Divine Convenience Store
Chapter 320 - 320: Buying more upgrades

A while later, Jiang Jianxin departed after meticulously organizing their plans for tonight. She promised to pick them up long after the store's closing time.

She planned to prepare flying sword artifacts for them, as opposed to the usual ship construct for their mode of transportation.

Lin Mo watched her go, suppressing his excitement. After all, who wouldn't be enthralled at the thought of soaring through the skies on a sword? It was the fad ever since wuxia and xianxia as a genre became prevalent on Earth. It was akin to the dream of flying, reminiscent of how Gohan taught Videl to take to the skies or the aspiration to achieve the legendary super saiyan transformation that had captivated so many fans.

A nagging thought then crossed his mind. "What if I fall from that sword?" He rested a hand on his chin, envisioning the harrowing prospect of plummeting from the heights. Despite his body having strengthened by his cultivation, the possibility of a fatal fall was still very real.

Just then, Yangyang emerged from the door Jiang Jianxin had just exited. A rare mischievous glint appeared behind her glasses as she crossed her arms. "Shopkeeper, what has gotten you smiling? Is it the Sword Fairy? Have you finally succumbed to the charms of a woman?"

Lin Mo brushed his hair back with a casual shrug as he admitted on impulse, "Honestly? It wouldn't take much to charm me. The women in this world, including you, are all stunning. Stunning enough to turn heads even in my previous world."

The moment the confession left his lips, he caught the shift in Yangyang's expression. Her eyebrow arched in surprise and a flicker of intrigued curiosity flashed behind her glasses.

"That's rather unexpected, Shopkeeper. I didn't expect you would be so open about it. I believe if you ask them out, they may seriously consider you as a suitable Dao companion."

"Wait a minute. That's not what I meant, Miss Yangyang." He quickly countered.

"What else could it possibly mean?" She pressed with an unwavering gaze

"Admiration. Isn't that a concept that also exists here?" He clarified, trying to steer the conversation back to familiar ground.

"Oh… So, that's what you were implying. My apologies, it seems I misinterpreted your words. But have you really not considered the idea at all?" She asked, tilting her head slightly and nudging the bridge of her glasses.

"Consider what?"

"Finding a Dao companion." She answered as if the suggestion held a deeper significance.

Lin Mo almost choked on his words. He's not expecting Yangyang to probe him like this as if it's an important matter for them. Luckily, he managed to gather his composure on time.

"Hmm… At the current state of the store and our realm, I don't think it's the time to think about it yet."

"Ah. Indeed. The path of cultivation is indeed a long one." She mused. It was as if she were also speaking to herself, "Finding a companion is something that one usually thinks about, especially if they desire to leave behind an offspring.

Lin Mo was speechless. How should he respond to that? And how did their conversation arrive at this topic?

"Yes. Indeed. That should be considered later along the lines. For now…" He trailed his words in an attempt to steer their conversation out of that direction. "... I'm actually thinking more about the upgrades I'm gonna purchase here."

He waved his hand, pulling up the Divine System Interface again and put it back to the [Anchor Interference Upgrade].

Extracting more data by interfacing with the Anchor's Corer was naturally in order but should he start considering other options? He had one million Dimension Essence to spare, after all.

Extracting more data from the Viridescent Hollow for 1,000 DE was naturally in order. To maximize profiting from it, the more they know, the better. As for disrupting the Anchor's construction for 25,000 DE, which could let the upgraded Aura from the [Dimension Essence Upgrade] was exactly the buff the cultivator of the realm needed. It could potentially make them stronger than what the foreign entities would be expecting because of the restrictions they set.

As for the last two… he didn't think they're that important at the moment. If he loosened the restriction, stronger cultivators might swoop in on the Anchor, leaving nothing behind for his customers. He's going to use those to earn more Dimension Essence, after all.

The [Store Beacon] and the [Celestial Shuttle Network] could maximize that profit. Not to mention, the potential to link the Eastern Abyssal Domain's sects or even the other two regions into a divine trade web could make rallying forces a lot better.

It'll be more difficult for the Western Sacred Lands to reach the store again.

