Divine Convenience Store-Chapter 569: Third Distributor
Several minutes later, Lin Mo welcomed the arrival of the Golden Carp Trading Guild Guildmaster and his son on the second floor of the Divine Convenience Store.
"Guildmaster Jin Cheng, Young Master Jin Bao. Please, sit." Lin Mo gestured to the plush seats across the low table, where Wu Meiyu was already pouring steaming cups of the premium [Spirit-Calming Tea]. "I trust your stay in Fanling City has been productive? The Harvester’s Guild seems to have benefited greatly from your guild’s... enthusiastic participation."
Jin Cheng, the seasoned Guildmaster who had once looked down on this establishment, bowed with a sincerity that bordered on reverence before taking his seat.
The arrogance of a Western Sacred Lands tycoon had long been washed away by the waters of the Celestial Hot Spring and the undeniable reality of the store’s convenience.
"Productive is an understatement, Shopkeeper," Jin Cheng replied, the tone of his voice seemingly filled with zeal. "The efficiency of the Store Bulletin Board shames the trade routes my ancestors spent centuries building. We have liquidated our stock of spirit ores with various patrons and secured contracts with the White Ember Sect for refined ingots. The mere velocity of capital flow in this city is intoxicating, I can’t get enough of it."
Beside him, Jin Bao nodded vigorously. The young master looked less like a spoiled heir and more like a zealous convert. He was clutching a limited-edition card sleeve he must have won from the arcade earlier.
"Indeed! And the culture, Shopkeeper! The way cultivators interact here... It’s a great community. Conflicts can be settled not with a life-or-death duel. Instead, a round of Celestial Duel is more than enough."
"Mhm. I am glad you see it that way," Lin Mo smiled, taking a sip of his tea. "Because that is exactly what I wish to export to the Western Sacred Lands. Not just goods, but the lifestyle. The ’convenience’."
He placed his cup down, intentionally letting its sharp click echo within the floor.
"Now, let us formalize our arrangement. You wish to be an Official Distributor. I am willing to grant that status. However, the West is a difficult market. The Violethaven Temple has declared us an enemy, and their influence is vast. How do you propose to navigate that inconvenience?"
Lin Mo leaned back in his chair and gestured for Wu Meiyu to take the space next to him. He didn’t want her to keep standing there like a servant.
The First Princess covered her mouth, hiding her lips that curved up sweetly before gracefully doing as he said.
Meanwhile, Jin Cheng’s expression hardened as he appeared to be pulling up the answer he already rehearsed.
"The Violethaven Temple is powerful and influential, yes. But they do not own the air we breathe, nor the roads we travel. Truthfully, our guild has some dealings with them. They rely on us for thirty percent of their logistical needs. If they sanction us, they sanction themselves."
Lin Mo thought of asking him if he would be willing to stop trading with them but Jin Cheng wasn’t finished yet.
With a hint of excitement and conspiracy in his voice, he continued, "Furthermore, Shopkeeper, you have created a vacuum. By declaring a sanction on the Violethaven Temple, you have denied them your products. But desire does not vanish with a decree. It only grows in the dark. Their disciples, their elders... They have heard of your convenience and they have started craving your goods. I have already received back-channel inquiries from their vassal sects, begging for [Taihao Spicy Noodles], [Spirit-Infused Potato Chips] and [Heavenly Dew Sodas]."
"So, you intend to run a black market?" Wu Meiyu interjected with an amused tone.
"I intend to run a premium market," Jin Cheng corrected with a fake cough as her lips stretched into a thin, devious smile. "We will sell your goods openly in neutral territories and covertly within the Temple’s sphere of influence. We will make the Divine Convenience Store’s products a forbidden fruit that every cultivator in the West must taste. The more the Temple forbids it, the more they will want it. We will erode their authority with supply and demand."
Lin Mo chuckled. "An aggressive strategy. I like it. Undermining their authority by making their ban the very source of their disciples’ dissatisfaction. However, there’s still an underlying question I need you to answer, dear customer. How will you ensure that our products will not be used against us?"
