Divine Convenience Store

"High Priest! Are you truly calling off our plan to expand beyond the forest?!" Luo Ming asked with a baffled expression.

He couldn't believe it. After one taste of the store's product, the High Priest sent spies to procure more sample products. After one visit to the store, the High Priest was telling everyone to let go of their initial plan of invading and was now being called off.

He could understand the High Priest's decision to not get into conflict with it but what's this? Their cult's doctrine was built upon conquest upon expansion and the idea that their faith in the Great Poison Demon must spread like wildfire. Yet now, the very foundation of that belief was being shaken by, of all things, a store.

Granted, it was also clearly backed by a divine being but would their Great Poison Demon lose out against the ones behind the store?

Luo Ming didn't think so.

Having seen everything there was to see in their cult, he still held fear and awe towards the divine being they were worshipping.

What was all that cruelty for? Why did they have to throw away their humanity, subject countless mortals to torture and kill anyone who'd go against them if they would simply fold like this?

The High Priest must have lost his mind.

And Luo Ming believed he was being led astray…

Or is he?

He looked down at the packet of breadsticks he was just munching. It was too tasty to put down! Not to mention, every bite was giving him insight into his cultivation, subtly refining his understanding of a certain law. It was an absurd product, one that shouldn't exist, and yet it did. Right inside that little store.

Luo Ming frowned as he gripped the packet tighter, picking another stick and munching it.

Tears threatened to flow from his eye and then he looked down. The fragrant smell of the opened can of Frosty Lotus Brew beckoned him.

The High Priest, sitting on his raised dais made from the bones of past sacrifices, had a serene expression on his wrinkled face.

He idly twirled a jade chopstick between his fingers before pushing it down at his Braised-Pork Taihao Ramen, clearly lost in thought.

"You think I've lost my way, Luo Ming?" The old man's voice echoed before he slurped down the noodles. Despite that, the tone he used still carried the weight of someone who had long walked the path of bloodshed. "Do you think I fear this so-called Divine Convenience Store?"

Luo Ming hesitated before putting down the can, clenching his fist and bowing his head slightly.

"I do not doubt your wisdom, High Priest. But we have planned for decades. Our forces, our preparations. Everything was aligned for our expansion. Now, you ask us to abandon it all for… a store?"

The High Priest chuckled, setting the chopstick down with a soft clink.

"A store? You see only what your mortal eyes allow you to see, Luo Ming." His expression grew distant, almost reverent. "This store… is not simply a store. If it were, do you think I would fear it?"

Luo Ming flinched. "Then… what is it?"

The High Priest tapped his fingers against his thigh, "You know it as well as I do. It's a divine construct. A manifestation of a power that only our lord Great Poison Demon can understand. If we move against it, we will be crushed. Not by the shopkeeper himself, he is but a piece on the board, but by the will behind that place. Do you understand?"

Luo Ming's body tensed up before a cracking sound escaped his mouth, crushing the crunchy breadstick within.

He did understand. The High Priest wasn't saying they couldn't fight the store. He was saying they had no right to. It was the High Priest's judgement after having a taste of what it could offer.

Still, Luo Ming argued as he was unwilling to accept such an outcome so easily.

"We serve the Great Poison Demon. We have performed the blood rites, conducted the ceremonies, and offered countless sacrifices. Has the Great One not blessed us? If the Divine Convenience Store has a divine being behind it, then why do we not pit our faith against theirs?"

The High Priest narrowed his eyes. "Because the Great Poison Demon spoke to me, Luo Ming."

Silence fell in the dark chamber.

The High Priest rarely claimed direct communion with the Great Poison Demon. Even when he did, it was through vague interpretations, omens, and requests for sacrifices. But now…

Luo Ming's throat dried up as he forcefully swallowed the crushed bits of breadsticks, "What… did the Great One say?"

The High Priest inhaled deeply as he answered, "He did not rage. He did not demand war. He only gave me a warning."

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"Do not provoke what you do not understand." Upon saying that, the High Priest once again slurped down a mouthful of the noodles along with its tasty broth.

Luo Ming's nails dug into his palm and then picked up the can of Frosty Lotus Brew again, clearing his throat, "Then… what do we do?"

The High Priest's lips curled into an unreadable smile. "We adapt, my child."

He gestured to the half-eaten breadsticks in Luo Ming's hand. "The Divine Convenience Store is an anomaly, yes, but it is not our enemy. Unless we make it one. For now, we observe. We learn. We… indulge."

"If the divine beings have decided to play merchants, then we shall play customers. Who knows? Perhaps the path to true power is not through conquest and pointless bloodshed…" His eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. "But through transaction."

Luo Ming looked down at the remaining breadsticks, suddenly finding them heavier in his grasp but he still took another one and bit at it.

Transaction.

A word so mundane, yet when spoken by the High Priest, it carried an entirely different weight.

For the first time in his life, Luo Ming wondered. Could there be another way?

"Luo Ming, send word to our main temple. We are returning to start paving the way for the Divine Convenience Store's influence to reach the other side of the Abyssal Forest."

—

Luo Ming left the High Priest's chamber with his thoughts in turmoil.

His steps which were usually steady and filled with purpose now carried a hesitance foreign to him.

The words of the High Priest echoed in his mind.

"Do not provoke what you do not understand."

It was a simple yet terrifying decree.

To submit without battle, to shift from warriors of conquest to mere… customers? The idea gnawed at his soul. But could he truly argue? He had seen it with his own eyes. The store's impossible wares, their effects were heaven-defying and could change the tide of battle depending on whose side they would appear.

He recalled that exhilarating Celestial Duel and heard about the Viewing Jades… With all those lined up to be released, he could admit how foolish he was to think that they should continue with their conquests.

In any case, the Great Poison Demon had spoken. But was it a command… or a test?

He had no idea but the High Priest shouldn't be someone to lie about it. He was acting strange but it was in line with their interest.@@novelbin@@

The conversion of the demonic beasts was continuing. It's not like they're putting down their weapons. They're simply choosing what battles to fight.

His subordinates were waiting outside, a group of Acolytes and a few Priests were standing in a silent line. Their expressions were sharp but the side of their lips had noticeable crumbs and traces of what they were just eating and drinking.

Hell, the empty packets were littered on the floor. They didn't have time to remove the evidence of their indulgence. There were also a few pieces of used card talismans, empty pill bottles, and more.

Having accompanied the High Priest to that store, they also failed to restrain themselves from buying those tempting products.

For years, they had followed him, cutting through obstacles with blades, poison, and cruelty. But in a few short days, they had also changed to this.

He exhaled and inwardly shook his head. As if he was any different…

"Prepare a messenger to send word to the main temple," He finally ordered. His voice, though calm, held an unfamiliar weight. "We are returning."

The cultists exchanged uncertain glances but did not question him. They, too, had seen the High Priest's reaction. The command had been given.

As they moved to carry out his orders, Luo Ming took one last look at the breadstick in his hand. What once seemed like a simple, delicious snack now felt like a key. One that might unlock an entirely different path from what he had known.

Could it truly be that power lay not in destruction, but in… commerce?

He took another bite and the rest of his subordinates did the same with what they had hidden under their moss-green robes.