Ch 31: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Si Jin continued showcasing his manicure with enthusiasm, “Look, look! This shiny one is called ‘Cat’s Eye,’ but the shop owner made it ‘Dragon’s Eye’ for me. See the black ring around the pupil? It looks just like my eyes. She used nail polish with star fragments and rainbow light, which is why it shines more brilliantly than my treasure hoard. And look at this little dragon, it’s just like you when you were squatting and flicking your tail earlier…”

The veins on Harold’s forehead began to bulge even more. With one swift swipe, Harold’s claw cracked Si Jin’s meticulously crafted “Dragon’s Eye” nail with a sharp “crack,” shattering it into dust that scattered into the wind.

Si Jin clutched his hand, his face full of heartache, nearly furious to the point of tears. “Harold, that’s too much!”

Harold simply turned his head with a light “hmph” and flicked his tail again, aiming directly at Si Jin’s fingers.

Another “crack” followed, and the “Dragon’s Eye” on Si Jin’s thumb was also reduced to dust, blown away by the wind.

But Harold wasn’t satisfied yet. He continued whipping his tail, targeting Si Jin’s other hand, where the glittering nails made an even more prominent target.

Manicures? What nonsense! Si Jin had already been habitually late, and today, because of these ridiculous nails, Harold had been left waiting in the wilderness all afternoon. Unforgivable.

Star fragments and rainbow light? One swipe, and they turned to dust.

Si Jin’s nails broke under Harold’s tail, and afraid of further damage, Si Jin dared not transform into his dragon form. If he did, the sheer power of his transformation alone would ruin the nail polish. He could only remain in human form, clumsily defending himself from Harold’s relentless attacks.

Dragons in their true form were far stronger and more formidable, but in human form, they couldn’t properly defend against the full might of a dragon’s assault.

Though dragons were naturally tough and far from fragile like humans—able to withstand being thrown around by each other without much harm—it still left Si Jin looking a bit pathetic. His nails, however, didn’t stand a chance. In a matter of seconds, most of Si Jin’s freshly done nails were destroyed, with only three little dragon designs remaining intact.

Si Jin’s golden eyes welled up with tears of frustration, and he snapped, “I’m not fighting with you anymore! I’m going back to the shop to fix my nails.”

Si Jin fled, but unable to transform into a dragon, he was much slower.

Harold shifted into his human form and easily caught up, his voice cold as ice. “Perfect, I’ll go destroy that shop.”

…

Back at the nail salon.

Lixiu, the alchemist, was deeply absorbed in the selection of nail designs, mesmerized by how beautiful and diverse each style was. She had never imagined nails could look this stunning.

Lu Yao, the shop owner, didn’t rush her, quietly returning to her reading of the magic theory book.

As dusk fell outside, Lixiu flipped to the latest design. It showed a pair of long, elegant hands—one decorated with a dazzling blue-gold “Cat’s Eye” style, the other with majestic dragons and a fierce dragon’s eye.

In the Alexander Continent, humans had a natural fear of dragons, viewing them as powerful, brutal, and evil beings not to be trifled with.

But the tiny dragons painted on the nails looked so cute and charming. Lixiu had never seen dragons depicted this way before. She pointed to the photo. “When did you do this one?”

Lu Yao looked up. “Just before you came in.”

Lixiu recalled the man who had been the first to enter the salon. Matching that overly handsome face with these nails, she realized it was him who had gotten the manicure.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Lixiu put down the tablet.

She had originally come in just out of curiosity about “nail services,” but after spending half a day in the shop and experiencing Lu Yao’s friendly and patient hospitality, she felt it would be awkward to leave without getting her nails done.

Among witches, there were methods for coloring nails, but the styles were extremely limited—usually just solid red or black.

The dye used was extracted from a plant called fogwood, which was highly toxic. Harvesting and preparing it was a time-consuming and dangerous process, and even when done carefully, the color would fade within three days.

After becoming an alchemist, Lixiu had stopped dyeing her nails altogether.

Lixiu suddenly felt a strong urge to try out this manicure. Beyond just feeling a bit awkward about the shop owner’s kindness, she was even more drawn in by the sheer beauty of the manicures. Just looking at them brightened her mood.

She imagined how she would feel after getting her nails done, heading back to work on new potions, like wearing a beloved new outfit, full of excitement and anticipation.

Lixiu looked up at Lu Yao, “Shop owner, I’d like to get a manicure.”

Lu Yao put down her book and responded gently, “Sure, do you have a design in mind?”

Lishue pointed to an image. “I like this one.”

Lu Yao nodded. “Blush nails—they suit you well.”

“Blush?” Lishue asked, confused.

Lu Yao explained, “The design you chose has a soft gradient, with color fading from the center of the nail outward, from deep to light, resembling the soft blush on a lady’s cheeks. So, some call it ‘blush nails.’”

Lixiu found this interesting. “I see, I’d like to try the ‘blush nails.’”

Lu Yao brought over her toolbox and began shaping Lixiu’s nails.

Lixiu noticed the magic book that Lu Yao had set aside. “Are you teaching yourself magic?”

On the Alexander Continent, there were specialized magic schools and knight academies to train talented individuals, but Emeraldstone Town was quite remote, with the nearest city, Onorton, being a full day and night’s journey away. Magic students were a rare sight in the area.

Lu Yao seemed young, but clearly beyond the age for enrolling in a magic academy. Considering she was reading a beginner’s magic book, Lixiu assumed she was self-studying. Magic books were expensive and valuable, so Lixiu’s curiosity about Lu Yao’s background only grew.

