Divine Convenience Store-Chapter 358: The Ever-Growing Influence

Later in the afternoon, the initial pandemonium of the morning rush had settled into a steady, bustling rhythm.

Lin Mo stood behind his usual counter, sipping a lukewarm can of [Heavenly Dew Soda] as he watched the controlled chaos of his store while also reading the thick manual of [Basics of Cultivation].

Wu Meiyu had taken to her role with surprising efficiency. Her regal presence brought about an unexpected level of order and discipline to the two new checkout counters. And eventually, Liu Xiaoyu requested to switch places with her as the energetic prodigy wasn’t used to acting more properly to deal with the Golden Patrons checking out the privileged floor.

Her Royal Escorts, Captain Zhu Min and Escort Ning, were now operating the other counters with growing competence. Those who recognized them as the First Princess’s escorts couldn’t help but look at Lin Mo like he was some kind of terrific employer who managed to rope in not only the princess but also everyone tied to the Southern Wu Royal Family.

However, he paid no attention to that. He was more concerned about dealing with the seemingly endless surge of customers thanks to the ease of travel through the Celestial Shuttle Network.

Just in the morning, he saw more Poison Demon cultists and Shadow Veil Clan members arriving in groups, sweeping away different aisles of store products.

Xiao Ya, who was responsible for restocking empty shelves, came running towards him, asking for help.

And due to that, three more Royal Escorts became temporary workers of the store.

When he inquired to the Divine System Interface regarding their addition, it just showed him their status and that they would be given a salary at the end of the day.

As for the option to employ them permanently, it was greyed out. The explanation. Their temporary employment was due to the First Princess. Hence, they needed to ask him for employment willingly.

Since he was about to leave for the Southern Wilderness, he was thinking of keeping the First Princess to handle those temporary employers while Liu Xiaoyu would be the acting manager.

Speaking of Liu Xiaoyu, Xiaoping and the rest of the Liu Clan had gotten themselves a huge courtyard from the City Lord as they brought more clan members from their hidden ancestral estate.

Wei Xian did that for the Fanling City residents’ peace of mind. It’s much better not to have a gigantic ship construct floating above the city.

The courtyard was a temporary accommodation as they were planning to carve a territory close to the Abyssal Forest where they would station themselves.

Unlike the Poison Demon Cult, which could withstand creating a stronghold inside the forest wherein the concentration of demonic energy was high, the clan members might get corrupted by it. It would also be detrimental for their cultivation ground.

Having a Void Refinement Stage in the form of the Liu Tianfeng just nearby made Lin Mo feel reassured that his impending departure to set up the new branch would not result in the Divine Convenience Store being raided. Besides, the Divine Guardian Construct was still around.

If he wasn’t wrong, even a Law Integration Stage cultivator would never be able to take it down. Xiaoyu’s Nine Heavens Exquisite Body will be safe.

Lin Mo checked the current day statistics and saw some changes in them, unlike the previous days.

[Sales Summary: 891 Transactions]

[Revenue: 723121 Intermediate-grade Spirit Stones]

[Celestial Duel Gear Bundle Sold: 500 units]

[Awakened Celestial Duel Mode Activation: 650 units]

[Divine Hall & Exhibition Arena Usage: 6 hours]

[Normal Cultivation and Training Room Usage: 87 sessions]

[Premium Cultivation and Training Room Usage: 17 sessions]

—

[Viewing Jades Sold: 2312 units (total 11448 units)]

[Store Bulletin Board User Count: 9512 users]

[Golden Patron Count: 103]

—

[Celestial Shuttle Network Trips: 1,245 passengers]

[Dimension Essence Balance: 234,712 DE]

The sales summary and revenue were now distinct. His observations revealed that this separation stemmed from the system aggregating every transaction, activation, and rental into one comprehensive revenue figure.

The statistics about the Viewing Jades and the Bulletin Board had also been moved down, along with the additional information about the current count of Golden Patrons.

Then, the Celestial Shuttle Network only counted the number of passengers and its revenue was automatically converted to Dimension Essence and added to the store’s balance.

The store’s Dimension Essence income now comes from two different channels, the sales from the Store Beacon in the connected Conduit Towers and the fare for the Celestial Shuttle Network.

