Ch 32: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Lu Yao spent the entire afternoon in the nail salon, unaware that something had happened at the neighboring snack shop.

The advertisement for Lu Yao’s Snack Shop continued to loop daily on the train, and even people who didn’t take the train heard about the shop through friends or acquaintances. With the recent news about someone experiencing soul return at the snack shop spreading, nearly everyone flocked to District A, causing the subway system to shut down daily due to overwhelming crowds.

Realizing the train was becoming inconvenient, many people began crafting cars, sedans, and motorcycles themselves. The once quiet streets now bustled with traffic, much livelier than before.

Though people poured into District A, the snack shop was only so big, and its supply was limited. Every day, large numbers of residents waited outside the shop, often in vain, unable to purchase food.

This wasn’t just a one-time issue but a persistent problem over time. Some were able to get food, others only occasionally, while many never managed to get anything despite repeatedly lining up—only to find the shop sold out just as it was their turn. As time passed, tensions mounted, and disputes began to break out, eventually escalating into fights.

The residents of Dreamland were spirits, so no one was hurt in these brawls, but they were purely emotional outbursts. However, if these tensions continued unchecked, there was a risk of a bigger explosion that could eventually affect the snack shop. While the residents were spirits, the shop itself was very real.

The Head Guard, not wanting any accidents to happen at the shop, decided to act. After careful consideration, he issued a notice summoning all the district managers from the thirteen districts.

Each district had its own manager, spread among the Dreamland Guards. They were originally personal guards of the Demon God, but after the Demon God fell into a slumber within the Dreamland, these managers took on the responsibility of keeping the park running smoothly while ensuring peace in Dreamland.

Normally, all the district managers would never meet unless there was a major incident. The Head Guard issued the notice in the morning, and by the afternoon, all twelve district managers, except the one from District A, had gathered on the 99th floor of District A.

Qing led them to the third-floor conference room. One of the managers from a distant district glanced toward the snack shop. “So that’s the little shop driving everyone crazy lately? Is it really that amazing?”

From the outside, it just looked like a normal three-story building, nothing particularly special.

The manager of District J, a stern-looking middle-aged man, replied, “It is indeed extraordinary. The soul-loss patients we sent from the park have all been cured.”

The first speaker, the manager of District K—the only district without a park—was relatively out of the loop, hearing news only secondhand and often distorted by the time it reached him. Upon hearing the comments from his fellow guards, he became genuinely curious about the shop. “I’ve heard the food there is real. Has anyone tried it?”

The other eleven managers shook their heads. They were too busy managing their own districts and overseeing the park’s operations to visit the shop themselves. Even if they had heard of it, the sight of the long line outside quickly deterred any thoughts of dining there.

So many people waiting for days just for a meal—it seemed like a waste of time. In their minds, if they had that kind of energy and patience, they might as well enter the park and play games with the living.

At that moment, Qing spoke up, with a hint of pride in his tone, “I’ve eaten there, and the food is incredible. After eating, I felt a pang of regret, thinking how wonderful it would be to be alive again so I could indulge in all those flavors.”

The guard from District K eyed Qing skeptically. “I don’t believe it—unless you let me try it.”

Qing shook his head, a faint smile creeping into his eyes. “That method won’t work. Even the Head Guard has to wait in line.”

The implication was clear: even the Head Guard had been to the shop.

The other guardians exchanged glances—some grew more intrigued by the snack shop, while others remained doubtful.

Qing didn’t say anything more and continued leading them to the meeting room.

Bai Jian sat at the center of the conference table, waiting for everyone to take their seats. He spoke in a deep voice, “I know you all have questions, but let’s eat first, and then we’ll talk.”

He clapped his hands, and Bai Ming and Xingzi appeared at the conference room door, each carrying a stack of lunch boxes. Xingzi beamed, “Mr. Bai, your takeout has arrived.”

Bai Jian: “…”

He had indeed wanted to act a little more dignified, but could they be any more rustic?

