Divine Convenience Store

"Captain Zhao, is it? Do relay my message to the City Lord." Lin Mo said as he handed the three Poison Demon Cult spies to the City Guards outside the store.

At the moment, Luhan and his two companions weren't restrained. He did that to ensure it wouldn't cause a scene inside the store. Furthermore, he had to protect their identity, they're going to keep being customers, after all.

He gave them the sequence of events that led to their capture and the plan he's nurturing related to the High Priest.

Although the City Lord had only visited once, he trusted that he'd be able to understand the intention behind his plan. Furthermore, after having these Poison-bearers agreements, they will now cooperate fully, not as spies of the Poison Demon Cult but as loyal customers of the Divine Convenience Store.

The hope of being freed from the cult's clutches was too enticing to them. Lin Mo had to thank the cult itself for not giving a way out for their Poison-bearers other than death. They only had superficial belief in the divine being they were worshipping. At most, they're praying to the Poison Demon to maintain the divine protection on their necklaces.

Nonetheless, Yangyang had the highest contribution. Not only did she manage to identify them but her divine energy and her knowledge about their contract became the foundation for Lin Mo's plan.

Captain Zhao, a stern-faced guard with a reputation for meticulousness, nodded as he listened to Lin Mo's explanation.

His sharp eyes shifted toward the three subdued Poison-bearers, who stood with their heads lowered, their expressions alternating between hope and fear, not despair.

"I will relay your message to the City Lord, Shopkeeper. Your plan is unconventional but I see the merit in it."

Lin Mo thought he'd be a bit difficult to reason with but he was satisfied at how sensible he was.

"Many thanks, Captain Zhao. The Divine Convenience Store will continue to support the city in any way it can. If you have time, you and your men can also check out what we can offer. I'm certain you won't be disappointed."
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Lin Mo didn't miss the opportunity to entice more potential customers.

Captain Zhao's expression didn't change but his gaze went past Lin Mo and into the store, observing the activity within.

"We will do so after our shift." He then gave a curt bow before gesturing to his men.

The guards surrounded the Poison-bearers and escorted them away.

As the group disappeared into the distance, Lin Mo turned back toward the store where Yangyang, Liu Xiaoyu, and the pair of an elder and a disciple from Verdant Sky Pavilion stood waiting.

When he returned inside, he was met by Liu Xiaoyu's questions.

"Boss, are you really sure about that? I mean, you're practically inviting a High Priest of the Poison Demon Cult to become a customer. Isn't that, you know, a little crazy?"

"Crazy? Maybe. We'll see the results in a few days."

He wanted to say he was not expecting the plan to bear fruit. It was only a way to get on the good side of the City Lord and the Neutral and Righteous Faction that would hear about this incident. But with Yu Qingyan still lingering in the store, he held back.

Yangyang, on the other hand, had her analytical gaze fixed on Lin Mo. "I believe Zhenren Taihao and Lihua will be surprised to hear this method of yours, Shopkeeper."

"Will you report it to them?"

"No. But the system has a way to give them a summary of the store's activity and performance."

"I see… Monitoring me is also another function of the system."

"It doesn't intrude on your privacy, Shopkeeper." Yangyang understood his concern even without him saying it. "Well then… Call me again if you require my help, Shopkeeper."

As though she was running away again, Yangyang avoided Yu Qingyan's gaze as she returned to the Shopkeeper's Quarters.

Lin Mo sighed inwardly, already anticipating the questions brewing in Yu Qingyan's mind.

Sure enough, the Emissary of the Verdant Sky Pavilion stepped forward soon. Her lips were still glistening slightly from the Heavenly Dew Soda that she used to push the snacks they ate inside the store.

But before she could say anything, Lin Mo opened his mouth first.

"Hold it, Miss Yu. If you're going to comment about what you witnessed, let me just repeat my words. The Divine Convenience Store is built on inclusivity. We welcome all customers, regardless of their background. If a demonic beast who can take a human form visits our store, we'll also treat them as a valued customer."

