Ch 87: My Multiverse Supermarket

Not long ago, many had suspected An Yixiao because of Han Xi’s words, but now public opinion had shifted toward the Blue Owl Guild.

Say what you will—An Yixiao’s character was the guild’s reputation. She simply wasn’t the type to pull something like this.

The Carefree Guild, on the other hand, had a far less stellar reputation.

If someone said Han Xi did it, people would probably believe them.

Seeing this, Han Xi could only shut his mouth.

“What do we do now?” An Fengxuan whispered to An Yixiao.

The solution was simple enough—An Yixiao could use her eerie left eye.

But tools were a player’s lifeline, their hidden trump cards. Once others knew all your tools, you lost your edge.

Her possession of the eerie left eye was still a secret.

She suspected the Carefree Guild had guessed she’d gained S-class items from clearing [Dawn Village] and [Mingde Academy], and they’d likely orchestrated this to force her into revealing another one.

Having already heard from An Fengxuan what the outside looked like from inside the supermarket, An Yixiao had a theory. “This must be a spatial displacement combined with visual deception tool.”

A tool couldn’t both shift the supermarket into another space and perfectly preserve the external scenery.

So it was more like a magic trick—the supermarket seemed gone, but it was still here. The tool just diverted anyone who tried to approach it into another area, while the illusion made them think they were still walking straight.

Because of that misdirection, no one noticed anything wrong.

And since no one actually entered that displaced zone, people inside the supermarket saw an unchanging view—no movement, no passersby, only still buildings.

In other words, to break the illusion, one had to “break the magician’s props.”

“Lin Huan, lend that item to Fengxuan,” said An Yixiao.

Chen Linhuan understood instantly. “Got it.”

She handed over the item, then dispersed the onlookers.

An Fengxuan blinked in confusion. “Why give it to me?”

Couldn’t Chen Linhuan use it herself?

“Because you’re the only official employee,” said An Yixiao.

The tool in question was a large-area offensive item. If Chen Linhuan used it, the supermarket might classify it as an attack, blacklist her, and retaliate.

But as an official employee, any action An Fengxuan took could be interpreted as protecting the supermarket.

That was something An Yixiao had figured out during her own shifts there.

An Fengxuan only half understood, but followed instructions.

The moment she activated the tool, she felt raw power surge through her veins—like she could topple a mountain with her bare hands.

“Yah!” she shouted, charging forward and leaping high before slamming her fist into the empty space before her with her eyes shut.

A thunderous boom shook the ground, rippling out thirty meters in every direction.

And with that single strike—the supermarket reappeared before everyone’s eyes.

The simplest way to break a magic trick was to smash every piece of the magician’s gear.

Watching the barrier vanish, Chen Linhuan said, “That was an A-class item—‘Illusion Bubble.’”

Han Xi’s face darkened, and An Yixiao smiled faintly. “Looks like we don’t need to guess who did it.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Han Xi.

They all remembered—his nickname was The Magician.

Han Xi snapped, “Just because you say it’s ‘Illusion Bubble’ doesn’t make it true!”

“Save your excuses,” Chen Linhuan said coldly.

An Yixiao, calm and emotionless, announced, “Vice President Han Xi of the Carefree Guild came to the Blue Owl Guild’s territory to cause trouble. This is an act of war. Blue Owl Guild accepts. From this moment, all Carefree Guild members are banned from setting foot on our land.”

A guild war.

It wasn’t a small matter.

The territorial ban was trivial—the real danger came from blockades inside dungeons.

The Carefree Guild had once waged such wars to steal smaller guilds’ resources, forcing those guilds to disband while their tools ended up in Carefree’s vault.

But now, Blue Owl was united and had two S-class players on deck. Whether Carefree could still throw its weight around was another story.

*

Meanwhile, Zhou Li had just finished chatting with the system about new worlds and was heading to make lunch—since there hadn’t been any customers lately—when alarms blared.

“Warning: supermarket under attack by employee An Fengxuan. Defense system activated.”

“…What?” Zhou Li froze.

