Ch 74: My Multiverse Supermarket

Only two paths lay before Zhou Li.

Either she could admit she wasn’t from Blue Star and had no means of contacting it,
or she could uncover the truth behind Mia Star’s slow destruction.

The first option was pointless—people who’d already lost their reason wouldn’t believe her even if she told the truth. They’d only press her harder about where she really came from.

As for the second… even if she could investigate such a thing, why should she? What did Mia Star’s fate have to do with her?

So there was a third path—she could simply walk away.

But after experiencing so many worlds, Zhou Li knew that running away was the worst option of all.

If she left, not only would Wolf Pharmaceuticals go unpunished, but she’d have to issue refunds to thousands of members, tarnishing the supermarket’s reputation.

Zhou Li said, “It was my decision to post a notice buying medical reagents that made the Wolfs think they’d found my weakness.”

Since the supermarket’s first appearance, Zhou Li had only ever accepted Orka—the local energy currency. Though she claimed people couldn’t use Orka directly to shop, she allowed them to exchange it for member points, which was effectively the same thing. The Wolf family and other elites had never figured out what her limits were, so they’d kept their distance.

Now, seeing her take the initiative to purchase reagents, they thought she had finally revealed her vulnerability—and tried to use it as leverage.

The others in the room realized then that her sudden interest in buying medicine really had been unexpected.

Only Dr. Sophia knew why Zhou Li wanted the reagents.

Zhou Li continued, “You may have wondered if selling necessities at such low prices was some kind of charity—or if I had a hidden agenda. It may look like I’m losing out, but I gain something in return. Not in goods, but in something else—something you can’t give me, but that others can.”

Her words made everyone’s hearts lurch like they were riding a roller coaster.

Something they couldn’t give her? That meant she wasn’t dependent on them at all.

They’d always sensed Zhou Li’s confidence—but this was the first time she’d stated it so plainly.

As for what that mysterious “gain” might be, no one could guess.

Zhou Li went on, “Don’t misunderstand—I’m not threatening you. You came here tonight, whether for me or for the people of Mia Star. Your goodwill moves me. So I want to be honest, so you can prepare yourselves.”

Tang Lingzhou frowned. Lin Jianshan looked down, uncertain. Qu Shuyi wore a deep frown. Only Dr. Sophia remained calm, her expression unreadable.

Qu Shuyi asked, “Speaking of which, Dr. Sophia—why are you here?”

“Because I’m the resident physician,” Sophia said.

Qu Shuyi didn’t buy it.

Sophia smiled faintly. “Actually, I have an idea.”

All eyes turned toward her.

“Sometimes,” Sophia said, “the only way to crush one frenzy is with another. What if, right now, news spread that a surface Orka vein had been discovered? Wouldn’t that lift everyone’s spirits?”

Tang Lingzhou nodded. “Without question.”

Qu Shuyi looked both shocked and hopeful. “A surface Orka vein? Really?”

So far, every known Orka deposit had been deep underground. None had ever been found near the surface.

If this rumor were true, mining would no longer risk deadly collapses—it could be done in open air.

Zhou Li: …

Sophia added, “Not yet.”

Everyone’s faces darkened.

Was she joking with them?

“But soon,” Sophia said calmly.

They exchanged baffled looks.

Then she explained, “Some time ago, with the boss’s help, the Richter family detected a mountain range formed entirely of Orka ore. They haven’t announced it yet because the reserves haven’t been fully measured.”

In truth, once Sophia obtained that rare card artifact, she had contacted the Richter family, learned of the remaining active Orka veins, and gone there herself to use it.

The card’s effect was simple: once it made contact with an exposed vein, it could replicate the entire Orka deposit.

When the card displayed a ten-kilometer stretch of glowing mountain ridges inside its frame, Sophia’s pulse had raced.

She had done it.

A single medical pod and a few vials of medicine in exchange for such extraordinary power—what a bargain.

She hadn’t even had time to release the replicated vein before she heard what was happening with the supermarket and rushed back overnight.

…

Tang Lingzhou stiffened, realizing this was something the mayor needed to know immediately.

No one doubted Sophia’s claim. The Richter family had made their fortune mining Orka—they were one of Mia Star’s oldest and wealthiest dynasties.

Though they had suffered losses in the catastrophe, their two-century legacy still held weight.

But what puzzled them was her phrasing—with the boss’s help.

The boss hadn’t even left the supermarket. How had she helped?

