A week later, Wood arrived, looking terrible. He had lost an arm, the black hole had spread to his upper body, and his face was deathly pale.
Wood remained silent throughout, trembling as he presented the gold coins before asking Lu Sinian with a glimmer of hope, “If I… pay the money, will this thing disappear?”
Lu Sinian nodded.
He suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
These past few days had been incredibly agonizing. Initially, he had no intention of paying. After the black hole spread, he even attempted to cut off his arm to save his money. However, the black hole only became more violent after that, eventually swallowing his body whole.
Finally, unable to bear the fear and despair that had gripped him day and night, he sheepishly brought the gold coins and rushed to the Abyss that very night.
He had committed countless despicable acts under the guise of the Church of Light, and now, stripped of his cardinal status, he had lost the gold coins he had painstakingly accumulated over the years, and lost an arm. It could only be described as karmic retribution.
Wood turned and left, his back looking extremely disheveled.
The system’s voice rang out the moment Lu Sinian received the gold coins.
[Ding dong, 300,000 energy coins obtained, branch store operation mode activated]
His attention was diverted: “Um… can you explain?”
Rong Qing explained: “Master, you can choose a location to build the new store. All expenses will be covered by the system, and the two stores can freely travel between each other.”
He paused: “I suggest you purchase some self-service robots. After opening a new store, oversights are inevitable, and you won’t be able to manage it all by yourself.”
Lu Sinian raised an eyebrow, and rubbed his fingertips together as he opened the system shop.
This time, there were many more items available for purchase. He shrugged over the oddly shaped items and quickly looked at the very end.
[New Shop: Free Gift, Choose Your Location (It’s a free gift, no money required, grab it now!)]
[Automatic Vending Robot: 50,000 Energy Coins each, limited to two per customer (Fully automated robot, no wages required, solves all your needs at once)]
[Decoration Upgrade: 10,000 Energy Coins per upgrade (Want a magnificent room? Want a comfortable and spacious sofa? Great price, you deserve it!)]
After a quick glance, Lu Sinian didn’t place an order and closed the system panel.
Since arriving in this world, he had lived in the Abyss and wasn’t familiar with it. He needed to find a native to help him analyze the situation.
Lu Sinian immediately thought of Abel, the first customer to arrive and who had helped him a great deal.
Lu Sinian entrusted a customer to tell Abel to come to the Abyss if he had time.
And so, Abel, summoned by the Demon Lord, arrived almost at top speed.
He was panting, but after hearing Lu Sinian’s question, his eyes lit up with excitement. “My lord,” he exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement, “you’re finally going to expand your territory!”
Hmm? Something seemed off.
Opening chain stores—wasn’t that standard practice?
Calling it territorial expansion… well, it was a bit of an exaggeration but not entirely wrong.
Abel, unaware of his inner turmoil, only felt that his preparations over the past few days had finally come in handy.
He knew the Demon Lord wouldn’t remain confined to the abyss forever.
Just a few days ago, he had utterly defeated the God of Light, and now the Floating Life Church was thriving on the continent, quickly absorbing many of the followers who had previously worshipped the God of Light, greatly expanding its ranks.
He immediately perked up and carefully analyzed the methods for dominating the land for Lu Sinian.
“Vista City is located in the southwest corner of the continent, and is too remote. If you want to expand your territory quickly, the best place is Caldera. It has a large population and is a gathering place for nobles. However, the headquarters of the Church of Light is there, which will definitely lead to conflict. But with your abilities, it shouldn’t be a big problem.”
Caldera, huh? It’s undeniably a very good place.
No matter what world you’re in, the capital is always the most developed and has the most wealthy people. Since it’s about trade, you naturally want to choose the most convenient location.
Stroking his chin, Lu Sinian made up his mind.
“I’ll inform you of the new shop location in the next couple of days. I might need your help then.”
Abel opened his mouth, wanting to briefly explain the power structure of the main city to Lu Sinian, but then he gave up.
The Demon Lord is omniscient and omnipotent, how could he not know? He’d better not say anything more.
After seeing Abel off, Lu Sinian suppressed his excitement and opened the system shop again.
At first, the Abyss was novel, but after a while, it inevitably became somewhat boring. It was perpetually dark here, one needs sunlight, after all.
Besides, he had long wanted to experience the wonders of another world.
After successfully exchanging his currency in the new shop, a large map slowly unfolded before Lu Sinian.
It was a 3D map, zoomable at will, and marked with houses and residences of various sizes. The most eye-catching was undoubtedly the palace located in the central city.
That was the residence of His Majesty the King.
