Divine Convenience Store-Chapter 563: Into the Fold

"Really? I've given you an olive branch, yet you refuse to take it," Lin Mo said in exasperation.

Watching as the Valley Elder lumbered towards him, Lin Mo didn't use the [Stellar Domain] to suppress him anymore.

The chaotic energy within Viper was too volatile. Compressing it might trigger the explosion prematurely. That's why the only solution to that is…

"Xiaoyu isn't here to see this, but this is a good opportunity to test the precision of the [Stardust Repeater] in a high-speed engagement."

With a fluid motion, Lin Mo drew the silver pistol from his holster with his left hand while keeping the [Starlit Dragon Spear] ready in his right.

Measuring the distance, Viper was ten meters away.

Then, nine meters.

After another meter, Lin Mo pulled the trigger.

Pew! Pew! Pew!

Three pulses of condensed spiritual energy shot out accompanied by their comical sound.

Viper continued to rush forward but three holes instantly opened up in his body.

A few more steps and he tumbled down, lifeless.

The boiling energy within him then started seeping out of those holes. The critical state of the energy gradually calmed down, dissipating into harmless green mist that quickly faded in the wind.

Before everyone's eyes, the desperate attempt of the Valley Elder was snuffed out not with three casual twitches of a finger from a weapon they were seeing for the first time.

The silence that followed became absolute. It was heavier than the silence after Hei Feilong's death.

That had been a duel of titans. Valley Elder Viper? It was merely an execution. Lin Mo made it efficient, impersonal, and terrifyingly modern so as not to lose any more time.

Lin Mo blew the faint wisp of spiritual smoke from the barrel of the repeater and spun it once before holstering it. He then dismissed his spear, the starlight dissipating into the air.

He looked around. The defenders on the walls were slack-jawed. The invading army was prostrate on the ground, their foreheads pressed into the dirt, trembling as if awaiting divine judgment. The remaining eleven Valley Elders were pale as ghosts, staring at Viper's corpse with a mixture of horror and relief that it wasn't them.

"Well," Lin Mo said, his voice cutting through the silence like a bell. "That concludes the demonstration. Are there any further... objections to the new management?"

The answer was a unified, frantic shaking of heads from the elders.

"Good. Now, stand up. All of you."

The command was soft, but it carried the weight of absolute authority.

Slowly and hesitantly, the thousands of martial artists rose to their feet. They looked at Lin Mo not with the defiance of warriors, but with the expectant, fearful gaze of subjects waiting for their king's decree.

"The Seven Valleys Alliance is dissolved," Lin Mo announced, his voice amplified by his spiritual energy to reach every ear in the city. "From today onwards, you are the 'Seven Valleys Division'. Your Warlord led you to ruin. I will lead you to prosperity. But prosperity requires order. It requires rules. And it requires work."

"We… submit," The eldest among them, an old man with his white hair reaching down to the ground, known as Old Vulture, said, lowering his head until it touched the dust. "The Seven Valleys Alliance is no more. We await your orders… Shopkeeper."

"Excellent," Lin Mo beamed, the tension in his shoulders relaxing slightly. "Acquisition complete."

He leaped down from the roof, floating gently to the ground with the aid of his spiritual energy, landing amidst the kneeling leaders of the Sleeping Dragon City factions.

"Luo Lanyi! Iron Pan! Organize them!" He ordered. "Disarm them, but do not mistreat them. They are new hires, not prisoners. Process them. Register them. Anyone who wants to work, send them to the Harvester's Guild registration. Anyone who still wants to return to their home… well, Ying Sha and Tiger Lord, I leave them to you. You'll be my representative in taking over the Seven Valleys Alliance."

Naturally, Lin Mo knew that despite everything he'd shown them, some of them still harbored doubts. But what about it? If they experience the convenience he brought, they'd gradually come to their fold.

The only problem is… this probably won't be the last time a greedy warlord comes knocking at their doors.

That's why the thing he needed to establish is order and integration.

—

Half an hour later, Lin Mo returned to the private room in the Pavilion of Drifting Clouds.

The room, once spacious enough for a small negotiation, now felt cramped.