"Alright, Miss Yangyang. Is it wise for me to buy these now?" Lin Mo looked up to see that the woman had already closed their distance, waiting for what he was about to say next after bringing up the interface.

Of course, he had already decided what to do. It's just his way to crawl out of the pit he dug from their earlier conversation.

"Mhm. I don't see any problem, Shopkeeper. However, you shouldn't extract more data than necessary. It says there that the cost scales up, right? The Outer Realm might sense it. The same goes for loosening the restriction set on each Anchor. There's a reason they don't simply send stronger forces to conquer the First Heaven. You might've ended up shouldering the cost for them."

Upon hearing that, Lin Mo couldn't help but feel a cold sweat trickle down his back. What Yangyang just said was reasonable and he hadn't even thought of it.

"Alright. Good advice. Much appreciated, Miss Yangyang."

"Anytime, Shopkeeper. I am here to assist. Well then, I should return to my post. Our customer hotline has been offline since this morning." She put on a wry smile as she walked over to her walkstation.

Lin Mo nodded before turning his focus back on those upgrades.

Carefully, he spent around 10,000 DE for [Interfacing with the Core], extracting 10% more data about the Outer Realm called Viridescent Hollow.

After that, he used the 40,000 DE, purchasing the [Disrupt Anchor Construction] and [Set up Hidden Area].

Almost instantly, he sensed the Dimension flowing out of the store and into the nearby Anchor outside of Fanling City.

Not long after that, he received a quick message from the City Lord, informing him that there was an activity at the Anchor.

Then, another moment later, the loud voice of Liu Tianfeng seeped through the door to the store proper, calling out for him, stating the same thing as the City Lord.

"I guess I should explain what I did?" Lin Mo said as he glanced at the small panel floating at the corner of his eyes, which said [Extracting Data. Please wait a moment.].

Right. Unlike the first time, the extraction of data now has a loading time.

—

Abyssal Forest – Near the Exit to the Inner Abyssal Circle.

The cultivators from the Shadow Veil Clan, led by two Core Formation Elders, had quickly left Fanling City after they successfully purchased store products and Viewing Jades.

They were in glee despite the incident that got them dragged into that fight. Witnessing all that was also too valuable for them, after all. But remembering it all made them get soaked in cold sweat.

They were too close to dying there.

It's already too much for them to see numerous Nascent Soul Stage experts, but Spirit Severing and Void Refinement Stage as well? It was unthinkable.

They continued darting through the forest, their black cloaks trailing like ink in water.

The dense canopy above swallowed the moonlight, leaving only slivers to glint off their silver-threaded masks. The elders' Core Formation Aura was used to cloak them from demonic beasts.

"Elder Ji, this haul…" The reasonable elder whispered, "The Patriarch will lose his beard when he sees these. But I still can't believe it. The shopkeeper blasting a Void Refiner's artifact like it was a mortal's trinket? We can't afford to anger the Divine Convenience Store."

Elder Ji, the hot-headed one who got kicked by the Divine Guardian Construct, snorted, "Stop thinking about it, Chen. From now on, our Shadow Veil Clan must follow the path the Poison Demon Cult takes. We stand to gain from this as well. Our Shadow Veil Clan could rise above the Inner Abyssal Circle's squabbles. However, one wrong step, and we're dust under their boots."

Elder Chen nodded, his fingers brushing the Viewing Jade in his pouch. He then glanced at their disciples trailing behind them. They too experienced all that. They were all among the geniuses of their clan and grew some ego for being strong within. However, what they experienced and what they acquired at the store opened their eyes, staving off rebellious and arrogant thoughts in their heads.

Elder Chen was satisfied to see that. That's one of the reasons why they brought them. To broaden their horizon.

"Should we report what we heard about the Anchor to the Patriarch?" Chen asked, ducking under a gnarled branch. "If it's a bridge to the Outer Realms, it could draw more eyes to the Eastern Abyssal Domain. We're not equipped to tangle with foreign entities."

Suddenly, as they passed a dense treeline, a deafening roar coming from a pack of Abyssal Hounds echoed in their ears, putting them to an abrupt stop.