Ch 30: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

The nail salon had been open for three days without a single customer.

Lu Yao lay on the table, playing with her fingers. She had everything a professional nail salon needed: cleaning supplies, materials sorted, design templates, and even snacks—yet there was no one to serve.

System: If you had opened a jewelry store like I suggested, you’d be making a killing by now. There’s not a single jewelry store in this town.

Lu Yao: “This town isn’t wealthy. There aren’t many customers who could afford expensive jewelry. They just haven’t seen a nail salon before. As long as one customer walks in, things will start rolling.”

She wasn’t too worried. The salon’s running costs were minimal. The shop’s renovation was paid for with popularity points, and the tools and materials were all from her previous stock—there were no extra expenses.

Waiting was simply a matter of passing time, without much financial pressure.

System: The problem is that no one is willing to come in. Sure, there are plenty of people sneaking glances at the door.

Lu Yao: “Curiosity is good. Just wait, someone will come in soon.”

On the first day of opening, when she chatted with the neighbors, she deliberately didn’t explain what nail services were, aiming to stir their curiosity. Humans always harbor endless curiosity about the unknown, and once it reaches a tipping point, the first brave soul will show up.

The system was about to break her naive hopes when it suddenly paused: Someone’s here.

See? Here they come.

Lu Yao straightened up and opened her tool case, ready to greet the first customer of her nail salon.

Standing at the door of Lu Yao’s Nail Salon was Si Jin, gazing up at the sign. There was something familiar about the atmosphere.

Then he remembered—it was the shop that had mysteriously appeared that day. No wonder the townspeople were talking about it, even he didn’t know where it had come from.

Si Jin became even more curious about what this shop did and what the much-discussed “nail art service” was. He pushed open the door and called out, “Is the owner here?”

Hearing the voice, Lu Yao paused. A male customer?

She stood up and greeted him, “Hello, I’m the owner.”

Si Jin, in his human form, had shoulder-length golden hair, sharp and handsome features, amber-gold eyes, and wore a moon-white uniform with golden trim. His presence was powerful and intimidating.

Lu Yao sighed inwardly—this might be a deal she couldn’t make.

It wasn’t that men couldn’t get their nails done; she’d had male clients before. But this one, with his overwhelming aura, didn’t seem like the type who’d enjoy sparkly little trinkets.

Si Jin was also observing Lu Yao.

What’s this? The owner was just an ordinary human—so weak that he could crush her with a single finger.

Si Jin scanned the shop. It was clean, with a lot of small boxes and tools he didn’t recognize. After looking around and finding nothing threatening, he looked back at Lu Yao. “I’d like to try the nail service.”

Lu Yao blinked, quickly realizing the opportunity, and immediately led him to a seat.

If he was asking for it, there was no way she was letting him go without getting the service.

Sitting across from him, she opened her tablet and pulled up examples of past designs. “Take a look at these styles and see if you like any. In the meantime, I’ll start by trimming your nails.”

Trimming nails?

So, it was a service for taking care of nails. Si Jin suddenly found the name “nail art service” simple and straightforward.

He extended his left hand, curious to see how this human would handle his nails.

When Lu Yao saw his hand, her eyes lit up with excitement.

She didn’t have any special obsessions, but after working in this field for a long time, she couldn’t help but be drawn to particularly beautiful hands.

The guest’s fingers were slender and long, with well-proportioned knuckles. His nails were unusually long for a man, but they were clean and had a strange elegance about them.

In Lu Yao’s words, these hands were perfect for nail art.

His hands were so flawless that she decided she’d only need to lightly file them.

Lu Yao took out a nail file and gently held Si Jin’s left hand, beginning to file his nails.

The moment she started, there was a crisp snap—the file broke.

Lu Yao smiled awkwardly. “Just a moment, I’ll grab a different tool.”

She fetched a new nail file and began filing again. After just two strokes, snap—it broke again.

After going through five nail files, Lu Yao fell silent.

Are these nails made of steel?

They were unbelievably hard.

She was sure she wasn’t using much force; the file seemed to break the moment it lightly touched his nails.

