Ch 129: My Multiverse Supermarket

The next morning, as soon as Zhou Li opened the supermarket door, she found three groups gathered outside.

Each group bore a different banner, and they were clearly divided into camps.

The Thorn Independent Consortium stood in the center, while the other two faced them tensely, as if one spark could set off a fight.

After some introductions, Zhou Li learned that the woman surrounded by knights, rangers, and soldiers—and dressed in heavy religious garb—was Ariel, Secretary General of the Senate.

The man on the other side, escorted by an armed unit wielding firearms and riding roaring steam-powered trikes, was Kemeigao, an engineer from Peace Industries, a subsidiary of the Radiant Consortium.

Zhou Li chuckled. “All we’re missing is Ebus—then the Trade Alliance could sit down for a nice game of mahjong.”

An Fengxuan added dryly, “He probably doesn’t have the guts to come back.”

An idea struck Zhou Li. Maybe she should order a few mahjong tables through the auction hub.

Who knew—they might even sell!

Her amusement was a little too obvious, and Luna said mildly, “My lady boss, they most likely won’t actually fight.”

Zhou Li laughed awkwardly. “That’s good. Harmony brings fortune.”

Kemeigao dismounted from his trike and looked up at the vending machines beside the supermarket door, his eyes bulging. “By the Steam God—how in the world were these made!?”

Zhou Li turned to Luna and asked casually, “There’s actually a Steam God in this world?”

Ariel snapped, “False gods! Every one of them is a fraud!”

Luna leaned in and whispered, “Among those who still hold faith in Atmos, it’s said that every great invention comes from divine grace—railways and trains are blessings of the Rail God, electric lamps are gifts of the Lamp God…”

Zhou Li: …

Got it. So just like in capitalist societies—if it makes a profit, it doesn’t matter if you hold a rifle in one hand and a cross in the other.

Luna then gestured subtly toward the gun-wielding mercenaries. “Those men are graduates of the War Academy—followers of the War God.”

An Fengxuan tilted her head. “The same War God who got beaten by the Goddess of War and the Goddess of Wisdom, then ran off to Atmos with his tail between his legs?”

That drew sharp glares from the mercenaries. One of them, clearly a sergeant, barked, “The last few campaigns have already proven your so-called Goddess of War is the useless one!”

“What did you say!? Blasphemy!” Ariel’s knights and rangers erupted, hands going to their weapons.

It looked like a battle could break out any second.

Zhou Li calmly turned away from the commotion and asked Luna, “So, after sleeping on it, have you decided what you’re buying today?”

Luna didn’t really want to expose her plans in front of competitors—but Zhou Li would be leaving this plane in a few days, and there was no time to stall.

She said, “Everything else is abundant, but telephones and related systems are limited. The earlier you buy, the earlier you enjoy them.”

“Telephone? Not a telegraph?” Kemeigao, ever alert to industrial innovations, perked up immediately.

Luna didn’t care about secrecy anymore. “We arrived first, my lady boss. Please reserve the telephones for us.”

Kemeigao ignored her. “In commerce, it’s always the highest bidder who wins. Whatever this ‘telephone’ is, we’ll pay more.”

Ariel, still fuming from earlier insults, didn’t even care what a telephone was—she joined in just to spite Kemeigao.

The Thorn manager murmured under his breath, “Luna, you’re being too hasty.”

“It’s fine,” Luna replied. “We still have the advantage.”

She quickly analyzed the situation in her head:

The supermarket’s technological goods far surpassed Atmos’s industrial level, which meant Kemeigao couldn’t use industrial products to exchange for supermarket credits.

The telephone must be expensive—and without sufficient credits, Kemeigao was at a disadvantage compared to the Consortium.

As for Ariel, she was only here to stir trouble for the steam faction. There was no way she’d actually spend a fortune on telephones.

Besides, telephones required line installation. The Senate used industrial tech only in secret—laying phone lines openly in Mayelia would be tantamount to admitting betrayal of their country’s anti-tech stance.

And sure enough, once Zhou Li explained the store’s rules and how telephones worked, Kemeigao’s excitement dimmed into worry—he had no idea what valuable goods he could trade for store credits.

