Ch 38: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

As evening approached, in Dragon Valley:

The last young dragon had been picked up by its parents, and the once-bustling Dragon Valley had quieted down. Teacher Muxin sat under a tree, continuing to read.

A purple dragon slowly flapped its wings as it flew from the distant mountains, landing on a giant rock at the entrance of Dragon Valley with a hint of confusion in its eyes.

Not a single young dragon was left in the valley. Where was the little one, Arnock? Why hadn’t he returned home? Did they miss him on the way?

Hearing the sound of wind behind him, the purple dragon turned its neck and looked back.

A large red dragon landed beside him. “Amos, here to pick up Arnock?”

Amos was the older brother of the little purple dragon, Arnock.

He nodded slightly and asked, “Has Gagaga not returned yet?”

Gagaga’s father, Frude, shook his head. “Usually, that kid rushes home as soon as break starts, but today it’s already evening, and he hasn’t come back. His mother is worried, so she sent me to check.”

Dragon Valley was like a boarding school for young dragons, accepting dragons from the ages of three to 150. Here, they learned magic and combat skills from dedicated teachers. Every six months, they had a break that lasted a month.

The year on the continent of Alexander had 14 months, with summer and winter each lasting a month longer than the other two seasons. Today marked the start of the summer break for Dragon Valley.

On normal break days, the young dragons would be eager to return home, not wanting to wait even a moment longer. But today, a few dragons seemed to have lost their way and hadn’t returned.

Soon, Tina’s mother, Field, arrived, followed by Sasa’s father, Dominic, and Kaka’s mother, Elga. Five or six adult dragons gathered, their breaths intermingling, causing even the sky to change colors.

They discussed the matter of their young ones being late, the atmosphere calm and harmonious. There was no panic—just a desire to find their children quickly and bring them home.

Teacher Muxin had already noticed the commotion outside. She put away her book and transformed into a large green dragon, flying out to meet the others.

When the adult dragons saw her, they paused their conversation. Tina’s mother, Field, was the first to ask, “Teacher Muxin, Tina hasn’t returned to the nest yet. Do you know where she is?”

Elga, Kaka’s mother, was more anxious than the other dragons. Her little golden dragon was very delicate—though a dragon by nature, Kaka was sensitive and often cried. This was the first time in 30 years that he hadn’t returned home on time. Elga quickly asked, “Teacher Muxin, Kaka hasn’t come back either. Has something happened?”

Teacher Muxin hovered in the air, her wings gently flapping, and shook her head. “They slipped out this morning. My brother, Sensin, is with them. I was just about to pick them up.”

Sensin was Muxin’s younger brother, a small green dragon.

Hearing that the young dragons were together, the parents’ calm attitudes quickly shifted to concern. They immediately took off, urging, “Let’s go, let’s go, we need to bring them back quickly!”

Teacher Muxin understood their anxiety. Young dragons were unpredictable, especially when six or seven of them were together, bound to cause trouble.

Dealing with humans was always the most troublesome part, something all dragon parents dreaded.

She reassured them, “No need to worry. I know where they are. There shouldn’t be any serious problems.”

Due to an incident that happened a hundred years ago, dragons no longer trusted humans, and humans had developed resentment toward dragons—both sides now held mutual disdain.

The dragons remained skeptical of Muxin’s reassurances.

…

In the nail salon, Lu Yao had a small palette in front of her as she held Fisa’s fingers, delicately using a soft brush to dip into the nail polish and apply it to the nails.

At first, the strokes seemed random, just blocks of color on the nails. But as the colors began to blend, the shape of a playful, wild daisy slowly emerged.

Lixiu and Elvi were amazed. Lu Yao’s technique was so fast that they had thought she was just smearing polish out of frustration because of Fisa’s difficult attitude. Yet, in the next moment, the seemingly chaotic patches of color turned into a charming bouquet of daisies.

No magic had been used—it was entirely the skill of the shop owner.

