Divine Convenience Store

The visual feed flickered and closed, leaving Lin Mo, Xiaoyu, and Wu Meiyu in the relative quiet of the now-empty store. The instruction he sent to the tribe was just to take those free samples and camp temporarily within the formation. He also set them a task to scout out the entire Blazing Ridge and see if the foreign creatures had spread throughout the Southern Wilderness.

It'll be pretty bad if the tribes there get annihilated before the Branch Store opens, right?

"Well," Liu Xiaoyu said, breaking the silence as she let out a low whistle. "That was one heck of a product demonstration. You didn't just get a new customer base, Boss. You got a whole new tribe of devout followers. But are you sure they'll have spirit stones to buy our products? They looked piss poor."

Lin Mo rubbed his temples, a wry smile playing on his lips. "That wasn't in the business plan. I was just trying to stop them from being wiped out. It's bad for PR if your free samples lead to a massacre on your doorstep. Besides, that masked woman was still close to the Nascent Soul Stage. She's at the level of a Sect Master or High Elders of the upper-tier sects within our Eastern Abyssal Region."

"Them, killing a few of those insectoids must've given them Dimension Essence too. With it becoming a currency in our store, we won't have to worry about them not having enough spirit stones."

"A pragmatic approach to benevolence, Shopkeeper." Wu Meiyu commented, her expression a mixture of awe and analytical curiosity. "You've turned a potential enemy into a dependent. By saving them, you've bound them to you more tightly than any contract or threat could. Their survival is now tied to the 'convenience' you offer. A masterful political move, even if accidental."

"Are they fine now, Boss Lin?" Xiao Ya bobbed her little head as she tried to look past his shoulder.

Lin Mo ruffled her hair and nodded.

Accidental or not, the situation had evolved far beyond a simple branch setup. He now had a tribe of traumatized, grieving, yet reverent refugees camped out at his construction site, guarded by a god-tier construct and sustained by a magical noodle stall. This was a logistical and diplomatic headache he hadn't anticipated.

He couldn't help but wonder if there was an expenditure used for maintaining the stall. They'll be bleeding out profits before they open. Nevertheless, he didn't think it'd be a waste to use those resources. It's not like the Divine Pantheon had a quota for him to fulfill.

"What's the plan now, Boss?" Xiaoyu asked, peering at the system interface. "Are you just going to leave them there? What if those bugs come back?"

"They won't, not for a while," Lin Mo said as his mind started piecing together the next steps. "The Guardian's display was a show of overwhelming force. It established our store's strength and influence. The remaining insectoids will be wary. But that doesn't solve the root problem. The breached Anchor. Wherever it is, it will continue spewing out more of them and eventually, the entire Southern Wilderness might be swarmed by them. The village of SunnyDay might even be affected. Let's hope she can handle any crisis."

He turned away from the counter, his gaze sweeping over the now quiet store. "Anyway, we can't leave them indefinitely, and I can't go there to open it until after the Divine Lecture. So, we need to empower them to handle the situation themselves."

He brought up the Remote Command interface for the Southern Wilderness branch again. The 'Convenience Propagation' protocol was still active. He navigated to a new option that had appeared: [Temporary Patron Support Package].

"How convenient," He wryly smiled as he selected it. Then, a list appeared before him.

[Select Support Package for Designated Patrons:

- Basic Survival Kit (Food, water, basic healing salves) - Currently Active

- Defensive Fortification Kit (Instant formation flags, reinforced barrier talismans) - Inactive

- Basic Armament Kit (peak mortal grade weapons and armor, Basic Card Talismans and Spirit Embodiment Sticker Seal) - Inactive]

"Since the first one is already active, let's just give them the fortification kit for now," Lin Mo decided. Activating it required him to allocate 50 high-grade spirit stones or 5,000 Dimension Essence per day, which would be deducted from the store's sales. Together with the survival kit, it'll be 100 high-grade spirit stones or 10,000 Dimension Essence.

"We'll give them the tools to fortify their own position within the safe zone. It's better than having them rely solely on the Guardian."

On the now-blank visual feed screen, a notification confirmed his action: [Defensive Fortification Kit has been materialized at the vendor stall. New instructions for the Blazing Maw Tribe have been provided.]

