After seeing the bishop off, Lu Sinian took stock of the shop’s current inventory.
[Energy Coins: 183,400]
[Cola: 121]
[Potato Chips: 132]
[Durian Candy: 212]
[Taro Boba Milk Tea: 17]
[Steel Biscuits: 69]
He replenished his cola and potato chips to 1,000 each, durian candy to 2,000, milk tea to 200 cups, and steel biscuits to 500.
In total, he had spent nearly 80,000 energy coins, leaving him with 100,000.
During his meeting with the bishop earlier in the day, a fleeting idea had crossed his mind. With the bishop’s reminder, Lu Sinian remembered a better way to launch his products.
He now had ample capital and didn’t need to worry about not being able to stock up. For large-volume purchases, he could simply place orders in advance.
If tonight passes, he can restock and cover the shortfall in his reservations.
However, this idea is still premature. Currently, only the Bishop and Vorris can afford to buy in large quantities.
Add Abel, and all three have extensive connections; if he doesn’t need them, he can give them to his subordinates.
When Vorris expressed his desire to buy, Lu Sinian, constrained by the system’s pricing, allowed him to sell at a 10% premium in Caldera, with the profit going to Vorris’s caravan.
Currently, Floating Life General Store lacks a reputation, and few merchants are cooperating with it.
Lu Sinian thinks he needs to find a better way to spread the word.
It seemed Rong Qing noticed this thought. He quietly logged on and said, “Master, this problem can be solved when we reach 300,000 energy coins.”
He paused slightly, then smiled, “That’s good. Looks like I still need to save money slowly.”
Lying in bed, Lu Sinian casually pulled a pillow behind his head and chatted idly with him, “By the way, do you have a physical body? Are you just a data entity?”
Rong Qing’s tone was indifferent: “Yes, I’m just the consciousness of this shop. I was created a thousand years ago and then placed in your plane until I became bound to you.”
“And the person who created you?”
“It’s been too long. I’ve long forgotten. The only memories I have are from Earth.”
Lu Sinian paused, then changed the subject, “So you’ve always maintained this form without a physical body?”
“Perhaps when Master has enough energy coins, he can exchange for a body.”
What Rong Qing didn’t say was that the price would be extremely high, and it might take a very long time to resolve.
He had grown accustomed to the form of data, and… he no longer expected to have a physical body.
*
After a good night’s sleep, Lu Sinian stretched and began his new day’s work.
Every day, customers would arrive early and wait outside the shop until Lu Sinian opened at eight o’clock.
He had tried to persuade them a few times but it seemed to have no effect.
Today, when he opened the door, there was another group of people. They all looked at Lu Sinian with respectful yet fearful eyes, carefully bought their things and left.
The whole process was quiet. They lined up one by one without Lu Sinian needing to say a word.
The only thing he could do was sit behind the counter and place the handed-over gold coins into the cash register.
After seeing off this group of people who had been waiting outside, he had much more free time.
When the next customer arrived—no, two people: a thin man holding the hand of a little girl of about seven or eight years old, looking into the shop with curious eyes.
The thin man was clearly a priest, dressed in a white robe with gold trim, identical to the bishop’s.
The little girl, simply and worn but clean, her clothes faded from washing, hid behind the priest.
The priest took out a large bag of money and handed it to Lu Sinian, whispering, “Manager, His Excellency the Bishop asked me to buy the milk tea he reserved. Here are all the gold coins.”
Thirty cups in total, three thousand gold coins.
This was no small sum, and even the church couldn’t easily produce such an amount. In the end, the bishop supplemented the difference with his own money.
The priest also brought a specially made box sealed tightly to ensure not a single drop would spill.
These things, without exaggeration, could completely change a person’s fate.
When the bishop revealed that he had purchased some milk tea for the ordinary people under the church’s protection, it caused a huge uproar.
Some priests disagreed with this measure. Accustomed to their role as protectors, they felt that ordinary people becoming warriors would threaten the church’s position.
They tried to persuade the bishop by arguing about the church’s future, hoping to stop his actions.
But when the news spread, many people gathered near the church carrying their only possessions with tears streaming down their faces, their hands trembling with gratitude towards the bishop and the church.
Those people could no longer refuse. The Church of Light’s tenet was that God would protect all people. Since they had the ability to empower more people to protect themselves, they should do their part.
Although the Church of Light was gradually becoming a weapon of power in the hands of some, and corrupting from within, Vista City was too remote to be significantly affected. They had long since broken free from the headquarters’ influence.
