CHAPTER 468: HEADING TO THE FRIGID PEAKS

"Alright," Lin Mo said, turning away from the interface and stretching. "The day is about to end and everything seems to be handled perfectly at the moment. Sword Fairy had already left to try her hand at exploring the Argent Covenant Anchor. As for Venom Master Xun... my promise to her could only be delayed. She already returned to the Southern Wilderness. She still wanted to tame that Crystalweb Tyrant. She’s so ambitious. Won’t her Doom Broodmother be jealous?"

He looked at Xiaoyu, a playful glint returning to his eye. "Anyway, we finally have some free time. I believe I promised a certain distributor a visit. I’d be going out after closing hours."

"Elder Yu, Boss? Where is she? Has she finished exploring the Secret Realm? She missed out a lot." Xiaoyu asked, her usual boundless energy momentarily replaced by genuine concern. "She missed the opening of the new branch, the Flash Raid, your minor tribulation and the Divine Lecture! The whole world is changing and she’s stuck in some musty old ruin!"

"She’s not stuck and it’s not a musty old ruin. She’s on her own fortuitous encounter," Lin Mo corrected gently, though he understood her sentiment. While only a few days had passed since Yu Qingyan discovered that Secret Realm, many earthshaking events had already happened in and out of the store.

"Right, she did send me a message during the lecture. They’ve hit a wall, an obstacle they can’t seem to bypass within that place. I told her I’d visit when I had the time. It seems now is the most convenient time. It’s a business trip, you see. I have to check on the progress of my first and most loyal Official Distributor."

"You forgot the word ’favorite’, Boss." Liu Xiaoyu smirked.

"Oh. Yeah. That too." Lin Mo responded with a flick on her forehead, causing the young woman to pout again.

In any case, he framed it as a business matter, but the concern he felt was real. Having dealt with her since his first day in this realm, he could already grasp her character. Yu Qingyan wasn’t one to ask for help unless the situation was truly beyond her.

"Then, I’m coming too, Boss! It’s been ages since I saw Elder Yu! I have so much to tell her! About your tribulation, and the noodle bombs, and how I took down that big metal guy!"

Lin Mo chuckled. "As if I can leave my prodigious assistant. You’re going to protect me, right?"

"Huh? As if you still need protection! But fine, I can’t have my Boss who keeps pretending to be ordinary to stretch his muscles."

At his side, Wu Meiyu couldn’t help but giggle. She also clearly thought the same. In fact, she already accepted that after passing the minor tribulation and becoming a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, he had already surpassed all her achievements.

Although she also gained a lot during the Divine Lecture, she’s not like Xiaoyu, who had the Nine Heavens Exquisite Body, she could only painstakingly assimilate what she gained.

At one corner of her mind, she’s also considering making more trips to Towers and Anchors but with her current position being raised to the Chief Operations Officer, the desire to help Lin Mo and oversee the store’s operations is currently higher.

Lin Mo shook his head, the urge to flick Xiaoyu’s forehead again was growing. Regardless, he also couldn’t deny it. Does he want to pretend? Perhaps. It’ll be easier for him that way, after all.

"Alright, enough kidding. I will be leaving the store under your care then, Your Highness. Look after Xiao Ya and Pan Ruo. Oh, right. Xiaoping too."

Wu Meiyu nodded, "Mhm, leave it to me, Shopkeeper. Xiaoyu’s presence will be a great boon to Miss Yu’s expedition, both for morale and for combat strength. I am the Chief Operations Officer. It is my duty to ensure the operations here run smoothly in your absence. The new staff are competent, and Pan Ruo is... exceptionally so. The store will be in capable hands."

"Well, I don’t plan on staying out for too long. I’ll make it up to you."

"W-wait, Boss. On another thought, if you leave, I can be the Shopkeeper, right?" Suddenly, Xiaoyu’s eyes sparkled with an ambitious light.

Lin Mo’s hand shot out, this time not missing its mark. Flick.

"Ow! What was that for, Boss?!"

"For dreaming the impossible dream," Lin Mo stated plainly, a deadpan expression on his face. "You are the Assistant Shopkeeper. Not the Acting Shopkeeper. Don’t get any funny ideas. I have the Store Token. I still have the ability to monitor the store remotely, you know."