"That is the crux of the matter, is it not?" Jin Cheng’s eyes gleamed with the wisdom of a merchant who had sold water to drowning men and sand to desert nomads. "A weapon sold to an enemy is a blade at your own throat. Unless... the blade is dull, or the hand wielding it is reluctant." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
He raised a finger. "First, we categorize. Strategic assets like the [Stardust Repeaters], the [Celestial Duel Gear], and high-grade defensive talismans will be strictly regulated. Of course, I believe you won’t allow me to peddle those right away. But when you do permit it in the future, they will be sold only to trusted neutral parties and our own guild’s enforcers. We will not arm the Temple’s vanguard."
"However," Jin Cheng’s grin widened, revealing a ruthlessness that made even Wu Meiyu raise an eyebrow. "Consumables. Snacks. Drinks. Simple healing pills. They will flood into their territory. We will sell them at a premium, of course. We shall call it the ’risk tax’ and make them sign a waiver to only use it in circumstances that don’t involve the Eastern Abyssal Domain."
Lin Mo and Wu Meiyu nodded. That’s good enough. The waiver part must have been some type of contract that will prevent them from going against the store and its patrons.
"But here is the insidious part, Shopkeeper. Once a cultivator grows accustomed to healing in seconds with a [Fruity Healing Tablet] or an [Energy Replenishing Candy], will they be willing to endure weeks of meditation for a minor injury? Once they taste the spiritual clarity of [Heavenly Dew Soda], will they be content with their sect’s bitter, muddy tea? We will create a dependency. We will soften their resolve with comfort. A cultivator addicted to luxury will be a cultivator who hesitates to destroy the source of that luxury."
Lin Mo laughed and clapped his hand, "Indeed. A strategy akin to shooting a sugar-coated bullet at our enemies. Convenience will spread quietly within their territory. I approve."
He waved his hand. A golden light flashed, and a familiar token materialized on the table. It was identical to the one Yu Qingyan possessed. The Distributor Token.
"This is your key," Lin Mo explained. "Once you accept this, you’ll be registered in our store’s Staff Registry as our third Official Distributor. However, I can say this to you now, dear customer. You will have to start at the lowest Rank 1, just like Miss Yu of the Verdant Sky Pavilion and most recently, the High Priest of the Poison Demon Cult. The maximum stock you can initially take is 5,000 high-grade spirit stones in value."
"Additionally, your Distributor Rank can be upgraded. At Rank 2, you will unlock the Personal Inventory space linked to our store’s inventory. It can fit the maximum stock of store products I just mentioned. You can restock and remit the earnings remotely by then."
"And through the token’s link to our Divine System Interface, you may open a private channel to message me directly."
Jin Cheng’s hand froze for a bit as he started processing the magnitude of what Lin Mo had just casually offered.
Remote restocking. Remote remittance. Instant communication.
To a cultivator, these might seem like convenient spells. But to a merchant who had spent a lifetime managing caravans, battling bandits, bribing officials, and losing weeks to weather and terrain, it was akin to a miracle.
It meant the complete elimination of logistical drag, zero risk of inventory loss during transit. He could sell a crate of spicy noodles in the heart of the Western Sacred Lands and instantly pay the supplier in the Eastern Abyssal Domain without moving a muscle.
"Shopkeeper..." Jin Cheng tremblingly said with an emotion that transcended greed. "Do you realize... do you truly realize what you have created? This token... renders the concept of ’distance’ obsolete. It kills the very idea of a trade route."
"Mhm. It evolves it," Lin Mo corrected gently. "Trade routes are still necessary for those who aren’t part of the network. But for the partners of the Divine Convenience Store? We operate on a higher plane. We operate at the speed of thought."
He still liked the fact that Yu Qingyan returned every time though. As for the High Priest... the old man hadn’t started distributing yet.
"Take it, Guildmaster. Become the conduit. Flood the West with our sugar-coated bullets. Let the Violethaven Temple choke on our convenience."
Jin Cheng didn’t hesitate any longer. He grasped the token with both hands as if it were a fragile, newborn life. His son also excitedly lowered his head, thanking Lin Mo.
As Jin Cheng’s spiritual energy made contact, the token glowed before a holographic interface, smaller but identical in function to Lin Mo’s own, projected itself before the Guildmaster’s eyes.
[Jin Cheng, Guildmaster of Golden Carp Trading Guild.]
[Position: Official Distributor (Rank 1 - Western Sacred Lands Region)]
[Credit Limit: 5,000 High-Grade Spirit Stones]
[Inventory Space: Empty]
[Additional Note: Golden Card Patron]