Furthermore, the bishop had always treated ordinary people well, building shelters to protect them, which influenced many priests, who also maintained good relationships with ordinary people.
When the bishop offered to contribute a portion of his gold coins, no one objected anymore.
These three thousand gold coins were hard-earned, and carried the hopes of many.
From the day they were born, they were constantly told they had no talent, no magic core, and could only be ordinary people, teetering on the brink of life and death. They never imagined they would be so lucky, and able to fight monsters alongside warriors.
Without the Demon Shop and the bishop’s mercy, this day would never have come.
Just as the transaction was completed and the priest was about to leave, a crisp voice interrupted him. The little girl who had been quiet until now peeked out.
“Manager, I love you so much! Everyone says you saved us, and now I get candy every day. Thank you!”
The priest, clearly surprised that she spoke, quickly pulled the little girl behind him, afraid the demon might feel offended. He explained to Lu Sinian, “My lord, she’s one of the children the church adopted. She insisted on coming to the Abyss to see you. Please don’t be angry.”
Lu Sinian waved his hand, stepped forward, and knelt slightly, reaching out to pat the girl’s head. “What’s your name? How old are you?”
“Sir, my name is Bellamy, and I’m nine years old!”
Lu Sinian asked her, “Do you like candy?”
The little girl nodded solemnly, “Yes! I love all kinds of desserts! It’s a pity they’re too expensive, I can only eat them once a week.”
She held up a slender finger and carefully gestured with it.
Lu Sinian chuckled. He stood up, took a cup of milk tea from the ball of light, and placed it in the girl’s hand.
He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then said to the girl, “This is very sweet, but I’m not giving it to you for free. You’ll have to pay me back when you grow up.”
The girl’s eyes widened in surprise, and she hugged the milk tea tightly, her little face serious. “Don’t worry, sir, I’ll earn lots and lots of money in the future, ten times… no, a hundred times!”
Lu Sinian was satisfied: “Mm, that’s right, remember the interest.”
He ruffled the girl’s hair, reminding her before they left, “Come back to the Abyss to pay me back when you grow up.”
The priest hugged the box in his arms tightly. He looked deeply at the black-haired, black-eyed demon before him, his eyes filled with gratitude. Then he bowed respectfully and stepped into the elevator.
After they had all left, after a long while, Rong Qing’s voice rang out: “…The shop doesn’t allow free gifts, it deducts energy coins.”
Lu Sinian shook his head: “No, it’s not free, there’s interest.”
But…you clearly know the shop won’t last forever, and it will have to leave this plane sooner or later.
Rong Qing couldn’t understand.
*
In Caldera, within a magnificent, sprawling, pointed tower, there were unique spires, wide porticoes, and ornate chairs.
Several cardinals clad in scarlet robes exuding an aura of authority were gathered.
At the head sat a kind-faced old man holding a scepter and a small cross around his neck, radiating an imposing presence.
Everyone was utterly solemn. After several minutes of silence, someone finally spoke, abruptly rising to his feet, his voice filled with rage.
“Your Holiness, I believe that demon must be severely punished! And the apostate bishop of Vista! How dare they so blaspheme against the God of Light! I request permission to personally lead the execution of them!”
His words instantly ignited a storm of condemnation with the others joining in the condemnation.
“Taking advantage of Vista’s remoteness, they’re wreaking havoc there! By the God of Light, we must save their people from this misery! Who knows if they’ll suffer a fate worse than death under this demon’s clutches? They have no respect for the Church of Light!”
“Just a mere demon. There’s no need for the Cardinal to intervene. If Vista’s Bishop hadn’t defected and fallen into the cult, siding with the demon, the two of them wouldn’t have amounted to anything!”
“Luckily, that guy Alec came to tell us, preventing a major disaster. Let’s get rid of the demon as soon as possible!”
The room erupted in chaos with everyone denouncing the demon.
The elderly High Priest gently tapped the ground with his scepter, and instantly silence fell.
He glanced around, his gaze settling on the cardinal who had spoken first, and slowly said, “Wood, this time you will go to Vista City, taking ten contracted knights with you. Go to Vista City yourself.”
“I’ve heard that the demon possesses many evil artifacts. Bring them all back to me, we can’t let those things continue to wreak havoc on humanity.”
The cardinal subtly twirled the ring on his finger, his eyes narrowing, a barely perceptible glint of greed flashing within them.
Wood stepped forward, confidently declaring, “Understood!”