The store’s revenue was already staggering enough compared to their first day. Furthermore, the Dimension Essence was steadily replenishing the five million he had spent. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

At this point, the store’s influence was more or less already deeply rooted and the Divine Pantheon’s plan for it could already be seen as a runaway success, an engine of commerce and power that was reshaping the realm with every beep of a scanner.

And yet, as he looked at the swelling numbers, Lin Mo felt a strange sense of detachment.

It wasn’t that he was ungrateful.

The wealth was a means to an end, a resource to fuel the store’s growth and his own security. But the raw figures, the sheer accumulation of spirit stones, no longer held the same thrill they once did.

He couldn’t help but start to view it as merely a requirement he needed to fill in order to reach the next store tier.

In the early days, even though he somehow scammed the first few customers by being vague with the grade of the spirit stones needed, every high-grade spirit stone felt like a victory, a stepping stone away from his mundane past life. Now, they were just... equivalent to experience points.

His perspective had shifted. The spreading convenience and store’s influence became his true measure of profit. And with the various threats and problems surrounding him, the best he could do was to continue to empower the store’s patrons.

In a way, the real balance sheet included the united front of the Eastern Abyssal sects, now connected by the Celestial Shuttle Network. It included the invaluable data extracted from the Highland Realm’s Anchor, a strategic advantage against an existential threat. It included the loyalty of cultivators like Jiang Jianxin and the grudging respect of powers like the Poison Demon Cult and the Shadow Veil Clan. It included the Dimension Essence flowing in from the Conduit Towers, the true currency of power that allowed him to purchase upgrades that could alter the fate of the heavens.

Spirit stones built a business. Dimension Essence and influence were slowly building an empire born from convenience.

"Boss, you’re doing that thing again," Xiaoyu’s voice broke his reverie. Since she switched places with the First Princess, she’s now the one standing at the counter in front of him. "Staring off into space with that ’I’m scheming to take over the world’ look on your face."

Lin Mo took a final sip of his soda. "You think so? I’m just reviewing the numbers, Xiaoyu. Business is good."

"Good? Boss, it’s insane! I think we need more workers. I even asked Xiaoping to start helping Xiao Ya and the escorts with restocking! The shelves are running out of stock faster than Saintess Huoling can invent new noodle flavors! And Captain Zhu actually smiled when a customer complimented his scanning speed!"

"So, are you trying to tell me to get off my seat and start restocking too?" Lin Mo smirked as he closed the thick manual and stored it in the inventory tied to the store’s system.

Liu Xiaoyu whistled before grinning mischievously, "You’re the one who said that, Boss. Not me. But aren’t you being lazy right now?"

"Well, I’m the Shopkeeper. The manager of the store. Now that we’ve expanded it to this point, I should start doing my real job of managing the store rather than stocking shelves, right?"

"Pfft. All you do is sip a [Heavenly Dew Soda] and read a manual when we are so busy here, Boss. You’re not doing any managing at all. Shouldn’t you walk around and see how things are going? Xiao Ya is busy enough stocking the empty shelves but she also has to oversee the line in the Cultivation and Training Rooms. We’re lucky Sister Yangyang’s Spirit-Dispersing Beacon was upgraded by her before leaving earlier, so no one could cause trouble."

With the young woman’s words starting to sound like she’s scolding Lin Mo, he couldn’t help but scratch the back of his head.

"Alright. I’ll go and oversee the training rooms and the multipurpose hall. Happy?"

With a playful hum, Liu Xiaoyu gave him a triumphant grin. "About time you stretched your legs, Boss. Don’t strain yourself."

Lin Mo shook his head. He stood up and walked past the bustling counters, the sounds of scanning, spirit stone transactions, and customer chatter creating a somewhat lively atmosphere.

He saw orthodox sect disciples and Poison Demon Cult acolytes standing in the same queue, arguing not over their doctrines, but over who got the last pack of [Pizza-flavored Spirit-Infused Potato Chips].

The sight was so bizarre yet so normal for his store that he barely registered it anymore.

Since the Red Lotus Academy didn’t come today for that inauguration, what he’s waiting for today is the Divine Pantheon’s reply about the plan to add the Dimension Balance wallet on the Viewing Jades as well as the exact date for the Divine Lecture.