Ch 29: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

System: [Why not?]

Lu Yao: “Is there a possibility that jewelry is also scarce for me?”

System: [You’re fooling the system. The shopkeeper clearly has hundreds of thousands in savings but pretends to be broke every day.]

Lu Yao: “…You checked my bank balance?”

She did have some savings, but that money wasn’t easy to come by.

Lu Yao had weak familial ties, and her parents separated when she was too young to remember. She grew up with her mother. In middle school, her mother passed away in a car accident, leaving Lu Yao on her own.

The driver responsible compensated with 600,000 yuan, but since she was underage at the time, she was taken in by her uncle’s family. By the time she turned 18, only 100,000 yuan remained. She had to fight with her uncle’s family to get it back.

Using that money as startup capital, she worked several side jobs during university, eventually building up stable income. By the time of her graduation trip, her savings had multiplied several times over.

But then the accident during her trip happened, and she ended up bound to this annoying alternate-world wish fulfillment system. Opening her first shop slashed half of her hard-earned savings.

System: [When you made your wish, all your past experiences and assets became connected to this system.]

It hadn’t intentionally checked her savings.

“Alright, I’ll believe you this time.” Lu Yao accepted her situation. She was already on board, the money was spent, and knowing the system was aware of her balance didn’t bother her much anymore.

The system wasn’t giving up yet: [Are you really not considering opening a jewelry shop? Have you thought about the hint from the clue? The claw is likely from a powerful creature, gripping tightly onto gold and treasures. These must be their most coveted items.]

Lu Yao wasn’t in the mood for another debate and asked directly, “Can you browse the internet?”

The system seemed to hesitate for a moment, pausing for two seconds before responding: [Of course.]

Lu Yao: “Go check out the websites of a couple of high-end jewelry stores.”

Five minutes later, the system came back, rather embarrassed.

Forget top-tier jewelry—even the most basic custom pieces would cost more than Lu Yao’s entire savings.

When Lu Yao received the first world’s clue, “The Five Flavors of Life,” the system had suggested selling spices. That was when she realized the little system wasn’t as reliable as it appeared.

Seeing that it had quieted down, she decided to head to the snack shop to settle the matter of the deputy manager.

When Lu Yao arrived at the shop and opened the door, she noticed something different.

It was still thirty minutes before opening time, but Xingzi, Bai Ming, Xiao Qie, Qi Shen, Quan Shengju, and Chi were all present. Normally, they arrived precisely on time—never early or late—unless there was a special reason.

Today, not only were they early, but all the prep work was already done by the time Lu Yao walked in.

As soon as they saw her, the employees rushed over to help with her bag, offered her water, and were even more attentive than usual.

Lu Yao hadn’t spent much time outside the snack shop since it opened, only visiting the amusement park once, so she wasn’t fully familiar with this world yet. However, she often noticed customers lingering by the window, gazing out for long periods, or carefully stroking the succulent plants on the windowsill.

They longed for the mundane world, but the boundary between the two worlds—just a pane of glass—was unbreakable.

According to the system, if one of the employees became the deputy manager and soul-bound to Lu Yao, they could briefly stay in the real world, as long as they didn’t leave the confines of the shop. The main reason for giving a deputy such authority was to manage deliveries when Lu Yao wasn’t around. However, the employees didn’t care about the work—just being able to experience the real world, even for a few minutes, was enough incentive for them. Moving a few boxes was a small price to pay.

Qi Shen was the first to step forward. “Boss, I’m familiar with the other side and know how to deal with delivery personnel. I can handle the deputy manager role well.”

The allure of the real world was stronger for Qi Shen than for anyone else. The mere thought of returning made him feel his heart race with excitement.

Xiao Qie immediately retorted, “It’s just moving stock; anyone can do it. Qi Shen doesn’t even dare to go into the amusement park—I highly doubt your sense of responsibility.”

This hit Qi Shen’s weak spot directly. His memories as a player entering the park were too intense. Even after his role change, he still kept his distance from the park.

Qi Shen stiffened, “What does being a deputy manager have to do with going to the park?”