Xiaoyu rubbed the red spot on her forehead, a defeated pout on her lips. "Hmph. Killjoy. Fine. Let’s go then, before I change my mind and stage a coup."

She offered a small, reassuring smile. "Go, Shopkeeper. Handle your... ’distribution channels’. I will manage the headquarters."

Lin Mo looked at her, a sense of genuine gratitude welling up. Wu Meiyu had become more than a temporary manager; she was a pillar of his entire operation. "Thank you, Your Highness. I’m counting on you."

"You can always count on the convenience of good management," She replied, her eyes twinkling.

With the decision made, the preparations were swift. As the last customers were ushered out and the doors were sealed for the night, Lin Mo only waited to check for the day’s evaluation before taking Xiaoyu and making their way to the store’s Celestial Shuttle Hub.

The evaluation remained excellent and the number of transactions and revenues once again rose. The income from the Divine Lecture tickets had also been added, however, it didn’t count for the Tier Progress of the store. Still, it would be handy to use as an additional Dimension Essence.

Considering the high requirement for the next tier up, Lin Mo could only close his eyes and wait for it to accumulate.

"Be safe, Boss! Bring back a souvenir!" Xiao Ya called out, waving from behind the counter, with Liu Xiaoping nodding enthusiastically beside her. Pan Ruo also stood with them and bowed. The immortal aura around the young woman had started to show signs of existence. Her memory had yet to return but her demeanor had been gradually changing the more those memories awakened. Still, she remained respectful and diligent.

Maybe if he could open another branch, she could be selected as the second branch manager. But that’s on the condition that she wouldn’t leave after regaining all her memories as a reincarnated immortal.

"We will!" Liu Xiaoyu called back with a huge grin plastered on her lips as she dragged Lin Mo towards the glass doors and into the ticket gate.

They boarded a Carriage Saucer, the destination set for the ’Jade Hollow Plains’ hub, the closest point to the Frigid Peaks in their network.

As the carriage doors hissed shut and the world dissolved into a streak of light, Xiaoyu was practically buzzing.

"So, what do you think is in that Secret Realm, Boss? Ancient treasures? A super-secret cultivation manual? A divine beast egg?"

"Whatever it is, it’s clearly not easy to get," Lin Mo mused, pulling up his Viewing Jade. He decided to check the Bulletin Board, to see the ripples their recent actions had caused..

[Vindicator Armor Analysis - The Aetheric Link is the KEY! - ScholarWei]

"After a preliminary study of the looted armor pieces, it is clear that their individual power is secondary. Their true strength lies in the ’Aetheric Link’. A ten-man squad shares the load of any single impact and their strength also boosts each other, with the core gaining the highest boost. However, this link can be severed. Precise, high-frequency spiritual attacks, like those of a sword cultivator, or disruptive elemental attacks, like those of the Liu Clan, are most effective. Brute force is inefficient. Target the links, not the armor!"

- UnrivaledGale: "Hah! This young master knew that already! My wind blades tore their links to shreds!"

- GratefulVale: "Our benefactor’s strategy was to sever the links from the start. We of the Crimson Vale simply followed his wise command."

[WTB Sun-Kissed Clover & Flowing Quicksilver or alternatives! Paying Top DE! Also looking to commission a Master Alchemist! - AlchemistGuildLeader]

"The Harvester’s Guild is a miracle! We’ve already got three teams heading to the Sunlit Plains to gather the clover! But we need more! The demand for the new alchemical formulas is insane! Any registered Master Alchemist on the Professional’s Foundry, my guild is willing to pay a premium for your services to help us crack the [Aether-Bane Polish]!"

[My Personal Experience with the [Aesthetic Polishing Method] - Day 1 Log - MinorSectMaster08]

"The process is slow, as the Goddess said. But it is real. After hours of meditation, I feel... lighter. My spiritual energy circulation is smoother. It’s like a film of grime has been wiped from my very soul. I feel like I’m twenty years younger! I will post my progress daily! All hail the Goddess and the Convenience Saint!"