"Boss! You've finally opened the doors!"
Luo Chuan had scarcely blinked when the voice struck him—a sound so laden with theatrical despair it could wring tears from stone. Before he could react, Bu Lige hurtled toward him like a starved hound spotting a feast, his emerald eyes glowing with a predator's intensity. Though undeniably handsome, the fervor in Bu Lige's gaze sent an involuntary shiver down Luo Chuan's spine.
Ugh. Overkill as always.
As Bu Lige lunged forward, an invisible barrier halted him mid-stride, leaving him frozen mere meters from Luo Chuan. Undeterred, he clasped his hands dramatically. "Where were you, Boss? Do you have any idea how I've suffered these past days? Agony! Desolation! My soul withered like a plucked lotus!"
Luo Chuan stifled an eye-roll. It's been three days. You'd think I'd abandoned him in the Abyss. "The ancient ruins opened. I toured them," he replied flatly, refusing to indulge the theatrics.
Bu Lige's mournful facade crumbled instantly, replaced by a grin sharper than a dagger's edge. "Ah, but Boss, guarding this empty shop was torture! The silence! The boredom!" His gaze drifted longingly toward the gleaming facade of Origin Mall.
Luo Chuan flicked a wrist. "Spirit crystals on the counter. As usual."
"Always, Boss!" Bu Lige's form blurred as he vanished into the store, leaving only a trail of eager laughter.
Let's see how he reacts to the new additions. Luo Chuan smirked, imagining the scene inside.
Bu Lige moved with the precision of a seasoned ritual. First, the sacred trinity: cola, spicy strips, and instant noodles. (Why? Simple. Everything else cost a minor fortune.) As boiling spring water cascaded over the noodles, he cracked open a cola, the fizz echoing like a symphony. The first sip hit like a lightning strike—sweet, crisp, alive.
"That's the stuff!" He sighed, eyes watering with bliss. Three days without this nectar. A crime against existence.
Between slurps, he scanned the store. The sapling by the counter caught his eye—a delicate thing with leaves like jade fractals. "Adorable. Boss really knows how to decorate," he chuckled, oblivious to the World Tree's true nature. Its branches quivered faintly, as if offended.
Next, the Abyss Orb. Its surface swirled with shadows that prickled his skin. "Pretty… but wrong," he muttered, edging away. Even sealed, its malice lingered like a half-remembered nightmare.
Disappointment crept in. No new treasures? After days of waiting?
Then—a flicker on the far wall.
"Eh?" Bu Lige squinted. Etched into the stone was a pattern he'd never seen: intricate, shifting, alive with latent power. His heart raced. Finally. A mystery.
He bolted to the entrance, nearly tripping over his own robes. "Boss! What's that on the wall? Some secret formation? A weapon? Tell me!"
Luo Chuan's lips curved. Patience, my eager friend. The game's just beginning.