Divine Convenience Store

Lin Mo tapped the glowing [Celestial Shuttle Network] icon, confirming the five million Dimension Essence deduction, bringing back the store's accumulated essence down to 3 digits. The other upgrade, the [Divine Resonance Amplifier], would have to wait.

But he believed he didn't need to wait for long. Unlike that one, the [Celestial Shuttle Network] had the huge potential of turning into a source of profit, depending on how it would manifest.

Soon, a powerful hum resonated from the Store Token on his hand, vibrating through the ground and up into the obsidian spire of the Conduit Tower.

The tower seemingly responded. Its surface, previously a dull, ominous black, shimmered with intricate silver lines that glowed with an ethereal light.

The lines converge at the base, forming a swirling vortex of dimension essence and spiritual energy.

The ground beneath them trembled, not with chaos, but with a deep, resonant pulse.

Lin Mo had to take a step back and so did the cultivators surrounding them.

"Is it… a spatial array?" A bewildered Core Formation Elder from the Azure Gale Sect whispered.

"A spatial array? No, this seems to be… divine!" The Pavilion Master exclaimed, her voice filled with awe. "This is such a glorious sight."

Indeed, when the trembling settled, everyone saw that a new structure had suddenly popped up from the side of the portal.

To everyone from the Realm of Nine Heavens, it was such a peculiar sight, but to Lin Mo, he couldn't help but recall those subways and train stations he used to see back on Earth.

It was a sleek, metallic archway, adorned with intricate, glowing inscriptions that pulsed with quiet power.

Although it looked small just from looking at its exterior, after passing through the archway, one could see a spacious hall inside. Just like the store and the multipurpose hall, it was equipped with a spatial expansion array. But before all that, there was the nostalgic ticket booth on one side and a 100-lane ticket gate that was seemingly armed with more array formations, which could prevent someone from jumping over.

The spacious hall alone could probably become a hub for store patrons.

Further inside, Lin Mo could spy what was supposed to be the Shuttle Network's platform. Three circular dish-like, roofless, and modernized carriages, complete with comfortable seats. It could probably accommodate at least a thousand people.

Lin Mo's lips twitched into a genuine smile. This was truly a sight to behold. He had envisioned something efficient, perhaps a simple teleportation circle, but Taihao and the Pantheon had once again delivered with a theatrical flourish.

"This is the Celestial Shuttle Network," Lin Mo announced as he turned around, his voice carrying over the murmurs of the awestruck crowd. "It allows for instantaneous travel between our Divine Convenience Store's main branch and any integrated Conduit Towers or Anchors. Think of it as… your express route to convenience, and perhaps, a new era of exploration and trade."

He stepped forward, beckoning everyone closer. "And it'll be available to all our store patrons, except, of course, those with malicious intentions. See this booth? You can purchase a ticket here to gain access to the interior, where… You can choose where to go. Fares will be determined based on distance, of course. And it will run on a schedule. I'll be configuring that later."

As he said that, he glanced at the system panel floating at the corner of his eye. He set it to only be visible to him, allowing them to focus more on the structure that popped up at the side of the Conduit Tower.

[Celestial Shuttle Network]

[Description: A stable point within the Celestial Shuttle Network, offering instantaneous travel between connected Divine Convenience Store locations and integrated Towers/Anchors.

[Status: Active]

[Connected Nodes:

- Divine Convenience Store (Main Branch)

- Jade Hollow Plains Conduit Tower

- Fanling City Anchor VYFB#0010

- Abyssal Forest Conduit Tower]

[Ticket Cost: 100 Dimension Essence per person or 1 high-grade spirit stone]

[Maintenance Cost: 10,000 Dimension Essence a day for each hub. Cost for shuttle trips will be calculated separately.]

[Note 1: Travel is instant and safe. Cannot be intercepted.]

[Note 2: The ticket cost can be converted to spirit stones (1 DE = 1 low-grade spirit stone) if sufficient Dimension Essence is not available.]

[Available Actions:

- Activate Shuttle Hub

- Configure Shuttle Hub]

The High Priest's jaw hung slightly agape, a rare display of genuine astonishment on his sinister face. "Instantaneous… travel? Is it a teleportation array that's connected to more than one place? Shopkeeper, you truly are favored by the heavens. This… this changes everything."

Yu Mingrou, regaining her composure, stepped forward with gleaming eyes. "Shopkeeper, this is a marvel! The strategic implications alone are immense. We can transport forces, supplies, even injured cultivators across vast distances in moments. This will bind the Eastern Abyssal Domain like never before!"

