Divine Convenience Store-Chapter 579: Day 27
Apart from the initial chaos in the Bulletin Board, the Public Channel and the notifications, the morning of the twenty-seventh day proved Lin Mo's prediction to be an understatement.
The Social Link feature brought about a social revolution, much more overwhelming than the initial introduction of the Viewing Jades and the Bulletin Board.
Inside the store, instead of the usual chaotic chatter, small groups of cultivators were huddled together, heads bent over their Viewing Jades, furiously typing or laughing at shared screens.
"Join the 'Tiger Slayer' group chat! We're coordinating the raid on Area 2!"
"Looking for a companion who can heal for Floor 6 of Jade Hollow Conduit Tower! Must have [Fruity Healing Tablets]! Add me: [IronWallTank]!"
"Selling [Wind-Blessed Alloy]! DM for price! No lowballers!"
Jargon of a connected community had started popping up. If before it was still minimal, now, they're coming up with new terms that were not that different from what he had seen back on Earth.
In one way or another, Lin Mo couldn't help but accept that no matter how different or magical the Realm of Nine Heaven is, human nature, when given a platform for instant communication, invariably gravitated towards the same patterns. Commerce, boasting, and finding shortcuts. The internet, it seemed, was a universal constant.
"Boss! Check this out! Someone made a 'Tier List' for the [Celestial Duel] units on the Bulletin Board!"
Liu Xiaoyu bounded over, shoving her Viewing Jade into his face. On the screen was a detailed, surprisingly well-formatted chart ranking the summoned beasts from 'S-Tier' (Godly) to 'F-Tier' (Trash).
Then he read the comments both from the original poster and other patrons criticizing his tier list.
"Look, [Stormfang Wolf] is definitely S-Tier for low-level Summoned Units. Obviously. But they put the [Crystal-Shell Tortoise] in C-Tier? Do they not know how tanky it is? Amateurs!"
Lin Mo gently pushed the jade away, suppressing a chuckle. "Tier lists, huh? Didn't you make one yourself? I see the competitive spirit is thriving. But Xiaoyu, about that group chat invite... 'The Shopkeeper's Angels'? Really?"
Xiaoyu froze, her cheeks gradually shifting to a pink color. She snatched her jade back, whistling innocently.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Boss. It's just an... efficient naming convention! For the core staff! You know, like... guardian angels of the store?"
"Is that so?" Wu Meiyu interjected as she appeared before them. "Then why is the group icon a drawing of the Shopkeeper with a halo and wings? A rather... artistic interpretation, I must say. How did you even create that image?"
"It's symbolic! And that's a trade secret!" Xiaoyu protested before pouting.
Lin Mo was aware. After all, there are already artists posting their artworks in the Bulletin Board. Then they're using the image posting feature to even edit an existing portrait by drawing on top of it and capturing it again with a recording jade or a Viewing Jade from another patron.
A dedicated section was even created for commission works for artists. With the advent of the Celestial Duel Gear and the additional enlightenment from the Divine Lecture, many talisman masters found themselves inspired to replicate the effect of the Celestial Duel Cards. Be it the summoned units or the spells.
Unfortunately for them, even Grandmaster Lian of the Red Lotus Academy was still far from improving her talisman-making skills. Nevertheless, her 'Grade' as a talisman master has already improved, making her one of the most successful among those professionals who once stormed the Divine Convenience Store because their livelihoods were threatened by the high-quality products it offers.
"Anyway, Boss! The queue for the Arcade is getting long again. I'd better go... supervise with Xiao Ya and Pingping!"
She dashed away before Lin Mo could lecture her, leaving a trail of golden sparks in her wake.
Lin Mo shook his head, a fond exasperation settling in his chest. "She's incorrigible. Well, she'll come around when it's time for us to go to the Sunken Caverns."
"Mhm. She is spirited," Meiyu nodded while giggling softly. "Besides, the patrons adore her. She is the face of the store's energy, just as you are the face of its wisdom."
"And you are the face of its order," Lin Mo replied. "How are the new protocols holding up with this surge in communication?"
"Surprisingly well," Meiyu reported, scrolling through her data. "The 'Public Channel' is chaotic, yes, but self-regulating. Like the Bulletin Board, scammers are called out instantly by other users. Trolls... as you call them... are muted by the community before Pan Ruo even has to intervene. It seems the patrons value this new connectivity too much to let it be ruined by bad actors. It is... a self-policing society."
