Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 55 Level 4 Store Manager
As the clock struck 8:30, Chen Xuan was teleported back to the shop as he had hoped.

"I must say, you're quite bold." Lin Qing sat on the sofa as usual, with a simple meal of two dishes and a soup laid out on the coffee table. "You dared to linger under the noses of the Weixian Agency after provoking them."

"Isn't it said that the most dangerous place is the safest place? Besides, their attention is drawn to the intrusion point, and they don't have time to care about anything else," he said calmly.

Of course, the key is having a lot of cards in hand. Not only is there the free check-in at 8:30, but there is also the store manager's exclusive recall. As long as the store doesn't go out of business, the mechanism can't keep him.

Were there any casualties at the scene?

Chen Xuan shook his head. "I didn't hear any news like this before I left."

Although many ambulances arrived, he didn't see any of them that needed to be carried up on a stretcher.

With so many onlookers at the zoo, the police station was well-prepared, and there were many officers on site maintaining order, so the flow of people remained under control. Furthermore, since the actual incident occurred in the sparsely visited botanical garden, by the time the large-caliber tranquilizer gun was brought over from next door, all potential risks had been largely eliminated.

In fact, the plan devised by the two did not include the dinosaur part.

Although the information provided by Lin Qing indicated that the wanderer associated with the 109th intrusion point was a Deinonychus named Guagua, it was unexpected that it was driving a group of herbivorous dinosaurs, causing several ancient creatures that had been extinct for hundreds of millions of years to cross the boundary and enter this new world.

So he didn't return to the store immediately. Instead, he used the "invite a guest" function to send Lin Qing back, while he turned to keep an eye on the dinosaurs' movements to make sure they didn't rush into the plaza area.

The method of control was also very simple. He switched to the Bagua Palm technique that he had previously traded from Liu Shuyue. It could make the thick-skinned dinosaur feel pain, but it wouldn't be as conspicuous as the Thousand Thoughts Sword.

“Actually, you don’t need to do these things.” Lin Qing looked straight at him. “The invasion of the world will create more ability users, and correspondingly, more people will use their abilities to do evil. If we are to deal with the Dimensional Organization in the future, it will inevitably affect many ordinary people, which is unavoidable.”

Chen Xuan said dismissively, "If I couldn't see or control it, that would be fine. But since we can do it on a whim, it's better to clean up the mess afterward. After all, we're the ones who put on this show."

Seeing his reaction, Lin Qing didn't try to persuade him any further, but her gaze softened. "Let's eat first."

Seeing Chen Xuan sit down at the coffee table, she also picked up her chopsticks.

Clearly, she hadn't started cooking yet, and had been waiting for him to come back.

“The security agencies must be in complete chaos by now…” Chen Xuan pondered as he ate. “I saw a lot of police cars at the scene. According to you, they used to try to avoid official intervention.”

Although the appearance of the dinosaurs was an accident, the effect was undeniably phenomenal. The plan was all about timing; before the botanical garden was completely controlled, it allowed as many people as possible to experience the existence of the intrusion point firsthand. The sensation caused by the dinosaurs was far more significant than the intrusion point itself—the moment those ancient dragons emerged from the great forest, the idea that anomalies existed in this world should have taken root in people's minds.

"Of course, the authorities probably never dreamed that someone would understand corrosion better than them." Lin Qing laughed happily.

"really."

The Security Agency had little chance of winning from the start, not because of a lack of ability, but because of a lack of strategic acumen. The 109th intrusion point was originally supposed to be detected two years later, when the agency captured the culprit, Guagua, at the scene and kept it in captivity. Only after comparing waveform records did they discover that the first fluctuation emitted by the 109th intrusion point occurred in 2025, which is today.

In other words, the other party would never have considered that there was an intrusion point in the botanical garden.

It was precisely because of this unique intelligence that the two decided to use it to create a big news story.

"Is it alright to leave Guagua there?" This was Chen Xuan's only concern.

It was clear from just a few minutes of contact that this Deinonychus was quite intelligent and its intelligence was probably not low. It was visibly happy when playing with Lin Qing.

Dinosaurs' lives matter too.

Furthermore, according to intelligence records, Guagua is undoubtedly capable. However, due to the language barrier, the Weixian Agency could only end the conversation with a series of question marks.

"You can't possibly bring it back and keep it as a pet! The whole neighborhood would know you have a dinosaur in your shop by tomorrow," Lin Qing said helplessly. "Dragons are easier to deal with than people. The authorities won't dissect it for experiments."

