Ch 50: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

In the evening, after seeing off the last customer, Lu Yao stood by the window and let out a long breath.

The magic recovery potion was truly amazing. She had consumed two bottles in the morning and still felt full of energy by the end of her shift.

“Mumu, how many customers do we have tomorrow?” Lu Yao asked.

Mumu flipped through the appointment book, carefully counting. “Eight, all regular appointments. No magic manicures.”

Tina leaned over Mumu’s shoulder and flipped through a few more pages. “But the next three days are fully booked, with half of them being students from the magic academy.”

Lu Yao turned and leaned against the windowsill. “I think it’s because of the customer who left this morning.”

“What about that customer?” Tina asked.

Lu Yao explained, “I heard from other customers that he’s quite an important figure, highly respected by the students. When he returned to the academy this morning, the students saw his manicure, and it basically became free promotion for our little shop.”

“I see,” Tina said, though she wasn’t particularly interested in human affairs.

Eugenia, on the other hand, was excited. “That gentleman is called Carlos, the Grand Priest of the Empire. It was my first time seeing someone so esteemed.”

Harold tossed aside his comic book and stood up. “Lu Yao, when are we eating?”

Lu Yao had been too busy to return to the snack shop for lunch, and the staff had made do with food from the local tavern. Harold had barely touched his food.

His taste had become more refined thanks to Lu Yao’s cooking, and now he was picky. If the food wasn’t to his liking, he wouldn’t eat, but with plenty of snacks in the nail shop, he wouldn’t go hungry.

Remembering that she still hadn’t bought the herbs she needed, Lu Yao clapped her hands and suggested, “We finished early today. How about we go to the city for a walk? I need to buy some herbs and blank scrolls, and we can grab dinner while we’re there. What do you think?”

Perhaps the recovery potion was still working because, despite the long day, she didn’t feel tired and was eager to get out and about.

Harold’s eyes widened at the suggestion, and though he didn’t say anything, it was clear he wanted to go.

Tina wasn’t particularly interested in human cities, but she thought it might be nice to go out with the shop owner.

Eugenia hesitated, but since everyone else was going, she didn’t feel comfortable refusing.

Noticing Eugenia’s hesitation, Lu Yao handed her twenty copper coins. “If you have something else to do, you don’t need to force yourself to join us. This is for dinner.”

Twenty copper coins were enough to feed Eugenia’s family for an entire day in Emeraldstone Town.

Grateful, Eugenia took the coins, gathered her practice tools, and headed home.

Mumu stood on the floor, looking unsure. His large, round eyes shimmered, and he slowly lowered his head.

Slimes, being such low-level magical creatures, would likely be driven away by adventurers, mages, or other powerful magical beings if they appeared in the city.

Harold, arms crossed, glanced at Mumu. “The little slime can’t go to the city. You should call it a day and go home.”

Mumu looked pitiful, letting out a sad “Ji.”

Tina picked Mumu up and glared at Harold. “Can you stop bullying him? Mumu is much more helpful around the shop than you.”

Harold grumbled in frustration. “…”

Even Tina had fallen for this little slime’s charm.

Mumu’s eyes filled with tears as he gazed at Lu Yao with a pitiful expression.

Lu Yao thought for a moment and asked, “Mumu, can you change your form?”

Slimes should have the ability to mimic, right?

Mumu jumped out of Tina’s arms and shuffled over to Lu Yao, looking up at her. “Ji ji.”

Lu Yao was confused. “?”

The system chimed in: “He wants a strand of your hair.”

Though unsure what Mumu intended, Lu Yao pulled out a strand of her hair and handed it to him.

Mumu took it and swallowed it. A moment later, the blue, transparent slime melted into a puddle before reforming into a small boy who resembled Lu Yao by about 90%.

Mumu’s hair, eyes, and eyelashes were ice-blue, and his facial features leaned more masculine. He was also dressed in a well-fitted, stylish tailcoat.

Lu Yao: “…”

Harold walked over and picked up Mumu. “Turn back.”

Mumu blinked his round eyes and, with a pitiful look at Harold, said in a soft, cute voice, “No.”

With that face resembling Lu Yao’s, especially with the sad expression, even Harold couldn’t bring himself to be harsh with him.

