Chapter 3: The Celestial Vault
The Iron Sentinel did not move.
It stood as still as a mountain, a silent, polished statue of dark metal and cold intent. The runes along its armor pulsed with a soft, rhythmic blue light, the only sign it was more than a fantastical sculpture. Li Wei's heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat in the sudden, profound silence of the courtyard.
He slowly lowered the Gale-Edge Dagger, its hum now feeling less like a weapon and more like a key. The Sentinel's blank, helmet-like face remained fixed on him, not with hostility, but with a patient, waiting stillness. It was waiting for an order. For a purpose.
Asset Security & Contract Enforcement, the system had said.
A wave of relief so potent it made him lightheaded washed over him. He wasn't alone. The system hadn't just given him a weapon; it had given him a enforcer. A guarantee.
A new prompt, sleek and non-intrusive, appeared in the corner of his vision.
[ Directive: Establish Place of Business. ] [ Designate a location for the Celestial Vault's physical anchor. ]
"Physical anchor?" Li Wei muttered. The system responded by highlighting a small, dilapidated storage shed at the edge of the courtyard—the very one he'd scarred with the dagger. It was unused, its door hanging off a single hinge.
It was perfect. Unassuming. Forgetable.
"There," he said, pointing. "Use that."
The Iron Sentinel did not nod. It simply turned its head, the motion smooth and utterly silent, to look at the shed. It raised one plated hand.
The air around the shed shimmered, like heat haze on a summer road. The worn wood and stone seemed to warp and flex. For a moment, the shed was gone, replaced by a glimpse of an infinite, star-filled nebula where glowing artifacts floated in crystalline cases. Then, it solidified again.
But it was no longer a shed.
The structure was now pristine, built from a dark, polished wood that seemed to drink the sunlight. The door was a single piece of obsidian-like material, etched with the same glowing blue runes that adorned the Sentinel. Above it, a sign materialized from motes of light, displaying three complex characters that somehow, in his mind, translated clearly: The Celestial Vault.
It was both grand and utterly intimidating.
[ Location anchored. Celestial Vault is now open for business. ] [ Shop Level: 1 - Status: Operational ] [ Current Guardian: Iron Sentinel (1/1) ] [ Awaiting first official customer. ]
Li Wei took a deep breath and walked toward the door. As he approached, the obsidian surface rippled like water and became transparent, allowing him to see inside before dissolving entirely to grant him entry.
He stepped across the threshold, and the world changed.
The interior was vast, impossibly larger than the shed's exterior. The floor was a mosaic of polished jet and moonstone, reflecting a ceiling that was a swirling, starry cosmos. The air was cool and carried the faint scent of ozone and old parchment. In the center of the room, floating serenely on a cushion of light, was the Gale-Edge Dagger, displayed as if it were a museum piece.
This was his. All of it.
A flicker of movement at the edge of the starry void caught his eye. Another display case glowed to life, and a second item materialized.
Item: Turtle Sage's Ward (Mortal Grade - Mid) Rental Fee: 5 Low-Grade Spirit Stones / 12 hrs Description: A simple jade bangle. Can completely nullify one attack from a cultivator one major realm above the user. Shatters upon use.
The system was providing inventory. His product line was expanding.
His moment of awe was interrupted by a hesitant cough from the doorway.
Li Wei turned. Standing there, silhouetted against the daylight of the mundane world outside, was the young man from the duel—Lin Feng. He looked pale, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear, awe, and desperate hope. He was staring past Li Wei at the impossible grandeur of the vault.
"Sh-Shopkeeper?" Lin Feng stammered, his voice barely a whisper. He bowed deeply from the waist, his hands clasped together. "I... I saw what happened with Zhang. I have spirit stones. I saved them all. Ten of them."
He held out a small, worn pouch, his hands trembling. "The tournament eliminations are tomorrow. My rival... he's stronger than me. He has a patron. I cannot lose again. Please. May I... may I borrow that dagger? Just for one day."
Li Wei looked from the desperate young man to the floating dagger, then to the silent, monstrous form of the Iron Sentinel now standing guard inside the door.
This was it. The first real transaction.
He felt a strange calm settle over him. This was just another contract. Another deal. His language.
"The terms are non-negotiable," Li Wei said, his voice echoing slightly in the vast space. He willed it, and the system generated a scroll of light that unfurled between them, covered in dense, glowing text. "Ten low-grade spirit stones for a twenty-four-hour rental. The item must be returned to this shop before the timer expires. Do you understand the penalty for failure?"
Lin Feng's eyes scanned the text, his face growing paler as he read the clause about cultivation drain. He swallowed hard, a lump bobbing in his throat. Then, determination hardened his features. He had no other choice.
"I understand," he said, his voice firmer now.
"Then we have an agreement."
Li Wei reached out and took the pouch. The moment his fingers touched it, it vanished, absorbed by the system.
[ Transaction recorded: +10 Low-Grade Spirit Stones. ]
The Gale-Edge Dagger drifted down from its display and into Lin Feng's waiting hands. The moment he grasped it, a timer appeared in the corner of Li Wei's vision.
[ Active Rental: Gale-Edge Dagger - Timer: 23:59:59... ]
Lin Feng bowed again, deeper this time, a look of profound gratitude on his face. "Thank you, Shopkeeper. You won't regret this."
He turned and almost fled from the shop, clutching the dagger like a holy relic.
Li Wei was left alone in the magnificent silence of the Celestial Vault, the system interface glowing softly before him. He had his first customer. His first income.
And a timer was now ticking down on someone else's life.
Outside, the rumor of the shop that sold heaven's power began to spread, whispered from one desperate ear to another.