If a real threat ever emerged, there would be no hesitation.
They would act, swiftly and without mercy.
Their quiet sparring, this friendly exchange, was just a glimpse of the storm they were capable of.
A storm that could tear apart anyone who dared to challenge the store.
Kurome gave one last glance toward Tian Lu. She expressed her gratitude once more.
With a swish of her tail, she turned and ascended the stairs.
Little Sneak padded after her, his small form weaving through the shadows.
Tian Lu remained where he was for a moment.
Then he turned, silent as stone, and made his way to the main store area.
“Greetings.”
“Employer.”
Hao looked up from behind the counter, already used to Tian Lu’s short way of speaking.
“Greetings, Lu.”
“Begin.”
“Work.”
It was a familiar routine now.
Tian Lu might be a man of few words, but Hao always appreciated this small gesture of professionalism.
In fact, Hao found it kind of funny.
Even if Tian Lu only spoke five words a day, he always made sure to report in like clockwork.
“Alright, Lu. Get yourself food first before you head out, okay?”
Tian Lu nodded.
He walked over to the shelves without a word. He grabbed a bag of Original Salted Potato Chips and took a can of Peach Oolong Tea.
That was all he needed.
There was a new customer by the corner.
Tian Lu didn’t spare him more than a passing glance.
As long as he didn’t cause trouble, he didn’t care.
The moment he stepped out of his room earlier, he noticed it.
The store had expanded.
The second floor now stretched wider, more polished, and with proper railing.
Mo Xixi had already told them about this. Something about how amazing their employer truly was.
Being able to rebuild and grow a store overnight without waking a single soul?
That was not normal.
But it was also not surprising anymore.
Even the main store interior had changed.
More space, more light, much longer shelves. There were even proper tables now lining the floor.
Tian Lu didn’t dwell on it. He worked, and he got paid.
He was given extremely delicious food every single day – for free.
He had a base to return to, one with a bed so perfect it erased exhaustion and peaceful silence.
What more could he ask for?
A blade did not question the hand that wielded it.
As long as he was fed, rested, and useful, he was content.
With both hands full, he made his way to the exit.
But just before he stepped outside –
A pulse ran through his left arm.
The Employee’s Safety Badge vibrated.
Time had slowed.
No –
It hadn’t just slowed down. It had twisted!
The air warped around him. Color drained from the world, replaced by black and white.
The sound of the store faded into nothingness.
Tian Lu’s eyes narrowed. The badge gleamed faintly.
He felt something shift inside his mind. It wasn’t pain.
More like… awareness.
A new sense. A dormant connection now awakened.
He could feel a formation. A hidden array.
Intricate, yet simple to command.
A teleportation gate.
It responded to his thoughts.
’Is this one of the badge’s hidden functions?’
In Tian Lu’s mind, two options floated before him.
He could feel the path back to the familiar alleyway in Sovereign City.
But the other one –
It had no image.
Only a name appeared, etched across his thoughts in burning light.
“Scorching Soul City of the Molten Ashlands.”
Tian Lu didn’t hesitate.
He reached toward that name.
The world pulled him forward.
He was engulfed in a flash so intense it swallowed everything. Warmth surged around him. The world twisted, then let go.
When Tian Lu opened his eyes, he was somewhere else entirely.
The air was dry and angry, filled with the sting of old ash and the weight of heat baked deep into the stone.
To his left, three crooked outhouses leaned against each other, their frames sagging as if they were miserable drunk old men.
The buildings seemed to cling to each other for support, bent and weary under years of neglect.
A mutt scratched its fleas beside the wall, thin as a stick, its one ear twitching as it glared at Tian Lu like he’d just interrupted its nap.
Somewhere ahead, a vendor was shouting.
“Hot buns! Still smokin’! Guaranteed to burn your tongue or your coins back!”
“Oi, whose mutt is this – get outta my stall, you mangy little thief!”
The dusty stone ground stretched beneath him, with scorch marks scattered everywhere, as if the earth itself was scorched from endless fires.
A single wilted weed poked through a crack in the stones, its thin stem twisting like it was trying to escape the heat.
To the right side was old, soot-stained structure with a crumbling roof – probably someone’s forgotten storage shed.
The alley ended at a wide street, choked with people and heat.
Old cloth tarps flapped from the stall roofs, their reds and oranges faded by years of sun.
Vendors waved fans made of bone.
The smell of grilled meat, molten spice, and burnt sugar thickened the air, mixing into an overwhelming scent that clung to everything.
A crooked lamp post sputtered nearby, its flame struggling to stay alight, though it was unnecessary in the harsh brightness of the sky.
The sky above was a searing orange, stretched thin.
Tian Lu took it all in slowly, feeling the weight of the place settle around him.
He stepped to the side of the doorway, making sure he wasn’t blocking anyone coming in or out of the store.
He had already spread his spiritual senses across the nearby area.
Every scorched brick, every flickering heat signature, every cough and footstep within a few meters – he felt it all.
It wasn’t perfect, but it gave him a general feel of the place.
He figured the alley in Sovereign City didn’t need him right now anyway.
It was quiet there. A little too quiet.
Nothing ever really happened. No trouble, no excitement, no reason to even lift a finger.
Quiet enough to make his joints stiff and his reflexes feel slow.
It wasn’t that he wanted to fight.
Absolutely not.
He was just being responsible. Gathering information. Adjusting to the new environment.
Maybe getting into a small brawl or two if fate insisted.
After all, he was a mercenary.
A very professional one.