Divine Convenience Store

[Unusual Tower Sighting - Misty Rain] [Update 5: Azure Gale and Crimson Vale Sects have arrived with Core Formation elders. Pushing toward the tower entrance now to close it. White Ember Sect and Faguang defenders holding steady. Numbers are thinning, but the tower is still active. Coordination is key!] At the city walls, Qianmeng darted between the defenders, her new [Heavenly Shield] talisman actively protecting a group of exhausted guards who exerted themselves even with the help of Divine Convenience Store items. The Energy Replenishing Candies had kept her going and the Heavenly Dew Soda's refreshing clarity sharpened her focus. She glanced up at the elders' advance. She could feel her heart pounding with awe and determination. She clasped her hands together and prayed. "They're incredible… Please be successful!" Xue Biyu, leading the White Ember Sect contingent, shouted orders as the disciples rained fire from above. Their ship's cannons boomed intermittently, blasting clusters of creatures into ash. "Hold the line! We'll cover the elders' flank!" His sword flared brighter, cutting through a particularly stubborn creature that lunged at him, its jagged claws melting under the white flames. The battlefield became a symphony of chaos and coordination. Wind, fire, and verdant energy clashed against the relentless tide of the winged creatures. Ultimately, they called them gargoyles because their skin seemingly turned to stone whenever they tried to defend themselves. Gradually, with the lead of Elder Yan Chen and Zhao Jianshi, the tower loomed closer, its opened entrance seemingly a dark maw pulsing with that same foreign energy. They could look past beyond it but they could tell that stepping inside meant entering another dimension or a pocket realm with its own rules. — Back at the Divine Convenience Store, with the night falling, the number of customers had already started to dwindle. But it's still significant enough that the line had yet to shorten. Only those browsing and staying inside to either eat, rest, or discuss with the other customers had lessened. After making another round, Lin Mo returned to the counter where Xiao Ya was once again doing the duty of a cashier. In just a day, the users of Viewing Jades and Store Bulletin Board had reached the three-digit mark and it's steadily increasing. For now, most Spirit Gather Stage disciples couldn't get their hands on it because they lack the funds but the higher-ups of the sects or just those with influence would get multiple units that they would hand over to their friends or subordinates. Threads continued to be created and posts had already jumped to thousands – not including the ones automatically and manually filtered. Still, the top post remained to be MistyRain's post which continued to receive updates. Through the Viewing Jades, the top brass of many sects were paying close to it. Perhaps, if photo and video posting became enabled in the future, the Bulletin Board would truly make the traditional way of using communication jades obsolete. Those who deal with buying and selling information or just any intelligence agencies would also get hit by it. They might visit the Divine Convenience Store to complain. Nevertheless, Lin Mo didn't think the Bulletin Board and Viewing Jades would completely replace them since they could just not post everything publicly. Direct messages would become the most efficient way to communicate – for Divine Convenience Store customers, at least. "It's going to be a community of customers. Since we can monitor everything, nothing can slip by. If they tried using it to hatch a sinister plot then it'll be easier to deal with them." Lin Mo nodded to himself as he thought about the future of the board. "Surely, the Poison Demon Cult won't find sacrifices in it, right? He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Yu Qingyan's latest updates confirmed the escalation and the flood of comments from sects and rogue cultivators alike painted a vivid picture of the Jade Hollow Plains' turmoil. While it appeared to be a crisis, with the gargoyles being so weak that they could be cut down by an average group of cultivators, his earlier musings about the threat of 'dungeon breaks' which was quite prevalent in those fictions came true. Liu Xiaoyu sidled up beside him, her Viewing Jade glowing as she scrolled through the thread. "Boss, they're really going at it out there! Yan Wei's sect and Zhou Rui's are teaming up. Those two., I never thought I'd see that. And Miss Yu got the whole region buzzing, she's selling our products there, right? Should we do something? Maybe send more stock?" Lin Mo flicked her forehead, causing the girl to pout, "Yu Qingyan's handling distribution for now. There's no need to send more stock. Her caravan's stocked enough to keep them going. They carry at most 10 days worth of our previous revenues. That tower is just a stopover. All we have to do is keep the store running and let the cultivators play hero." Xiaoyu pouted slightly, tapping her Viewing Jade. "You're no fun, Boss. Shouldn't you get some combat experience? You cannot just silently cultivate and hope for the best." "Am I cultivating to become an expert? No. It's just for protection. I'll wait until we get a virtual training room and test my mettle there." "Virtual training room? What's that?" "Something like a room decked with illusory formations to simulate an opponent. Or in simpler terms, something that can partly conjure the ability of that one immortal-grade artifact." "... Oh! The Heavenly Mirage Illusion Orb! But boss. You haven't sold it yet… Can't we take it for a spin? Try it out for ourselves?" At that suggestion, Liu Xiaoyu grinned as her eyes sparkled with anticipation. Clearly, she's also itching to try the effect of the immortal-grade artifact. In fact, even though they were on display and sealed within the divine-grade formation, the effect of [Everlasting Spirit Fountain] was spilling out, making the spiritual energy within the store more abundant than outside. Some customers who were quite sensitive to it had already noticed but Lin Mo used the excuse of it being a natural feature of the store. "Well…we can ask Lihua or Taihao if we can use them for ourselves. The [Boundless Knowledge Jade] will allow me to master that movement technique in an instant right?" "Yes! That's correct, Boss! We shouldn't miss this opportunity! Xiao Ya will also need it." Lin Mo smirked faintly at Liu Xiaoyu's enthusiasm, though his mind was already drifting back to the implications of Lihua's message. The immortal-grade artifacts weren't just shiny trinkets. They were tools with purpose. Most likely tied to the looming threats of Conduits and Anchors or whatever's behind their appearance. If the [Heavenly Mirage Illusion Orb] could simulate combat scenarios, it might be the edge he needed to prepare without stepping into the chaos himself. And the [Boundless Knowledge Jade]? Instant mastery of techniques could elevate him and his staff beyond their current limits. "Alright, Xiaoyu, I'll send an inquiry later. Lihua said she was going to visit. But don't get your hopes up too high, those artifacts might come with strings attached. Who knows? Divine beings like her and Taihao don't hand out toys without a catch." Liu Xiaoyu grinned wider, undeterred. "Strings or not, Boss, I'd still take a spin in that illusion orb! Imagine me dodging a thousand swords while sipping a Heavenly Dew Soda, peak convenience, right?" Lin Mo chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You'd probably trip over your own feet and blame the soda. Besides, that's not how you should use it. Go on and continue with what you're doing." Xiaoyu saluted playfully as she brought her attention back to her Viewing Jade, monitoring the [Community Hub]. Meanwhile, Lin Mo raised his gaze in front of him, watching the line of customers and Xiao Ya ringing up their purchases. The clink of spirit stones into the register was becoming like music to his ears. It was only ten days but he already felt like he'd been in this realm for so long.