Captain Zhu Min rested his hand lightly on the hilt of his sword as he addressed Captain Ying.
"Captain Ying, you and your men will follow me outside. This is not a place of hostility. You'll be branded as a troublemaker if you continue. His Majesty and Her Highness have deemed the store an asset to the Southern Wu Kingdom and I suggest you adjust your perspective accordingly."
Captain Ying's eyes narrowed, her pride clearly stung, but she couldn't ignore the First Princess's authority or the fact that her squad's spiritual energy was rendered useless within the store's walls.
She gave a curt nod, signaling her men to withdraw from the store. "Very well. We'll await your explanation outside, Your Highness."
As Zhu Min escorted Ying and her retinue out, the tension in the store eased. However, the customers lingered near the aisles, whispering about the confrontation.
Liu Xiaoyu bounced back to the counter, her grin undimmed. "Boss, looks like the Crown Prince doesn't like us. Has he not tried our products yet?"
Lin Mo shrugged. "Miss Yu will work on it. They have been sent to check on us. It's not really that different than how the other forces investigated our store. In the end, they became our loyal patrons."
"Oh! I love your confidence, Boss! That's the way! But what are you gonna do with the Princess?"
"Do I have to do something? Let's just focus on keeping things smooth here. Your Highness," He turned to Wu Meiyu, "Looks like communication is lacking on our part."
Wu Meiyu brushed off the incident with a wave of her hand. However, it was to tell her amusement and irritation towards her brother's antics.
"No. This is pretty much how he rolls, Shopkeeper. My royal brother has always been heavy-handed. He sees threats where there are opportunities. His subordinates are his mouthpiece, so if you can forgive their transgression, I will deeply appreciate it. Furthermore, I promise to educate my royal brother about the advantages of aligning with your store."
"I see… But Your Highness, aren't you curious? The Crown Prince thinks we are the reason for the appearance of the tower."
"It is indeed something to think about. But even if you are responsible for it… Isn't it a place of opportunities? I also plan to visit it in the future and test my own competence. In the meantime, I'm more interested in your store, Shopkeeper." The First Princess put on an enigmatic smile before she returned to what she was previously doing.
At the Inner Abyssal Circle, the Poison Demon Cult's procession, led by the High Priest himself, has finally arrived at the land occupied by their cult. It took them more than a day because at each territory they passed through, if they were not getting attacked by the ones claiming it, they would be blocked at each border, asking for tariffs.
Each of those encounters ended up becoming another site of conversion, suffering the same fate as the Bone Ash Syndicate, as the High Priest continued to spread the influence of the Divine Convenience Store through its convenience.
The leaders were beheaded, the subordinates either killed in the skirmish or by their surrendering comrades, and the oppressed village folks were given the chance to try out the convenience brought by them. Other than that, the spirit stones and any valuable resources that could be traded were taken, leaving behind only a few Priests and Acolytes to continue the villages' conversion.
In a way, their trip back from the stronghold was gradually expanding the Poison Demon Cult's territory. But even the High Priest knew that some of them would just be taken back by the forces originally occupying them. Still, his goal was the spread of convenience and they had accomplished it.
As their procession rolled into the venomous landscape, some cultists relaxed upon seeing the familiar toxic haze that marked the cult's dominion over the forsaken stretch of land.
The High Priest descended from the sky, his moss-green robes settling around him as his skeletal feet touched the cracked earth.
Behind him, the cultists moved with a fervor bordering on reverence, their hands laden with spoils from their conquests, spirit stones, crude weapons, and the occasional trinket pilfered from vanquished foes. More importantly, they carried the Divine Convenience Store's wares, now a symbol of their growing power.
Luo Ming approached and reported, the grime-streaked faces of his subordinate Priests trailing him.
"High Priest, the new recruits from the Bone Ash Syndicate and the other territories are settling in. The store's products have them hooked. Some are already begging for more [Heavenly Dew Soda] and [Spirit-Infused Potato Chips]. We've collected over three hundred high-grade spirit stones from the villagers alone. Another three thousand from their overlords' coffers."