Realizing it was definitely his nails, Lu Yao exhaled and pulled out a stainless steel nail file from her toolbox.

This was a bit harsh, but since she was out of regular files, it would have to do.

The stainless steel file worked a little better—it took three strokes before it snapped.

Lu Yao: “…”

Si Jin had been watching her the whole time, finding her expressions amusing. At this point, it seemed like she had run out of options.

He raised his hand, a teasing glint in his eyes. “Are we still filing?”

Lu Yao could hear the challenge in his tone. Was this guy having fun at her expense?

System: Spend 100,000 popularity points to exchange for a special black-gold nail file made for dragons. Exchange?

Lu Yao’s heart skipped a beat. Wait… are you saying this guy is a dragon?

The system stayed silent, and with no other options, Lu Yao chose to make the exchange.

Pretending to search for a new tool, she pulled out the black-gold dragon nail file from the system’s warehouse. Finally, she could start filing his nails without any issues.

Si Jin noticed her new tool and how focused she was on his nails. No human had ever dared to treat a dragon like this before.

But strangely enough… it felt kind of nice.

He got so caught up watching the human’s careful movements that he forgot about the thing she had handed him earlier.

It wasn’t until Lu Yao reminded him that he glanced down at the “tablet” she had given him. He couldn’t take his eyes off it.

Lu Yao showed him how to swipe through the images, repeatedly reminding him to be gentle—now that she knew he was a dragon, she didn’t want her tablet to end up like the pile of broken nail files. She’d be heartbroken.

Si Jin carefully swiped through the screen.

He was smart enough to use his fingertip pads instead of his nails, gingerly scrolling through the pictures. His golden eyes fixated on the shiny fragments on the nails in the photos. “What are these sparkly things? Did you crush gemstones?”

Lu Yao nodded seriously, “Yes, not just gemstones. I’ve also gathered stardust and crushed rainbows to mix into the nail polish. That’s why they shine so brightly and look so beautiful. See any design you like?”

System: Don’t lie to a dragon, the consequences could be dire!

Si Jin nodded enthusiastically, completely captivated by the stunning nails in the pictures.

Dragons were naturally drawn to anything shiny and valuable. Si Jin himself had an entire mountain of gold and jewels that he would roll around in every few days—but he had never thought of using those treasures to decorate his nails.

This is amazing!

It fit perfectly with dragon tastes.

He immediately wanted those dazzling, luxurious nails.

Quickly scrolling through the designs, Si Jin pointed to two styles and said, “I like these two. Make them blue and gold.”

The two designs he picked were classic: one was a silver-blue cat-eye style, the other was a red-gold base with intricate patterns and small diamonds.

Of course dragons like flashy, extravagant things, Lu Yao thought, nodding. “Got it, I’ll start right away.”

Nail art takes time, so Lu Yao, worried the dragon might get impatient, brought out some snacks and drinks, and casually asked, “The design has small cats. Would you like to replace them with something else?”

Without hesitation, Si Jin replied, “Replace them with dragons.”

Lu Yao nodded and grabbed his left hand to begin working.

Si Jin wanted a nail design that combined the brilliance of a cat-eye effect, the sparkle of small diamonds, and images of his favorite dragons.

After applying a base coat and curing it, Lu Yao started working.

She painted a thin layer of blue polish, cured it, and layered it for a richer effect.

For his left hand, she decided to go for a luxurious design with cat-eye nails and diamond accents. On the right hand, she painted small dragons, incorporating a cat-eye effect.

With a steady hand, Lu Yao drew the outline of a little dragon coiled up sleeping on Si Jin’s index finger. On the middle finger, she painted a dragon sitting with its tail swishing. On the pinky, she drew a pile of gleaming treasures, with the tip of a golden dragon’s tail peeking out.

The thumb and ring finger were designed with the cat-eye effect, resembling “dragon eyes,” with a golden vertical pupil glowing in the center of the blue polish, surrounded by faint black streaks—just like Si Jin’s own eyes.

