Essim sat behind his desk, reviewing the daily reports from various city departments. The reports were meticulously organized by Jarwis, an expert in urban development and planning, who served as the right-hand man to both Essim and Aisha in managing the City of Life.
At the top of the report was the Department of Spatial Planning and City Layout, detailing updates on the city's zones and public spaces, such as parks, sports fields, and greenways. Next was the report from the Department of Infrastructure Development and Management, covering the progress of the city's latest construction projects.
Essim continued on to the Defense Department report, which included statistics on tower construction, soldier training, and troop allocations. This was followed by an Education Department report outlining strategies for planning education for children and the younger generation—an initiative that needed careful groundwork from the outset.
Finally, he reviewed the Health Department's plans, which involved improving hospital access, acquiring medical equipment, and training staff to provide adequate healthcare services.
Every day, Essim dedicated at least thirty minutes to carefully reviewing and annotating these reports.
Suddenly, a private message from Aisha arrived.
- (Aisha): Brother, let's have dinner. You can continue your work tomorrow.
Essim chuckled at her gentle reminder. "She's acting like a mother," he murmured with a grin, remembering how their mother used to call him home every evening. Back then, he'd found it annoying, but now, he wished he could relive those moments.
He shook his head to clear away the nostalgia, closed the files, and made his way to the dining room to join Aisha for dinner.
The Next Morning
Essim and Aisha were out on the exercise field near City Hall, keeping up with their morning workout routine that had become a recent habit.
"Brother, are we going to enter the Guandu Realm again?" Aisha asked as they jogged side by side. "I heard from the alliance that a 50-meter portal has opened in Disaster City, Old Man Haikal's territory."
"First, I need you to help me find a few alliance members to manage and staff the store we rented in the Guandu Realm. I'll be buying furniture and setting up our products," Essim replied. His plan was to establish a foothold in the Guandu Realm, which would open up new opportunities for trade and alliances across realms.
"Got it, brother."
They continued their workout until 7 a.m., then split up—Aisha to find store members and Essim to pick out the furniture.
Later at the General Store
"Mr. Essim, welcome!"
An elderly, well-dressed man greeted Essim with a warm smile as he entered the largest furniture shop in the city, aptly named the General Store. This man, Mr. Ruyi, was the store owner himself.
"Good morning, Mr. Ruyi," Essim said, returning the greeting. "I'm here to purchase furniture for setting up a new store."
Mr. Ruyi nodded in understanding and guided Essim through the showroom. He pointed out various pieces of strong, elegant, high-quality furniture: glass display cases, racks for swords and other weapons, and beautifully crafted shelves. With Mr. Ruyi's recommendations, Essim was able to make his selections in about ten minutes.
Aisha had finished her task as well, and they arranged to meet in front of the store they rented in the Guandu Realm.
Guandu Realm, Heaven's News City
"Quick, lift it over there!"
"Move that display to the right."
"Clean up after yourselves; don't leave any trash behind."
Essim, Aisha, and over thirty members of the World Market Alliance were busy arranging the layout of their new store in Heaven's News City. The setup included tables, display cases, shelves, and framed artwork. On the top floor, Essim had designated a room for storage, where he'd placed ten gold chests containing weapons (levels 5–20), healing pills, low-level talismans, and skill books. More valuable items, like silver-grade space rings and intercontinental flying ships, would not be displayed for sale here.
Alongside the store staff, Essim had also hired twenty guards: fifteen Tier-1 players and five Tier-2 players. This level of security would be more than adequate to manage any ordinary troublemakers, such as street drunks. For tougher opponents, Essim had stocked a chest with Gold Warrior Dolls, ready to be activated by the guards if needed.
Setting up the store took about an hour. Once everything was in place, the staff gathered on the first floor.
Among the alliance members, two leaders stood out. On the right was Haman, a tall, thin, middle-aged man with a friendly expression and dark-rimmed glasses. He was the store manager, chosen by Aisha for his sharp mind and dependability. Beside him stood Ocit, a muscular man of twenty-eight who wielded a spiked chain as his weapon.
"Alright, Mr. Haman and Brother Ocit," Essim said as he shook their hands, "I'm entrusting the Seed Store to you both. I look forward to seeing it thrive and bring success to our alliance."
Essim then shared the news of their assignments in the Alliance Chat.
[Alliance Chat: World Market]
(Essim): Congratulations to Mr. Haman and Brother Ocit, who will be in charge of the first World Market Alliance store operating in the Guandu Realm.
(Laras): Congratulations to Mr. Haman and Brother Ocit!
(Hana): Congratulations, Mr. Haman and Brother Ocit. Best of luck!
(Haikal Emanuel): Well done, Mr. Haman and Brother Ocit!
A festive mood filled the alliance chat, and congratulatory messages poured in.
"Thank you, Mr. Essim," Haman and Ocit said, deeply grateful. Their promotion to Tier-2 status and the prestigious role within the alliance were dreams they hadn't expected to achieve so soon.
Essim looked around at the finished store with a satisfied smile. "Well, Aisha, what do you think?"
Aisha examined the setup, taking in the large glass display case at the front, filled with assorted weapons like bows, swords, shields, staves, and armor. Nearby, colorful pills and talismans were elegantly arranged. Inside, tables and chairs provided comfortable spots for visitors to browse. The store had attracted the interest of some locals from the Guandu Realm, who had started trickling in to check out the new establishment.
"Good… very good," Aisha replied, nodding approvingly.
Soon, more curious onlookers entered, drawn by the store's grand opening.
"Hahaha… see? Isn't my idea working perfectly?" Aisha said, clearly pleased with the turnout. She had suggested offering a 25% discount for the first week to bring in customers. Their main goal wasn't immediate profit but to establish connections and secure rare items from the region.
"Alright, I admit it—you're clever," Essim said with a grin. "Now, let's leave them to it."
With a final look around, Essim and Aisha left the Seed Store, ready to venture into other realms and seek their next opportunity.