Still, she doubted that Jonathan meant them any harm. After all, what would be the point of giving them such extraordinary meals only to harm them afterwards?
In her eyes, even if he had such intentions, they weren't even worth the effort.
After a while, the wisps of icy energy began to fade into the air.
Tiana slowly opened her eyes. Her hair now gleamed with a deeper, more luminous blue, each braid appearing almost ethereal. A faint mist escaped her lips as she exhaled.
"I've… awakened my bloodline," Tiana muttered, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief. Yet, her face glowed with a radiant smile stretching across her cheeks.
Suddenly, her expression, once filled with life, shifted to weariness, and she quickly collapsed back into the chair, unconscious.
"Senior Sister, are you okay?" Kafla exclaimed, leaping out of her chair to check on her condition.
After examining her, Kafla let out a sigh of relief, realising that her senior sister had merely fallen unconscious. The moment a wisp of her mana had entered Tiana's body, she had felt an oppressive, icy energy erupt outward.
Not only that, but her own mana circulation had improved by nearly three years, her cultivation rising significantly as a result.
Although Kafla didn't understand how the Spicy Dragon Flavour Instant Noodles had managed to purify the Imperial Frostplume Phoenix bloodline, she dared not ask.
What a joke!
If Store Manager Jonathan explained that it was her senior sister who had accidentally awakened her dormant bloodline on her own, she would gladly accept that explanation.
All that mattered was that her senior sister was safe.
Kafla bowed respectfully toward Jonathan. "Thank you for your tremendous help, Store Manager Jonathan. My senior sister will surely thank you again once she awakens. As she mentioned earlier, please don't hesitate to let us know if you need anything. No matter what it is, we'll do our best to fulfil it."
"No problem," Jonathan replied, waving his hand casually at her.
For now, they were his most lucrative customers, and likely the ones who would bring in the most profit in the future. There was no need to intimidate or scare them. He simply uttered a few words before returning to the counter.
Jonathan summoned his status sheet.
[ Dimensional Convenience Store Tycoon System – Host Status ]
Host: Jonathan Park
Age: 20
Occupation: Dimensional Convenience Store Tycoon
Store Level: 1
Current Income: 50 Credits
Store Reputation: 4 (Obscure)
Dimensional Energy: 1/100
Current World: Elendor
Jonathan was satisfied with the progress he had made in just one day. Fortunately, the store's reputation is no longer unknown. The only thing that troubled him was the Dimensional Energy gathering process. Though it had increased rapidly compared to its previous zero progress, the rate was still painfully slow.
It was impossible to estimate how long it would take for the gauge to finally fill up.
"Hey system, is there no other way to fill up the Dimensional Energy faster?" Jonathan asked.
[ Host can receive rewards from tasks that help accelerate the accumulation of Dimensional Energy. These tasks are designed to motivate the Host to work harder and to keep you motivated. ]
Jonathan's lips twitched.
Motivation? How exactly was selling thirty cups of Spicy Dragon Flavour Instant Noodles and twenty bottles of Kola Kola supposed to motivate him?
Instead, it felt more like he was working a full-time job, trying to meet deadlines and fulfil quotas.
Jonathan sighed in defeat. He dismissed his status sheet and didn't bother speaking to the system again. For all he knew, its next answer would also involve 'acquiring more customers' or 'increasing store reputation.'
A few minutes later, Tiana stirred awake from her slumber.
"Senior Sister, you're awake!" Kafla exclaimed, immediately leaping into her arms.
Tiana was startled at first, but quickly regained her composure and returned the embrace.
"I'm okay," she said, gently freeing herself from Kafla's grip after a few seconds. She stood to her feet, Kafla at her side, and stretched her limbs to regain full sensation.
"How do you feel, Senior Sister?" Kafla asked curiously, her eyes filled with concern and wonder.
"I feel much better than before," Tiana replied, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. "Not only that, but I can sense that my awakened bloodline has strengthened the potency of the icy energy within my Life Veins."
"My Life Veins have become stronger and wider than before. My mana circulation flows more smoothly than ever. If I were to compare, I'd say it's on par with the Life Vein of a Core Condensation Ascendant."
Her eyes gleamed as she continued, "And my control over the ice element… It's incomparable to what it was before. I can manipulate the element freely."
She stretched out her right hand, conjuring a cold mist that slowly transformed into several ice phoenixes, which rose into the air before descending, exploding into countless snowflakes that landed at the centre of her palm and then vanished into thin air.
"Unfortunately, due to my current strength, several parts of the Imperial Frostplume Phoenix are still restricted. I can only unlock them when I grow strong enough to handle their power," Tiana said, happily.
"However, I am confident that I could face a late-stage Vein Transformation Ascendant and trounce them. And with proper preparation, and readiness to give it my all, I could even go toe-to-toe with those a realm higher than my own."
Tiana was a Rank 5 Vein Transformation Ascendant, and Kafla was a Rank 3 Vein Transformation Ascendant. Both ranks were two levels below the Grandmaster Ascendant Realm.
Tiana didn't even need to test her techniques to reach this conclusion; the strength radiating from within her was enough to tell her what her current situation was.
'And all of this is thanks to the mysterious Spicy Dragon Flavour Instant Noodles,' she thought, glancing at the empty noodles cup.
"Let's return to meet the elders, then rush back to the sect as soon as possible and report to the master. We need her to check if there are any side effects from these sudden improvements," Kafla said, her tone slightly worried.