Xingzi chimed in, “A deputy manager has to not only handle internal affairs but also solve issues the customers might have. Many of our customers are park employees or even guards—I’m not sure you can manage them.”

Bai Ming also stepped forward. Despite his youthful face, his tone was steady. “Let me take the role. My soul power is strong, and I know how to interact with the living without giving anything away. I’ve worked in the kitchen and have experience handling customers.”

Xiao Qie mumbled, “A former guard who was possessed by a ghost isn’t exactly the most reassuring.”

Bai Ming, with his sharp hearing, was left speechless.

Chi, who was standing nearby and secretly laughing, wanted to step up and make his case too, but the group’s collective gaze seemed to say, “You’re still on probation, newbie. Don’t even think about it.” That made him retreat before he could say a word.

Quan Shengju thought about stepping up too but stayed seated with a wry smile. Compared to those with a track record in the park, he felt too ordinary.

Xingzi sidled up to Lu Yao and hugged her arm. “Boss, I also want to be the deputy manager.”

Faced with their eager gazes, Lu Yao hesitated, lowering her head, feeling torn.

“Is there a limit to the number of soul bindings?”

System: [As long as the other party willingly agrees to the contract, there’s no limit. What do you plan to do?]

Lu Yao raised her head and gently said to her employees, “I want to clarify one thing. Once you are soul-bound to me, you will lose the possibility of soul departure.”

Although the chance was slim, the food Lu Yao prepared could sometimes help souls find peace and depart. As long as it hadn’t happened yet, there was still hope.

But for those who became bound to her, there would be no such possibility. They would remain as her subordinates.

Xiao Qie didn’t care. “I just want to stay with the boss.”

Xingzi nodded eagerly. “Me too.”

Bai Ming thought for a few seconds, then looked seriously at Lu Yao. “Where the boss is, that’s where I belong.”

Xingzi jumped up and playfully smacked Bai Ming. “Sneaky.”

Quan Shengju quietly stood up and walked over. “I’m willing, too.”

Qi Shen, who had been so eager at the start, now hesitated.

If there was still a chance, he wanted to leave.

Without him saying a word, Lu Yao understood his decision.

Standing up, she said, “Here’s what I’m thinking: I want to implement a rotating manager system in the shop. Each person will take charge for a week, on a rotating schedule. What do you all think?”

Xingzi immediately hugged her. “That’s perfect! I love you, boss!”

The others had no objections either. Lu Yao felt this was the fairest solution.

System: [Congratulations, Boss, you’ve earned the title of ‘Renowned Diplomat of Yaoguang City.’]

Lu Yao: “…Thanks.”

Later, Chi snuck up to Lu Yao, hinting that after his probation, he too would like to be bound.

Those with strong soul power, like Chi, understood that the stronger a soul, the more deeply rooted their attachment. Therefore, the chances of soul departure were lower for people like them, Xingzi, Bai Ming, and Xiao Qie. What mattered more was holding onto the warmth and a sense of belonging in the present.

Lu Yao agreed.

With most of the shop matters settled, Lu Yao soul-bound with Bai Ming first, planning to bind with Xingzi a week later.

During the binding, Lu Yao saw fragments of Bai Ming’s memories. In life, he had been an excellent, disciplined, and somewhat cute high schooler.

Had he not died saving others, he would’ve been preparing for his university entrance exams in two years. Sadly, his time stopped at sixteen.

When he saved those kids, he hadn’t thought about dying.

After his death, he worried about how his parents would cope and, with his strong attachment, wandered into Yaoguang City, becoming Bai Ming.

Lu Yao also caught a glimpse of something else.

The silver-haired, red-eyed youth stood between the cracks of two worlds, waiting for Bai Ming to arrive. Once Bai Ming came, the youth merged with him, altering Bai Ming’s appearance, and followed him into Yaoguang City.

…

In the afternoon, there was a delivery scheduled, so Lu Yao handed the deputy manager’s work badge to Bai Ming.

The badge, provided by the system, had special binding powers—only with the badge could the star gate be opened.

