Ch 132: My Multiverse Supermarket

After confirming the hypothesis that “magical constructs can function in the dungeon worlds,” An Fengxuan burst into wild laughter.

Zhou Li grew concerned, wondering if she had been contaminated.

An Fengxuan quickly reassured her. “Don’t worry, Boss. I’m not insane—I’m just thrilled. I want to learn magic!”

Zhou Li asked, “You mean you want to be a priest?”

“If I can meet one and learn divine spells, that’s ideal. If not, other professions will do.”

An Fengxuan had made up her mind: once she returned to the zombie world, she would gather as many sea fluorites as possible. She believed that as the supermarket’s fame spread across worlds, the person she was waiting for would eventually appear.

Then she suddenly remembered—she was still a heavily indebted employee. How could she go off to study without discussing it with her boss first?

“Boss…”

Zhou Li already knew what she wanted to say and replied, “As long as work isn’t busy, you’re allowed to take time for study.”

“Thank you, Boss!”

*

Magic and Steam Plane – Emerald Wasteland

The “earthquake” caused by the small supermarket was still rippling across the land.

After Ariel, Luna too heard from the shaman about the growing rumor that the supermarket might actually be a divine realm.

Before the Age of Waning Magic, the concept of divine realms had already spread across the Four Continents.

People believed that every god possessed a divine realm of their own, residing in temples within that sacred kingdom. Upon death, their believers would be drawn there to serve as divine attendants.

Over time, this belief evolved—by the waning era, it was thought that only the most devout, those who had cultivated themselves close to godhood, could enter such realms.

When divine power diminished and gods weakened, they no longer had the strength to receive every deceased follower. Only the most exceptional believers were chosen, and the gods would send divine envoys to personally open the gate of the divine realm and bring them in.

Throughout history, literature and art often depicted these realms, though none had ever been verified. Those who claimed to have been there were later proven delirious.

If not for the existence of the Primordial Sea of Life, people might have abandoned the notion of divine realms entirely under the march of industrial progress.

Yet even the Primordial Sea’s divine nature had begun to be questioned.

For Mayrelian nations—whose power rested upon magic and faith—such doubt was disastrous. If the divine realm itself were denied, the entire structure of faith and order could collapse.

Thus, both Ariel and the Elders of the Senate were desperate to use this event to restore people’s faith in the gods and in magic.

Those same nobles who once wore greed on their faces now hid behind reverent masks.

No one dared to wager that the supermarket was not a divine realm.

After all—what else could explain its endless supply of elemental gems? If it truly was a god’s domain, wasn’t such abundance only natural?

What else could explain how it appeared and disappeared without warning? The divine realm’s gate opens—it manifests. The gate closes—it vanishes. Simple.

And only a divine realm could produce the overwhelming energy field that destroyed thieves and shadow creatures in an instant. If a god’s domain could be invaded so easily, would it still be worthy of the name?

The only problem was—whose divine realm was it?

The Senate analyzed every known deity, but none seemed to fit.

The Nethermoon Goddess was the first ruled out—shadow creatures couldn’t even approach the supermarket.

The God of Light and the Goddess of War were dismissed next. Their followers had ventured there in waves and felt nothing.

The Goddess of Life was also out—if the supermarket was her realm, then what would the Primordial Sea of Life be?

That left only three possibilities: the Goddess of Wisdom, the Goddess of Oaths, or the Goddess of Nature.

The debate among the elders grew heated:

“To buy anything in that store, you must follow strict rules—perhaps it’s the Goddess of Oaths’ realm.”

“But that could also be seen as a form of order. By your logic, it might belong to the Goddess of Order instead.”

“There are many advanced industrial products inside. Maybe it’s the realm of those false gods of the steam faction.”

“False gods don’t have divine realms!”

“What if it’s a wild god, an unknown one never recorded in the codices?”

“Impossible for it to be the Goddess of Wisdom’s—she would never hide herself like this.”

“And the Goddess of Nature despises industry. Her realm could never hold machinery.”

“The Atmos people are opportunistic fence-sitters. They keep praising these so-called ‘false gods.’ Who knows—maybe if they flatter them long enough, one might actually manifest.”

By the end of their analysis, an uneasy conclusion settled over the council.

Either this supermarket was the divine realm of some steam-faction god—or it belonged to a new, unrecorded wild god.

And either answer made them deeply uncomfortable.

If it was one of their own, they would rather see it destroyed!

But saying that was easier than doing it.

Even the Archmage sent by Kirog declared that he needed to observe longer before making any conclusion.

In the end, the Senate resolved to gather more powerful individuals to investigate the Emerald Wasteland in secret.

If it was confirmed to be the realm of a newborn wild god—they would eradicate it at all costs.

*

The Thorn Consortium, however, took the opposite stance.

Upon hearing that a divine realm might have appeared in the Emerald Wasteland, the Chairwoman was thrilled.

To her, it didn’t matter whether it belonged to an old god, a new god, or a wild god.

Any being capable of wielding power beyond both magic and technology was, without question, a god.

