Divine Convenience Store-Chapter 502: Opening (1)

Along with his prodigious assistant, Lin Mo checked one of the private suites to see if its standards could satisfy patrons who were already used to luxury like the King of the Southern Wu Kingdom.

The private suite, labeled 'The Serene Bamboo Retreat', opened with the satisfying whoosh of its sliding door.

As the Shopkeeper, he was granted access to it even without the wristband.

Inside, the air was warm and humid. It carried the scent of fresh bamboo and something like rain-washed stone.

From the view that could be seen from the window on one side of the room, it was a complete, self-contained world.

Further inside, a small, open-air courtyard paved with smooth river stones led to a steaming, rectangular pool carved from a single block of black basalt or something similar to it. Around the pool, a grove of spirit bamboo rustled in an artificial breeze, their leaves seemed to shimmer with a faint emerald light.

Beyond the bamboo, a perfect illusion of a misty mountain range stretched into the distance, creating a sense of boundless space and tranquility.

"Whoa…" Xiaoyu breathed, spinning in a slow circle. "This is… way better than our spacious bathhouse back home! That one is just big and feels alive. Boss, how can the Heaven's Will allow this?"

"Shh. Don't mention it. It cannot peek through our store unless we allow it to. Just like during my minor tribulation. I still don't know if it'll detect the aura of the immortal-grade artifacts once they leave our establishment."

That's right. Lin Mo was reminded by Taihao to also tell those who won the bid that they should prepare for what might become a little tribulation by Heaven's Will once it detects the quality of those artifacts.

After all, the Realm of Nine Heavens is structured so that there's a limit to what a layer can contain.

That's the reason why there are no known immortals walking in the First Heaven. They either ascended to the Second Heaven or went into hiding from the Heaven's Will.

Before his transmigration, that kind of knowledge wasn't public yet. Or rather, most top-tier sects with recorded ancestors who ascended kept it a closely guarded secret, a myth to keep the lower realms in check.

But now, with the store's existence, those barriers were becoming as transparent as the water in the pool before them.

"So, if Grandpa takes the fountain out, he might get zap-zapped?" Xiaoyu asked, dipping a finger into the steaming water. "That sounds… exciting. He'll love it. He's looking into how to refine a heavenly lightning for his storm. He said Law Integration needs more than just enlightenment. The breakthrough requires him to touch even a small principle of one of the Dao Paths from a Heavenly or Chaotic Law."

Lin Mo chuckled. "Knowing your grandfather, he might just do that. But at the same time, he was probably not that reckless. I mean, didn't he migrate your whole clan out of Western Sacred Lands and bide his time until there was a trace of Taihao's presence in this land again?"

"Yes! He said if someone's going to be able to do it, it should be me. Hehe. What do you think, Boss? I'm really a genius, no?"

"Right. Right. No need to keep saying that. You're the only one with a Heavenly Physique in the entire Eastern Abyssal Domain. Anyway, we have to remind them again. The store protects the artifacts while they are here, but once they leave our threshold, they are subject to the laws of this world. Or at least, the laws until I can afford the upgrade to extend our protection."

He walked to the edge of the pool. The water was crystal clear, yet it seemed to have a weight to it, a viscosity born of dissolved minerals and pure spiritual energy.

How did he know that? It was written on the system itself. There's a detailed description of the facility.

Near the edge of the pool, a small wooden tray floated, holding a menu and a service button.

"Look at this," Lin Mo pointed. "This is called the 'Floating Service Dock'. You press this runestone here, select your beverage or snack from the holographic menu, and…"

He pressed a button for a [Glacial Spring Water]. A small hatch in the rock wall slid open silently, and a construct arm extended, placing the chilled bottle gently onto the floating tray before retracting. It was magically transferred from one of those cabinets. The staff just needed to restock those during the day and it'd continue to function. And just like the store proper, it will automatically get restocked throughout the closed period of the store as it transitions to a new day.

"Convenience without interruption," Lin Mo declared with a satisfied nod. "No servants hovering around, no need to get out of the water. Oh, there's also an area with a bed here if they want to lie down after a satisfying bath."

Xiaoyu's eyes were wide as she watched the bottle float bobbing in the water. She looked around the private, enclosed paradise, the steam rising around them.

From her perspective, the artificial moon was casting a romantic glow over the bamboo.

A sly grin spread across her face. She leaned in close to Lin Mo, her voice dropping slightly. "You know, Boss… this place… it's really private. Soundproof, right? And the door locks from the inside?"

Lin Mo felt a familiar headache coming on. He could already pick up on what she was about to say.

"Xiaoyu, don't."

"I'm just saying!" She giggled, poking his arm. "It's the perfect spot for… 'dual cultivation'. Or just a really, really private meeting. If you bring Sister Meiyu or Venom Master Xun here, I bet they wouldn't want to leave. Are you sure you didn't design this with ulterior motives? Oh… you can also pick me."

"I designed it for relaxation and profit, you menace," Lin Mo forced a deadpan expression as his assistant latched onto his arm, "It's not impossible for what you're thinking to happen between couples. But we should value privacy, alright? Don't talk about this anymore."

"Tsk. Boring. At least react normally or something, Boss. If you keep that up, you'll find yourself stabbed soon enough." Xiaoyu huffed as if she didn't just say something scary.

But to him, that's probably not going to happen. He's not in those written fictions where the heroines just throw themselves at the protagonist.

Or at least, that's what he believed.

"But seriously, Boss. This is amazing. The spiritual energy in the water… it's soaking into my skin just by standing here. It's like dipping into a medicinal bath made from adequate spiritual herbs and treasures. The patrons are going to lose their minds."

"That's the plan," Lin Mo nodded, taking one last look at the serene retreat.

"Come on. We've seen enough. You don't plan on staying here with me, right?"

"Well, it's not a bad idea to slack off once in a while–ack!"

Lin Mo flicked her forehead before she could finish her sentence, "Alright, enough playing around, it's time to open the floodgates. The Kings and Patriarchs are waiting."

While nursing her forehead, Liu Xiaoyu charged at Lin Mo, sending them both tumbling out of the suite. The door automatically slid shut with a soft click, sealing the paradise away.

Returning to the main lobby, where the four new staff members were standing at attention, looking both terrified and exhilarated.

Lin Mo found Tie Niu adjusting his uniform collar for the tenth time, while Li Li was practicing her greeting with a silent mouthing of words.

"Relax," Lin Mo commanded gently as they walked out of the main area. "You know the basics of convenience. The facility itself can handle the heavy lifting. You are the guides. Just remember: smile, scan, and point to the signs if they get rowdy."

He walked to the main double doors past the archway that separated the Hot Spring from the store proper. He could already hear the hum of conversation from the other side, the heavy spiritual pressure of dozens of powerful experts waiting impatiently.

Lin Mo flipped the switch on the wall panel. The [Open] sign above the archway flared to life, and the doors swung inward.

"Welcome," Lin Mo announced, his voice amplified by the room's acoustics, "to the Celestial Hot Spring."

The crowd surged. It wasn't a chaotic stampede. These were high-level cultivators, after all, and they had some dignity. However, it was a brisk, determined wave of power.

King Wu Tianzhen was the first through the door, flanked by his ministers. Patriarch Liu Tianfeng was right beside him, his stormy eyes scanning the interior with critical approval.

Liu Xiaoyu immediately dashed to her mother, guiding her to the reception desk while animatedly telling her how great the private suite is.

Behind them streamed the Sect Masters, the Elders, and the fortunate few wealthy merchants and rogue cultivators who had secured a spot in the first wave.

With this, a new source of income would flow into the store, draining more of their patrons' treasuries.