Suddenly, the cool air brushed against his skin.
Van inhaled the air sharply and nearly staggered.
Mana.
This was dense, pure, perfectly refined mana.
Van exhaled slowly, and a visible mist left his lips.
His life vein was felt reinvigorated with the untainted, refined mana. The mana inside him flowed faster than it ever had, clearing blockages he had struggled with for decades.
"This... this concentration...!"
To achieve such purity, one would need an elite Tier two Sealing Array reinforced by a High Rank Mana Beast Core. Yet this small shop achieved it effortlessly.
"Could this place be built atop a high-grade Mana Vein?" Van muttered. "And those arrays... no, even the Mage Tower's Grandmasters couldn't compress mana like this. What kind of expert runs this store?"
He almost sat cross-legged on the spotless floor to circulate his mana, until a calm voice cut through his thoughts.
"Welcome to the Dimensional Convenience Store."
Van halted his actions and turned sharply towards the voice.
A young man stood behind a polished counter, wearing a clean white apron and a faint smile. His posture was relaxed yet strangely composed, as if he were used to dealing with nobles and kings alike.
"We bring the finest products from across dimensions," Jonathan continued smoothly, reading from a floating, holographic text the system had prepared for him, floating beside him.
"Please make your selection at your convenience."
That was all.
He said nothing more.
'Are you sure this is enough, System?' Jonathan thought.
There was a customer in front of him, yet he couldn't persuade them to purchase the items. How was he supposed to complete the tasks with conditions like this?
[ Affirmative. As a future Dimensional Convenience Store Tycoon, the Host must maintain confidence and composure in front of all customers. Too much enthusiasm will lower your dignity; too little will damage trust. Balance is key. ]
Jonathan cleared his throat, thinking deeply. 'Balance, huh? As long as he manages to purchase something. I'll agree that you're right.'
He looked up and noticed the old man was still standing frozen, eyes flickering across the rooms.
Meanwhile, Van didn't respond immediately. In fact, he wasn't sure how to react. He tried sensing the mana signature of the individual before him, but sensed nothing.
The person who had just spoken to him was an ordinary human. The man before him wasn't an Ascendant.
Van inwardly frowned.
How could such a store be left in the hands of an ordinary human who hadn't even awakened his Life Vein? Wasn't the expert afraid something bad might happen without someone capable of handling it?
Wait a minute! Van's eyes widened, realising that the expert might be watching over the store in secret, ready to intervene if anything went wrong.
Suddenly, a chill crawled down his spine. Still, as a shrewd veteran, his face revealed no trace of volatile emotion.
Instead, he calmly nodded and walked toward the counter.
"Ahem! I am Van Relic Mountain Cloud, Clan Elder of the Mountain Cloud Clan. May I know your identity, friend?" Van said with a friendly smile, staring intently at Jonathan.
Meanwhile, his heart shook inwardly, realising his mana was suppressed and he could no longer exert control over his mana around him as he had previously.
Van swiftly realised that his earlier actions might have displeased the expert hiding in the store, so he decided to introduce himself and approach the receptionist with a friendly smile.
If he showed he wasn't a threat and bought something, he might smooth things over. As for trying to see or befriend such an expert… he didn't dare.
It would already be a miracle if he made it out alive without a target on his back.
Van internally smiled wryly. His luck was truly terrible.
"I am Jonathan, the owner of this store," Jonathan introduced himself.
Van's mind short-circuited. He instantly entertained the ridiculous thought that the ordinary person before him might actually be the expert he thought was hiding and suppressing him.
When he was a child, he had heard of eccentric Ascendants who pretended to live as ordinary people after being cut off from the world for too long. However, he had never expected to actually encounter one.
'Fine. If it's truly fate that I meet such an expert at the end of my lifespan, I'll at least make full use of the opportunity,' Van thought seriously.
Van bowed respectfully toward Jonathan. "It's a pleasure, Store Manager Jonathan." He didn't dare call out the expert directly, afraid he might offend him and ruin his cover.
Jonathan was caught off guard by the old man's unexpected action, but he still remained calm. He nodded in response. Although he wasn't yet accustomed to this world's customs, he felt Van was somewhat approachable despite his terrifying demeanour and age.
"To be honest, this is my first time entering a store like this, so I'll have to trouble you to inform me about the items that are for sale?"
Van straightened his back and cleared his throat, looking at the strange items on the counter, which were the same as those on the shelves, along with the peculiar artefacts in the distance.
Jonathan nodded. "This is Spicy Dragon Flavour Instant Noodles. It can be eaten quickly as a substitute if you don't want to take the time to prepare meals. It costs one High-Grade Mana Crystal. And this is Koka Kola. You'll know its effects yourself after you've tasted it. It costs one Medium-Grade Mana Crystal," he said with a smile, instantly switching into businessman mode.
Jonathan tapped on the price tags in front of the two items. The tags would automatically adjust to match the currency used in this world, something Jonathan already knew as the store's owner, which was how he had deduced he had entered this mythic world.
Of course, the store didn't discriminate against customers; as long as there was something equal in value to the item, the store would automatically convert it into credits for his use.