The First Store System

Chapter 1398: Joy and Excitement!

More than three years had passed since the store opened its doors. That amount of time was nothing in the lives of the inhabitants of the Sacred Dimension, but for those who were regular to the store, not going to the store for even a single day was an unbelievable task.

The sun was about to rise in Thorr and its nearby cities.

The large crowd of customers gathered in front of the building as usual, hoping for the store to open its doors.

There was a pin-drop silence in the area as the first ray of sunlight peered through the cover of darkness.

Right at that moment, a sound the crowd had forgotten rang in their ears, causing hair all around their bodies to rise. Excitement like never before appeared on their faces as they looked at the store's door with broad smiles.

A scene they had been hoping to occur more than anything played out in front of their eyes at that moment, and the store owner finally appeared in front of them.

Aakesh sensed the excitement and joy oozing from everyone in the crowd. He knew the store had become a part of their lives, so he didn't make them wait any longer and moved out of the way, returning to his chair.

The crowd rushed inside the store like a raging tide since they had been waiting for it for more than three years. Alfred and Asher were also part of the crowd, and they had tears of joy on their faces as they stepped inside the store.

Because of what was at risk for their race, the past few years have proven to be incredibly difficult for them. Now that the store had opened, they could finally breathe in relief.

At that moment, suddenly, a surge of energy appeared around Asher. The system immediately acted and isolated Asher from those who were close to him.

But the sudden situation still alerted many, making them focus on Asher.

Before Asher could understand what was going on, his inner world rushed out of his body and became out of his control. An excited expression appeared on Alfred's face since the sudden situation could only mean one thing.

But soon, the situation calmed down and didn't go the way Alfred and Asher had hoped. They thought that Asher was going to break through and step into the True God level, but nothing of that sort happened.

Asher was still excited because the sudden situation had broken any barrier standing between True God and his cultivation level. He was now confident of stepping into the True God level. He only needed to accumulate energy and strengthen his foundation.

The day brought two pleasant surprises to Alfred and Asher, so they were more cheerful than usual.

As the situation due to Asher died out, customers returned to what was ahead of them. Those who were shrouded in golden light went to the portal room or the queue in front of Aakesh, depending on their situation.

As the excitement about the store's reopening died out, reality hit them. The store had been closed for three years, four months, and seventeen days, so many had been unable to enter Panagea during that time.

The time flow inside Panagea was already faster than it was in the Sacred Dimension, so more than a decade had passed inside Panagea. The customers couldn't even imagine what kind of developments would have occurred inside Panagea at that time.

Aakesh also understood the worry of the customers, so he stood up from his chair and announced, "During the time the store was closed, the Panagea was also inactive, so the situation inside the Panagea would be the same as what it was when you last exited the portal."

***

"Hello, senior," Maria respectfully greeted Aakesh, as she was the first in the queue.

Aakesh nodded in response to her greeting. Maria was always confident that the store would return, so she wasn't worried about it. What had made her tense was Aakesh.

Every day, she would worry about the safety of Aakesh. Now that he was perfectly fine and had returned, Maria had no more worries left. She then left the queue with a cheerful smile. She didn't even try to ask Aakesh why he had disappeared for that long and simply stepped inside the portal room, which looked the same as it had looked when she had exited the room.

Another customer took Maria's spot once she left, and the first question she asked after a respectful greeting was about his sudden disappearance.

Aakesh ignored the question, and Ashley got her response, so she no longer asked about it.

One hour passed in the blink of an eye. Those who were slated to enter Panagea in other groups either went to other product rooms since new needs had risen for them due to the long absence, and those who simply came to the store for Panagea went to the waiting corner and began meditating, waiting for their turn.

"Where have you been?" Katrina angrily asked Aakesh once the queue in front of him was complete.

"Something urgent had come up," Aakesh responded with a smile, not ignoring Katrina's question as he did with other customers.

"You should have told us if you were going to disappear," Katrina responded, still angry with Aakesh.

She and Autumn knew about Aakesh more than others, so the sudden disappearance didn't alert them as much as other customers, but once that period grew to months, they began to worry.

The situation became even more intense since the duo were unable to find anything about what caused the situation.

Aakesh only smiled and didn't say anything. Since there was no customer out there who needed his help, he asked Katrina about the happenings during his absence.

"Forget what happened during your disappearance. Even if you don't think of us as your friends, we still think of you as one. How are you going to make up to us for the worry you caused us?" Katrina was in no mood to divert the topic.

(A/N: Katrina doesn't have any romantic feelings toward Aakesh.)

Aakesh could only smile wryly in response to Katrina.