A new day arrived at the Divine Convenience Store and the pair of manager and assistant stepped out from their quarters and into the store, already decked in their striped uniforms.
Liu Xiaoyu went around to check the inventory room to see if everything was restocked or whether there was a new product to be placed.
Lin Mo, on the other hand, checked the 4th day's Daily Tasks.
[Attract new customers: 0/20]
[Sell expensive items worth 20 spirit stones and above: 0/5]
[Repeat Customers: 0/10]
"Not much has changed but. The system must've been thinking that as word of Divine Convenience Store spread to the sects that visited yesterday, more disciples would be curious to visit. Hence, an increase in requirement. Getting 10 repeat customers, however, will be the hardest one."
After mulling over it for a while, his eyes then moved to more system messages that flooded in during their sleep.
[System Calibration: As suggested by a customer yesterday, the prices have now been set to reflect the quality of the spirit stones needed for purchase.]
[Some of the product's prices have been adjusted to ensure every customer is going to get their spirit stones' worth.]
[For complaints that may arise for the vague pricing from the past three days. Do refer them to the Divine Convenience Store hotline.]
[The exchange value of Spirit Stones may be different outside the store]
[A piece of high-grade Spirit Stone is equivalent to 10 intermediate-grade Spirit Stones or 100 low-grade Spirit Stones. This is fixed.]
[The Loyalty Card requirement will be changed to the total accumulated purchases of 100 high-grade Spirit Stones or the equivalent of it for lower-quality Spirit Stones.]
[After the change, three customers have become eligible to receive a loyalty card: Yan Wei, Yu Mingrou and Lin Yuanzhi]
"I thought someone of Taihao's caliber in the Divine Pantheon is needed to apply that change but I guess this means we're done scamming the rich. In any case, I'm more intrigued about the hotline. When did we get that?"
He looked around him and saw something pasted on the wall not far from the counter.
It looked like the poster of an advertisement but it's actually an announcement about the Divine Convenience Store's Customer Support Hotline.
Written in elegant calligraphy, the poster displayed:
"Have Questions? Concerns? A Burning Desire for Answers?
Dial 88-DIVINE(88-348463) from your favorite communication artifact for instant access to the Divine Convenience Store Hotline!
Available Hours: Whenever we're open!
Note: Complaints about pricing adjustments prior to the 4th day of opening will be prioritized. Thank you for your understanding."
Lin Mo read it twice, blinking in disbelief. "88-DIVINE? Seriously? Who's running this hotline? Is it you, Taihao?"
Liu Xiaoyu returned from the inventory room just in time to hear him muttering to himself. She tilted her head curiously. "Boss, are you talking to the wall again?"
Lin Mo pointed at the poster. "We have a hotline now. Did you know about this?"
Liu Xiaoyu skipped over and read the poster, her face turning into a frown as she tilted her head.
"What's a hotline, boss?"
Lin Mo facepalmed as she remembered that there wasn't that kind of concept here in the Realm of Nine Heavens.
With a crooked smile, he explained, "It's a service that deals with picking up customer complaints, Xiaoyu. It's a concept from my previous world. Taihao or someone from the Divine Pantheon must've brought that up in order to help us deal with them. In any case, a communication artifact should be the same as that walkie-talkie, right?"
"Oh! You mean the Radiant Whisper Device, boss? Yes. It's considered a communication artifact but it's different from the normal ones made from jade crystals. Anyone can input those numbers but it's hardly reliable unless one knows the exact contact."
It was Lin Mo's turn to furrow his brows, 'Right. Telecommunication isn't foreign here. They're just not done through the wires or regulated by a central system like back on Earth. Instead, they rely on spiritual energy and unique frequencies. I wonder who's on the other end of this hotline. Is it automated? Or is there some poor celestial being tasked with taking calls all day?'
He glanced at the hotline poster again, shaking his head in bemusement. "I guess we'll never find out unless we ask Taihao or Lihua when they show up again. Thankfully, it will save us from getting yelled at about how we robbed them blind on day one."
Liu Xiaoyu clapped her hands together, her ears twitching excitedly. "Oh! Oh! Boss, if they ever bring the hotline here, can I answer it? I've always wanted to say, 'Thank you for calling the Divine Convenience Store, how may I assist you?' Doesn't it sound so professional?"
Lin Mo flicked her forehead.
"You don't have to worry about that, you little. You're my assistant, not a call operator."
With a pout, Liu Xiaoyu glared at Lin Mo but she didn't push it anymore. Instead, she stuck her tongue out before running away to continue checking on the other shelves.
Sometime later, as there were still a few minutes before the opening time of the Divine Convenience Store, Lin Mo also left the counter and stood in front of the shelf displaying the cultivation manuals.
He'd finally taken his first few steps into the world of cultivation and the feeling of spiritual energy flowing through him was still both exhilarating and bewildering.
Now, it was time to choose a breathing technique.
He ran his fingers over the spines of the various manuals, the titles sounding more like mystical riddles than instructions.
The 'Soaring Crane's Ascent', the 'Whispering Willow Flow', the 'Mountain's Heartbeat Rhythm', and more.
Each one seemed to offer a unique path to power. They weren't just manuals of breathing techniques, they also had illustrations, notes and warnings about each of the technique's disadvantages.
And most likely, they were all lost manuals. Like the Blossoming Lotus Breathing Technique that Yan Chen bought yesterday.
He could still remember its details since he skimmed through it. It was described as a manual that sought a balance between the body and spirit. But was that really what Lin Mo needed at the moment? He had always been someone who thought strategically and that should also apply to his cultivation techniques.
"Boss, what are you doing? Are you still thinking of those old books?" Liu Xiaoyu's voice broke his concentration as she hopped closer with her usual boundless energy.
Lin Mo sighed, gesturing at the shelf.
"I'm trying to choose a proper breathing technique. I can now tap into spiritual energy and it's time for me to pick something that fits. What do you think? Which one should I pick?"
Liu Xiaoyu's eyes widened as she leaned in closer, her gaze darting over the various manuals, each one more foreign to her than the last. "Hmm... that depends on your preferences, Boss. Some are for speed, some for strength and others for defense. But considering your trait… hmm…"
She paused, her brow furrowing as she carefully scrutinized each manual, her fingers tapping against her chin. After a while, she snapped her fingers, her gaze turning to a new manual at the very end of the second level of the shelf.
Silent Stream Breathing Technique.