As the nails were curing under the lamp, Lu Yao, fully focused on her task, switched to a different brush. She mixed a bit of deep green nail polish with white gel to create a shade slightly darker than the background and began painting the delicate stems of the daisies.

Fisa’s fingers had been pre-treated with anti-overflow gel, but Lu Yao’s steady hand and precise brushwork kept everything perfectly within the nail surface, with no spillage at all.

She switched to a finer soft brush, dipped it in pale yellow nail polish, and carefully painted the soft yellow centers of the daisies, completing the design on the nail.

Letting go of Fisa’s hand, Lu Yao looked up and asked, “Do you like this style? If you don’t like the oil-paint texture, I can apply a smooth finish with a sealing layer. If you prefer this light, airy, oil-paint feel, I can use magic to seal it in without ruining the texture, and it will still protect the nail.”

Lu Yao had unintentionally discovered a sealing magic array. Although that hadn’t been her original goal, she hadn’t expected to use it so soon.

Fisa raised her hand to inspect her nail. Only one fingernail—the index finger—had been done, and despite the rough anti-overflow gel around it making her finger look like a bandaged patient, the beauty of the nail was undeniable.

White clouds met the water, and a cluster of wild daisies bent in the wind. Above the flowers, a pair of white butterflies fluttered in delicate harmony. The colors were bright and natural, exuding a sense of calm and nature.

The nail surface wasn’t the smooth, glassy kind often associated with hyperrealism. Instead, it had an intentionally rough, painterly texture that gave it a relaxed and whimsical feel—comforting in its simplicity.

Fisa couldn’t bring herself to say she didn’t like it. The shop owner had genuinely fulfilled her request, surpassing her expectations.

Lixiu leaned in for a closer look and praised it, “It’s not shiny, but this style is so beautiful! I love it! What do you call this nail style?”

As Lu Yao cleaned her soft brush, she gently replied, “This is called oil-paint nails. It’s perfect for creating unique, expressive scenes or nostalgic items, and it pairs beautifully with soft dresses.”

Lixiu, excited by her discovery, nodded eagerly. “Next time, I want to get a set of these oil-paint nails.”

Having seen how this style was created, Lixiu was completely won over. She could already imagine herself coming back frequently for new designs.

Fisa, feeling a bit embarrassed but unable to deny Lu Yao’s skill, nodded slightly, her face still tense. In a soft voice, she admitted, “I like this oil-paint style.”

“Great, I’ll seal it now,” Lu Yao said, a bit eager to proceed.

She had tested the sealing magic many times on practice nails and even on her own toenails, and it had always worked perfectly. But this was the first time she was using it on a client.

The sealing magic was a small formation that Lu Yao had developed herself, based on the properties of light magic. With just a tiny amount of magic, it could preserve the appearance of an object while protecting it from wear.

The magic circle was quick to draw. After a flash of golden light, Fisa’s nails had been sealed with magic.

The dragons around them, as well as the knight Elvi, looked surprised. Fisa and Lixiu were equally stunned as they stared at Lu Yao.

Elvi seemed particularly shaken. Her gray eyes fixed on Lu Yao as she asked, “Light magic? What did you just do?”

The atmosphere grew tense, and Lu Yao, confused, cautiously explained, “It’s nothing special. I just used a small magic circle to reinforce the nail so it won’t easily chip or wear away in daily life. It’ll keep looking beautiful.”

The only minor downside of the magic was that the nails wouldn’t come off naturally—they would need to be removed manually. This wasn’t a problem for normal people, though if a dragon reverted to its true form, the nails would still break off.

Perhaps, Lu Yao mused, she could develop a removable version of the magic circle. Maybe the sealing magic could evolve into a 2.0 version.

Elvi took a step back, incredulous. “All that, just to strengthen a nail?”

Light magic could dispel miasma and dark magic and had unparalleled healing power—far beyond even wood-based healing spells.