When the delivery arrived, Lu Yao led Bai Ming outside. Bai Ming stood under the eaves, and everything he saw seemed vibrant, as if it was all new.

The air carried a faint scent of grass, and a cool breeze brushed against his skin, feeling refreshingly real—an experience unmatched even by the highest-level games in the amusement park.

Lu Yao introduced Bai Ming to the delivery worker, “This is one of my staff, Bai. If I’m not around, you can look for him.”

Bai Ming snapped back to reality and greeted the worker, “Hello.”

Startled, the delivery man quickly nodded but couldn’t help thinking to himself: This shabby little store barely sees any customers, and now they’ve hired staff? This is creepy!

After the goods were delivered, Xingzi and Xiao Qie immediately swarmed Bai Ming, eager to know what the outside world was like.

Bai Ming smiled slightly, a gentle warmth flashing in his eyes. “It’s wonderful. I could stand in the breeze forever.”

Xingzi clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling, “I can’t wait!!!”

…

Lu Yao headed upstairs to find Qi Shen and pulled out the three black rings Bai Jian had given her. “Do you know the market price for these rings?”

Qi Shen accidentally shattered the glass he was holding, his voice trembling. “Where did you get so many black rings?”

Lu Yao: “The Chief gave them to me.”

Qi Shen was speechless, silent for a few seconds before saying, “New black rings typically go for around two hundred to five hundred thousand. But you should get someone to help sell them; otherwise, you’ll attract the wrong kind of attention. You can ask Zhuang Liang for help.”

Lu Yao had a rough idea now, but she didn’t plan on asking Zhuang Liang. He probably didn’t want to see her either.

She logged into the amusement park forum and spent some time browsing the posts, finding many people looking to buy rings.

Lu Yao filmed a short video highlighting the ring’s details and posted it, asking for three hundred thousand. The listing quickly garnered comments.

“Ridiculous! Three hundred thousand? Is it new?”

“Even if it’s new, that price is highway robbery.”

“There used to be suckers who’d pay that, but now scammers are everywhere. How do we even know it’s legit? There are cheaper black rings on the market.”

“Forget it, don’t be a sucker.”

The replies mostly mocked the price or doubted the ring’s authenticity, with no serious buyers. After a while, Lu Yao stopped reading and logged out.

She wasn’t in a rush to sell the rings. Last night, she had counted the money her staff had collected—over fifty thousand, enough to keep the snack shop stocked for ten days.

She slung her bag over her shoulder and took a walk around the shopping street. It was time to figure out where to set up the second store.

The snack shop connected to a unique, somewhat dangerous world, so it was best to keep the new store a bit further away.

Lu Yao quickly found a location two doors down from the snack shop, also along the riverbank. The new space was three times the size of the snack shop.

Just like before, the interior needed to be upgraded into a special space before it could welcome customers.

With practiced ease, Lu Yao drew up the plans, spent one hundred thousand popularity points to upgrade the shop, and started arranging the layout.

The upgrade process would take twelve hours, so Lu Yao returned home to prepare the tools and materials needed for the new shop.

Seeing her busily packing manicure supplies, the system was utterly confused: 【Why are you organizing these materials if they’re not for the store?】

Lu Yao answered casually while working, “These are for the new shop.”

The system had a bad feeling about this: 【What kind of shop are you planning to open?】

Lu Yao pulled out the newly obtained clue from her pocket, pointing to the claw in the small illustration. “Don’t you think this claw is especially beautiful? The long nails would be perfect for nail art.”

System: 【…Get a grip. This claw obviously belongs to a large beast—there’s no way it would let you give it a manicure.】

But Lu Yao had already made up her mind to open a nail salon, and nothing the system said could stop her.

She had taught herself nail art during her first year of college, and as her skills improved, her customer base grew. She also amassed a large collection of nail art materials.

Various nail polishes filled five storage boxes, while different glues for rhinestones, patterns, and edging filled another box. She also had a wide range of tools, glitter powders, small rhinestones, accessories, and soft brushes, making for quite the setup.

The next day, Lu Yao called a moving company to load all her nail art equipment into a truck and moved everything to her new salon, located right next to her snack shop.