"See?" Lin Mo said, turning back to Xiaoyu, Xiao Ya and Wu Meiyu. "We give them the means, they provide the labor. It's a partnership for now since we're not open yet. But this also established that convenience isn't always a handout."

"You're turning them into your first construction crew and security force all at once," Liu Xiaoyu shook her head in amusement. "You really are a ruthless merchant, Boss."

"Someone has to be," Lin Mo retorted with a grin. Just as he finished speaking, the familiar chime of the Divine System Interface echoed through the quiet store, signaling the end of the business day. The daily evaluation had arrived.

[Weekly Tasks - Completed]

[Pending New Tasks: 2 days left]

—

[Day 16 Evaluation: Excellent]

[Sales Summary: 1522 Transactions]

[Revenue: 1123311 Intermediate-grade Spirit Stones]

[Celestial Duel Gear Bundle Sold: 500 units]

[Awakened Celestial Duel Mode Activation: 650 units]

[Divine Hall & Exhibition Arena Usage: 10 hours]

[Normal Cultivation and Training Room Usage: 152 sessions]

[Premium Cultivation and Training Room Usage: 22 sessions]

—

[Viewing Jades Sold: 2563 units (total 11699 units)]

[Store Bulletin Board User Count: 9782 users]

[Golden Patron Count: 110]

—

[Celestial Shuttle Network Trips: 1,844 passengers]

[Dimension Essence Balance: 511,232 DE]

—

[Rewards: +50 Spirit Stones to Personal Balance for both Shopkeeper and Assistant, +35 Spirit Stones for the Staff]

[Tier Progression: Renowned Store (2367596/100000000), Golden Card Patron (110/1000)]

Lin Mo scanned the numbers, although not that much higher than yesterday's figures, a sense of satisfaction still washed over him. It passed another million in revenue.

The Celestial Shuttle Network was a massive success, already contributing significantly to their Dimension Essence reserves.

"Boss, your personal balance is probably overflowing now," Xiaoyu teased, peeking at the evaluation. "You could probably buy a small kingdom. Or at least a very, very big noodle factory."

Lin Mo flicked her forehead. "As if. It's only in the hundreds. Besides, it's all going back into the store anyway."

He looked at the tier progression bar, the massive 100 million requirement seeming a little less daunting than before.

"Speaking of which," He said as he turned to Wu Meiyu. "Your Highness, your assistance today was invaluable. Having more counters truly raised the efficiency of ringing up the customers. They won't make a long line anymore and clog the floor anymore."

Wu Meiyu inclined her head gracefully. "It was... an enlightening experience, Shopkeeper. Managing a flow of resources and personnel, even on this scale, provides valuable insights. However, my escorts cannot remain as cashiers indefinitely. If one day I get summoned back to the capital, they will be returning with me."

"Of course," Lin Mo agreed. "But this brings up a good point. We are growing too fast for our current staff. Our store truly needs a more permanent solution. Having us three here won't be enough to deal with everyone. Furthermore, I doubt Miss Yangyang, who's now at the Divine Pantheon, will be able to deal with the increasing number of hotline calls."

He looked at Xiaoyu, then at the system interface. An idea began to form, one that would solve his staffing issue and further entrench the store without sacrificing the position of his prodigious assistant or the lucky mushroom girl. They'll become senior staff, not to mention, Xiaoyu's Assistant Manager role will be cemented.

"Xiaoyu, I'll give you permission to post a new official announcement under the Administrator account. Title it: [Now Hiring: The Divine Convenience Store is Seeking Full-Time Employees!]"

Xiaoyu's jaw dropped. "Boss! Are you serious? We're going to hire regular staff?"

"Mhm… You've seen it, right? The number of customers will only go up from today," Lin Mo clarified. "We're going to set up a proper recruitment process for staff that won't just be for restocking shelves. We'll find people to fill in the role of cashiers, stockers, security personnel, and even customer service representatives for the training rooms."

He began to list the requirements out loud, pacing behind the counter. "Applicants must be patrons of the store. They must have a clean record. The system can probably run background checks on them. They must pass a basic aptitude test. And most importantly, unlike you and Xiao Ya, they will sign an employment contract with us."

Upon hearing that, Xiaoyu's eyes immediately sparkled as she saluted before running to the side, dragging Xiao Ya and her little brother, Xiaoping, with her. "Got it, Boss! Xiao Ya, Pingping, come here and watch me."