He felt like covering his face.

Bai Ming and Xingzi quickly dropped off the lunch boxes and slipped away, leaving the Head Guard alone to face the curious stares of the other guardians. He raised his hand and rubbed his forehead before giving orders: “Qing, help distribute them, one per person.”

Even the Head Guard had to line up like everyone else when visiting the snack shop.

To secure this batch of lunch boxes, Bai Jian had subtly hinted to Bai Ming that the manager guards’ response was crucial to solving the current problem of the overwhelming demand at the snack shop, which gave him this rare opportunity.

Why Bai Ming? Because he was the deputy manager now, of course.

Qing distributed the lunch boxes and returned to his seat with his own. As the de facto manager of District A, the Head Guard was busy with many responsibilities, often delegating tasks like monitoring the forum to Qing.

Attending the meeting was fine, but getting a free meal on top of it? That was a delightful bonus.

Out of all the general manager guards, only those in District A or former staff members had tasted the food from the snack shop. For the rest, it was their first time seeing an actual meal from the shop, except for Bai Jian and Qing.

The guard from District K eagerly opened his box the moment he received it. Before he even got a good look at the food, the fragrant aroma hit him, and his eyes lit up. “Smells amazing!”

The other guards opened their boxes as well. Each meal came with a separate container for soup. Inside the main box, there was white rice, a side of cold pickled cucumber, stir-fried eggs with tomatoes, and a portion of spicy stir-fried chicken with peppers.

The enticing aromas filled the meeting room. Unable to wait any longer, some guards dug in, and one of them, wide-eyed and incredulous after his first bite, exclaimed, “This… this is real!”

The guard from District K ate too quickly and choked, frantically opening his soup container and gulping it down. The warm, sweet flavor jolted through him—he was drinking sweet rice wine soup with glutinous rice balls, and it was absolutely delicious!

Nearby, another guard was eating while tearing up. “Oh my heavens! What kind of divine food is this? Don’t tell me you District A guards eat like this every day!”

Qing responded nonchalantly, “Pretty much. That’s the standard fare from the snack shop. And mind you, today the shop owner isn’t here; her cooking is even better than this.”

Better than this? Just how good could it get?

The other guards, initially filled with curiosity and surprise, were now starting to feel pangs of jealousy.

Once everyone had finished eating, Bai Jian got to the main topic. “The reason I called you all here today is to discuss the snack shop. After tasting the food, I’m sure you now understand the significance of the shop to us.”

At first, the guards had been skeptical, but now, many of them wished they could move right next to the shop on the 99th floor and eat there every day.

Bai Jian continued, “I have a proposal. If you agree, we’ll move forward with it. If not, feel free to suggest a better solution.”

The biggest issue at the moment was that the shop’s daily food supply was limited and couldn’t meet the demand of residents from all thirteen districts.

Bai Jian’s proposal was to implement a district rotation system, with residents from one district at a time moving into District A, on a monthly rotation.

During their designated month, the residents of that district would be allowed to line up for the snack shop. This would reduce the pressure, as only one district would need to queue up, rather than all thirteen.

Since Dreamland had no issues with real estate or housing costs, as it was originally just an old battleground, people would be able to relocate easily.

Although this proposal was a bit complicated, it was currently the best solution, and it was quickly approved unanimously.

Bai Jian was quite pleased inwardly. In fact, this plan came to him after hearing that Bai Ming had become the deputy manager of the snack shop. All the staff at the snack shop wanted to be the deputy manager and had gone to ask the shop owner for favor. Everyone hoped she would show preference for them, but Lu Yao came up with a rotating system, where each person took turns as the deputy manager for a week. This inspired Bai Jian.

With the most pressing issue resolved, Bai Jian signaled for Qing to speak.

Qing opened the Dreamland amusement park’s special laptop and showed the guards the recent discussions on the forum, focusing on a post where someone was trying to sell a black ring.