Luo Lanyi was already there, her abacus clicking furiously as she calculated logistics on a jade slip after leaving the organizing to the people of her Merchant House and the Iron Crane Dojo.

Tie Zha stood guard by the window, his [Legionary Set] deactivated but still radiating a faint, intimidating hum.

Hu Gan and Ling Qiumei stood to the side, looking like lieutenants awaiting their general.

The three faction leaders of Sleeping Dragon City, Iron Pan, Lei Hu, and Ying Sha, sat at the table, looking somewhat awkward as they were joined by the representatives of the surrendered forces, the white-haired elder known as Old Vulture, and two more Valley Elders, including Valley Elder Stone.

When Lin Mo entered, the entire room scrambled to stand. Chairs scraped against the floor, and heads bowed in unison.

"Sit," Lin Mo commanded, taking his seat at the head of the table. He produced another can of soda, cracked it open, and took a long, refreshing sip. "Now, let us discuss the restructuring of the Seven Valleys Division."

"Shopkeeper," Old Vulture spoke first, his voice a little rough but respectful. He had witnessed the death of his Warlord and the execution of Viper. He knew exactly where he stood. "My men... the new employees of your… Distribution Hub... they are confused. They are warriors, not miners or farmers. They fear that if they go and start mining for the Star-Forged Iron or clearing the Resentful Wraiths, the life they lead in our cities will crumble."

"A valid concern," Lin Mo nodded. "But an invalid one for an employee of the Divine Convenience Store. Miss Luo, what is the status of the food supplies?"

Luo Lanyi looked up, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "With the stock you provided, Shopkeeper, we have enough [Taihao Spicy Noodles] and [Self-Heating Rice Meals] to feed the entire army of three thousand for a week. However, for a long-term solution, we need to establish a steady trade route with the surrounding farms and villages. The Seven Valleys Alliance also has cities and villages that it claims as its territories. We can ask them for supplies and trade if they're afraid of being put at a loss."

"That is the correct mindset, Miss Luo. Integration and not conquest," Lin Mo nodded approvingly, tapping the table with his index finger. He turned his gaze back to Old Vulture. The elderly martial artist flinched slightly under the scrutiny, his white eyebrows twitching.

"Elder Vulture, listen closely. Your warriors fear becoming laborers because, in this world, laborers are weak. But look at Hu Gan and Tie Zha."

Lin Mo gestured to his armored enforcers. "They are essentially my logistics staff. They carry boxes. They guard shipments. And yet, do they look weak to you? Do they look like prey?"

Old Vulture looked at the glowing Aether-forged armor and swallowed hard. He recalled how Tie Zha had tanked a blow from Warlord Hei Feilong. A blow that would have pulverized a mountain boulder or put him in a critical state.

"No... Shopkeeper. They look like... martial gods."

"Exactly," Lin Mo leaned back, the image of a benevolent corporate overlord. "In our Divine Convenience Store, the role you play does not dictate your power. Your contribution does. You are not going to be a slave minor. You're going to earn from it. If a miner brings me enough Star-Forged Iron to buy a [Legionary Set], he becomes a walking fortress. If a farmer grows enough Spirit-Infused Wheat to trade for a [Stardust Repeater], he becomes a long-range threat that even a 6th Gate master must fear."

He stood up and walked to the window, looking down at the kneeling army.

Hunger and fear were a volatile mix.

"Let us feed them first. Loyalty begins in the stomach. Luo Lanyi, mobilize your cooks. Use the self-heating meals and the supplies their army brought. Hu Gan, Ling Qiumei, assist her. Ensure order is maintained. If anyone tries to hoard food or start a fight..." Lin Mo's voice dropped to a chilling tone, "...remind them of the new management."

"At once, Shopkeeper!"

As the group dispersed to carry out his orders, Lin Mo turned to the three faction leaders of Sleeping Dragon City.

"Now, for the expansion. Like I said earlier, Tiger Lord Lei Hu, Union Master Ying Sha. You will be my representative. You will accompany Old Vulture back to the territory of the Seven Valleys Alliance. Your task is simple: Assessment and Rebranding."