While Lu Yao painted, Si Jin held his breath, not wanting to disturb her.

As the little dragons emerged on his nails, he found himself instantly liking them.

They reminded him of the chubby baby dragons from Dragon Valley.

The “dragon eyes” were just as magnificent, powerful, and regal—exactly like his own.

This human was skilled and clever.

The intricate designs on the right hand took the most time, so the left hand was kept simpler.

Lu Yao pulled out several boxes of tiny rhinestones and glitter to ask which style Si Jin preferred.

She underestimated a dragon’s greed. Si Jin was the type to say “I want it all.”

No matter which material she showed him, he nodded enthusiastically, wanting them all—if he could, he’d probably dive into the box of materials and roll around.

Lu Yao put the boxes aside, selecting a few different sizes of rhinestones and glitter, and as she applied them, she said, “These little accents are meant to highlight the design. Less is more—it’s all about balance.”

When she finished, Lu Yao was satisfied with her work.

Si Jin’s hands were beautiful, and even with the bold blue and gold design, they exuded elegance and luxury.

Despite the ornate, sparkling nails, Si Jin’s presence was so commanding that he didn’t come off as feminine at all. He was handsome, powerful, and now, with his luxurious nails, even more striking.

She took a few photos of the final look. “All done.”

Si Jin held up his hands, examining them carefully. He didn’t say they looked good, but he didn’t seem unhappy either. “How much?”

In this world, currency was in gold, silver, and copper coins: one gold coin equaled ten silver coins, and one silver coin equaled one hundred copper coins.

The system had provided data showing that one copper coin was roughly equivalent to one RMB, and one silver coin was about a hundred RMB.

Not factoring in the difference in purchasing power between worlds, Lu Yao confidently gave her price: “Two gold coins.”

Si Jin’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, as if he couldn’t believe it.

Lu Yao felt uneasy—did he think it was too expensive?

If a dragon didn’t want to pay, she’d have no way of forcing him.

Si Jin stared at her for a moment before finally speaking. “Didn’t you say my nails have stars and rainbows nail polish in them?”

Dragons were quick learners, and he was quite proud of using the new word “nail polish.”

Lu Yao smiled sweetly. “Of course! Without stars and rainbows, how could they shine so brightly?”

Si Jin inspected his nails again, thinking it over before nodding slowly. “But why is it so cheap? Only two gold coins?”

Dragons truly were wealthy. According to the neighbors, one gold coin could support a family of three for two months in Green Gem Town, and that was with extra to spare.

Lu Yao quickly explained, “You’re the shop’s first customer, so I gave you a special discount—50% off.”

It took a while for Si Jin to understand “special discount” and “50% off,” but once he did, he was very pleased, paid the bill, and left the shop, proudly showing off his sparkling nails.

As he walked out, all he could think was: Nail services are amazing! I have to tell my friends!

[You have successfully served a customer! Initial mission complete! Creature Guide Collection Progress: 1, Basic Magic Theory: 1.]

A thick, semi-transparent creature guide appeared in Lu Yao’s vision. The front pages were completely black, as if the lights were off, revealing nothing inside.

Flipping to the back of the book, Lu Yao noticed that one page featuring a “Golden Dragon” was illuminated, with a small annotation next to it: One of the oldest and rarest dragon species on the Alexander Continent, guardian of mines.

When Si Jin left the store, he had told Lu Yao his name, so it seemed this small golden dragon was indeed his dragon form, a literal guardian of the mines.

The system popped up: “But you lied to him.”

It was still hung up on the stars and rainbow comment.

Lu Yao responded, “That’s just the artistry of language. This little golden dragon is hooked now, don’t worry.”

The system, clearly skeptical: “…How can you be so confident?”

After all, Si Jin was merely curious. He experienced the nail service once, satisfied his curiosity, and there was no way he’d come back.

The guidebook only showed one page for now, so after reading through it, Lu Yao stored it back in the inventory. She then casually picked up the Basic Magic Theory book and flipped through a couple of pages. It detailed that proper magic is divided into five elements—Wind, Fire, Lightning, Earth, and Wood—with additional branches of Light Magic and Dark Magic…

Lu Yao mused aloud, “This reward is so strange. Am I really supposed to learn magic?”

