CHAPTER 447: AMBITIOUS NEGOTIATOR

Lin Mo met the King’s gaze, his own expression a placid lake of calm. The weight of a hundred years of rule, the authority of a kingdom, the power of a peak Nascent Soul expert. It was all there in the old monarch’s eyes. But Lin Mo had already faced the fury of Heaven’s Will, not to mention the radiance of the divine beings. A king, no matter how powerful, was simply another high-value customer for the store.

"Coffee?" King Wu Tianzhen asked as he followed Lin Mo’s arm, gesturing towards the black appliance that had materialized in the lounge overnight. It was humming softly, a small, glowing screen displaying a menu of options: [Morning Star Espresso], [Celestial Cream Latte], [Void Black]. There’s also one down below. One needed to feed it the required spirit stones, Dimension Essence, or Store Credits before it would spit out a freshly brewed coffee.

Depending on the person, it wasn’t that expensive, only one intermediate-grade spirit stone or its equivalent to Dimension Essence and Store Credits.

He was a man accustomed to servants preparing his every meal and drink, to ancient, painstaking tea ceremonies. But what he was seeing in front of him was an artifact that produced a divine-smelling beverage at the touch of a button.

"A fascinating artifice," The King murmured, his appraisal not of the drink, but of the technology itself. He had seen the other appliances down below, and no matter the explanation of Xiaoyu or the staff around them, he couldn’t wrap his head around how they work other than they’re all magical.

"Another product of the Divine Pantheon?"

"Yes, it is. It provides a convenient and potent boost to one’s mental clarity, dear customer," Lin Mo replied, tapping a button. The machine whirred, ground unseen beans with a soft mechanical sound, and a moment later, a steaming cup of rich, dark coffee slid into the dispenser. He placed it on the table before the King. "Please. Let us discuss business with clear minds."

The King picked up the cup, the warmth seeping into his hands. He took a cautious sip. His eyes widened almost imperceptibly. The taste was bold, bitter, yet incredibly rich, and it was followed by a wave of pure, refined spiritual energy that washed through his mind, sharpening his thoughts and dispelling the weariness of his long journey. It was more effective than any mind-calming pill he had ever consumed.

He set the cup down as his initial probing posture subtly shifted. This single, simple act had already demonstrated the store’s philosophy: superior quality, delivered with impossible efficiency.

"Your ’convenience’ is indeed potent, Shopkeeper," The King began as he took a glance at his daughter, silently watching their exchange next to Lin Mo. His tone was now less that of a monarch addressing a subject and more of one power assessing another. "I have heard the reports from my children and my ministers. A shop that appears from nowhere, backed by divine beings, capable of repelling Void Refinement experts and reshaping what we know of commerce and warfare in this domain. I confess, I came here expecting to find a grandmaster of illusions, or perhaps a reclusive ancient power playing games with the mortal world."

He leaned forward and sighed. "Instead, I found you. A young man who had just undergone a tribulation that shook the heavens. The Convenience Saint, they call you. It seems even my identity as the king of a mortal kingdom will be nothing when even the Liu Clan Patriarch bows to you."

With a bitter smile, he accepted the reality of the situation.

"Shopkeeper Lin, I will be direct. My Southern Wu Kingdom wishes to formalize our partnership with the Divine Convenience Store. My daughter’s position as your ’Temporary Staff Manager’ is an honor and if she wishes to stay here to assist you, this King will not find fault with it. After all, it appears she has been enjoying her time here more than when she’s in our royal court."

Lin Mo glanced at the woman beside him. Wu Meiyu pursed her lips as a faint, unreadable smile played on her lips. She remained silent, allowing her father to speak, but her presence was a statement in itself.

"Your Highness has been an invaluable asset to our operations," Lin Mo stated, acknowledging the King’s point. "Her expertise has brought a level of order and efficiency that has been most... convenient. Her position has always been changed, albeit still temporary. She’s now our store’s Chief Operations Officer."

Wu Tianzhen raised an eyebrow in surprise before proudly grinning as if he had just received praise, "Oh? Excellent! As expected of this King’s daughter."