"I hope so," Chen Xuan shrugged. The question had been asked; now it was just a matter of waiting for the Weixian Agency to make its move.

……

After the meal, customers gradually entered the restaurant. Chen Xuan stood behind the counter, paying his bill while browsing trending topics online.

Even without looking, it's obvious that when residents from the neighborhood met while shopping at the store, they talked about the botanical garden's anomalies and dinosaurs, demonstrating the wide-ranging impact of this event.

The vast forest area is now under government control, with construction fences erected along the grasslands, preventing the public from approaching for the time being. But the stricter the control, the more it proves the story isn't unfounded; the homepages of major video websites are almost entirely dominated by the word "ability," and people are already asking how to unleash their own abilities. Suddenly, a familiar information icon pops up at the bottom of the screen.

Chen Xuan opened the email and, sure enough, it was an email from the LV4 store manager confirming his approval.

"By this point, you should already be incredibly wealthy or famous. If not, then keep trying."

"A branch store can exist. The section on branches in the 'Store Manager's Guidelines' is now unlocked."

“New transaction methods are available: covert transactions and one-way claims. The former does not have a transaction window and does not impose any requirements on the amount of ability held by the buyer or seller. The latter allows you to acquire ability from the ability holder, with the terms negotiated between the two parties and requiring the other party's confirmation at the time of the transaction. Neither of these transaction methods calculates performance points.”

"Ability synchronization limit increased to LV4".

"Not for sale, not for transfer. Store manager's current status: still active."

This time, thankfully, no more floors were added to the store.

But what exactly is a branch store?
It wasn't even mentioned directly in the message bar, which means it's far more complicated than checking into a hotel or opening a restaurant?
Chen Xuan was already used to it; anyway, there was still a long time in the evening, and he could take his time to study it later.

The two new trading methods seem to have removed the restriction of having to exchange abilities for abilities, which is obviously good news. For example, when he traded "Blessed Saint Maiden" with Jeanne d'Arc to save Liu Shuyue, he had to add a "Feng Shui Secret" from his inventory, which was of little use to either of them. With the new trading methods, this whole set of steps can be skipped.

After browsing the emails, Chen Xuan couldn't wait to open the store manager rating, wanting to see what new requirements the next level would bring.

Store Manager LV5 Application Requirements: 1000 performance points; extremely wealthy or famous.

The first requirement was ten times higher than the 100 required for LV4, but this didn't surprise Chen Xuan. As seen in previous promotions, the performance gap between each level was extremely significant.

However, he was dumbfounded by the second request.

What criteria would be used to determine if something is considered satisfactory? How much money would be considered an enemy state? How much fame would be enough to be considered world-renowned? There isn't even a single standard for judging this?

That being said, both of these are quite outrageous, especially in modern society. Even the world's richest person wouldn't dare to claim that they are richer than a country, right?
But he also noticed that there was an extra notification in the rating section this time: LV5 milestone reward, which can add an extra ability slot!

This means that he can carry five abilities at the same time, which not only saves him the trouble of switching abilities, but also further enhances his combat configuration.

He really wants this!

Chen Xuan thought and thought for a long time, but he couldn't figure out how to make the application requirements closer to the target. So he had to take out the store manager's code of conduct and see what the situation was like in the branch.

He had practically worn out this booklet; he could recite the contents of every page by heart, yet he had never seen any explanation about branch stores before.

But this time he actually found a new description in the table of contents.

Goodness, they can even add content to a book.

"Branch Store": The store manager can open a branch store, which requires a room of no less than 50 square meters and a legal and reliable lease or purchase contract. Once the contract is scanned into the Store Manager APP, the branch store is considered successfully opened, and all subsequent expenses are the responsibility of the store manager.

To put it simply: I need money.

These are real expenses: rent, utilities, and inventory costs. The initial investment for opening a store can be much higher than the operating costs.

He then looked down.

"Responsibility": The "Number One Store Manager" has the sole authority and responsibility for the store, which cannot be delegated to branch managers. When customers come in, the store manager must personally attend to their needs, and regardless of which store they are in, their daily working hours should not be less than 8 hours.

"Functionality": The branch stores and the main store share the same warehouse, equipment, and inventory capabilities. Staff can move between the two stores without restrictions on distance or frequency. Branch stores do not include additional value-added services such as accommodation and catering. When using branches to attract customers, please pay close attention to customer satisfaction.

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(End of this chapter)