The young black dragon was on the verge of exploding with frustration.

Tina stepped in to mediate. “If you two keep at it, the sun will set. Let’s just head out.”

At first, Lu Yao also felt a bit strange about Mumu’s transformation, but Mumu was so obedient and even looked like how she did as a child. After a few more glances, she found it cute.

After packing a large bag of coins, the two dragons, Lu Yao, and Mumu headed to the fountain plaza’s teleportation array.

Harold had used up his scrolls, so Tina provided the teleportation scrolls for the outing.

The teleportation was quick, but since it was Lu Yao’s first time, the dizziness hit her hard.

Harold grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms to shield her.

She closed her eyes and managed to keep from getting sick.

Onorton City was a bustling, prosperous metropolis, home to not only ordinary humans but also numerous mages and magical creatures.

The streets were lined with shops—dwarven weapon shops, elven apothecaries, and mage-run clothing stores where robes with attribute enhancements were sold. Lu Yao wandered through the streets, purchasing quite a few items.

Just like Lu Yao, both Mumu and Harold were fascinated by everything they saw, and they ended up buying from one end of the street to the other.

Tina, having seen much of the world, was less interested in human wares. The only time she showed any enthusiasm was in the dwarven weapon shop, where she picked out two new weapons.

After walking through a long street, they finally reached one of their destinations—the Sid Herb Shop.

When they entered, they ran into someone familiar.

Annie was coming out of the shop with Mrs. Sid. Seeing Lu Yao first, Annie walked over. “Shop owner, what brings you to the city?”

Lu Yao briefly explained the purpose of their visit. Hearing this, Annie smiled. “You’ve come to the right place. There’s no other herb shop in Ornoton City with a wider selection than ours.”

Lu Yao wasn’t surprised, given the name “Sid Herb Shop.” She had already thought of Mrs. Sid when she saw the shop’s sign. However, she was curious to see Annie wearing the blue-and-white uniform of the magic academy students, just like the ones who visited her shop.

“Are you heading back to school?” Lu Yao asked.

Annie nodded. “In half a month, the academy is holding its centennial celebration. His Majesty will be attending, so all the students and teachers are expected to participate.”

The academy had sent out a summons, which solidified Annie’s resolve. Not only would she return, but she also intended to defeat both Zelan and Helena in the upcoming competition at the academy.

After saying goodbye to Annie, Lu Yao purchased a large amount of materials from Sid’s herb shop and then took the shop employees to dinner.

The restaurant Annie recommended served authentic food, delicious and reasonably priced.

Lu Yao ordered a few dishes and passed the menu to Tina so that everyone could pick their own. Together, they ordered a large feast.

City restaurants were indeed a step above those in Emeraldstone Town. For the first time, Lu Yao tasted truly authentic dishes from this magical world, like the seafood chowder, which was incredible, and the vegetable soup served with bread, which was especially fresh.

While the seasonings and culinary refinement might not be quite up to the standards of her previous world, the freshness and flavor of the ingredients were far superior to what she’d had in Emerald Town.

Even Harold, who usually had a picky palate, wolfed down several bowls of food like a little pig.

…

Late at night, Lu Yao was still in the shop organizing her newly acquired materials.

Her trip to Onorton City had been quite productive. She bought a lot of blank scrolls, herbs, magical materials, as well as robes, weapons, potions, and books, which were now piled up in her workshop.

She even had to use some of her popularity points to expand the material storage room.

While waiting for the new room to be set up, Lu Yao gathered all the materials for her second glue formula and began the refining process.

The success rate for Formula Two was much lower than Formula One, and after seven or eight attempts, she failed each time.

With only one batch of ingredients left, she had no hope of success and was already thinking about returning to Onorton City the next day to restock her materials.

But this time, it worked.

A black, semi-fluid adhesive settled in the cauldron, emitting the damp, earthy scent of a deep forest, filled with decaying vegetation.

Lu Yao didn’t like the smell, so she quickly grabbed a glass jar, poured the second formula glue inside, and sealed it tightly.

She recalled the small note on the formula, stating, “It can reinforce weapons, shields, and armor to withstand a strike from a giant bone dragon.”

