Despite the danger that they had faced in their scouting trip in the Anchor, the Divine Convenience Store maintained its regular operation with Wu iyu overseeing it. Aside from the urgent call to deal with the Sunken Caverns Anchor, many patrons had also arrived at the store to prepare for the activation of the dormant Anchor outside Fanling City.
Around ten days ago, Lin Mo, along with the captain of the City Guards and Monk Huiyin, had ventured inside it. They successfully found out that the origin of the Anchor ca from an Outer Realm called the Viridescent Hollow.
Similar to the Highland Realm, the data ntioned a single race reigning supre, the Vyrnethi, an intelligent and long-lived species. Furthermore, their realm was described as thriving with nature.
Over the past few days, Lin Mo also used a few more Dinsion Essences to interface with its core, extracting more intel. However, apart from the specific traits of the creatures bound to erge from it, he had gained nothing important.
Among the data extracted by the Anchor Interference Protocol, the enslaved race, the Dyshanti would possibly beco the vanguard forces of the Viridescent Hollow, much like how the Highland Realm sent the Decrint Tribe first.
The Dyshanti were humanoid creatures wrapped in thick, resilient vines. But their most dangerous and highly inconvenient trait was their diet.
They were said to consu spiritual energy. As for how they were doing it, it wasn't the sa as cultivators breathing in and absorbing spiritual energy for refinent. The Dyshanti were simply digesting it, turning the energy into nutrients.
Throwing a fireball or a water blade at a Dyshanti was akin to tossing a starving man a perfectly cooked steak. They would absorb the elental qi, using it to rapidly regenerate and thicken their vine-like armor.
To fight them efficiently, a cultivator had to rely on pure physical force or weapons forged from materials that could resist their hunger for spiritual energy.
It was a hard counter to ninety percent of the traditional cultivators in the Eastern Abyssal Domain, who spent their entire lives sitting on cushions to build their spiritual seas rather than tempering their muscles.
"Which ans," Lin Mo murmured as he stepped out of the Celestial Shuttle Hub alongside Xiaoyu, "...our [Spirit Embodint Sticker Seals] and mortal-grade weaponry are about to sell out entirely."
Liu Xiaoyu nodded with a grin, "Right, Boss! Looks like it's going to be lively outside the city later. Do you plan to join our patrons and enter it?"
"Nope. I'll leave it to them. Can't I rest for the night?"
"Pfft. Why not? You've already proven yourself capable, Boss."
"Did I? Am I not cheating with the divine artifact from Zhenren Lihua? Anyway, if you want to go, you can. Knowing you, you'll be able to reach the Core Area by yourself."
"Boo. There you go again, Boss. You have to acknowledge your worth or else… it'll be difficult for you to pass the immortal tribulation."
Lin Mo didn't answer that and just continued walking. He understood what she was saying. It's not like he hadn't acknowledged his capabilities yet. He simply didn't want to thrust himself into every situation. If the patrons could accomplish sothing on their own strength, then there's no reason for him to join the party, right?
His role remained to be the Shopkeeper of the Divine Convenience Store. He's the provider, not the frontliner.
As they stepped onto the main floor of the Divine Convenience Store, his earlier hypothesis proved correct.
Even though it's already dark outside, the store is still bustling with custors. He could even see Elders and high-ranking individuals of different sects rounding the aisles, picking up pills, talismans, and artifacts.
"Miss Pan Ruo, our small sect only needs three packs of the Bear Variant Spirit Embodint Sticker Seals. But I was told it was sold out. Do you have any recomndations for an alternative? The City Guard is mobilizing!"
A cultivator wearing white and red robes was respectfully bowing to the young woman manning the counter. Surprisingly, none of the patrons who lined up to check out stopped him. After all, despite having patrons asking questions, Pan Ruo's hands never stopped scanning their items.
"Elder, if you're looking for an alternative, why not try the basic pack. Specific variants of the sticker seals are limited, but that one? You'll have a variety in just one pack. And I'm certain each pack will contain at least sothing you're looking for." Pan Ruo answered like a sage who had already mapped out everything the store had to offer. "However, I highly recomnd trying pills or tablets instead. We have the equivalent of the [Muscle Strengthening Pill] in the form of a chewable [Ironhide Gummies] or our newly stocked [Vitality-Surge Jerky]? They offer a temporary but massive boost to physical density and raw strength output without relying on external qi projections."