His gaze swept across the palace, then turned to another location. He lowered his eyes in thought, suddenly asking Rong Qing, “Can I choose anywhere?”
“Yes, the system will handle the land deeds and other issues. You can choose freely.”
Since that’s the case… he gently tapped a location on the map.
This is it.
*
“…”
Abel held the map in his hand, and stared at the red circle drawn on it, falling silent.
The area marked by the red circle is arguably the most unique region in Caldera.
It’s the State Star Sector, the only place in the main city completely uninhabited.
Because it’s the territory of the Church of Light, though not explicitly stated, it’s an unspoken rule.
The State Star Sector is the most convenient place besides the central city, also located in the heart of Caldera, but it has been occupied by the Church of Light for millennia, and non-believers are not allowed to enter.
Abel was shocked. He had indeed underestimated the situation.
Conflict? Power division? None of that was necessary!
Before absolute power, these were all insignificant matters!
As expected of the Demon Lord, directly confronting the Church of Light head-on, and showing no intention of backing down.
After learning where the Demon Lord was headed, Abel immediately gathered his forces to prepare for a change of territory.
The Floating Life Church had always been cautious in its proselytizing, fearing that a major incident would be discovered by the Church of Light. Now, they could finally make a big splash.
His eyes gleamed. The Church of Light had held sway for so many years, and it was time for a change of scenery.
The naive Abel was completely unaware that Lu Sinian had no idea this was actually the territory of the Church of Light.
He simply felt that this place with its convenient access was the most suitable location for opening a shop besides the central city.
After informing Abel, Lu Sinian began preparing for the branch. He was completely oblivious, and in the blink of an eye, many others had already imagined the whole story.
After deciding on the shop location, Lu Sinian ordered two vending robots.
[Deducting 100,000 energy coins, the robots are being shipped…]
In less than fifteen minutes, two ordinary-looking, unremarkable humanoid robots appeared in the corner of the shop.
Although called robots, they looked almost indistinguishable from humans.
The two approached Lu Sinian and respectfully greeted him, “Shopkeeper.”
Lu Sinian nodded and quickly named them: “Liu Yi, you’ll be in charge of the Abyss shop. Liu Er, you’ll be the cashier there when the new shop opens.”
The two nodded.
Having completed all the preparations, Lu Sinian pressed the red “Build” button.
[Under construction… Estimated time: one hour]
Since he still had an hour, he organized his resources.
After spending 100,000 energy coins on the robots, he had 230,000 energy coins left.
Moreover, he would need to invest double the capital to stock two separate shops. Caldera boasts convenient transportation and numerous wealthy individuals. They’re not limited to in-store transactions, and discussing expanding caravan trade with Vorris is also an option.
As for the shop in the Abyss, a small stock replenished periodically will suffice.
An hour passed quickly. A ding-dong sound rang out, and a pale blue magic circle silently appeared in a corner of the shop.
The blue light glowed softly. Lu Sinian stepped inside, and in the blink of an eye, the scene before him drastically changed.
This time, the shop lacked its usual flamboyant decorations, resembling an ordinary general store with warm lights hanging from the ceiling.
The clean counter was still empty, and devoid of merchandise. Facing the entrance was the cashier’s counter, which even had a device resembling a computer on it, giving it a modern feel.
Liu Er followed Lu Sinian here, and stood in the corner of the shop, awaiting orders.
Lu Sinian walked to the glass door that opened automatically, letting in warm sunlight—a scene unlike anything he’d seen in the Abyss.
He was curious: “Why is the style different this time compared to the Abyss?”
“Master, the style of the gifted shop is randomly selected, and not based on the current plane. This time, the style is [Modern Minimalist].”
Lu Sinian understood. The official opening was tomorrow, and he needed to stock up on goods as soon as possible tonight.
He thought for a moment and used his remaining energy coins to purchase one thousand items.
In an instant, the counter was overflowing with goods with each item neatly arranged.
He still had 180,000 energy coins left. Now that he was opening a branch, he’d draw three more new items.
[Congratulations on obtaining a new item: a tattered shirt, priced at 150 gold coins (ragged and drafty, seemingly only good for wiping clothes)]
[Congratulations on obtaining a new item: a fox mask, priced at 50 gold coins (a mask that can barely be called cute, but who but a child would like it?)]
[Congratulations on obtaining a new item: a leaky pen, priced at 50 gold coins (leaks ink as soon as you write, might as well throw it away)]
The ding-dong sound continued as the three-draw streak ended, and none of these items seemed reliable.
However, although these things look strange, they sometimes sell quite well, and perhaps produce unexpected results.
Having purchased 300 of each item, Lu Sinian closed the system panel and patiently awaited the arrival of the next day.