Divine Convenience Store

Upon arriving back at Fanling City, he found the store was as bustling as ever. The only thing different from when he left was that the recruitment queue was gone, replaced by a much smaller line of individuals holding jade slips. The successful applicants. Or at least, those who passed Xiaoyu and Meiyu's aptitude test.

Xiaoyu and Wu Meiyu were waiting for him at the recruitment table, looking tired but triumphant.

"Welcome back, Boss!" Xiaoyu chirped. "How was your field trip? I read Jiahao's thread. A winged Decrint Tribe Skirmisher was being chased by the barbarians? So, did you find the Anchor? Did you bring the foreign creature back with you?"

With a playful flick to her forehead, Lin Mo replied. "Slow down, Xiaoyu. One question at a time."

"We've completed the first round of interviews, Shopkeeper," Wu Meiyu reported, ignoring Xiaoyu groaning from the flick and handing him a neatly organized summary slip. "Out of over two hundred applicants, we have selected twenty promising candidates for the second round. They are strong, but more importantly, they understand the 'convenience' mindset. They're willing to dedicate eight hours of their time every day. Some of them did have requests, though."

Lin Mo scanned the carefully compiled list, noting names from both major and minor sects, rogue cultivators, even a few professionals like artificers, pill masters, and talisman masters. It was a diverse and capable group. Naturally, they didn't discriminate against the mortal applicants but those individuals would probably feel overwhelmed if they worked in the store.

"Request? Like what?"

"Primarily for access to our facilities after their shifts, especially the training rooms." Wu Meiyu answered. "They do not view employment here merely as a means to earn a living but see it as an avenue for personal growth and self-improvement. A very practical and convenient request."

Lin Mo's lips curled into a smile. "Reasonable. We can certainly accommodate that. One hour of free training room access for every full shift completed. It's an investment in our own people. Of course, you and your royal escorts will also be entitled to it."

Wu Meiyu's eyes brightened as she made a note of his decision. "How generous, Shopkeeper. I'm honestly starting to think about making this place my home for good."

"Well, at this point, you already hold a core position in our establishment, don't you think so? Now, I just have to find a fitting position for you."

"Is that a proposal, Shopkeeper?" The First Princess teased with a playful glint in her eyes.

"Geez. Stop trying to put Boss in a corner, Sister Meiyu. You have to fight fair and square." Xiaoyu chimed in.

"Fight, huh? Can't he just pick all of us?" Meiyu quipped back, a soft laughter dancing in her tone. She's enjoying this banter.

Lin Mo pretended not to be affected though. He waved his hand and put on a more serious tone, "Alright, enough playing around, you two."

Xiaoyu grinned and stuck her tongue out while Wu Meiyu gently put a hand on her mouth, removing it only after the smile on her face had faded.

She then faked a cough before facing him, "Uhm. Then I'll note that you agreed to the applicants' request, Shopkeeper. Now, for the final interview. We've saved the most… interesting candidates for you to assess personally."

"Alright," Lin Mo said, taking a seat at the table. "Send in the first one."

The first few interviews were straightforward.

A stoic rogue cultivator with a knack for observation applied for Security, answering Lin Mo's situational questions with brutal but effective logic. When asked if he's fine just standing in the same spot for eight hours straight, he didn't hesitate to accept.

Lin Mo noted him to be their doorman. Or just someone who could stand next to the Divine Guardian Construct. He could handle some small troublemakers.

After him, a nimble disciple from a minor merchant clan applied for Stocking Associate, impressing him with her understanding of product placement and flow. She confessed to visiting the store a few times, just watching Xiaoyu and Xiao Ya restocking the shelves. She even bragged about being able to assist the customers in operating the pseudo-microwave and hot water dispensers.

Two failed applicants later, a young woman stepped forward. Lin Mo instantly recognized him. After all, she's wearing the green robes of the Azure Gale Sect. Not to mention, she's also one of the first customers of the store that Yan Wei brought.

Chen Suyun. She was applying for a Checkout Clerk position.

"Chen Suyun, is your young master aware of this?" Lin Mo began, looking at her profile. "You're from a major sect. Shouldn't you be focused on cultivating? Yan Wei has just broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage and I can see you're also quite close to it. Hmm… 8th Level Spirit Condensation Stage? Not bad."