*

By revealing the Orka mountain, Sophia intended to negotiate with City Hall.

Recognizing its importance, the government increased the guards around the supermarket, and the mayor personally arranged to meet her.

The meeting wasn’t held inside the supermarket—after all, Zhou Li was asleep.

Yes, even with chaos raging outside, her peace of mind remained untouched.

She ate, slept, opened for business, and blacklisted anyone caught throwing trash at her store.

Her only complaint: the noise outside.

“Isn’t there a way to mute all that?” she asked the system.

“I can block external sound. Would you like to enable it?”

After a thought, Zhou Li said, “It’s not going to quiet down soon anyway. Sure—block it. I need to study.”

Moments later, blissful silence filled her world.

When she occasionally glanced outside, the angry mob’s shouting looked like a silent movie.

Zhou Li murmured, “If only it were Chaplin.”

“Chaplin—the silent film comedian?” Sophia said as she pushed open the door.

Zhou Li blinked. Blue Star had Chaplin too?

“I have a reel of Modern Times,” Sophia said.

“Your collection’s impressive,” Zhou Li replied. Even in 21st-century Earth, finding Modern Times film reels was nearly impossible.

Sophia looked pleased. “A gift from a friend.”

Zhou Li hesitated, then asked, “You mean there’s a Chaplin here too?”

“No. Not here—and not on Blue Star, either.”

Zhou Li’s pupils contracted. She shook the system frantically. “What’s going on? Is she one of us?”

The system replied in its usual calm tone, “There are no traces of dimensional travel or system fluctuations on her. None.”

“Then what does she mean by that?”

“You have a mouth,” said the system. “Ask her yourself.”

Zhou Li: …

Did my own system just sass me?

“You’re acting strangely,” Zhou Li said sharply. “What are you hiding?”

The system pretended to be dead.

Getting nowhere, Zhou Li asked Sophia directly, “Are you trying to tell me something?”

Sophia smiled kindly. “Just that whatever happens, I’ll be on your side.”

Zhou Li: …

Why was the mood suddenly getting sentimental?

They weren’t that close yet, were they?

“Thanks,” Zhou Li said after a pause. “How are negotiations with City Hall going about the mine?”

“I’ve handed that matter over to my family,” Sophia replied casually. After she had anchored the replicated mine to the Richter family’s previously surveyed ore vein, she’d washed her hands of the whole thing.

“You’re surprisingly considerate toward your family,” Zhou Li remarked.

That was a mountain of wealth—literally worth a fortune—and she’d just let it go so easily. That kind of detachment wasn’t something ordinary people possessed.

Sophia smiled faintly. “Once someone has seen a wider world, they can no longer be content with the well they were born in. Once they’ve possessed true riches, they stop caring about scraps.”

Zhou Li nodded. “Alright then.”

Sophia said, “You just killed the conversation.”

“I just don’t like people talking in riddles.”

Sophia burst into laughter.

Then, glancing at her blinking wrist comm, she said, “I’ll be going. See you next time.”

She left as swiftly as she came, and Zhou Li still couldn’t figure out why she’d even come in the first place.

*

Kepler District, Bopp Manor.

“Well, Mayor Edna Ponti—it’s rare to see you here,” said Gerhard Richter, the current head of the Richter family, smiling as he greeted his guest.

“Gerhard, didn’t we just meet not long ago?” Edna said smoothly.

A servant brought in tea. Gerhard, composed and leisurely, eyed her with amusement. “You’re here to claim a share of our newly discovered ore vein, aren’t you?”

“That’s not what I—or City Hall—came for,” Edna replied.

Gerhard chuckled. “Once the councilors find out, it’ll be another story.”

The disaster a few years ago had caused ninety-one percent of Mia Star’s active mines to collapse, burying not only miners and machine operators but also countless pieces of heavy equipment. The Richter family had suffered catastrophic losses.

Many of the remaining veins had sunk deeper underground, driving up mining costs severalfold.

If not for their other industries, the Richters might have gone bankrupt long ago.

Of the nine percent of mines still operational, City Hall’s councilors had been itching to seize them as government property by force.

If they found out the Richters had located another new vein—one that was shallow and easy to extract—they’d definitely try to take it.

“That’s why I came right away,” Edna said. “If the Richter family agrees to cooperate with us, City Hall can guarantee your claim will be protected.”