Taken aback, Yu Qingyan's brows furrowed slightly but she eventually accepted his words, "If that's the case, I won't say anything else."

"However, I have more questions, Shopkeeper."

"Hmm? Are you wondering about the bundles?"

"No. I understand your reasoning for bringing them up. I'm wondering about that girl from earlier. You're allowing your goods to be resold outside?"

Hearing that, Lin Mo understood instantly. This woman was a merchant, after all. The moment she stepped foot in the store for the first time, her mind was already about how she could profit from it.

Rejection and her eventually addictive indulgence aside, she's still not giving up on it.

"Under normal circumstances, I will naturally advise anyone not to do so. But you know it, Miss Yu. Someone out there will eventually do it even without asking us for permission. And I will be unable to stop it from happening. After all, most of our wares are unique and we have no other branches aside from this one."

Yu Qingyan's lips curled into a faint smile, her sharp merchant instincts clearly at play. "You're right, Shopkeeper. Reselling is inevitable. But wouldn't it be better to control it? If you allowed select individuals or groups to act as official distributors, you could maintain quality and pricing while expanding your influence."

Lin Mo chuckled, understanding what she was hinting at, "Miss Yu, are you offering to become one of those 'official distributors'?"

However, Yu Qingyan's response surprised Xu Qi. Or rather, he never thought she'd ahead with that.

"No. What I'm hoping is to help you expand your store to another city. For example our city."

Upon presenting that idea, Lin Mo noticed the young disciple behind her elbowing her elder, totally giddy as if there was an underlying meaning behind it.

And considering what he had seen earlier, he picked up on what it might be.

"Hmm. Opening a new branch, huh?" Lin Mo muttered as he put a hand on his chin. But secretly, he was inquiring the system regarding it.

[System Inquiry: Branch Opening]

[The influence of the Divine Convenience Store is still insufficient for another branch's opening. Try again after reaching the Tier: Renowned Store]

Seeing that, he changed his inquiry.

[System Inquiry: Official Distributor]

[The influence of the Divine Convenience Store is still insufficient.

Official distributors can be appointed once the store reaches the Tier: Thriving Store. Contracted Distributors can be granted limited access to sell certain products under the Divine Convenience Store brand, with pricing and inventory controlled by the system to maintain consistency and prevent exploitation.]

Putting on a somewhat disheartened expression as though he also found it a pity, Lin Mo answered Yu Qingyan, "Miss Yu, while your suggestion is certainly intriguing, I'm afraid the store isn't quite ready for such an expansion. Perhaps in the future, when we've grown further, we can revisit the idea."

Yu Qingyan raised an eyebrow, clearly expecting the rejection but not the sudden hope that rekindled. "I see. Then I'll wait for that future, Shopkeeper. When the time comes, I hope you'll consider the Verdant Sky Pavilion as a partner."

"Of course. Your Pavilion has been a loyal customer, and I appreciate your continued support. For now, if Miss Yu wishes to dabble in reselling our products, you can do so. However, as you might've guessed, we're still a convenience store. We're not going to offer wholesale retail."

"If someone wanted to empty our inventory of, let's say, the Heavenly Dew Soda, we would decline the transaction. A box is fine but more than that and it's easy to figure out what they're going to do. We also have monitoring devices so… hiring someone to buy for them will be denied. If caught doing so, we'll be banning them from the store."

Yu Qingyan listened intently to Lin Mo, her lips curving in a satisfied smile, approving of his method.

"Good to hear you have your head in the right place, Shopkeeper. I'll stockpile by buying a box per day then."

"Indeed, that's a loophole you can exploit but will it be worth the trouble?"

Lin Mo knew that despite everything, Yu Qingyan was still a merchant.

"Oh, Shopkeeper, when it comes to profit, every little bit is worth the trouble. Especially when it involves products as unique as yours. One box per day might be slow, but over time, it adds up."

"Fair enough, Miss Yu. Just don't forget to enjoy the products yourself. After all, they're not just for reselling. They're meant to bring a little joy and convenience into your life." Ending that with a wink, Lin Mo watched Yu Qingyan get flustered once again.