Chen Suyun bowed respectfully, "Shopkeeper, the Young Master not only knows, he encouraged me to apply. He said that understanding the 'convenience' that powers this store is a cultivation path in itself. I agree. Watching the flow of patrons, the exchange of goods and information… it is a form of worldly experience that seclusion cannot provide. Besides…"

She added with a small, confident smile, "... The training rooms here are more effective than our sect's best cultivation grounds."

Really? Yan Wei encouraged her? That pompous young master did? Lin Mo couldn't believe it.

Shaking his head inwardly, Lin Mo stared at the young woman before nodding. "Alright. I hope you won't regret it."

"I won't, Boss… uhm… Shopkeeper!" Chen Suyun stood up and bowed, the excitement in her voice was undeniable.

She then ran to the side where a group of Azure Gale Sect disciples were waiting. They're there to cheer for her.

The next candidate was another young woman but unlike Chen Suyun, she seemed to be unaffiliated with a sect. Her robes were even slightly tattered from wear and tear. Her eyes were sunken and she looked thoroughly exhausted. She's either a rogue cultivator with nothing in hand or someone from another region who traveled to Fanling City overnight without taking a rest at all..

"Pan Ruo, is it? I'll be blunt with you. You're not from here, are you?"

"Yes. I hailed from the Inner Abyssal Circle. I… I used to live in the village occupied by the Bone Ash Syndicate."

Hearing that, Lin Mo's eyebrows couldn't help but raise. Someone from that region? Is she from that village that the High Priest conquered on their return to their temple? Or the other village that Venom Master Xun conquered?

"I see. You look like you're about to collapse. Is the journey difficult? Have you eaten yet?"

Pan Ruo blinked her eyes before shaking her head, "I haven't but… I will be fine, Shopkeeper. I'm used to eating once or twice a week."

"Hmm… Used to, huh? Alright. Xiao Ya, can you prepare a noodle for her?"

Xiao Ya, who had been quietly observing, immediately nodded and dashed off towards the dining area. Pan Ruo looked stunned, about to refuse, but Lin Mo held up a hand.

"Consider it part of the interview process. A well-fed mind is a sharp mind. While we wait, tell me why you came here. The journey from the Inner Abyssal Circle is long and dangerous."

He could hear Xiaoyu clicking her tongue and muttering, "Since when are you this generous, Boss?"

Pan Ruo's exhausted gaze hardened with a fierce, desperate light. "I came because I heard from an Acolyte with a Viewing Jade that you're recruiting. Your convenience has reached our village… I thought I should try to change my fate."

Lin Mo was impressed. So, she didn't have a Viewing Jade and only overheard someone talking about it. She then traveled from the dangerous Inner Abyssal Circle and passed through the treacherous Abyssal Forest to reach Fanling City.

Not only that, she also seemed to pass Xiaoyu and Meiyu's aptitude test.

"I see. You want to change your fate by coming here to try your luck in applying to our store. Not bad. But can you tell me why you think you have what it takes?"

Pan Ruo answered without hesitation, "Because I understand the most important product you sell, Shopkeeper."

"And what is that?" Lin Mo asked, intrigued.

"Hope," she answered simply. "Before your store, a rogue cultivator like me, who was not only born with a weak spiritual root but also had to be under the oppressive rule of the syndicate, had no path ahead. My future was to be bullied by stronger cultivators or die in the jaws of a low-level beast while scrounging for herbs or be used as a catalyst to their crooked cultivation path. But after hearing about this store… the convenience it offered, I got enlightened. It offers tools that level the playing field. A [Spirit Embodiment Sticker Seal] can give a weak person the strength to defend themselves. A [Celestial Duel Gear] can allow someone with no combat talent to command powerful spirits. A pack of noodles can give a traveler a warm meal when they have nothing. Shopkeeper, your 'convenience' saves lives. And that is a convenience I understand and want to follow."

That was more profound than Lin Mo expected. Somehow, it made him feel embarrassed for his 'spreading convenience' slogan. He never anticipated it to evolve in this way.