Ariel, on the other hand, did have valuable items—magic scrolls, enchanted artifacts—but telephones were practically useless to Mayelian nobles who could already communicate instantly with magic.

Kemeigao asked, “Would you be willing to sell the technology behind this invention?”

If he could obtain the schematics, his company could replicate the product easily.

Zhou Li said, “The patent isn’t mine. I only sell the devices themselves.”

Luna frowned slightly. “Then what happens if we can’t install or maintain them ourselves?”

“Oh, the instruction manuals are included,” Zhou Li said casually.

Kemeigao’s small eyes gleamed. No matter what, he had to buy at least one phone to take apart and study.

He thought for a moment and said, “Our Radiant Consortium operates several mines. We have rich mineral resources—and many weapons. We can sell either ore or arms in exchange.”

Zhou Li hesitated, tempted.

Weapons couldn’t be purchased through the auction hub—after she and the supermarket left Newborn Island, her people there would be left defenseless.

If she bought some weapons here…

But then she reconsidered. If she needed weapons, she could easily get them in the zombie world instead.

And now that few factions dared provoke Newborn Island, Qi Jiayu and the others could always buy what they needed from Xu Jiayi’s people.

As for minerals…

Would this world’s ores even be valuable in the auction hub’s plane-world?

If it was coal, that would certainly sell well—her home country consumed vast amounts of it.

But then again, coal was in high demand here too, given that Atmos was in the middle of the steam age.

So Zhou Li said, “I’ve seen weapons far more advanced than yours, so I’ll pass on those. As for minerals, I can’t determine their worth until you bring samples for testing.”

Kemeigao and his mercenaries stared, wide-eyed.

More advanced weapons?

But the world’s top weapon designers were all from the War Academy! They carried the latest rifles and rode cutting-edge steam trikes—powered by newly improved engines!

Could there really be industrial technology even beyond that?

The proud mercenaries thought Zhou Li was bragging, but Kemeigao actually believed her.

He’d already seen the vending machines—and that refrigerator capable of producing real cold air.

Kemeigao wasn’t unfamiliar with the concept of refrigeration.

Years ago, engineers had created iceboxes powered by steam engines using ammonia as the coolant.

But those machines were huge and deafeningly loud when running.

Nothing like the sleek, quiet models in this shop—compact, stylish, and with far more storage space inside!

Kemeigao also spotted a strange device in the corner that blew out cool air. It wasn’t a refrigerator or a standard cooling unit.

He gasped, “By my God of Technology—these are revolutionary, world-changing inventions!”

Zhou Li: …

Didn’t he just swear by the Steam God a moment ago? How did he make up a God of Technology on the spot?

Every time Kemeigao exclaimed over one of her products, Ariel countered with a magical equivalent. “Refrigerator? Ice mages can conjure a pile of ice with one spell. Cooling? Mages can cast room sigils that regulate temperature automatically.”

An Fengxuan whispered to Zhou Li, “She’s a chronic nitpicker.”

Zhou Li sighed. “…That’s what happens when natural enemies meet.”

Kemeigao snapped back, “If you’re so capable, then don’t bid.”

Ariel huffed, “Even if I don’t need it, I won’t let you have it.”

While the two bickered, Luna quietly motioned for her manager to bring out the Thorn Consortium’s prepared treasures for appraisal.

Zhou Li examined each item in turn, once again expanding her understanding of magical craftsmanship.

Up until now, all her trade partners—Rebecca, Lamanda, Natisha—had come from the magic faction. Because Rebecca had first used alchemy potions to exchange for supermarket credits, Lamanda and Natisha followed suit, assuming potions were most valuable.

As a result, Zhou Li had only ever seen airships in this world—never other types of magical creations.

Now Luna revealed a dazzling collection: Magic Thread, used for weaving enchanted robes; Adamantite, a metal that could forge unbreakable weapons, armor, and vessels; Runestones, engraved with mystical sigils to assist in rituals; and Enchantment Tomes, which could imbue objects with special attributes.

Zhou Li blinked. “…Runestones? Why do they look a lot like elemental gems?”

Ariel jumped in proudly. “Because they’re made from elemental gems.”

