Divine Convenience Store-Chapter 596: Can afford the risk
With the arrival of the three new ’Aether-Knights’, the situation at the western ridge quickly subsided. Even when a Nascent Soul Stage equivalent insectoid appeared, the three linked cultivators took them down, pushing the swarm tide back and allowing the Poison Demon Cult to finish the second line of trenches, solidifying the quarantine zone.
Aurelia and Monk Huiyin could only retreat and leave it to them. Regardless, the sight of them appropriating another Outer Realm’s
technology to combat a completely different dimensional threat left a profound impact on the disguised paladin.
She watched in stunned silence as the three figures returned, the silver plates of their [Legionary Sets] were stained with the corrosive, acidic blood of the insectoids, yet the metal remained unblemished and thrumming with a pristine color of Aetheric energy.
Venom Master Huangfeng’s pale yellow aura seamlessly intertwined with the alien armor, while Marrow Weaver’s ash-gray necrotic energy pulsed from the joints of her suit like steam from an overworked engine. But it was Chieftain Akasha who drew Aurelia’s eye the most. The barbarian woman’s fiery red aura had completely engulfed the plating, turning her into a walking inferno of martial might and extraterrestrial engineering.
And then, the sight of those armors folding neatly into a cube as they were unequipped was another point of marvel.
"Such powerful artifacts. They cannot be measured in value." Aurelia murmured as she recalled what those armor suits could do.
In the Western Sacred Lands, artifacts of such power would be revered, placed on pedestals, and carefully passed down through generations of Holy Sons and Sun-Blessed Paladins. They would be treated with religious sanctity and only after passing difficult trials would one be qualified.
But here? The Shopkeeper could apparently hand out armors from an invading alien army like they were promotional uniforms for his employees. And anyone, even a mortal, could equip them.
"Amitabha. It is the essence of his Dao, Benefactor Lia," Monk Huiyin said softly from her side. The golden light in his eyes flickered with a mix of amusement and profound understanding. While he had seen them showcased on the Bulletin Board, seeing them in action once again changed his mindset about the ’Dao of Convenience’ the store was propagating.
He thought about the Conduit Towers that he had closed and the sects or factions he destroyed because they attempted to deny him entry to them.
Although he wasn’t regretting any of his actions as it was his mandate to prevent the propagation of foreign influence, he’s starting to believe that handing them to the Divine Convenience Store would’ve been more beneficial to the realm. After all, it would be a training ground with endless benefits.
"To a wise merchant like the Shopkeeper, everything is a resource. The weapons of one enemy become the shields against another. He does not fear the origin of the tool, only its inefficiency. He is teaching this realm to adapt." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
Before Aurelia could formulate a response to that pragmatic philosophy coming from the Monk who was infamous for being the Towerbreaker, the ground trembled slightly as a massive, many-eyed monstrosity climbed over the rocky ridge behind.
The Doom Broodmother scuttled into view. Its colossal hairy legs navigated the treacherous terrain with ease.
Perched atop its back on a throne of woven, violet [Void-Weave Silk] was Venom Master Xun. Her immaculate indigo robes fluttered in the slightly cooler night wind of the Southern Wilderness, completely untouched by the carnage below.
"My, my," Venom Master Xun said, her seductive voice amplified by her qi to echo across the newly established quarantine zone. "It seems there are no problems with your synchronization. Having you test them out paid off."
Lin Mo left behind a note for her inside those crates of armor, telling her to have the Poison-Bearers wear those armors. After all, there’s a large risk for a cultivator past the initial realm to synchronize and bind them. The Aetheric energy could conflict with spiritual energy and qi. Only Lin Mo with his special constitution and Liu Xiaoyu with her Heavenly Physique could somehow make it work.
And yet, even after knowing that, Venom Master Xun handed them to the three.
Marrow Weaver didn’t need a lot of convincing. She was already subordinate to Venom Master Xun. And since following her, her belief in convenience had already solidified. So she wanted to be a pioneer. After all, her path of necromancy had been stalled ever since reaching the Core Formation Stage. Even with the store products, she hadn’t seen much progress yet, other than replenishing her necrotic energy to create more complicated skeletal constructs.