It sounded suspiciously like picking peaches off someone else’s tree. Gerhard’s eyes narrowed, then he suddenly smiled. “Since Madam Sophia has spoken, very well.”

Edna hesitated for a beat. Madam Sophia? Wasn’t she his eldest daughter? Why use an honorific?

Still, this wasn’t the time to pry.

…

City Hall and the Richter family moved fast.

Before the mob incited by the Good Life Supermarket rumors could riot, the Richter family publicly announced the discovery of a new Orka vein.

City Hall’s spokesperson soon followed with an official statement: the mine would be co-developed by the city and the Richter family, with Orka energy prioritized for civilian supply to stabilize public life.

The spokesperson also declared that the discovery had only been possible thanks to technical assistance from the Good Life Supermarket.

And, crucially, they publicly refuted the rumor that Zhou Li was from Blue Star.

Whatever they really believed, they had to make that statement—otherwise the unrest would spiral further out of control.

Once the news broke, the overheated crowd quickly redirected their attention.

Orka energy was Mia Star’s true hard currency. As long as it kept flowing, the economy wouldn’t collapse, and life could start to improve.

Whether the supermarket’s owner came from Blue Star no longer seemed that important.

More level-headed citizens reminded others, “You should be grateful the guards stopped you. If you’d really gone for the supermarket, your names would be blacklisted by now.”

That cooled most people down.

Only a handful of agitators tried to keep fanning the flames, but the security corps swiftly arrested them.

Just as the people began celebrating the imminent opening of the new open-pit mine, another story hit the trending feed—Wolf Pharmaceuticals was being sued for producing and selling illegal drugs.

For a corporation long used to lawsuits, it was little more than an itch. Still, the timing was clear: this was City Hall and the Richter family issuing a warning to the Wolves.

Alexander Wolf was so enraged he smashed his office apart.

He didn’t think he’d done anything wrong—only that he’d been too slow, beaten to the punch by City Hall and the Richters.

No wonder that supermarket owner had dared to defy him—she’d had powerful allies behind her all along.

But wasn’t the Richter family running hospitals now?

Once Wolf Pharmaceuticals stopped supplying medicine, those hospitals would crumble.

He’d wait for them to come crawling.

*

Zhou Li knew nothing about these bloodsucking capitalists and their games—and cared even less.

After spending three days in the interstellar plane, with the warehouses emptied by the orphanage and City Hall, she prepared to return to her home plane to restock.

Outside the store, a guard was reporting to Tang Lingzhou, who had just arrived.

At the end, he muttered under his breath, “That shopkeeper’s got some nerve. Even with mobs screaming outside, she didn’t so much as flinch—just kept listening to music and watching shows. Drove people crazy.”

He sounded half complaining, half awed.

Indeed, before City Hall’s statement, Zhou Li’s calm had only fueled public anger.

Many of the guards had taken hits trying to keep order.

Tang Lingzhou said nothing. She pushed the door open and stepped inside while the guard stayed behind to maintain watch.

Seeing her, Zhou Li greeted her cheerfully, “Captain Tang, have you eaten yet?”

“Not yet,” Tang Lingzhou said.

“You’ve worked hard,” Zhou Li said politely—but made no move to offer her food.

Tang Lingzhou was long used to that kind of empty courtesy. “The security detail around the supermarket will be withdrawn tonight,” she said. “I came early to let you know.”

“Oh, alright. Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll be heading back tonight to restock anyway.”

Tang Lingzhou paused for a moment, then asked, “Boss, do you think you could locate another surface vein like that one?”

She actually wanted to ask why Zhou Li had chosen to partner with the Richters instead of City Hall—but knowing how fragmented City Hall was, she could see why working directly with Sophia Richter might have been simpler.

Zhou Li countered, “Are you asking for yourself, or for City Hall?”

“For both the mayor and me,” Tang Lingzhou admitted.

“In that case,” Zhou Li said, “my answer’s simple: I’m not sure. Opportunities like that can’t be forced.”

“I know,” Tang Lingzhou said. “And I understand you went with the Richter family because of Ms. Sophia—but if another chance like this comes up, would you consider City Hall?”

Zhou Li blinked at her. “Didn’t you just call her Sophia before? Why the sudden respect?”

Tang Lingzhou replied evenly, “She’s a pioneer of the Richter line. That deserves respect.”

Zhou Li: “…A pioneer?”

[Author’s Note]

Zhou Li: “No more riddle-speak, please.” [angry]

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