The movers, seeing that she was opening a store on such a run-down street, were confused. “Can you actually get business here?”

Lu Yao replied earnestly, “High-traffic areas are too expensive for a recent graduate like me to rent. This location is affordable, and the scenery is nice. My store is appointment-only, so customers will book online and come directly. No problem.”

The movers thought she had a solid plan and didn’t ask further. They helped her move the items into the shop and then left.

System: 【You’re getting better at lying.】

Lu Yao: “A little white lie can save a lot of trouble.”

She first checked in on the snack shop. The staff was capable, and everything was running smoothly.

Quan Shengju and Mo Cheng had decided to take turns preparing staff meals, with Quan Shengju handling the first day’s breakfast. Lu Yao joined them and ate a bowl of noodles.

There were so many customers that even the third floor had to be opened to accommodate them, though the third-floor kitchen wasn’t in use yet. Lu Yao planned to sell one of the black rings before deciding on her next steps, so for now, the third floor was only for customer seating.

After briefly checking the forum with no significant updates, she logged out and returned to the nail salon to continue setting it up.

…

Alexander Continent, Northern Region.

A golden dragon flew swiftly over the town of Emeraldstone.

Dragons’ auras were so terrifying that weaker humans could die from merely sensing them, so dragons rarely stayed in human towns. This dragon, however, had little interest in the town—he was only passing through to take a shortcut.

As the dragon flew by, he briefly paused in midair, sensing a strange new shop that had appeared in the town. It emitted a faint trace of space-time magic.

“Whatever, I’m already late, and Harold will use this as an excuse. I’ll deal with the fight first.”

With a swish of his tail, the golden dragon flew off into the distance.

…

It took Lu Yao half a day to organize her shop, and after having lunch at the snack shop, she was ready to open her nail salon in the afternoon.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by a cobblestone street, not too wide, with signs written in foreign languages hanging from the shops. Strangely enough, she could understand the writing.

Stepping outside, she saw pedestrians and even the occasional horse-drawn carriage. This place was much busier than Yaoguang City.

To the left of her salon was a fruit stall run by a young woman wearing a floral headscarf, and to the right was a meat stall displaying cuts of an animal that looked like a mix between a cow and a pig.

Lu Yao had never seen such a creature before, so she chatted with the vendor and learned it was a magical beast called a “pig-cow.”

She was sure the vendor wasn’t speaking Mandarin, and she certainly didn’t know any foreign languages, yet they communicated effortlessly.

Just like in Yaoguang City, Lu Yao took this in stride, figuring she’d need to find a way to promote her new store soon. She wasn’t concerned with the minor details.

Across the street was a flower shop and a bakery. After surveying the area, Lu Yao felt she had a rough idea of the place.

The nearby shopkeepers were also curious about Lu Yao and eagerly asked her questions. The most frequent one was what kind of store she was opening.

Lu Yao pointed to her storefront, smiling as she explained, “It’s a nail salon, a place where I offer nail art services. If you’re interested, feel free to stop by and check it out.”

By the end of the day, news spread throughout Emeraldstone that a strange new shop had opened, offering a mysterious service called “nail art.”

But when asked what exactly “nail art service” was, no one could give a clear answer.

Some said the shopkeeper was very strange, wearing peculiar clothes and having an exotic appearance—black hair, dark eyes, and snow-white skin, looking like a foreigner.

Every day, many people gathered outside the nail salon, sneaking glances and gossiping, but none dared to step inside. As a result, rumors about the nail salon spread further, even reaching neighboring towns.

One day, the golden dragon had once again overslept. He planned to take a shortcut to challenge Harold to a fight, but along the way, he overheard a group of humans eagerly discussing a small shop.

They excitedly talked about “nail art services,” yet no one seemed to know exactly what it was.

Intrigued, the golden dragon couldn’t resist his curiosity. He turned around mid-flight and found the shop named “Lu Yao Nail Salon.”

After circling above the shop twice, he transformed into his human form and eagerly stepped inside, excited to discover what this “nail art” was all about.

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