Divine Convenience Store-Chapter 532: Day 25

When Lin Mo and Liu Xiaoyu exited the Premium Cultivation Room, Wu Meiyu was already waiting for them at the lobby of the second floor. She didn’t look like she had stayed awake for the whole night, but she accurately timed the moment they would exit the training room.

After all, she had already gotten used to Lin Mo’s punctual habits. If he said they’d be finished before opening the store, then he’d never miss it.

"Good morning, Shopkeeper. Xiaoyu," Wu Meiyu greeted in a soothing tone. She was wearing a fresh set of the store uniform, her hair impeccably styled. "I trust your session was productive? The energy fluctuations from the room were... significant."

"Morning, Sister Meiyu!" Xiaoyu beamed, her new, denser aura crackling faintly around her. "Productive? It was a massacre! I broke through! Peak Foundation Establishment! I’m practically knocking on the door of Core Formation!"

She flexed an arm, and a small arc of golden lightning jumped between her fingers. "And Boss learned a new trick. He turned a headache into a weapon. It’s weird but cool."

Wu Meiyu’s head tilted slightly as she glanced at Lin Mo. Then, she also couldn’t help but gasp in awe as she assessed Xiaoyu. The young prodigy’s growth was terrifying.

"Congratulations, Xiaoyu. Your talent truly knows no bounds," Wu Meiyu said sincerely before turning her gaze to Lin Mo. "And you, Shopkeeper? Did you achieve your objective?"

"Partially," Lin Mo replied, stretching his neck. His mid-Foundation Establishment aura was calm and stable, a stark contrast to Xiaoyu’s explosive energy. "I’ve laid the groundwork for the second layer of the [Starflow Meditation Manual]. It’s a start. But more importantly, we are ready to climb another tower."

"Oh... How enviable. Perhaps I should’ve joined you two last night. I might’ve been left behind by you two in the future if I continued to be immersed in managing the store."

Lin Mo chuckled, waving his hand dismissively. She sounded more like the manager than Lin Mo himself, considering he could still split his attention to visiting an Anchor and climbing a Tower while leaving behind all the work to his Chief Operations Officer.

"You’re doing a great job, Your Highness. Besides, your cultivation has also improved, hasn’t it? The resources are here. The [Heavenly Mirage Illusion Orb] will be installed at the Red Lotus Academy soon, but I can ask Headmaster Feng to give you a VIP slot. You can train your combat sense there without risking a hair on your head." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Wu Meiyu’s eyes lit up. "That would be... acceptable. I admit, watching Xiaoyu advance so recklessly makes one feel a certain pressure."

"Hehe! Don’t worry, Sister Meiyu! When I become a supreme expert, I’ll protect you too!" Xiaoyu grinned, draping an arm around the princess’s shoulders, a gesture that would have been a capital offense in the capital but felt perfectly natural here.

"Un. I’ll leave it to you, Xiaoyu. But Shopkeeper has to do his part too."

"What part?"

"The part where you protect your princess?" With a teasing smile as she delivered those words, Wu Meiyu handed him a coffee.

A little taken aback at her forwardness, Lin Mo could only nod while taking the cup.

"If I grow strong enough, then sure, I’ll protect you, Your Highness. At this point, you’re as valuable to me as this store."

Wu Meiyu froze as she also did not expect him to dish out something like that. She only thought she’d put on his iconic wry smile and then wave his hand.

While holding back the redness creeping up her face, she took a step back, gracefully turned around to hide her expression from him.

"Un. Xiao Ya and Pan Ruo have finished preparing for the opening. Shall we... Shopkeeper?"

"Let’s go. We shouldn’t keep the patrons waiting." Lin Mo nodded, pretending he didn’t notice the flush on her neck, and led the way downstairs.

The main floor of the Divine Convenience Store was already humming with the liveliness and chaotic exuberance seeping in from outside the store. The Divine Guardian Construct standing right in front served as an immovable blockade, preventing anyone from pushing forward.

The City Guards were also watching closely as the store had already become one of the city’s main attractions.

It had been a while since he had seen the City Lord entering the store, considering he was just sending his subordinates to replenish the supplies they were using for training. Nevertheless, his daughter regularly visits to buy Xingxing’s brand products and also chats with Wu Meiyu.