Curiosity got the best of her, and despite the late hour, she wanted to try it out immediately.

She found a piece of armor plating, applied a small amount of the second formula glue, and then placed the plate on a mat. Grabbing a small hammer, she gave the plate a light tap.

Normally, a plastic plate like this would shatter with even a small hit from a hammer.

As the hammer struck the plate, there was a sharp crack.

When Lu Yao lifted her hand, she realized that only the wooden handle of the hammer was left— the head of the hammer had shattered.

Lu Yao: “…”

Could this glue really withstand a dragon’s attack?

She was eager to test it.

Harold was asleep in the lounge, as he had offered to stay when she mentioned she’d be working late to organize materials.

Holding the armored plate, Lu Yao entered the lounge and switched on the lights.

The young black dragon was curled up on the sofa, a blanket draped over him. His long legs were bent, and one hand rested on his chest. His black hair was damp with sweat, and his brows were tightly furrowed.

He seemed to be having a restless sleep, as if caught in another nightmare.

In his dream, two enormous bone dragons loomed before Harold, slowly raising their skeletal heads, their hollow eye sockets fixed on him.

The same voice from before echoed in his mind—
“Harold, Harold—”

“Stay away from humans. Don’t get close.”

“They will…”

“Harold, Harold, wake up.” Lu Yao was sitting on the edge of the sofa, gently shaking Harold’s arm.

The young black dragon’s lips twitched, his eyelids fluttering.

“Harold, wake up. I need your help.” Lu Yao lightly patted his face.

“They will… betray you,” the voice warned with a heavy tone.

Harold suddenly jolted awake, his deep blue eyes filled with fear.

Lu Yao noticed something was off. “What’s wrong?”

Harold shook his head, his voice hoarse. “Nothing. Just a nightmare. Is it already morning?”

Lu Yao handed him a glass of water. Harold took it but didn’t drink. He looked up and asked, “What do you need help with?”

“I need you to help me with a test,” Lu Yao replied, handing him the armor plate she had coated with the second formula glue. “Try hitting it with your dragon claw.”

With one swipe, the plate remained completely intact—there wasn’t even a scratch.

Both Lu Yao and Harold were astonished. Harold struck it three more times before the plate finally shattered.

“What did you do?” Harold asked, his expression darkening.

Lu Yao didn’t explain in detail, only saying she was experimenting with a new nail art formula. She left Harold in the lounge and put the second formula glue away in storage.

It was already late, and after finishing her research, Lu Yao felt the need to rest.

The lounge had a full bath facility, so she grabbed some clean clothes and went to take a shower.

The sound of water splashing echoed through the room, casting a soft, warm glow on the frosted glass.

Harold propped his head up on his hand, a look of confusion on his face.

He was a dragon—a black dragon with the attribute of darkness.

Even his own kind feared him. Who could harm him?

Humans betraying others? He knew that well enough.

Though he was still under a hundred years old, he was a knowledgeable young dragon who understood many things.

But why did he dislike being around humans?

Maybe it was just a nightmare after all.

When Lu Yao finished her shower, she stepped out feeling refreshed. “Harold, can’t sleep?”

Harold blinked, realizing that this human was staying here with him.

“Aren’t you going home?”

Lu Yao placed a cup of water on the table and spread out a blanket, lying down on the sofa next to his. “It’s too late. Going home isn’t safe, so I’ll sleep here.”

After working for so long, her body quickly relaxed, and she fell asleep almost instantly.

Harold got up and crouched beside her.

She was really asleep now, her long, thick eyelashes casting shadows over her closed eyes, giving her a more delicate appearance.

Going home wasn’t safe, but being around a dragon was?

Harold’s deep blue eyes glimmered with curiosity, and a strange, indescribable feeling crept over him.

The young black dragon felt an urge to wag his tail—if only he were still in his dragon form.

Lu Yao wasn’t like other humans.

Lu Yao was just… Lu Yao.

…

In the morning, when Lu Yao woke up, Harold was no longer in the lounge.

She didn’t think much of it and got up to wash up.

System: [Urgent Reminder: The third task will expire in 72 hours!]

Lu Yao: !!!

…

Thingyan: Pre-Black Friday mass update ☺️

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