The system replied, “Rewards and tasks are automatically generated based on the direction the shop owner chooses. Keep up the good work!”

Based on her experience from the previous world, following the tasks always led to the goal. Lu Yao wasn’t in a rush.

With no customers currently in the shop, she decided to take some time to dive deeper into the magic book.

Who hadn’t fantasized as a child about becoming a magical girl?

Maybe in this world, that childhood dream could actually come true.

Meanwhile, Si Jin had just left the nail shop, and those who had been secretly observing also quickly dispersed, deeming the shop unremarkable.

Lixiu, the alchemist with a shop diagonally across from Lu Yao’s nail shop, had also been watching this strange new establishment. She saw that the terrifying man went in curiously and left hours later with no noticeable changes. Her curiosity only grew.

Lixiu tried to focus on sorting herbs to distract herself, but she spent the entire afternoon stuck on the same bag of herbs.

Her curiosity was insurmountable.

Finally, Lixiu packed up her herbs, closed her shop early, and walked slowly to the nail shop. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage and pushed the door open.

Hearing the footsteps, Lu Yao looked up from her book.

It was just as she thought—once the first customer was bold enough to try something new, the second one would soon follow. And this time, it was a cute young lady.

Standing up, Lu Yao greeted her warmly, “Hello, please have a seat.”

Lixiu, slightly taken aback by Lu Yao’s enthusiasm, soon calmed down after seeing her clear eyes and gentle demeanor. She walked over and softly asked, “Shopkeeper, I’d like to know what exactly ‘nail services’ are.”

With practiced ease, Lu Yao handed her the tablet, “Simply put, it’s beautifying your nails with polish and accessories. These are examples of designs I’ve done. You can take a look and see if anything catches your eye.”

Lixiu found the tool, this “tablet,” to be quite amazing. But before she could dwell on it, the images on the screen captivated her—were those all nails? How could they be so beautiful?

…

After leaving the nail shop, Si Jin was worried his nails might get damaged, so he didn’t dare transform into his dragon form. Instead, he ran all the way to the Black Mountain Wasteland, arriving just before nightfall.

The Black Mountain Wasteland was vast and hostile, surrounded by a massive dark swamp. Only powerful beings like dragons could survive and traverse the treacherous terrain, while weaker creatures and humans wouldn’t dare venture there.

Si Jin and Harold often met here to fight, burning off their excess dragon energy.

At the edge of the wasteland, a black dragon sat, staring at the last sliver of sunlight sinking behind the mountains and the sea.

Si Jin stopped behind the black dragon, trying to ease the tension with small talk. “Harold—”

As soon as Si Jin called out his name, Harold’s powerful dragon tail whipped toward him, aiming straight for his face.

Si Jin dodged left and right but still took two solid hits from the angry little black dragon.

He leaped to a tree in the distance, clutching his hand and putting some space between himself and Harold, trying to reason with him. “Harold, listen to me.”

If he hadn’t jumped quickly, his hand might have been hit. And these were his freshly done nails—he hadn’t even admired them long enough.

“Si Jin,” Harold growled as he turned his head, his dark blue eyes glaring at Si Jin as though he was a dead dragon, “It’s night already.”

“I’m sorry, I have a reason for being late. Just listen to me,” Si Jin’s golden eyes gleamed in the night as he spoke in a calming tone.

Harold paused, holding back the claws he was about to strike with, and coldly glared at Si Jin. “Speak.”

If it wasn’t a good enough reason, he would kill this golden dragon who had left him waiting all afternoon.

Completely unfazed by the tension radiating from Harold, Si Jin spread his glittering ten fingers in front of Harold. “Look, this is called a manicure. There’s a new shop in Emerald Town, specializing in nail beauty. The shopkeeper personally designed this for me. See this little sleeping dragon? Doesn’t it look just like you when you were younger?”

A vein throbbed on Harold’s forehead.

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