Chapter 273
Old Mo had done business with Qingxue many times—they were pretty familiar with each other by now.
But Qingxue wasn’t active on the forum, and after being transferred to Store #6, she’d only popped in to say hi and then vanished. She hadn’t participated in any of his discussions about doctrine either.
Old Mo had almost forgotten she was even part of the store—until he received an assessment task the next day.
Not to be assessed—but to assess someone else.
[You have joined the “Message Board (Assessment Channel)”]
[You’ve been granted management permissions for the “Assessment Channel,” allowing you to add or remove members from the store channel, mute others, and more.]
[Congratulations! You’ve triggered the elite mission: “Assessment Officer.”]
[Mission Description: Your devotion to the God of Commerce and deep understanding of doctrine have drawn the attention of the Mysterious Merchant. He has appointed you as the assessor for other staff.]
[Mission Objective: Administer a morality and character test for employee “Qingxue” and post the results in the assessment channel. Continue until the employee passes the test.]
[Reward: Constitution Elixir x1]
[Friendly Reminder: The Constitution Elixir can cleanse and strengthen the body, but may cause several days of diarrhea. Please prepare accordingly.]
Honestly, when Old Mo saw that message, he just stared in shock for a while.
He had never expected to gain the favor of a divine envoy, let alone be promoted to assessment officer!
And the authority he’d been granted was massive. The mission description didn’t even define the assessment criteria—which meant…
He got to set the rules for this morality test?!
Old Mo frowned in thought, then carefully considered the implications.
The mission might seem like it was meant to test Qingxue’s character, but in truth—it was testing his as well.
He couldn’t slack off or act on a whim just because the criteria weren’t spelled out. That would be irresponsible.
So, he handed off all trading duties to Gan Lin that day and focused entirely on crafting the test—thinking through every angle to ensure it was sound.
If there were no rules, he’d use his own standards.
Old Mo wasn’t even sure if the God of Commerce truly existed. After all, the sect’s doctrine? He had made it up from scratch.
And yet now… it felt like something greater had always been there, just waiting to be discovered.
But what he was sure of was this: The divine envoys were real.
Silverlight, Dark Moon, and Twilight—these three known envoys all wielded powers beyond explanation.
For example, just yesterday, while browsing the forum, Old Mo had seen Qingxue’s post—
What is a Guardian Barrier?
From that term alone, he could tell it had a powerful function. But since it was a paid post and only the original poster could see replies, he made his own anonymous paid inquiry.
And the answer he received blew his mind—the Guardian Barrier’s capabilities were far beyond what he’d imagined.
It truly sounded like something only a god could create.
But recalling everything else he’d seen and experienced lately, Old Mo calmed down… and began thinking seriously:
How could he obtain a Guardian Barrier?
Even with several thousand followers, Old Mo hadn’t been sleeping well.
The fire dragon was entering hibernation, the fortress had reopened, and more than a fifth of the surviving population outside the fortress had joined his sect—and that number was growing.
The people inside Flame Dragon Fortress had to know about this rising force.
Old Mo was sure that someone from the fortress would come to negotiate soon.
All the factions that had survived outside the fortress had only done so with the fortress’s tacit approval. He’d learned that from the leaders of a few gangs who’d joined them.
But now, the branch church he was running—under a formally banned religious organization—was growing rapidly. There was no guarantee the fortress would see that as a good thing.
If things went badly, both he and Gan Lin (the “Saint Son”) would be in real danger.
And if either of them fell, the newly built sect would collapse overnight.
Their wells, the breadfruit trees, all their stored supplies—everything would be looted by the followers in a heartbeat.
Despite having so many people under him, Old Mo didn’t trust anyone except Gan Lin—not even early followers like Shazi or Luo Xiaolei.
If they could get that Guardian Barrier, he and Gan Lin wouldn’t have to take turns on night watch just to survive.
He had posted his question anonymously, and the replies were also anonymous, but from writing style alone, Old Mo was pretty sure one of the responders was Razor.
