"Welcome, sir. How may we assist you today?"
A friendly female receptionist greeted Essim and Aisha as they entered the war office.
"We're here to report on a mission," Essim replied, his tone professional.
He proceeded to explain their journey during the patrol, including the destruction of the enemy's flying ship using the Sky Mortar.
"Understood, sir. I will make a record of it," the receptionist said, quickly turning to her work behind the desk.
After a few minutes of typing, the receptionist looked up at Essim with a smile.
"Thank you for your report, sir. As a bonus for completing the mission, you've been awarded an additional 5,000 contribution points."
"Please check your War Badge for confirmation."
Curious about the number of points he had accumulated, Essim took out his War Badge to check the details.
[War Badge]
Name: Essim
Power Core: System | Tier-2Rank: Silver
Contribution Points: 11,200
Origin: Mystic Realm
A small smile played on Essim's lips as he saw the total contribution points displayed on his badge. In less than six hours since arriving in the Guandu realm, he had already surpassed 10,000 points.
Next, he pulled up the Event Ranking panel.
[Event Ranking]
William Anderson - 21,850
Jackson - 17,600
Bai Qi - 13,000
Mizayo - 12,750
Essim - 11,200
...
Laras - 4,600
...
Aisha - 1,300
"Rank 5..." Essim muttered to himself, feeling a spark of pride. As his name appeared in the top 10 rankings, several congratulatory messages popped up.
(Laras): Congratulations, Brother Essim, on entering the top 10!
(Dion): Brother Essim, amazing! Thanks again for the silver badge you gifted me.
(Haikal Emanuel): Young master Essim is extraordinary! Keep it up, young master!
The World Market Alliance chat column was soon buzzing with messages.
[Alliance Chat: World Market]
(Pandawa): Incredible! Our alliance leader is a powerhouse.
(Warni): Rank 5 already? Wow... Even the Indonesian alliance can't break into that!
(Strongest Man): The leader earned 11,000 points in just six hours? I can't even reach 100!
(Sherly): Leader Essim, please continue to take care of the alliance for Aisha.
(Herman): If our leader stays in the top 10 until the event ends, I'll share 10,000 energy crystals with 10 lucky people!
The World Market Alliance had grown to over 6,000 official members, with only official members allowed to access the group chat. The chat was filled with praises for Essim, who responded with simple thanks and encouraged them all to keep pushing forward. He reminded everyone not to get complacent, especially since it was only the first day of the event.
"Alright, thank you, miss. The points have been added," Essim said, smiling at the receptionist. Then, he and Aisha left the war office building.
"Aisha, what do you think about setting up a store here in the Guandu realm?" Essim asked as they walked through the bustling streets. He noticed Aisha seemed a bit more composed than before.
"That sounds like a great idea, brother... I think it would be fine," Aisha replied casually, though her voice had regained a hint of her usual cheerfulness. Despite her more upbeat tone, her face still carried traces of melancholy.
"Good, but before we dive into that, let's get something to eat first," Essim suggested, raising his right hand in enthusiasm.
Aisha let out a small laugh, her spirits visibly lifting.
"Let's go!!!"
Aisha's energy returned, and she mirrored her brother's playful gesture by raising her hand as well. Together, they headed to one of the bustling restaurants in the Heaven News City area.
Eastern Part of Heaven News City
A middle-aged man was explaining rental prices to a pair of young siblings. The two were Essim and Aisha, who were inquiring about renting a building for a branch of the World Market Alliance Store.
"Mr. Sun, what's the rental price for this area and the building?" Essim asked, pointing to a spot on the map.
"This building and its location are in a high-traffic area, young master Essim. The lowest rental price would be 350 mid-tier energy crystals per month," Sun Fute, the landowner, explained in detail.
Essim mentally calculated the cost. That amounted to 3,500 mid-tier crystals annually, equivalent to 3,500,000 energy crystals. If they sold level-20 weapons at 5,000 crystals each, they would need to sell roughly 700 weapons a month—or about 23 per day—to break even.
Considering the strategic location and the fact that Guandu was a mid-tier realm, the price seemed fair.
"Alright, let's make a one-year agreement," Essim said.
Mr. Sun was thrilled to hear that Essim wanted a full year's lease—such a wealthy client was a rare find!
He quickly produced a contract outlining the terms of the agreement. Essim would have permission to operate in the designated area for one year.
After signing the contract, Essim took out a pouch containing 42 high-tier crystals. While he only had 10,000 mid-tier crystals, the urgency of mid-tier crystals wasn't a concern for him. To Essim, high-tier or mid-tier crystals held nearly the same value.
"Young master Essim is very generous," Mr. Sun said, his eyes gleaming as he saw the pouch of high-tier crystals.
"Thank you, Mr. Sun," Essim replied politely.
"Thank you! Thank you, young master Essim," Mr. Sun said as they shook hands, finalizing the agreement.
Once the landowner had left, Essim found himself reflecting on how, in the cultivation realm, not only power but wealth commanded respect. He chuckled softly to himself.
"Old Sun has no idea his days of renting out prime real estate are numbered," Essim thought with a smile.
Turning his attention back to the three-story building in front of him, Essim assessed the structure. It was 30 meters wide and 50 meters long, providing ample space for their plans.
As they stepped inside, they were greeted by the sight of sturdy, high-quality wooden walls. The interior was spotless, maintained to perfection.
While the building lacked furniture or decorations, Essim was thoroughly satisfied with its condition.
"What do you think, Aisha?" Essim asked.
"It's perfect, brother. When do we move in?" Aisha replied, her spirits clearly lifting.
"We'll furnish it tomorrow and assign a few alliance members to guard the store. After that, we'll be all set," Essim explained.
The siblings explored the rest of the building, eventually making their way to the third floor, which offered a large window with a breathtaking view.
From the window, they could see the orderly rows of homes belonging to the citizens of Heaven News City. The busy streets below bustled with activity, as people moved to and fro, buying and selling goods from the many roadside shops.
The view was stunning, the perfect backdrop for their future endeavors.