"Convenience breeds cooperation," Lin Mo noted. "When everyone benefits from the system, everyone has a stake in protecting it."
He glanced at the clock. There are still a few hours before the time they set for their scouting mission deep into the Sunken Caverns.
It was the perfect time to meet with the City Lord and brief him about the upcoming activation of the Anchor outside the city.
— 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
Meanwhile, Jin Cheng, who immediately set out to return after getting his Distributor Token, had finally arrived at the Golden Carp Trading Guild's headquarters.
"Bao'er, look at this place. Does it not feel… stagnant?"
They stood before the grand, golden gates of their headquarters. It was a sprawling complex of pagodas and warehouses that spoke of their wealth and tradition. Guards in gold-trimmed armor stood rigidly at attention, bowing deeply as they saw their masters return.
Inside, clerks were running about with scrolls and jade slips, shouting orders about caravans that would take weeks to arrive.
Before his trip to the East, Jin Cheng would have looked upon this scene with pride. It was the heart of the Western Sacred Lands' economy. Many powerful sects even bow to them to get their sponsorship.
Now? It felt like walking through molasses. It was slow, inefficient and inconvenient.
"It feels like we stepped back in time, Father," Jin Bao replied, clutching his Viewing Jade. After days of being in Fanling City and absorbing the convenience brought by the store, the scene was already unfamiliar to him.
"Where are the instant updates? Where are the digital ledgers? Why are they shouting when they could just send a message? I think the first thing we should do is to get more Viewing Jades for our employees."
"Indeed. We'll get to that shortly." Jin Cheng muttered, his eyes narrowing with a revolutionary fire. "But we have been sleeping, son. It's your achievement, reporting about the store that has woken me up. Come. Call the Grand Elders and Senior Associates. We are holding an emergency meeting. We are going to tear this guild down and rebuild it in the image of Convenience."
They strode into the main hall, ignoring the surprised greetings of the subordinate merchants.
Jin Cheng didn't head to his office. He went straight to the Central Council Chamber, a room reserved for decisions that would alter the fate of the guild.
Within minutes, the five Grand Elders of the Golden Carp Trading Guild arrived, followed by the Senior Associates, Elders, and representatives of their other branches.
The Grand Elders were old men and women, draped in silks worth a king's ransom, their faces etched with the caution of decades of hoarding wealth.
On the other hand, surrounding Jin Cheng was the delegation he brought with him to the Eastern Abyssal Domain. Most notably, the stern-looking woman, a high-ranking elder who was the daughter of one of the Grand Elders who was the daughter of one of the Grand Elders, Elder Ming.
Her expression was grave, but her eyes held the same revolutionary fire as the Guildmaster. She had seen the miracles of the East. Although she was reluctant to accept the convenience when she first arrived at Fanling City, she had tasted the coffee, the snacks, the meals and the hot spring. She even played on the Arcade because she still failed to get her hands on a Celestial Duel Gear starter bundle. But she knew there was no going back anymore.
"Guildmaster, you summoned us with great urgency," The eldest Grand Elder spoke. He looked like a man whose skin hung loosely on his frame like old parchment. "To disrupt the flow of the midday trade... the reason must be catastrophic."
"Hmm? Not catastrophic, Grand Elder. Transformative," Jin Cheng declared, striding to the head of the table. He didn't sit and remained standing, letting his presence dominate the room in a way that it had been years since taking up the mantle of the Guild Master.
He slammed the [Distributor Token] onto the heavy wooden table. It clattered with a sound of high-grade spiritual resonance that instantly silenced the room.
"This," Jin Cheng pointed a trembling finger at the token, "is the end of the Golden Carp Trading Guild as you know it."
The Grand Elders frowned. Murmurs of confusion and indignation rippled through the room.
"Have you gone mad after visiting the backwater east, Jin Cheng?" Another elder scoffed. "A token? We have vaults full of tokens."
"Indeed. But not like this one," Elder Ming stepped forward, her voice cutting like a blade. "Elders, let's not pretend you don't know what Guild Master is talking about. We've maintained communication regarding our trip. This is about that store. The Divine Convenience Store. The source of the miracles that Young Master Jin Bao reported."