Venom Master Huangfeng was reluctant at first but upon seeing Marrow Weaver successfully bind it to her, he also took the step. Among the Venom Masters, he was always seen as the weakest. That’s why he had allied himself with Venom Master Xun. With the [Legionary Set], he could now stand proudly in front of the other Venom Masters again.
And lastly, Chieftain Akasha just happened to look for Venom Master Xun, reporting about the refugees. But when she saw those two, she also asked to be granted one as she believed she needed more strength to knock some sense into those old barbarian elders of the Emberfall Tribes.
"The [Aetheric Link] is functioning as intended, Mistress. The physical augmentation allows us to conserve our spiritual reserves entirely for our arts. The ’Withersward’ perimeter is now secure. However, using this is truly taxing."
"Mhm. A temporary complication, little bird. Work on raising the synchronization to above 70% and forget about cultivating for now." Xun nodded as she seemed to calculate something from her fingers, "That Old Scholar will not attempt to gamble on a risk. But we are not him. We can afford to be bold. We deal in poisons, little bird. What is a conflicting Aetheric current but another deadly toxin to digest, assimilate, and conquer? T We, the children of the Great Poison Demon, consume them."
Venom Master Xun chuckled, making her look mesmerizing yet dangerous in Aurelia’s eyes.
She lazily swirled a finger, and the massive Doom Broodmother shifted its weight, its myriad eyes glinting in the dark.
"The Shopkeeper warned of the clash between spiritual energy and the armor’s Aether," Venom Master Xun continued, her gaze dropping to the three exhausted but visibly exhilarated ’Aether-Knights’ below her. "But I reasoned that if we temporarily paralyzed the primary meridians with a diluted dose of [Soul-Sealing Belladonna], the armor would not recognize the host as a cultivator during the initial binding sequence. It would treat the host as a blank canvas. A mortal. By the time the paralytic wore off, the Soul Binding would be complete, forcing the Aetheric matrix to adapt to the returning flow of our qi, rather than rejecting it.
"Of course, the initial synchronization will be below 50%. But we can work on that."
Her amethyst eyes drifted toward Aurelia and Huiyin standing on the periphery. She snapped her fingers, and her massive spider mount lowered her to the ground. She walked with the casual grace of a queen inspecting her courtyard, ignoring the sizzling puddles of melted insectoids.
"What do you think, little traveler?" She stopped a few paces from Aurelia with a mocking smirk playing on her lips. "You questioned the morality of our methods. You clutched your pearls over the poisoned earth. But look around you. The swarm is halted. The Southern Wilderness can now prepare to face this growing swarm."
"The Shopkeeper’s convenience is absolute. It doesn’t care about your righteous sensibilities. It only cares about results. The next time you wish to judge us, ensure you actually contribute to the profit margin first."
Aurelia’s jaw tightened. She wanted to summon the radiant light of the Supreme Sun to banish the smugness from the Venom Master’s face. She wanted to declare the heresy of using alien armor and necrotic poisons. But the words died in her throat. Because Venom Master Xun was right. The line held and the people were safe.
"Your point is made, Venom Master," Aurelia said, forcing her voice to remain neutral. "The efficiency of your... operation... is undeniable."
"Oh? Glad we agree," Xun chuckled, turning her back on them dismissively. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a report to draft for our dearest Shopkeeper. He gets so terribly anxious when I don’t update him."
As Xun sauntered away to coordinate the remaining cultists and the Ironbone warriors, Aurelia looked at Huiyin. The monk simply offered a serene smile and pulled a [Clear Sky Mint Mint] from his robes, popping it into his mouth.
"The wind in the South is too hot, Benefactor Lia. Shall we return to the East? I believe the true storm is about to break there."
Aurelia looked at the unyielding line of the Withersward, the alien armors, and the organized chaos of the Divine Convenience Store’s outsourced army. Then, she shook her head.
"No. This isn’t over yet. The Anchor is still active. Allow me to see this to the end first before I face the reality of the Shopkeeper’s emerging Dao."
Aurelia gritted her teeth before clutching her chest, feeling the hidden pendant in the form of her church’s emblem. Like Venom Master Xun, she had to inform the Church about her current findings.
The store. The insectoid Anchor. And the threat of stabilization.