Razor had spent some time in Store #6, and though he was later transferred, they had stayed in touch.
So Old Mo messaged him privately, poking around for info—and finally got the answer he wanted:
Razor had triggered the mission to build Store #9 of the Peace Grocery Store.
After transferring there from Store #6 and completing a bunch of tasks to raise the store’s popularity, not only did Razor receive the “Blessing of the God of Commerce,” he also unlocked the Guardian Barrier.
Old Mo was practically drooling with envy.
If he could get the same blessing, unlock that same barrier—he and Gan Lin wouldn’t have to live in constant fear anymore.
But he’d been at Store #6 for a while now and still didn’t even know where the store was, let alone how to build a new one or unlock a Guardian Barrier…
Still, Old Mo didn’t complain. He figured he just wasn’t devout or diligent enough yet to earn such a gift.
He decided to ramp his trade activity back up and improve his performance.
And then—the very next day—he received the Assessment Officer mission.
Old Mo was instantly reassured.
This was a promotion—a sign of trust. Otherwise, they wouldn’t give him such an important position or such a rare reward.
The Constitution Elixir—clearly the divine envoy had seen his struggle and given him exactly what he needed.
Managing a church with thousands of followers, keeping everyone in line, protecting himself and Gan Lin—it drained him physically and mentally every day.
But the heaviest burden wasn’t what he did—it was what he had to carry, every single moment.
Old Mo’s physical condition had never been great—in fact, he had once hovered on the brink of death from sheer hunger and thirst.
Although food and shelter had improved over the past few months, the constant mental strain meant his body hadn’t recovered much at all.
Old Mo could feel his stamina slipping. If not for that, he wouldn’t have listened to Gan Lin and given up his high-intensity trading operations.
If he could just get his hands on that Constitution Elixir… maybe he could squeeze out a few more years of life.
So, after carefully preparing, Old Mo tagged Qingxue in the store channel.
[Message Board (Store Channel)]
[Qingxue]: Little Noisy? You’re the one doing the assessment? That’s actually great!
[Qingxue]: I need to pass this test ASAP—otherwise, a lot of people could die. Can you cut me some slack, for old times’ sake?
Old Mo raised a brow. So passing the assessment was tied to her gaining some kind of ability?
He thought back to Qingxue’s post on the discussion board asking about the Guardian Barrier, and then to Razor—who had already activated one.
Razor had also spent time in Store #6 and had a much more respectful and studious attitude than Qingxue. He’d treated him with deference and asked lots of sincere questions.
Old Mo’s expression turned a bit strange.
Could it be…
Getting “immersed” in Store #6 with him was somehow a prerequisite for unlocking the Guardian Barrier?
He shook his head. Probably not. But now that he’d become an assessment officer, maybe that role did play a part in it.
He started typing his reply.
[Message Board (Store Channel)]
[Little Noisy]: The gods are watching. Choose your words carefully.
[Qingxue]: …Alright.
[Little Noisy]: So, are you ready to take the test?
Wen Qingqing stared at Little Noisy’s response, starting to feel nervous. She usually filtered out anything on the forum or message boards that seemed useless.
And debates between Little Noisy and others? Full of religious mumbo-jumbo. Gave her a headache just looking at them.
Was this “morality and character assessment” going to be like that?
But still…
[Qingxue]: If I fail the first time, do I get another shot?
[Little Noisy]: You do. As many times as needed—until you pass.
That finally put Wen Qingqing at ease.
[Qingxue]: Alright. What kind of test is it?
[Little Noisy]: Q&A. I ask, you answer.
[Little Noisy]: I’ll score you. If you don’t know an answer, you can skip.
[Qingxue]: Okay, let’s do this.
[Little Noisy]: First question—what is the core tenet of the Church of the God of Commerce?
And just like that, the Church of Commerce’s first managerial evaluation began.
