The next day, Lu Sinian got up early, showing he was taking the new shop seriously and dressing himself carefully.
It must be said that Rong Qing was exceptionally meticulous in this regard, and provided him with the best possible care in terms of wardrobe, refrigerator, and all aspects of his life, ensuring he had nothing to worry about.
Although he was all dressed and ready, he was mentally prepared for no one to come.
After all, few people in the main city of Caldera knew about this shop. Unlike Vista City, it was thousands of miles away, and its reputation hadn’t spread. Starting a business would inevitably be very difficult.
He walked down the stairs and, as usual, opened the roller shutter door, only to be immediately stunned by the scene before him.
Once the roller shutter door was opened, he could see directly outside through the glass.
As far as the eye could see, there was a vast expanse of people from all walks of life: knights, commoners in faded clothes, and even many richly dressed nobles with servants following behind.
When the door finally opened, the crowd stirred.
At this moment, a blond man stepped forward, sternly maintaining discipline; it was Abel.
He had led the followers of the Floating Life Church away from Vista City that very night, and arrived in Caldera, where he and Vorris promoted the Demon Lord’s shop.
This news caused a sensation. Thanks to Vorris’s caravan, these special goods were already incredibly popular with demand far exceeding supply. Countless nobles were willing to pay exorbitant prices for a single item.
Many people deeply resented the damned purchase restriction policy, and upon learning that a shop had opened in the state star region with no purchase limits, they went into a frenzy.
What? The state star region was the territory of the Church of Light? What did they care about territory? They couldn’t let themselves be prevented from buying things!
Relying on their numbers, they ignored all obstacles, broke through the Church of Light’s restrictions, and squeezed their way in, successfully securing a spot and waiting for the shop to open.
Although Abel had also contributed to this frenzy, he couldn’t help but be dumbfounded by the madness of these people.
If he knew 21st-century vocabulary, he might know what this was called—the disdainful look from the bargain-hunting auntie.
Even in different worlds, the essence of humanity is probably the same: the desire to shop can conquer all.
“Don’t push, take your time, everyone can buy something.”
Former members of the Star Mercenary Group, now followers of the Floating Life Church, all rushed to support the Demon Lord.
Liu Er officially took office. As a professional vending robot, his cashiering efficiency was far faster than that of Lu Sinian who had been forced into the role.
He was finally able to relax a bit. He found a secluded corner to sit down, and only needed to hand over an item casually.
Thanks to Abel, who had recently advanced again and was now a Sword Saint-level warrior, everyone behaved themselves under his control, causing no trouble.
The crisp sound of gold coins falling into the purse pleased Lu Sinian.
Everything was proceeding smoothly, and he watched as customers bought their desired items and left satisfied.
Just then, several uninvited guests entered from outside.
Abel’s heart tightened when he saw the white robe and gold-embroidered clothes. They had indeed arrived.
After such a big incident today, how could the Church of Light let it go so easily? If they didn’t react at all, they would become a laughingstock.
He had already drawn his sword, poised and ready, waiting for the two men to make their move so he could subdue them in one fell swoop.
Abel, who had been on tenterhooks for a while, was astonished to find that the two men really were there to buy something.
The two men, having exchanged money for goods, turned around and met Abel’s gaze, startled.
“Um… let me explain, we really didn’t intend to cause trouble, we just came to buy some durian candy.”
The thin priest stammered, wishing he could raise his hands to prove his innocence.
Abel, suspicious, stepped aside to let them leave.
The priest immediately sprinted out at top speed, fearing he might never return.
Lu Sinian noticed the commotion, stood up, and asked Abel, “What’s wrong?”
Abel frowned, sensing something was amiss, and shook his head. “Nothing, I’ll follow them and see.”
He moved quickly, and soon caught up with the two priests who had just left.
They walked briskly, carrying large bags full of durian candy, and quite a lot of it, chatting as they went.
“Why did the priest send us to buy this?”
“Shh, do you know that rumor outside? It’s about that person, who isn’t actually…”
The priest quickly covered his mouth, and looked around nervously. Abel silently slipped under a tree.
Seeing no one was around, he released his grip, saying with lingering fear, “Don’t say anything more. The less we know about these secrets, the better.”
The two remained silent with their heads down as they walked towards the church’s main nave.
Watching their retreating figures, Abel stopped.
There were still many powerful beings within the Church of Light; he couldn’t enter rashly.
The words he had just heard lingered on his tongue for a moment before he turned and returned to his shop.
“My lord, that’s all… I suspect something’s wrong with the God of Light. Is there anything you’d like to do?”
Abel gritted his teeth, full of anticipation.
Perfect timing! He could strike while the iron was hot!
Once the true nature of the Church of Light was exposed, and with the God of Light’s power gone, they would be completely finished.