Powerful light mages have the ability to easily save those on the brink of death, healing them to the point where it’s as if they were never injured at all—a magic akin to rebirth.

The Imperial High Priest, Carlos, is one such grand light mage. It’s rumored that he can even reverse aging, granting people eternal youth.

Beyond its extraordinary attributes, light magic is also incredibly rare, with the number of light mages far lower than that of other elemental mages and magical creatures. Most light mages are absorbed into the empire, serving as royal mages.

The fact that a light mage appeared in this remote town was shocking enough, but what was even more astounding was that she didn’t cherish her talent, instead using such precious restorative magic to strengthen nails.

What a waste of such power!

Lu Yao was unaware of Elvi’s inner turmoil and calmly nodded. “Yes, is there a problem with the magic circle? From my experiments, it works quite well.”

Si Jin picked up on another detail. “Wait, you created this magic circle yourself?”

How could that be?

She had only recently discovered her magic affinity. To put it bluntly, she was like an older student with no magical foundation at all. That magic book might be basic for dragons, but for humans, it was far more complex.

Humans already had shorter lifespans and less aptitude and comprehension compared to magical creatures, let alone dragons.

Not only had she understood the book, but in just a few days, she had learned to create her own magic circle?

Si Jin couldn’t believe it.

Lu Yao nodded. “Yes, I was originally trying to make something else, but I ended up creating this magic circle first.”

“…” Si Jin was speechless.

Elvi frowned, completely unable to grasp her way of thinking.

The young dragons had somewhat recognized that Lu Yao was impressive, but dragons were innately proud and never considered humans superior. After their initial surprise, they didn’t dwell on it. Instead, they grew a bit more fond of this human.

Dragons admired strength, and they liked strong beings.

From the conversation, Fisa deduced that Lu Yao was likely a talented light mage, but she used her magic for manicures and could even construct magic circles herself.

This human had talent and a strange way of thinking.

Judging by everyone’s reactions, her talents and ideas likely surpassed what dragons or ordinary people could comprehend.

But Fisa didn’t care about any of that.

She raised her hand and asked softly, “Are you going to continue with the manicure?”

Lu Yao nodded. “Of course, let’s continue.”

After the brief interruption, the mixed nail polish had started to solidify a little. Lu Yao simply wiped it off and re-prepared the nail polish and gel, adjusting the colors again.

…

Above the town of Emeraldstone, six or seven giant dragons circled in the sky.

Field looked toward a particular direction. “Someone just used light magic over there. Could someone be injured?”

Muxin’s face grew slightly serious. “Sensin and the others are in that direction.”

Could the young dragons have caused trouble in the human town?

And did it escalate to the point of involving a light mage? If so, this could be a big issue.

The dragon parents, feeling a surge of anxiety, immediately dove down toward Emeraldstone Town. However, they found the town to be calm and peaceful, with no signs of conflict.

They quickly sensed the young dragons’ presence and transformed into human form as they landed, heading directly toward Lu Yao’s nail salon.

On their way, they overheard some townspeople gossiping about the nail salon owner. Some claimed she was raising a group of dragons, while others speculated that she was a dragon herself.

Dominic, looking serious, turned to Muxin and asked, “Humans raising dragons? What’s going on?”

The incident from over a century ago was the most shameful stain on dragon history.

To avoid a repeat of such disgrace, Dragon Valley’s curriculum had introduced a new lesson—humans were weak, and mature, powerful dragons should never associate with them.

This new training successfully instilled a sense of superiority in the younger generation of dragons, fostering their contempt for humans. But today, what had they just heard? Someone dared to claim they were raising a group of dragons?

Muxin scratched her head. “There’s definitely some misunderstanding. The shop is just ahead; let’s check it out first.”

…

Inside the nail salon, Fisa’s nails were finally done.

Each finger displayed a scenic oil painting: mountains, rivers, snowy peaks, birds skimming over the water, and daisies swaying in the wind. The overall design was a blend of white, green, and blue, with intricate details on closer inspection.

