Talismans]. Specifically, the utility ones, like [Light], [Cleanse], and [Barrier]. He also brought out several more crates of instant noodles, drinks and different snacks just to start with this distribution.
The initial goal would be transforming Sleeping Dragon City into the true distribution hub that would beco his initial base in spreading convenience and exploring the whole Fractured Plane.
As for the other plans, like looking for treasures and buried legacies, he’ll hand those to the locals and maybe a few patrons who’ll pay to explore this plane for him.
The resources, like the Star-Forged Iron, could be the optimal currency to exchange for his products.
"These are for the initial setup. As for the prices, we’ll talk in depth in a mont." Lin Mo paused for a mont before continuing. "Right. Now, one last thing before we conclude our first business eting."
His expression turned serious again. "The Graveyard of Sages. What do you know about it? Is it rely a ruin, or is there sothing... active there?"
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