She even began to entertain a bold idea—perhaps the Consortium should begin worshipping this “God of Commerce” to seek divine protection.

Indeed, the Chairwoman had already taken the liberty of bestowing upon Zhou Li her own divine title:

The God of Commerce.

Luna said, “…Isn’t that blasphemous? What if there really is a God of Commerce out there?”

The Chairwoman replied, “Look at her—she doesn’t belong to either the Mayrelian faction or the Atmos faction. She takes no sides, yet does business with both, treating every honest trader equally. Tell me, if that’s not the God of Commerce, then what is?”

Luna: …

Admittedly, that actually sounded reasonable.

A true God of Commerce would sell anything. Elemental gems, high-tech inventions more advanced than Kemeigao’s machines—everything had a price.

“But she looks like an ordinary human,” Luna added after some thought.

The Chairwoman replied, “If a god’s disguise could be seen through so easily, would they still be a god?”

Luna had no response.

And just like that, she found herself thoroughly indoctrinated.

*

When Zhou Li and the supermarket returned to the Emerald Wasteland more than twenty days later, she thought for sure the system had mis-set the coordinates.

“Why is it this lively? Don’t tell me you dropped us in a village, system?”

The system answered, “No mistake. This is the same location.”

Zhou Li was silent for a moment.

“So… this entire village was built while we were gone?”

Indeed. From the storefront outward, the endless wilderness had transformed into rows of wooden-and-stone houses.

They were neatly arranged, with streets divided by architectural style.

Looking up, Zhou Li recognized the banners fluttering above.

The cluster of homes built around a modest chapel belonged to the Mayrelian faction. The rough, refugee-camp-like dwellings were those of the Thorn Consortium, and the row of linked townhouses clearly marked the Atmos faction.

Suddenly, a shout rang through the air: “It’s back!”

Luna was the first to arrive, leading her people. When she saw Zhou Li, she visibly exhaled in relief.

“My God of Commerce, you’ve finally returned.”

Zhou Li thought drily, What is this, a contagion? First Kemeigao with his “my this-god, my that-god,” and now her too?

Out loud, she said, “What, were you worried I’d run off with the money?”

Luna waved her hands quickly. “I wouldn’t dare! I have absolute faith in your noble character.”

Zhou Li: ?

Was that sarcasm or not?

But Luna’s expression was so sincere it was impossible to tell.

Sigh, Zhou Li thought. Thanks to the internet, I can’t even tell when people are being genuine anymore.

“Anyway,” Zhou Li asked, “you’re here to pick up the goods? Are you ready to receive them?”

“We’re fully prepared,” Luna replied. “We’ve hired plenty of laborers for transport, and even built a warehouse.”

Zhou Li eyed the not-so-large structure she pointed at. “That warehouse alone won’t hold everything.”

“Exactly why I’d like to request delivery in batches,” said Luna.

The Chairwoman had already studied the instruction manuals and decided that laying a telephone network couldn’t be done all at once—it would have to be built in phases.

After internal discussion, the Consortium also agreed to cooperate with the Radiant Consortium on the project. To that end, the Radiant Consortium would establish a communications station in the Emerald Wasteland.

Zhou Li shrugged. “Sure.”

She then told the system to “spit out” the basic equipment that had been stored via folded-space technology, stacking it neatly in the open field.

That one gesture left the archmages hiding in the shadows trembling in awe.

“She didn’t use a teleportation circle!? A miracle—this is a divine miracle!” someone cried.

Ariel, who knew the Senate intended to test Zhou Li and the supermarket, wanted to flee on the spot. The last thing she needed was to be caught in divine wrath because of their meddling.

Just then, a deep, thoughtful voice muttered, “Could that be spatial magic?”

The suggestion was met with immediate outrage. “Impossible! There’s no such thing as spatial magic in this world!”

In this realm, magic types were defined by elemental affinity. There were only nine: water, fire, wind, earth, lightning, light, nature, life, and shadow.

No one had ever discovered a spatial elemental gem—nor did any god rule over the “law of space.”

“But isn’t a divine realm itself a kind of ‘space’?” the voice continued.

“You shouldn’t—!” a mage began to scold, but then the speaker pulled back their cloak, revealing a face everyone knew all too well.

“Chief Elder Wendisha!?” Ariel gasped. “You came in person?”

Wendisha simply said, “I came to see for myself.”

At her appearance, the noisy debate suddenly unified into hushed silence.

“If it’s proven to be a divine realm,” someone murmured, “that wouldn’t bode well for us…”

Wendisha said calmly, “You must look at matters dialectically. Even if it is not the domain of our gods, at least it proves that divine realms exist—and that the gods themselves exist.”

*

Author’s Note

Boss Zhou: Me? The God of Commerce?
Oh, right—yes! I am the True Saint of Trade, the Savior of Humanity, the Infinite Protector, the Mysterious Island Master, the God of Commerce—Zhou Xiaoli!

System: …We don’t have enough server space for that many titles.

☢️☢️☢️