Chapter 8 The Market

"I thought so."

William looked knowing: "What a pity, that was Franks, a big shot in the Teutonic Cross. I think even with him coming, they must value you highly and offer good terms. If I were treated like that, I'd definitely accept."

Li Mochen looked at his friend with a strange expression: "This is a gang. Do you want to join them? To deal drugs, collect protection money, force women into prostitution, and end up like those guys lying on the ground?"

In the Primordial Dome, there were things similar to heroin and meth, which Li Mochen deeply detested.

"But more people make big money."

William shrugged: "If I could get an invitation from the Storm Angels or Black Prison Skulls like you, why not? Not every gang deals drugs. The Storm Angels only make money running entertainment venues and protect the whole block. The Teutonic Cross is similar; they mostly do smuggling. A-Mo, you know that people like me from the lower districts can hardly get into a good university without enough recommendation letters. Even if we get into those名校, we probably won't get scholarships. I don't want to spend my whole life like my father, working as a repairman or doing odd jobs at restaurants, exhausted like a dog and barely making money. Anyway, if I don't make a name in comprehensive cold weapon combat and can't get an offer from a top fifty school, I'll ninety-nine percent join a gang."

Li Mochen fell silent, knowing this was a common situation in American society.

"Sometimes I envy you. You're good at all subjects and a third-level magic martial artist at sixteen. There are few like you in the whole school. I guess you'll definitely get into an Ivy League, so you don't need to join a gang."

William looked envious: "By the way, you have that house. If sold, it's a lot of money."

The house Li Mochen lived in before had been repossessed by the bank. But his parents bought it years ago, and the loan was mostly paid off. After the auction, the surplus would be returned to Li Mochen.

"Don't count on that. The court has already had a second failed auction, and they've lowered the starting price."

Li Mochen shook his head: "Even if it sells, my parents' small company still has a lot of debt to pay. Besides, don't forget, I have a sister."

"How could that be?" William's face showed undisguised disappointment.

Li Mochen couldn't be bothered to argue further. He suddenly quickened his pace and walked into a nearby grocery store.

...

Li Mochen was preparing food, fruit, and other supplies for the next few days, and replenishing some daily necessities.

In his current place, not only was the fridge empty, but there was also little left of toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and soap.

This feeling of returning to daily life was novel to him. In the Primordial Dome, he could go a year or two without eating, relying on absorbing celestial energy to sustain his body—what immortals called 'eating qi.' His body was naturally clean; even if dirty, he could burn it off with samadhi fire. But after reincarnating, he had to worry about his stomach.

The grocery store Li Mochen entered was about fifty square meters, with shelves on both sides separated by a counter.

The goods looked abundant but were actually limited. Besides some daily chemical products, Li Mochen only bought snacks like biscuits and chips.

Then they walked another fifty meters to a bakery and bought bread, cheese, and butter.

After that came a fruit shop and a fresh food store; fruits, vegetables, and fresh produce were also indispensable.

By the time they finished shopping, half an hour had passed. Li Mochen was carrying a pile of things, and William was helping with quite a few.

The latter sighed: "Living alone really isn't easy."

He longed to be independent from his family and have his own place, but seeing Li Mochen like this made him feel it was troublesome.

Li Mochen said helplessly: "William, isn't there a grocery store or bakery in our block? Do we have to come all the way here?"

"How could there be? If there were, you'd have seen it by now."

William shrugged, but then remembered that Li Mochen had only been in their block for less than four months, mostly at school or work, so he explained: "Think about it. Who would open a store there? It would be looted by those desperate homeless. A magic weapon or a pistol is easy to get. Even if you have a gun for self-defense, the local gangs would bankrupt you. Only Bloodfang or Black Prison Skulls could manage, but they don't care about that. Even if they opened a store, it could be trashed by enemies anytime. Some people do retail in the community, but they only sell to acquaintances. A-Mo, did your old block have one?"

He knew that Li Jian used to live on Carrill Street, a real wealthy area. With many patrols and many powerful people, including two former senators, it was safe, and no gangs dared cause trouble.

"Actually, yes—"

Li Mochen searched the original owner's memory: "But it wasn't convenient. The grocery store was at one end of the street, the fruit shop at the other. It's better to buy everything at once on Market Street. If only I could buy all these things in one place."

As he said this, his mind stirred, and he fell into thought.

In the Primordial Dome, Li Mochen's proudest achievement was not his cultivation but his business acumen and intuition.

Since he took over the Divine Thunder Sect, its annual revenue had tripled.

Though this earned him the mockery of many cultivators as 'the immortal king who only sees money,' the sect's disciple count had expanded by half. Core disciples went out with bags of talismans and pills, never lacking supplies. This greatly reduced casualties in demon-slaying over forty years and built enough foundation to face the demonic calamity.

William looked puzzled: "Buy everything in one place? Isn't that what Market Street is? Not necessary, right?"

"But what if it's not on one street but in one store? You could buy everything in a single shop, located near our block. Would you go there, William?"

Li Mochen smiled: "Super Market!"