What should he do?
Lu Sinian lowered his eyes in deep thought. From this, it seemed the God of Light was injured and needed his shop’s goods to heal. How wonderful! He could even make some money.
He’d heard the Church of Light was never short of gold coins.
Since that was the case, his eyes brightened slightly: “Go ask the Church of Light if they want a long-term partnership. We can offer delivery services so they don’t have to come in person.”
Huh? Abel was stunned.
Then he thought for a moment, “Brilliant!” It would be better to infiltrate directly, feigning cooperation while actually uncovering their conspiracy.
Furthermore, with door-to-door delivery, they might even be able to probe the true nature of the God of Light and the layout and scale of the church.
Abel slammed his fist down, and looked at Lu Sinian with reverence.
Truly worthy of being called the Demon Lord. His schemes are extraordinary, and his underhanded tactics far more thorough than he had imagined!
Puffing out his chest confidently, Abel shouted, “Yes, my lord!”
Lu Sinian was also satisfied; it looked like he was about to make a fortune again.
Although he wasn’t short of money now, who would complain about not having enough?
After resolving this minor incident, Lu Sinian passed through the teleportation array and returned to the shop in the abyss.
It still seemed quite lively here. With Liu Yi present, things were proceeding smoothly even without Lu Sinian.
The vending robots’ intelligence was no different from that of ordinary people, and with the system’s protective mechanisms in place, they could generally handle most situations unless something major went wrong.
Today, the two shops combined have earned tens of thousands of energy coins.
More than half of that came from the Caldera branch. It has to be said, the nobles are indeed wealthy; they buy things without batting an eye like bandits raiding the market.
He calculated his earnings for the day and was quite satisfied.
*
In the dimly lit room, the pale blue candlelight barely illuminated a small area. A hoarse, painful cough echoed incessantly, making everyone’s hearts pound.
“Your Excellency, how are you feeling?”
The seemingly glamorous leader of the Church of Light was now hunched over, prostrating himself on the ground, asking tremblingly.
The hollow echo reverberated; for a long time, no one responded, only deathly silence.
As time passed, the leader’s face grew increasingly panicked, his body bowing even lower.
“Cough cough, give me that thing.”
Finally, “he” spoke, his voice rough and unpleasant, tinged with urgency. The Church leader scrambled to his feet and respectfully handed over a bag.
The bag was clearly the pile of durian candies the two priests had just bought.
Tearing open the wrappers, the man wolfed down the candies, the crunching sound sending chills down everyone’s spine.
The Church leader kept his head down the entire time, not daring to raise it even slightly.
After what seemed like an eternity, the chewing finally ceased.
“He” let out a long sigh and said ominously to the Church leader, “You must continue to give me these every day, otherwise…”
The cult leader quickly agreed, and seeing that “he” was in a better mood, he cautiously withdrew.
Upon leaving the room, someone immediately approached and whispered something in his ear.
A sharp glint flashed in the Church leader’s eyes: “Did that demon really say that?”
He stroked his beard. Although he didn’t know what the conspiracy was, he desperately needed the shop’s goods and had no choice but to agree.
The reputation of the Church of Light had plummeted. No one was willing to believe in the God of Light anymore, and even the most loyal followers were beginning to waver.
This time, the demon had opened a shop directly in the state-level region, a blatant slap in the face.
However… he couldn’t act rashly now.
“He” had been nurtured by the Church of Light for a thousand years, and his appetite grew ever larger. If he truly offended that demon and couldn’t satisfy “him,” all the miasma accumulated over the millennia would come back to haunt him.
If that happened, the Church of Light would truly be destroyed.
Closing his eyes, the Church leader finally compromised. Since the demon occupied the state’s star region, and countless customers thronged the Church of Light’s defenses, many had been waiting to see the spectacle, speculating when a battle would ensue.
But to their utter astonishment, the Church of Light remained silent for days, allowing the demons to run rampant, and now even the guarding priests had been removed.
Now, the state’s star region had completely broken free of its millennia-old constraints. Crowds thronged with people coming and going, all carrying money and goods.
Rumors even circulated that the Church of Light was cooperating with the demon, and that this silent war had ultimately been declared a victory for the demon.
As time passed, the Temple of Light quickly faded from public attention.
The massive sales of goods brought about tremendous changes to the main city, significantly boosting its overall strength.
The Floating Life Church replaced the Temple of Light as the most frequently mentioned term.
Almost everyone knew of this mysterious and powerful shop that treated nobles and commoners alike, ordinary people and warriors alike, equally.
Various wondrous items brought more hope and a brighter future.
Compared to the ethereal God of Light that relied on the power of others for protection, the improvement of one’s own strength is something tangible and reassuring.