Luna nodded. “Elemental gems are merely stones containing raw magical essence. To ordinary folk, they’re just pretty rocks—they can’t use them directly. So alchemists refine them into philosopher’s stones or cauldrons; inscriptionists carve sigils to create usable runestones; and mages extract the essence to make magic thread, scrolls, or enchantment tomes.”

Zhou Li felt enlightened again.

She listed the items on the auction network. Everything except the runestones sold—since without the right ritual knowledge or spells, runestones were useless.

“The total comes to 33.08 million points,” Zhou Li announced.

Luna asked eagerly, “Is that enough to buy the telephone system?”

“More than enough,” Zhou Li replied. “You could buy several complete sets.”

Each telephone communication system included telephones, switchboards, patch panels, cables, carrier systems, and repeaters.

The auction hub sold them as bundles—around eight million points per set.

“…With enough switchboards and repeaters,” Zhou Li explained, “the network range reaches roughly two hundred kilometers. Without them, communication drops to just a few.”

Luna quickly did the math. Four full systems could connect the entire Emerald Wasteland—creating instant communication across their trade routes!

Then she could build a railway through the region, sketching new trade lines like the bones of a great fish across the land.

Just as she prepared to buy all four systems at once, Kemeigao panicked. “I’ll buy too! I can trade my Sunset Ranch—over a thousand cattle, three thousand sheep, a hundred horses, and seventy slaves!”

Zhou Li: ?

Luna shot Kemeigao a withering look, as if scolding him for being utterly tactless.

Zhou Li said flatly, “Sorry, I don’t deal in ranches—unless you bring the cattle, sheep, and horses here to sell.”

Luna’s eyes lit up.

Kemeigao frowned. “You don’t want the ranch? Then what about Segusburg Manor? It produces premium spices—tons of it every year.”

“Also no.”

Ariel burst out laughing at Kemeigao’s failed attempt.

Kemeigao glared at her, then turned to Luna. “Fine. I’ll sell the ranch to the Thorn Consortium—you sell us the telephone system in return.”

Ariel’s expression turned cold. If Luna dared agree, the Senate would immediately blacklist the Consortium.

Sensing the tension, Luna smiled pleasantly. “Let’s wait until I’ve secured the telephone systems—then we can discuss partnership terms.”

Once the phones were in her hands, after all, she could decide whether to sell them, and at what price.

Ariel sneered, “Don’t forget the Senate is still here.”

Luna, unfazed, said, “I thought Your Excellency would be more interested in the elemental gems.”

Ariel faltered.

Luna continued sweetly, “And they aren’t exactly cheap.”

Ariel turned to Zhou Li. “How many elemental gems do you have?”

Zhou Li thought, A whole ship’s worth.

Last night, she and An Fengxuan had tried to break down the large gem clusters—but they were fused too tightly.

So she simply tossed the entire clusters into her warehouse and let the system scan and price them as-is.

In other words, they couldn’t be bought individually anymore—only in massive bundles.

Zhou Li pointed toward the vending machine. “You can check the vending machines yourself.”

“So that’s what it’s called—a vending machine!” Kemeigao exclaimed, fascinated as ever by the least relevant detail.

Ariel ignored him and went to check the machine.

Moments later, her composure cracked. “By all the gods—did you move the entire Elemental Storm Canyon here!?”

Zhou Li shrugged. “This little pile of gems counts as that? I heard the canyon’s yield isn’t even that high.”

There was still an entire seabed full of the stuff back in the zombie world—enough to mine for a century.

If the magic factions ever learned that, wouldn’t they start planning a mass migration to the zombie world?

Ariel’s words stuck in her throat.

She was furious, disheartened, and utterly confused.

How could something that took them so much effort and risk to mine be this abundant here—almost cheap?

And Rebecca had reported before that she’d bought nearly all of the supermarket’s elemental gems, leaving only about a hundred.

So where had these twenty thousand more come from!?

To buy them all would cost over ten million points.

But Ariel hadn’t come prepared for such large-scale trade—she hadn’t brought enough valuables. Even if she could afford the gems, she wouldn’t have enough left to compete with Luna or Kemeigao afterward.

Still, compared to those two, the gems were far more important.

With a grim look, Ariel unfastened her pack and began pulling out magical artifacts as if they were free candy.

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