The First Store System

The other customers couldn’t hear the conversation between the store owner and the customer, so none knew of Devon leaving the store with nothing in his kitty.

Aakesh got busy with other customers after Devon left. He could have helped him, but the store’s first rule said that Aakesh had to be fair with each customer of his, irrespective of their situation. So if Aakesh helped Devon heal from the curse of the worm, it would mean Aakesh would have to save other customers as well if the store didn’t sell the lifesaving product they needed.

Aakesh had helped Maria when the store had only settled, but that was only monetary help, and that was too not his money but of those who had ulterior motives when entering the store.

As for Devon’s death affecting the store’s popularity, Aakesh didn’t care much. The store has been continuously serving the needs of millions of people for the past several decades. If just one person leaving the store emptyhanded negated this, then there wasn’t supposed to be a store in the first place.

As Aakesh had expected, it played no role in the store customer’s mind after learning of it. Even Eliza, Devon’s daughter, continued to be a regular at the store.

Only Aakesh didn’t know what he had set loose upon the Multiverse. Aakesh had recognized the worm that was nibbling Devon’s soul, but he didn’t give much importance to it.

The worm belonged to a group of parasitic races. Its name was Nibble Parasite. As its name suggested, it ate things and grew stronger with them.

Nibble Parasite was once a living race that had become extinct after a man hunted the race countless years ago.

The parasite invited a tribulation as soon as it emerged from Devon’s corpse. The tribulation was horrifying, to say the least, and yet the worm was alive when it ended.

The reason for it wasn’t the worm’s own capability but a golden hue covering it. A wormhole appeared out of nowhere at that place, and it had sucked the worm inside, only to emerge in the future, causing mayhem across the Primal and Sacred dimensions.

***

Unaware of what the future was to cause, Aakesh continued selling cultivation arts in the store. Devon wasn’t the end of new customers as many thousands of them came after him, and everyone left with excitement on their faces.

“Store owner, I want this cultivation art!” A familiar statement rang in Aakesh’s ears for the umpteenth time.

Aakesh, as usual, took a glance at the customer and then at the virtual book floating next to the customer.

“Oh, you found one for yourself,” Aakesh expressionlessly said as the customer in front of Aakesh was Philips. Philips had come to the store to get a top-quality cultivation art to solve an issue he had on his hands.

Philips nodded as he had an excited expression on his face. The next moment, he heard the price of the cultivation art and felt a pang in his heart. But Philips steeled himself as the price paid by him was worth it. His life was at stake, so no price was worth more than it.

After steeling his heart, Philips took the required amount from his pocket space and handed it to Aakesh. It was nine hundred billion supreme Primal stones.

Philips had found three other cultivation arts that were of better quality than the current one he used, but unfortunately for him, it was the only one he could afford, as the other three cost more than his net worth.

Aakesh waved his hands, and soon the mountain of the Primal stones disappeared from the store. Aakesh then informed Philips about his ownership of the cultivation art.

Philips had a mixture of positive expressions going through his face as he left the queue and then the store. Philips couldn’t wait to get himself free of the wisp of the soul in his consciousness.

Aakesh got busy with another customer after Philips left.

One second passed, two seconds passed, fifteen seconds passed, and just like that, hours had passed. Only around one hour was left before the sunset when suddenly, out of nowhere, a door materialized mid-air in the store.

Those who were new to the store had surprised expressions, while those who were regular did not react since they had already gotten used to seeing the scene.

Not long after, Lily stepped out of the door and came down to the store, using the stairs. Aakesh only glanced at her and smiled, and then got busy with the customers in the queue.

Lily felt irritation in her heart after seeing this many people in the queue. As a result, Lily had to wait silently until the store closed and then for a few more minutes after if the people in the line didn’t leave till then.

Lily then pushed the irritation to the back of her mind since Aakesh would never stop doing it. She then jumped on Aakesh’s head and began her comfortable sleeping session.

Time flew by, and the sunset finally announced its arrival on the Anga continent.

As the sun went to rest, darkness spread across the entire continent. Many had excited expressions while many had sad expressions as the augment of the night brought good news for some, while for some, it announced the arrival of tragedy.

Aakesh had nothing to do with what was going on in other people’s lives, so when the sunset arrived, Aakesh stood up from the chair and went to the weapons room.

Aakesh told the customers in the weapons room to leave since the store was about to close. Without waiting for their reaction, Aakesh went to the cultivation arts room and repeated the same process.

Aakesh’s eyes fell on a frustrated Lilith, but since he didn’t care what was going on with her, he ignored it and returned to his chair.

The customers in the weapons and the cultivation arts room began leaving one by one. Lilith turned around and took a glance at Aakesh, who was busy with the customers in the queue. She wanted to say something, but after seeing the number of people in the line, she pushed it back to her head and left the store.