The young dragons gathered around, watching Lu Yao use magic to seal the nails, their eyes filled with curiosity.

So this is how light magic works, they thought.

Elvi closed her eyes briefly and turned away, unable to bear watching such a scene.

At that moment, the dragon parents arrived at the door of the nail salon. Hearing the voices inside, they realized the young dragons were all there.

Dominic, with a stern expression, pushed the door open and saw his own child, Sasa, surrounded by a human. His face immediately darkened. “Sasa, what are you doing here?”

The little green dragon, Sasa, turned around, her eyes lighting up with joy as she ran over. “Dad!”

The other young dragons also noticed their parents had arrived and eagerly ran toward them, showing off their sparkling nails. In their excitement over the manicures, they had forgotten that today was the start of their break.

Amos noticed that both Harold and Si Jin were also in this strange human shop. The other dragons noticed too, but none of them exchanged greetings.

Lu Yao looked up and saw five or six tall, imposing figures standing in the doorway, their faces unreadable, but their sharp gazes and powerful auras were unmistakable. They were clearly much taller and more commanding than the people of Emeraldstone Town.

She smiled slightly and waved at the young dragons.

The dragon parents collected their young without acknowledging the shop owner and quickly turned to leave.

Once the dragons had departed, Lixiu and the others couldn’t wait to rush out of the nail salon. The atmosphere inside had been too terrifying.

Elvi parted ways with Lixiu and Fisa on the street. Lixiu took Fisa back to her apothecary, where the herbs they had bought from Onorton City were still piled up at the door.

As Fisa helped Lixiu sort through the herbs, she asked casually, “There’s no teleportation array in Emeraldstone Town, is there?”

Lixiu nodded. “The people in this town rarely travel, and outsiders don’t visit often, so there’s no need for one.”

Unless it was someone like her, who needed to travel regularly, but Lixiu didn’t know how to set up a teleportation array, and no one else would build one just for her.

Fisa said, “I’ll set one up tomorrow. I have an extra teleportation scroll, and I’ll give it to you. Next time you need to go to Onorton City, you can use it yourself.”

For an elf like Fisa, building a teleportation array wasn’t difficult.

Lixiu was thrilled and couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you suddenly decide to build a teleportation array in this town?”

Fisa lowered her head, her pointy elf ears turning slightly pink. “I just thought I might come here more often in the future. It’s too much of a waste of time to travel by carriage every time. I still have a shop to run, so the teleportation array will be more convenient.”

Lixiu clapped her hands excitedly. “That’s great! Fisa, you really like the nail salon, don’t you?”

Fisa, feeling embarrassed, replied, “I might come by sometimes, but not too frequently.”

Lixiu smiled knowingly. “Mhm, I understand.”

Yes, she understood perfectly.

…

Far away, the red sunset gradually faded, leaving a thin layer of dusky blue in the sky.

All the customers had left. Lu Yao brewed a cup of hot tea and sat by the window, sipping it to relax.

Harold sprawled lazily on the sofa, his elbow pressed against a new comic book, looking like a slacker with delusions of grandeur.

Si Jin reclined in a nearby armchair, admiring his glittering nails, his golden eyes filled with satisfaction.

Why were these two still here?

Lu Yao felt a bit helpless and waited a little longer, but as the sky darkened completely, she finally couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you two going home?”

Si Jin was so captivated by his nails that he didn’t even hear her.

Come to think of it, Harold seemed to be about the same age as the younger dragons. Why hadn’t his parents come to pick him up? Harold turned over, settling into a more comfortable position on the sofa, and said matter-of-factly, “Lu Yao, your shop needs a guard. You can use that chest of treasure under the table to hire me as your guard.”

Lu Yao: “…”

That’s the treasure you didn’t take with you! It’s just sitting there, taking up space.

Maybe dragons are a bit… dense?

Lu Yao couldn’t help but cover her face.

At least with Harold, she was convinced. He was as dense as they come!

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