Ch 119: My Multiverse Supermarket

The supermarket filled with technological goods made Ebus and his entourage assume right away that Zhou Li belonged to the Steam Faction.

However, as a capitalist, Ebus didn’t regard everyone in the same faction as an ally.

In the United Kingdom of Atmos, the only thing that balanced relationships was profit.

Ebus saw exploitable value in Zhou Li. Before trapping his prey completely, he would not resort to brutality—this was the true reason for his courteous manner.

What he didn’t know was that Zhou Li didn’t consider him one of her own just because he represented the “scientific” side.

In her interplanetary trading ventures, Zhou Li sometimes used loopholes to profit as a middleman, but she still had principles.

The behavior of the Arca Company laid bare their greed, cruelty, and complete lack of moral restraint.

Ebus kept probing, trying to find out which company stood behind Zhou Li—or which royal house or noble family supported her.

He was also puzzled why the Vitas Outpost soldiers hadn’t torn this place down.

Zhou Li ignored every question except those involving trade.

When he realized that even the bandits he’d brought couldn’t intimidate her, killing intent flickered in Ebus’s heart.

He gave the bandit leader a glance, then asked in a customer’s tone, “How do you sell your goods here?”

Zhou Li smiled thinly. “I don’t take your currency directly. You have to exchange valuable items for supermarket membership points.”

Ebus pulled a pocket-watch from his vest pocket and said proudly, “I bought this for eight gold coins. You’ve never seen one like it, I’m sure.”

Zhou Li silently put on her wristwatch. “You’re right, I haven’t—because where I come from, we use watches that are more precise and don’t need constant adjustment.”

Ebus’s pupils constricted when he saw the familiar dial. “What is that on your wrist!?”

“A watch,” Zhou Li said matter-of-factly. She took out several more from the shelves. “By the way, I sell clocks and watches here in all styles. Less than a hundred points each—about one-twentieth of your gold-coin value.”

Ebus staggered half a step backward as though struck.

Impossible. A timepiece—symbol of status and power—was a common trinket here?

Suddenly he thought of something and pointed to the steam automobile outside. “Have you ever ridden in a steam car? That’s our company’s newest model—it can travel forty kilometers an hour and run day and night without rest.”

The mages and barbarians of the Magic Faction were still riding beasts for transport!

Zhou Li replied evenly, “My electric scooter runs fifty kilometers an hour.”

“Electric scooter?” Ebus repeated skeptically. “Even if a donkey could run that fast, it would need rest—especially with cargo.”

Zhou Li sighed inwardly. There was no point arguing.

“…Oh.”

Ebus fell silent, confused and irritated. He pocketed the watch, then produced a bill of exchange. “Here—one hundred gold, redeemable at any bank in Atmos.”

“Sorry,” Zhou Li said, “that paper’s worthless here. You’d be better off with a single coin—that at least gets you 1,913 points.”

Ebus flushed with humiliation.

“You’re insolent and arrogant!”

He’d already decided: he would take everything here—without paying a single coin.

Damn these savages. She’d had her chance.

*

After Ebus and his men left, An Fengxuan said, “They won’t go far. They’ll hide somewhere nearby and come back tonight to burn, loot, and kill.”

She knew the supermarket’s defense system would protect them, but as security, she still felt responsible.

“Want me to — ” She made a throat-slitting gesture.

Zhou Li shook her head. “This world isn’t like the zombie or ancient worlds. There are gods here—and magic. Don’t leave the store.”

“Boss, do you really believe in gods?” An Fengxuan asked.

“Yeah.” Zhou Li nodded. If the system hadn’t told her they existed, her atheist self would’ve doubted it too.

An Fengxuan suddenly thought of The Game from her own world. Could the power behind it also be some kind of godlike entity?

If so, did that mean An Yixiao’s search for the future was real?

No—Zhou Li’s existence proved there was something even higher than The Game.

Perhaps the being behind her could rival the gods of this world.

The Infinite World still had hope.

*

Vitas Outpost.

After Rebecca and the sentries returned safely with the elemental gemstones, she immediately began the ritual to contact the commander.

She hadn’t set up the ritual near the supermarket because the wilderness was full of unpredictable dangers and unstable magical fields—it was nearly impossible to establish a stable connection there.

Besides, she didn’t yet know what kind of power the supermarket owner possessed. What if the link were tapped?

Using crows, hawks, or magical familiars to send messages was even riskier.

At Vitas Outpost, none of those problems existed—and it had the teleportation array she needed to deliver the gemstones directly in exchange for the outpost’s pay funds.