Pan Ruo stood behind the main counter with a perfect posture. Her hands moved as she directed the other staff in organizing the newly added stock of the [Stardust Repeaters] that had just arrived from the Divine Pantheon’s workshop.

Since the test was successful yesterday, Zhenren Chuang had already approved its deployment.

Its price was staggering, though. Almost triple that of the Celestial Duel Gear, considering it wasn’t as complicated as it was. After all, that one also needed the activation of the Awakened Celestial Duel Mode to use it on a battlefield without being locked in place. Furthermore, buying card packs to optimize the decks was also a necessity for better effectiveness as a Celestial Duelist.

Xiao Ya and Liu Xiaoping were stationed at the [Celestial Duel Arcade] zone, ready to manage the inevitable stampede of gamers.

The four new staff members were positioned at the Hot Spring entrance and the aisles, looking sharp and ready.

At the moment, not counting the key personnel like Liu Xiaoyu, Wu Meiyu, Xiao Ya, Liu Xiaoping and Pan Ruo, the number of staff that they had employed had already ballooned to 40.

Half of them were members of Wu Meiyu’s royal escorts, while the other half was a mixture of rogue cultivators, small sect cultivators, and mortals.

Perhaps once the store reaches the next tier and gets another expansion, they’d have to add more staff.

On the Southern Wilderness Branch, Branch Manager Chi had already expanded her staff to 20. Although the patrons there were still not even half of what the main store was serving due to the constant threat of the insectoids, it was still profitable considering the Poison Demon cultists deployed there and some patrons using the Celestial Shuttle Hub to check the place were contributing to its revenue.

After checking the whole place one last time and ensuring his newly worn uniform was neat with nary a wrinkle, he flipped the sign and unlocked the doors.

The roar of the crowd was instantaneous. As always, it was the usual morning rush, which was like a tidal wave of demand fueled by recent events.

"Shopkeeper! Is it true? The [Stardust Repeater] is in stock?!"

"I need five crates of [Taihao Spicy Noodles]! The Demon King edition! My sect leader wants to use them for ’perimeter defense’!"

"Where is the [Aesthetic Polishing Cloth]? My soul feels dusty!"

Lin Mo stepped back, letting his staff handle the initial wave. Pan Ruo was a marvel to watch. Once a few of the patrons quickly picked up what they needed and lined up at the counters, she rang up the sales as if orchestrating an opera.

"One Repeater? Excellent choice, dear customer. May I suggest pairing it with a pack of [Energy Replenishing Candies]? Continuous fire drains spiritual energy rapidly. And for a limited time, we are offering a discount on the [Basic Maintenance Kit] and [Additional Magazine Pack] if purchased together."

The skinny mercenary patron blinked, then nodded vigorously. "You’re right! I don’t want to run dry in a beast tide! Give me three packs each!"

Then there was a merchant who was clearly eager to buy a bulk of them to sell in other cities or regions. But with the limitation in its current production, Pan Ruo declined the bulk sale, telling him that a patron could only purchase one Repeater per day.

"Boss, she’s scary," Liu Xiaoyu whispered as she ran back to his side. There were now few patrons that needed her guidance. And there were other staff dealing with those. "She up-sold him so smoothly he thanked her for taking his money."

"I guess we can say we’re witnessing the birth of the Dao of Retail from her, Xiaoyu. Learn from it." Lin Mo chuckled.

"Pfft. Dao of Retail? What in the nine heavens is that?" Liu Xiaoyu giggled but somehow, a look of profoundness suddenly took over her face. It’s like she had reached enlightenment.

Ignoring that, Lin Mo turned to Wu Meiyu. "Your Highness, we’ll be leaving again at midday for the Abyssal Forest Conduit Tower. The floor is yours. Keep an eye on the Golden Carp delegation if they show up. Jin Cheng is likely itching to finalize the distribution contract now that he’s seen the lecture."

"Understood. Should I tell them to come back later?"

"No. Entice him with our least sold products. Also, if he had more intelligence about the Violethaven Temple’s movements, we must get it. We can’t be surprised by our enemies."

"And one more thing, Your Highness," Lin Mo added, his voice lowering slightly. "If the ’vagrant cultivator’ that Monk Huiyin is traveling with shows up later... treat her like any other customer. But keep an eye on her. From what I read, she appeared to be not your typical traveler from the West."