The new hire wasn’t even fully onboard yet—was she quitting by force?

Then she saw a huge shimmering bubble burst, and the noise of a crowd outside.

When she spotted An Fengxuan running toward the store, she muttered, “Not an attack—she’s clearing the trouble outside.”

The alarm faded, and the defense system logged the event.

“Boss!” An Fengxuan burst through the door.

“What happened?” Zhou Li asked.

An Fengxuan gave a quick summary.

When An Yixiao’s declaration about a guild war came through the comms, An Fengxuan gaped. “But she’s usually so cautious! Why would she start a guild war?”

“If someone’s already hitting you, not fighting back just makes you look weak,” Zhou Li said matter-of-factly.

Blue Owl had always been low-key, but that didn’t mean they lacked power.

If they kept quiet in the face of such provocation, it wouldn’t be humility—it’d be cowardice.

“Put up a notice,” Zhou Li said. “This shop will no longer sell to Carefree Guild members.”

Carefree’s interference had disrupted business and delayed her schedule—she had to respond.

The system asked, “What schedule did they delay?”

Zhou Li replied confidently, “If we lose half a day of sales, it delays stock turnover, which delays my resupply trip back to my home world—and that delays the next world jump.”

The system had no comeback.

*

An Fengxuan cheerfully posted the announcement outside.

Han Xi, face stormy, muttered, “Hmph, who needs that stupid shop anyway.”

To save face, he likewise banned Carefree members from shopping there.

When that message reached his guild, members exploded in outrage.

It was one thing to bully smaller guilds before—they were weak and easy prey.

But now? They’d picked a fight with Blue Owl!

An Yixiao ranked third, and Duan Jing was newly S-class.

That meant Carefree Guild was taking on two major guilds at once.

Why should everyone else pay for the egos of a few arrogant leaders?

They already had to turn in one item from each dungeon run and surrender part of their earnings. Sure, it was tolerable when strong players like Lin Ao carried them through difficult clears.

But outside dungeons, there was no benefit—only punishment.

So why should they share the fallout?

Withdrawal requests skyrocketed overnight.

Carefree’s expansion had always been reckless—they’d recruited anyone and everyone to claim the title of “largest guild.”

Of course, “largest” didn’t mean “strongest.”

They liked to call themselves “the number-one guild,” but Blue Owl never bothered arguing over such things.

And because The Game had no official guild ranking, “number-one guild” and “largest guild” were just bragging rights.

Now that members were quitting—only one percent at first, but still hundreds of people—the exodus gained momentum fast.

People were herd creatures.

On the first day, a hundred left—most of them those who already wanted out. But even the loyal ones felt uneasy.

On the second day, another hundred left—their confidence wavered further.

By the third and fourth days, they weren’t thinking about who stayed; they were wondering if leaving was the smarter move.

Whether they could still shop at the supermarket was no longer the deciding factor.

*

The Good Life Supermarket stayed open for three more days in the Public Hall.

Since it was nearly time to jump worlds again, Zhou Li posted a notice saying business would pause in a few days—anyone wanting to stock up had better hurry.

With An Fengxuan guarding the door, Carefree members couldn’t sneak in; she caught every one of them.

Meanwhile, under orders from An Yixiao and Duan Jing, members of Blue Owl and Dali Guild practically emptied the shelves.

Watching the revenue totals climb, Zhou Li thought, At least this trip paid off.

She told An Fengxuan to take mandatory rest while she returned to her home world for resupply.

Thanks to the special nature of the Infinite Planes, when the supermarket came back, only half a day had passed.

But this time, Zhou Li didn’t reopen.

Looking at the sky, she told An Fengxuan, “We’ll be leaving at midnight. Do you want to say goodbye?”

An Fengxuan paused, then said softly, “No need. I already have.”

In truth, she hoped they would leave soon—because the longer she stayed, the harder it would be to let go.

It had taken An Yixiao great effort to win her this chance, and it had taken her just as long to accept it.

“Then let’s go,” Zhou Li said to the system. “Head for the Ancient World.”

☢️☢️☢️