Once the ritual circle was ready, Rebecca chanted a long spell, and a face slowly appeared in the mirror before her.

“Rebecca, any results?” the commander asked.

Rebecca quickly reported everything she had found.

The commander drummed his fingers on the chair arm as she finished. “Interesting. Your report differs from Yag’s.”

Rebecca froze—so Yag had already returned and given his own account.

Annoyance flickered in her chest. That arrogant man truly had no respect for her.

“Yag offended that lady and was expelled,” she said. “Once he cools down, he’ll probably see things my way.”

She nearly said outright that Yag had spoken ill of Zhou Li out of spite.

The commander asked, “Did you purchase all the gemstones?”

“My apologies, sir,” Rebecca said. “The outpost funds weren’t enough. I bought only 445 stones.”

Ninety-five of those had been bought with money borrowed from Yag and the paladins; the rest used the outpost’s payroll.

Even so, the commander looked pleased. “Excellent. These will resolve most of the trouble at the Ascension Trial Ground.”

The Magic Council’s Ascension Trial Grounds were products of the waning-magic age.

In the past, mages built towers as their domains, both homes and sanctuaries for magical study.

Mage Towers and temples alike were thought to bring one closer to divine will, making it easier to receive revelation.

Their magical elements helped mages grasp deeper truths and break through their limits to achieve ascension.

But as the age of dwindling magic came, elemental energy thinned. Mages could no longer rely on it.

To ensure the gods would still “see” them, they banded together to construct trial grounds at places where elemental energy remained strong. Magic arrays would draw the surrounding elements into a closed field.

These mages formed the Magic Council and decreed that only its members could use the Ascension Grounds.

Elemental gemstones became one of the foundations sustaining those sites.

Recently, elemental surges had thrown the trials into chaos, hindering mage advancement.

After investigation and consultation with the Grand Archmage, the solution was clear: enough gemstones could stabilize the imbalance.

Now the mages were already bidding eagerly for them.

Rebecca was thankful Yag hadn’t revealed the supermarket’s low prices—otherwise she’d never have fetched a good rate.

She also guessed why he hadn’t: he’d lent her money, and once the gemstones sold, he expected interest.

As the Black Raven Legion’s quartermaster, Rebecca handled its finances, so the commander didn’t request the gemstones himself.

After she sent the required amount through the teleportation array, the airship’s safe and the mages’ payment appeared before her.

The key was already in her possession—no one could open it without her.

“By the way, Commander,” she added, “we encountered rogues…”

“Probably from Boulder Town,” he said. “They must’ve spotted our airship.”

Rebecca frowned.

If they’d merely seen the airship, how had they tracked them all the way to the supermarket?

The outpost had patrols—no intruder should’ve gone unnoticed.

Unless…

When the communication ended, Rebecca opened the safe, took out two bags of gold coins, and called the sentry captain.

“Two hundred coins here,” she said. “The extra beyond your wages is a bonus.”

The captain hesitated.

Thinking she found it too little, Rebecca said, “The remaining gemstones will be sold in the city—the profits go to the Black Raven Legion.”

The captain quickly shook her head. “No, I’m grateful for the bonus! I only wondered—could I exchange it for elemental gemstones instead?”

Wages were easy to earn; gemstones were not. And these were of exceptionally pure quality.

Even sentries needed wind element stones to attune themselves, to advance and learn new abilities.

Rebecca agreed.

The wind gemstones had been bought for the Legion anyway, though soldiers normally needed battle merits to claim them.

…

Before Rebecca could seek out Yag, he came to her.

In addition to his loan repayment, he demanded light element gemstones.

“You were there,” Rebecca said. “You know how few light stones there were.”

“I know,” Yag replied. “So I’m not being greedy, am I?”

Rebecca sighed and handed him all the light stones she had.

Yag took them and went straight back to his tent to contact the archbishop.

He had already reported the strange supermarket to the Church.

The archbishop told him he would send a bishop and a knight order to the Emerald Wasteland to deal with it.

*

Night fell swiftly over the wasteland.

As darkness spread, shadow creatures grew active once more.

Beyond the supermarket’s circle of light, a lone undead drifted through the gloom.

Suddenly, a massive axe cleaved it in two. Its jaw rattled as if cursing in fury, but the blue fire in its eye sockets faded, leaving nothing but bones.

The hulking man who wielded the axe stepped aside.

Ebus checked his pocket-watch, eyes gleaming with malice. “Go.”

A swarm of bandits surged forward, charging straight for the small supermarket.

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