"Since the intelligence provided on the Bulletin Board states that the entities from the Viridescent Hollow consu spiritual energy, these consumables will ensure your fists and weapons hit with the force of a mountain, starving the enemy of their primary food source."
The Elder from the minor sect blinked as he tried to process the information with the speed of a man whose life depended on it. He looked at the colorful packages Pan Ruo pointed to behind the glass display.
anwhile, the other patrons also chid in, telling him that they were effective, further strengthening that suggestion.
"Many thanks! Miss Pan Ruo, your insight is as profound as a Grandmaster's! I'll go over and buy packs of gummies and bags of jerky!"
"An excellent and highly convenient choice, Elder." Pan Ruo replied with a flawless smile, "May your sect's harvest be bountiful. If you have questions, do co again to inquire."
Lin Mo watched from a few paces away, crossing his arms with a mixture of imnse pride and mild terror.
He's wondering what will happen once her mories from her past life fully awaken. Will she stay in the store or leave to reclaim her previous glory?
That's sothing that would only be answered when that day arrived.
As they approached the stairs to the second floor, Wu iyu erged from the back room, holding a jade clipboard that the system had generated for her to keep track of inventory in real-ti.
"Shopkeeper, Xiaoyu. You have returned," The First Princess greeted them, her regal bearing perfectly lding with the bustling atmosphere of the store. "I assu the expedition to the Sunken Caverns yielded the desired results?"
"Mhm. We got what we needed. The Dreilling is exactly as insidious as we feared, but we have counterasures in play," Lin Mo said, pulling out a chilled can of coffee from his inventory and cracking it open. "How is the situation here? It looks like Black Friday."
"Black Friday?" iyu tilted her head, unfamiliar with the term, before seamlessly moving past it. "If you an a frenzy of consurism driven by impending urgency, then yes. Fanling City is currently at maximum capacity. City Lord Wei Xian has had to authorize temporary encampnts outside the eastern walls. The impending activation of the dormant Anchor has drawn nearly ten thousand cultivators from across the domain."
"Ten thousand?" Lin Mo almost choked on his coffee. "Are they insane? An Anchor breach isn't a festival."
"To them, it is," Wu iyu corrected, a wry smile touching her lips. "Your 'Realm Guardian Leaderboard' and the 'Pioneer's Initiative' have fundantally altered the psychology of the cultivation world. They do not see a catastrophic dinsional rift, Shopkeeper. They see an unplundered resource node. They see a chance to earn Dinsion Essence, secure rare loot, and etch their nas on a leaderboard that is viewed by the entire realm. You have successfully commodified warfare."
Lin Mo rubbed the bridge of his nose. It was true. By placing a bounty on the Outer Realm invaders, he had turned the greatest existential threat to the Realm of Nine Heavens into the ultimate grinding spot.
There are still a few days before the settlent of the current ranking of the leaderboard. He planned for it to be weekly. As for the rewards, he would consult Zhenren Lihua for them.
"Well, as long as they follow the tactical guides and don't feed the Dyshanti any elental spells, the casualties should be minimal," Lin Mo reasoned, trying to alleviate his own lingering guilt. "Have we sold out of the mortal-grade weapons?"
"Completely," Pan Ruo chid in without missing a beat or breaking her rhythm at the register. "I had to requisition the backstock of crude iron swords, heavy maces, and steel gauntlets from local blacksmiths and artificers. Our patrons still bought them even though they're clearly not as high quality as the ones coming from the Divine Pantheon. Smaller sects that don't have much in terms of their treasury are currently buying up those weapons for their disciples."
"And also, there was such a hilarious incident where sword cultivators bought blunt weapons. They seed to be from a minor sword cultivation sect that got their hands on a blunt sword technique from our 'Lost Manual Section'. Cerulean Cloud Sword Sect disciples asked them if they were right in their heads."
The visual image of graceful, silk-robed sword immortals bashing plant-zombies with crude iron clubs made Lin Mo snort. It was going to be a profoundly ugly battle, but an incredibly efficient one.
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