"Royal Father, what are you doing? Your prestige is breaking." Wu Meiyu hurriedly called out as she fidgeted slightly. She looked a little embarrassed but at the same time, happy at her father’s reaction.

Lin Mo, seeing that, could only shake his head. Although he hadn’t experienced anything like it, he knew how strained their relationship as father and daughter was, considering each and every move they made reflected on their noble bloodline.

Wu Tianzhen pulled back, trying to compose himself again. After faking a cough, he steered the conversation away from it.

"Then let us discuss our business, Shopkeeper. I have seen your ’Recruitment Hall’ and ’Mercenary’s Guild’. My kingdom spends millions of spirit stones annually maintaining our northern border against the barbarian incursions. May I propose a contract?"

"Go ahead, dear customer."

He acted like he was just contemplating but it was clear he had already prepared something before this meeting.

"This King will order our court to post a series of long-term commissions on your Guild, offering handsome rewards for the heads of barbarian chieftains and for vital intelligence on their movements. This will alleviate the pressure on our standing army."

He paused, his gaze sharpening. "In exchange for this business, and in recognition of our kingdom’s status as your first royal partner, I request two things. First, a preferential discount on bulk purchases of your... logistical supplies. Talismans, pills, and those miraculous self-heating meals. They would revolutionize our army’s supply lines. Second..."

He trailed his voice a bit as if he was trying to act secretively, "I wish for the Southern Wu Kingdom to have the exclusive right to pilot test your ’Argentum Aether Armor Bearer Project’."

Lin Mo’s eyebrows shot up. The King was not just adaptable. He was a shrewd and ambitious negotiator. He had clearly been briefed by his daughter and didn’t lose a second gathering every scrap of information. What he’s looking for isn’t a simple trade deal. He wanted to secure a military-technological advantage for his kingdom even though he knew how different his establishment was compared to a normal merchant guild. Furthermore, the commission he was proposing would just benefit his kingdom more than the store patrons who would accept it.

They were about to acquire strong mercenaries for their border defense without the risk of being betrayed.

While he was also hoping to turn those barbarians up north into customers, the animosity that must’ve built up between the kingdom and them would possibly not be easily healed by his store’s ’convenience’.

"Your Majesty is well-informed," Lin Mo said, setting his cup down. The friendly shopkeeper was gone as his expression turned serious. "Let’s set aside the commission for now. As for what you’re requesting, the discount on bulk purchases is a standard benefit for our strategic partners. That can be arranged. However, the ’bearer project’ is an entirely different matter. It is a high-risk, high-reward venture into a new form of power. Granting exclusive rights to a single faction would be... inconveniently monopolistic."

Wu Meiyu finally spoke, adding a new dimension to the negotiation. "Royal Father, the Shopkeeper’s philosophy is ’convenience for all’. Exclusivity goes against the very principle that makes this store so powerful. It would create resentment and instability among the other patrons, which would ultimately be bad for business and for the kingdom."

The King looked at his daughter, a flicker of pride and frustration in his eyes. She was no longer just his princess. She was facing him as a manager of this new world and was arguing against his own proposal.

Lin Mo seized the opening she had created. "Her Highness is correct. However, I can offer a counter-proposal. The Southern Wu Kingdom’s Royal Army is known for its discipline and the resilience of its soldiers, most of whom are not high-level cultivators. This makes them ideal candidates for the project. Therefore, I will grant the Southern Wu Kingdom priority access to the application process. Your kingdom may submit up to fifty candidates for the initial trial. They will be the first to be vetted. If they are successful, they will become the first ’Aether-Knights’ of this realm, a new elite force armed with the future of warfare. But the opportunity must remain open to all."

He let the offer sink in. It was a brilliant compromise. It gave the King the substance of what he wanted, a head start in creating a powerful new military unit, without granting him the politically problematic ’exclusivity’.

Still, in Lin Mo’s mind, given the drop rate of those armor pieces in the Anchor, fifty applicants would be nothing after that project truly set off and allowed the inhabitants of the Realm of Nine Heavens to don those sets of growing armors.