One of the guards quickly skimmed it. “The ring hasn’t even been used yet. It still carries the aura of the Head Guard.”

Another chimed in, “The person who got the ring wants to sell it, and there’s a fierce argument below. Is 300,000 really that expensive? I don’t understand these living beings too well. It seems like 20 years of lifespan isn’t that valuable to them.”

Bai Jian’s face darkened. “The ring was a subsidy given to the shop owner by the demon god for food supplies, but it seems she hasn’t been able to sell it.”

The guards didn’t immediately grasp how serious “unable to sell” was, so Qing explained, and the guardians started to panic.

“Wait… if she can’t keep the shop running, that means we won’t have anything to eat anymore, right?”

A more astute guard directly asked, “What does the Head Guard expect us to do?”

Bai Jian was straightforward: “The amusement parks will cease distributing black rings to the mortal world, and the supply of grey and white rings will be reduced to two-thirds of the previous amount. This decision isn’t solely for the shopkeeper’s benefit. I’ve come to realize that aside from the amusement parks, there are many other things we could be doing.”

The appearance of the snack shop had reduced their reliance on the amusement parks.

Bai Jian had realized that solely depending on the amusement parks wasn’t making Dreamland better.

On the same day, a player in the amusement park, who had been watching Lu Yao’s post for a few days, couldn’t help but screenshot it to a high-level player group. “Hey, guys, can you help me out? Is this black ring worth 300,000? It looks brand new, like it’s never been used.”

“300,000? Dude could’ve just snatched one for free and is now trying to sell you a useless ring.”

“So, it’s not worth it, right? I thought the account was only level one, probably a newbie. I figured the ring had to be new.”

“If you’re buying a black ring, don’t even consider it if it’s over 100,000.”

“Alright, I’ll PM her and see if she’s willing to sell it for 100,000.”

That player PM’d Lu Yao but didn’t get a response.

A few days later, they checked back and found the price had increased, from 300,000 to a staggering 1 million. They gleefully posted it again in the high-level player group, and it sparked hundreds of comments filled with jokes and ridicule.

…

At the nail salon, Si Jin admired his freshly redone nails from all angles, nodding with satisfaction.

The shop owner was really talented. He had been worried that the second time wouldn’t turn out as well as the first, but it was perfect, exactly the same.

When it was time to pay, Si Jin noticed the magic book on the table and curiously asked, “Are you learning magic?”

Lu Yao nodded.

Si Jin picked up the book and flipped through it, frowning slightly. “This book is too basic. You could study for 800 years and still not learn anything practical. Next time, I’ll bring you a proper magic book.”

Was this for real?

Were dragons always this helpful?

Lu Yao blinked in surprise. “Thank you.”

Si Jin tossed her four gold coins and walked to the door, realizing Harold hadn’t followed. He urged, “Harold, let’s go.”

Harold was still sitting in a chair, flipping through the nail design options on the tablet. He had only started looking at it reluctantly because Si Jin had insisted, and now, he was begrudgingly hooked. He wouldn’t admit it, but the designs were kind of fascinating.

Just as Harold thought this, Si Jin called him again, which annoyed him. He wasn’t done looking yet.

Lu Yao walked over and gently reminded him, “It’s getting late, and the shop is about to close. If you see any designs you like, you can make an appointment and come back tomorrow.”

Harold: “…”

The little black dragon was torn and angry. He admitted he liked these designs, and he wasn’t done looking, but this human was dismissing him.

The air grew tense, but in the end, Harold said nothing. Reluctantly, he put down the tablet and disappeared into the night.

The next morning, Lu Yao stopped by the snack shop as usual and ran into the Head Guard.

The Head Guard and Qing were enjoying beef noodles, and the Head Guard took a moment to say a few words to her.

Afterward, Lu Yao logged into the amusement park forum, adjusted the price of the black ring, and then headed to the nail salon.

As soon as she opened the door, the system chimed in: 【That little black dragon has been waiting for you for a while.】

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