Divine Convenience Store

Chapter 413 - 413: Midsteel Sect

Wu Meiyu silently nodded as they moved to the second floor, taking their seats on the comfortable lounge to begin their work.With her help, Lin Mo decided to spend the next few hours meticulously arranging the virtual seats like they were planning a battlefront as two master strategists.

Wu Meiyu's knowledge of court politics and the power struggle between strong cultivators was invaluable. Even if the prominent sects appeared friendly on the outside as patrons of the store, their rivalry wouldn't easily go away.

In the end, they agreed to place the Liu Clan, the Red Lotus Academy and the Southern Wu Royal Family in positions of honor, flanking the main stage, a clear sign of their status as the store's primary kingdom, academic and martial partners.

The Verdant Sky Pavilion and the Cerulean Cloud Sword Sect were seated behind them. It wasn't as prominent but that also showed Lin Mo's favorable view of them, especially when he had close dealings with both Yu Qingyan, the Verdant Sky Pavilion's Emissary and Jiang Jianxin, the Cerulean Cloud Sword Sect's Sword Fairy.

The real headache or artistry, however, was in the placement of the more volatile factions.

"The Poison Demon Cult," Wu Meiyu mused, tapping a cluster of seats. "We cannot place them too close to the righteous sects, Shopkeeper. Even with the alliance, it would seem like an endorsement of their methods. But placing them too far away would be a slight. I suggest we place them here, adjacent to the Shadow Veil Clan. It creates a new, distinct 'unorthodox but allied' power bloc. It shows they are part of the new order, but on their own terms."

Lin Mo rubbed his chin before nodding slowly, "Good point. And the Golden Carp Trading Guild?"

"Here," She said, indicating a set of seats that was prominent but surrounded by neutral, smaller sects. "It gives them visibility but isolates them from the core power structure. It sends a message: you are welcome here as observers, but your place at the main table is not yet earned. It will force them to network, to build relationships and to work for their position."

One by one, they placed the pieces on the board, each choice a subtle move in the great game of realm politics. It was a quiet, intellectual battle and a form of convenience just as potent as any artifact.

Naturally, Lin Mo's understanding of everything was still shallow, so with every decision they made, he'd ask Wu Meiyu about her reasoning for it. Sometimes, he'd make a counterargument and give her his reason why he thought it should be like that.

Little did he know, what he'd shown further elevated his prestige in the First Princess's eyes. She had never seen someone so easily adaptable, especially when it comes to politics. Something that not everyone could pick up right away.

As the final seat was placed, Lin Mo let out a long breath as a sense of deep satisfaction washed over him.

The stage was set, not just for a lecture, but for what could be taken as the official unveiling of the store's influence within the First Heaven.

All that was left was for the curtains to rise. And for him to face his own tribulation.

—

Somewhere around the northern boundary of the Abyssal Forest, within the mountainous trail leading to the western side of the continent, a small sect known as the Midsteel Sect had its gates sealed tight.

The atmosphere around their secluded mountain peak was filled with dreadful tension. Quite a contrast to their usual quiet and unassuming existence.

For the past few days, the Midsteel Sect had become the unwilling host to a group of powerful, and deeply agitated, guests.

The sect grounds became their forward operating base, a convenient and deniable location from which the Impervious Flare Sect could stage their operation against the Divine Convenience Store.

Inside the sect's main hall, the air was suffocating as if someone had sucked it out of the place.

work… a community of the store's patrons."

His fingers trembled as he tapped on the 'Community' tab. The main page was a chaotic explosion of information, but one thread, pinned to the very top and glowing with a stark, blood-red banner, immediately seized their attention.

[Flash Raid Commission: Cutting the Snake in Half]