Lu Yao, now done filing Lixiu’s nails, selected the nail polish she needed. Nodding, she casually said, “I just look through it when I have free time.”

Hearing this, Lixiu felt more at ease. In her mind, Lu Yao was too old to start learning magic seriously. Self-studying would likely lead to frustration, and it wasn’t worth having high expectations. But if Lu Yao was just casually browsing for fun, there was no harm in that.

Lu Yao, unaware of Lixiu’s thoughts, focused intently on her work.

Compared to more intricate nail designs, blush nails were relatively simple, but they had their own challenges—creating a smooth gradient required precision. If the color blending was off, the nails could look flat or clumsy instead of having that soft, airy charm.

Having done countless manicures, Lu Yao expertly created the blush effect. The peachy color transitioned smoothly, like a sheer fabric catching the breeze, gradually fading into a light, creamy orange at the edges—delicate and cute.

After a moment, Lu Yao decided it was a bit plain, so she added some details. She alternated between pure white and misty blue French tips along the edges of the nails.

Lixiu’s eyes widened in surprise.

At first, she had thought the simple gradient was beautiful enough. But when the shop owner suggested adding some extra details, she had felt a bit reluctant, secretly worrying about being charged more.

The price list showed that the simplest nail care service was 88 copper coins, and the blush nails she chose were priced at 188 copper coins.

That was considered quite expensive in Emeraldstone Town, especially just for a manicure, which many people might find hard to understand.

But as Lu Yao stamped Lixiu’s nails with delicate white and misty blue accents, the level of refinement instantly elevated, making the nails look much more sophisticated.

Lixiu suddenly realized that the shop owner had been right—the design had indeed been a bit plain before. “How much will this be?”

Lu Yao replied, “188 copper coins.”

Lishue was surprised. “No extra charge?”

Lu Yao shook her head. “It’s just a simple touch-up, no need for extra fees.”

Feeling even happier, Lixiu pulled out two silver coins and handed them over.

Lu Yao, a little embarrassed, asked, “Do you have smaller change? I don’t have enough to give back.”

She opened the drawer, revealing two gold coins lying inside.

Lixiu handed over a silver coin and then began counting out the copper coins from her money pouch, one by one.

Just then, the door to the shop was suddenly flung open. A flustered Si Jin rushed inside, but upon noticing another customer, he paused, straightened his posture, and adopted a more graceful demeanor.

Following closely behind him, Harold entered the shop. He seemed surprised to see that it was a human-run establishment.

Lixiu, having just finished paying, cast a furtive glance at Si Jin and Harold. The aura around the two men was utterly terrifying. She quickly headed for the door but couldn’t help stealing one last glance back. The golden-haired young man was already seated across from Lu Yao. The shop owner, however, appeared completely unaware of how fearsome the two men were. Shaking her head, Lixiu hurried out.

Once the shop was empty except for Lu Yao, Si Jin immediately raised his hands and, with a pitiful expression, said, “Shopkeeper, my manicure is ruined. Can you fix it?”

Lu Yao took a look at his hands, which were now as bare as if they’d been soaked in nail polish remover, and silently pondered for five seconds. “It’s only been half a day—how did they get like this?”

Si Jin glanced sideways at Harold and said irritably, “Got ruined in a fight.”

The boy with long black hair tied into a high ponytail, dressed in a black uniform, had deep blue eyes and a still somewhat youthful appearance. Despite the long hair, his fierce aura made it impossible to mistake him for a girl.

“Blame me? It’s clearly your cheap nails that fell apart. Even using toxic Wumu polish doesn’t fade this quickly,” Harold retorted sarcastically, picking up a sour plum candy from the plate in front of him. He was ready to begin tormenting the shop owner by picking on every little thing.

After Si Jin leaves, he plans to destroy the shop.

As he raised the candy to his mouth, Lu Yao calmly pressed his hand down and took the candy from him. “This has a wrapper. You need to peel it before you eat.”

Harold’s ears turned red, and he reached to snatch the candy back. Despite his embarrassment, he didn’t lose his fierce attitude: “I know that!”

But Lu Yao popped the candy into her mouth before he could take it back, casually remarking, “If you want one, peel it yourself.”

“…” Harold’s fists clenched tightly, his knuckles cracking as he fought back his frustration. This human was even more infuriating than Si Jin!

Lu Yao turned her attention back to Si Jin’s hands. Aside from the three nails with dragon designs, the others had been completely stripped clean. “I can redo them. Do you want the same design as before?”

Si Jin nodded, still fond of the previous design.

The sky outside had grown fully dark by now, but luckily, Lu Yao didn’t have any other appointments for the evening, so she began redoing Si Jin’s nails.

Without needing to sketch out new designs, the process would go faster than before.

Meanwhile, Harold, seated beside Si Jin, couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from the various nail polishes Lu Yao had taken out.

The little bottles shimmered and sparkled as they moved, the contents inside reflecting all sorts of colorful, glowing lights. Was this what Si Jin had been talking about—nail polish mixed with starry fragments and rainbow light?

So shiny, so beautiful!

As Lu Yao finished creating the cat-eye effect, she fetched the box of diamonds and glitter and used tweezers to carefully apply tiny gems to Si Jin’s nails.

Harold’s eyes lit up again at the sight of all the glittering bits. They were so sparkly—he loved it!

Noticing Harold’s reaction, Si Jin slyly handed Lu Yao’s tablet to him. “These are all designs the shopkeeper has done before. Take a look, maybe you’ll find something you like. Her skills are amazing.”

Harold, head held high, scoffed, “Ridiculous. Who would even look at this? I don’t like this stuff!”

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