Just as Old Mo suspected, Tang Yu’an was indeed observing the entire test, keeping a close eye on both the questions and Wen Qingqing’s responses.
Although she wasn’t usually active, she had at least memorized the basic principles and employee guidelines.
So she answered the first few questions fairly smoothly.
But as Old Mo began breaking down the doctrines and guidelines into more detailed components, her answers grew slower and less confident.
By the end, not only was Wen Qingqing sweating bullets—even Tang Yu’an was getting nervous.
He quickly jotted down all the questions Old Mo had asked to review later himself.
By the time the last question wrapped up, Wen Qingqing was completely wiped out—head spinning, slumped over the desk, surrounded by messy sheets of scratch paper.
[Little Noisy]: Do I even need to say the results?
[Qingxue]: QAQ
[Qingxue]: Can you tell me the answers? I’ll study them seriously.
[Little Noisy]: Just memorizing won’t work.
[Qingxue]: I’ll try to truly understand them!
[Little Noisy]: Good.
Seeing Little Noisy begin to explain the answers to her, Wen Qingqing finally let out a sigh of relief.
She hadn’t expected the usually easygoing trading buddy to turn into such a terrifying examiner. She was totally emotionally exhausted—“QAQ” pretty much summed it up.
But maybe it was this very dedication and intensity that had earned Little Noisy such a high rank in the Church of Commerce at such a young age?
For the first time, Wen Qingqing started to take it all seriously—truly diving into study.
Meanwhile, Old Mo posted her initial results in the assessment channel—a report to the divine envoy.
[Message Board (Assessment Channel)]
[Little Noisy]: Employee “Qingxue,” first test results:
Morality: 80
Doctrine Understanding: 30
(Out of 100)
Assessment result: Not passed
Old Mo genuinely believed that Wen Qingqing had a good heart—she just didn’t understand the Church’s teachings well enough yet. More studying was needed.
He was about to keep explaining the material to her—he was on night watch duty anyway, and this was a decent way to kill time—when he suddenly saw:
[Message Board (Assessment Channel)]
[Mysterious Merchant – Silverlight]: Not bad.
Old Mo’s eyes went wide. He wondered if he was seeing things.
Could it be… the divine envoy really was watching them?
Then, in the next instant—
[Congratulations! You’ve completed the elite mission “Assessment Officer.”]
[Reward earned: Constitution Elixir +1]
[Please choose your delivery method…]
Old Mo quickly selected “receive.” A moment later, the elixir arrived in a thermal container. Inside the box, he could see a steaming bowl.
A savory aroma wafted out, making him instinctively swallow.
Why did this constitution elixir… smell like a gourmet dish?
But wait—Qingxue hadn’t even passed yet. So why had the mission been marked complete?
He was just about to ask when a new message popped up on the board…
[Message Board (Assessment Channel)]
[Mysterious Merchant – SilverLight]: Rest well before taking it—you’ll feel drained otherwise.]
Was that a warning about the side effects of the Constitution Elixir?
[Little Noisy]: Got it, got it! Thank you for your concern, Lord SilverLight!
Old Mo replied politely, but his mind was already churning—trying to figure out how to ask about the Guardian Barrier—when suddenly he saw:
[Mysterious Merchant – SilverLight]: In a while, I’ll be heading to Flame Dragon Fortress. Make preparations ahead of time.
Old Mo’s hands trembled as he clutched the thermal container, his whole body shaking with excitement.
The Divine Envoy is coming?!
[Little Noisy]: When exactly? What should I prepare? Is there anything you need? Flame Stones?
[Mysterious Merchant – SilverLight]: Just take good care of your health.
Old Mo froze.
[Little Noisy]: Y-yes, sir.
He accidentally hit send before finishing his message, and just as he was about to continue expressing his thanks, another message came in from SilverLight.
[Mysterious Merchant – SilverLight]: Send someone to find a dried-up lakebed or a low-lying area.
[Mysterious Merchant – SilverLight]: When the time comes, I’ll give you an oasis.