The High Priest's skeletal grin widened, enough that it could scare even the bravest child. "Good. Let them crave it. The more they depend on the store, the tighter our grip becomes. Distribute sparingly. Keep them hungry for more. This is why I ordered you not to loot those who surrendered. They'll still end up using their spirit stones to buy from us rather than depend on us to get what they want."
The old man paused for a moment as his gaze swept over the area ahead of them, "Remember, in the future, this is also how we're going to run the cult. Everyone will earn their allowance and we will act as the store's distributor, selling them the convenience they're craving. Once we settle back at our main temple, we'll send a batch of Poison-bearers back to Fanling City to bring back more of the store's wares. The Shopkeeper will appreciate the business."
Luo Ming bowed, his initial disbelief and hesitation had already been dispelled. "Understood. Regarding Venom Master Xun's message on the Viewing Jade… It appears she is preparing for the conclave's resistance. Should we hasten our march to the main temple?"
The High Priest's eyes glinted with a sinister green light as he considered the question. "No. She has given us sufficient information already. But Xun is a sly spider. Different from the other Venom Masters, she knows where to stand. However, she won't truly bow to me."
"That woman's ambition may be the same as mine. We are going to use each other, provide our usefulness to the Great Poison Demon and the Divine Convenience Store. If she ends up biting us, it won't be too late to replace her. For now, the Venomous Conclave's old fools who clung to their outdated traditions and didn't listen to her needed an awakening call. They'll crumble when they see what the store's gifts can do. Fortify this position. I want every Acolyte armed with talismans and every Priest ready to demonstrate the store's power. Those trying to ambush us will fail and we'll return to our sacred temple. For the Great Poison Demon!"
"For the Great Poison Demon!" Luo Ming nodded sharply, turning to relay the orders.
The cultists sprang into action, their chants rising as they unpacked boxes of [Windstrike Talismans], [Spirit Embodiment Sticker Seals], and other store-bought treasures. The Abyssal Hounds prowled the perimeter, their glowing eyes scanning the horizon for threats, while Poison-bearers started selling [Heavenly Dew Sodas] to the newly converted, their gratitude turning into loyalty as they sipped the revitalizing liquid even if they had to pay for it.
While that was happening, the High Priest pulled out his Viewing Jade, its golden runes flaring as he scrolled through the latest updates overnight.
A new thread caught his eye.
[Who will be the first to clear Floor 4?]
It details the well-known Foundation Establishment experts within the Eastern Abyssal Domain who had yet to challenge the Tower. Many names had been thrown to the speculation, but many still rooted for either the Emissary of the Verdant Sky Pavilion or the Sword Fairy of the Cerulean Cloud Sword Sect. With the Tower entry having a cooldown of three days, it will take two more days before they can challenge it again.
[1. Jade Hollow Plains Conduit Tower
- Current Stock: Configured (15/15 Products)
- Promotion Shelf: [Spirit-Animated Battle Construct] - 20% Discount Applied
- Dimension Essence Collected: 36880
- Maintenance Cost: N/A (Unconquered)]
- Active Challengers: 85
- Highest Floor Cleared: 3]
As the store operation continued smoothly, Lin Mo got the chance to access the [Tower Integration Protocol]
Seeing the current collected essence from the Store Beacon Sales, a satisfied smile stretched from his lips.
"Would you look at that? There are already that many active challengers. Considering most challengers stopped at Floor 2, each challenger will only stay an hour or so inside the Tower. To keep up this high number of active challengers meant they also didn't sleep there." He muttered as his eyes shifted back to the current essence balance. "Should I wait for 50,000 and buy the Lucky Essence or take the two Lesser Auras?"
After deliberating for a moment, he immediately went to the upgrade interface and picked the latter.
Lesser Aura of Restoration and Lesser Aura of Efficiency. A permanent buff inside the store and the tower meant the challengers may be able to reach higher floors. And that means more Dimension Essence.
"It's better to empower them first. It's like planting crops, one must nurture them first before harvesting." Lin Mo nodded to himself as 35000 Dimension Essence vanished in exchange for the two more permanent auras.