The other Sect Masters and Elders echoed her sentiments, their faces alight with a mix of awe and fierce ambition. The very concept of rapid, secure travel across the realm was revolutionary. It meant faster responses to threats, easier access to resources, and an unprecedented level of connectivity.

"Indeed," Lin Mo replied, already envisioning the revenue stream. "No more arduous journeys through dangerous lands. No more waiting weeks for reinforcements. The Divine Convenience Store is bringing the realm closer, one convenient ride at a time."

He gestured towards the gleaming carriages. "And as a special launch offer, the first journey on the Celestial Shuttle Network to any of the connected nodes for every Golden Patron is free. And a 50% discount for regular patrons. Experience the future of travel firsthand!"

As he said that, he adjusted the configuration of the hub before activating it.

To his surprise, the ticket booth was automated. Furthermore, those carriages were named Carriage Saucer 1 to 3 which were set to the currently connected nodes.

Although he couldn't see the other hubs yet, the City Lord Wei Xian had already sent him a message, inquiring about the appearance of the structure at the side of the store back at Fanling City. Then, those who were still at the Jade Hollow Plains Conduit Tower were also bombarding the Bulletin Board, asking about it.

Meanwhile, a ripple of excitement surged through the cultivators. Even the usually stoic Jiang Jianxin allowed a faint smile to grace her lips. "Shopkeeper, you have outdone yourself. This will be an invaluable asset to the realm."

Liu Xiaoyu, bouncing with barely contained glee beside Lin Mo, finally burst forward. "Boss, this is amazing! Can we go for a ride right now? I wanna see how this works!"

Lin Mo smirked as he ruffled Xiaoyu's hair. "Patience, prodigy. First, we need to make sure everything's running smoothly."

"High Priest, Pavilion Master, I trust you'll oversee the initial tests. You all can inquire how this all works there. We still have an Anchor to investigate tonight." He pointed at the ticket booth, which, apart from the mainframe that would answer basic questions about the Shuttle Network, had a lot of self-service ticketing kiosks.

It appeared modernized but the screen was similar to the Viewing Jade. Whatever operating system it was running with was similar to the one the divine beings from the Divine Pantheon developed for the Store Bulletin Board.

It didn't run on electricity but on spiritual energy and dimension essence.

The High Priest, the Pavilion Master and the other Sect Masters all nodded.

"This is a momentous day, Shopkeeper," The High Priest said, his usual sinister grin replaced by one of genuine, if still unsettling, awe. "The Poison Demon Cult will ensure this hub operates without incident."

"And the Verdant Sky Pavilion will assist in its management, Shopkeeper," Yu Mingrou added, her eyes still fixated on the gleaming archway. "This network will revolutionize the realm."

Lin Mo nodded in satisfaction.

"Excellent. I'll leave it in your capable hands then. And remember, any attempts at sabotage, or any unapproved tampering with the system will result in an immediate and permanent ban from the Divine Convenience Store. That applies to everyone, regardless of faction or cultivation base."

He saw the High Priest and Pavilion Master exchanging a look of understanding. The threat of a ban was now a more potent deterrent than any cultivation stage.

With that, Lin Mo turned to Jiang Jianxin, Liu Xiaoyu, and Xiaoping.

"Alright, everyone. Let's go. The Anchor is next."

Jiang Jianxin gave a curt nod, her hand already reaching for her Cloudstrider Blade. "Mhm. The night is still young, Shopkeeper. Let's not waste this opportunity."

Liu Xiaoyu pouted as her curiosity over the interior of the hub was making her look longingly at it. "Hmph. Boss, I shouldn't have said yes to coming with you. I could've been the one in charge of testing that!"

Lin Mo flicked her forehead again, stopping her antics, "You'll get to play around with it when we return.

After that, he turned towards Venom Master Xun, whose presence never left his vicinity. She was still waiting for her opportunity to approach him again but Lin Mo never gave her the chance. After all, she couldn't just barge into the throng of those Sect Masters surrounding him.

"Dear customer, let us talk some other time."

Ending his sentence with a wink, He saw Venom Master Xun's eyebrows jump up as her lips twitched in concession.

"Very well, Shopkeeper." The woman answered with a playful bow. Meeting the Shopkeeper after days of posting about him satisfied her. He exceeded her expectations.