Ch 54: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

[Mission Completed!]

【Successfully served 100 customers. Mission complete! Rewards: 10,000 popularity points, Dragon-Specific Glue Recipe #3, 3 drops of Sunlight, 20 pieces of Bone-Eating Grass!】

【Lu Yao’s Nail Salon is now bustling! Congratulations on leveling up to a 3-star shop! Keep up the good work, Shopkeeper!】

[New Mission!]
Collect 10 different races from the Alexander Continent in the illustrated guide. Rewards: 100,000 popularity points, Special Glue Recipe #4, and 1 Ancient Weapon Enchantment Magic Book.

…

The morning of the second day of the event, after Lu Yao finished serving three scheduled customers, the system’s notification chimed, signaling her successful escape from the “mission failure” crisis.

Her three apprentices were busy attending to customers, while Si Jin and Harold sat in the corner, keeping watch.

Curious about the mission rewards, Lu Yao snuck into the workshop. She ignored the popularity points reward for now and took out the small box containing the Sunlight. Opening the lid just a crack, she saw three drop-shaped materials resting at the bottom, emitting a blazing heat and shining with a brilliant golden light.

Lu Yao took a quick glance and immediately closed the box. Although the door to the workshop was closed, the powerful magical aura overflowed, making it feel oppressive.

Tina glanced at the black door, suppressing her curiosity to stay focused on her work.

Two heads peeked through the door crack—Si Jin and Harold’s dragon eyes were wide with curiosity. “What are you playing with in secret?” they asked.

Lu Yao motioned for them to come in, and the two dragons tiptoed inside.

“I got some new materials,” Lu Yao said.

Harold opened the small box, and upon seeing the contents, his eyes sparkled. “Lu Yao, I want this!” he exclaimed.

Si Jin snatched it from Harold, took a look, and said, “I want it too!”

Lu Yao took back the box and casually tossed it into the storage, “No slacking off at work. After three months, I might consider it.”

Harold & Si Jin: “…”

The two dragons slouched out dejectedly. Lu Yao then took out the Bone-Eating Grass. The thin, black leaves looked ordinary, making it hard to tell they were a rare herb long thought extinct. Once refined, it could be used to enhance materials.

With only a small bundle as thick as her thumb, Lu Yao wasn’t sure what to use it for yet, so she stored it in the warehouse for the time being.

Next, she looked at Dragon-Specific Glue Recipe #3. Similar to Recipe #2, it required rare materials, including three ingredients from level-28 or higher magical beasts and two extremely rare herbs.

If Lu Yao were gathering these materials alone, it would be difficult, but with Harold and Si Jin around, it was much easier. She planned to copy the recipe later and send them out to collect the materials.

At the end of Recipe #3, there was a line of small print: Can enhance weapon levels, adding a life-steal enchantment.

Lu Yao furrowed her brow. Recipe #2 increased defense, Recipe #3 boosted weapon performance—perhaps Recipes #4 and #5 would have their own special effects as well?

It seemed the five bottles of glue the system had her exchange were more than just dragon-specific gemstone adhesives. Recipes #2 through #5 were likely special elixirs with unique properties.

She set aside her thoughts on what these four special glues might be used for once crafted and opened the system menu to check the requirements for Task #4.

The Alexander Continent was home to many races, broadly divided into ten categories. Currently, only three icons in her illustrated guide were lit up—dragons, humans, and elves. Seven icons remained dark, and their silhouettes were too vague to identify the other races.

Lu Yao knew there were also dwarves and beastmen, which belonged to the demi-human category, and slimes, which were considered part of the demon race. Undead was likely another category.

She figured she could ask around for information on the remaining races later. Time was of the essence, and she didn’t want to risk another mission failure.

With the shop now upgraded and more customers coming in, and her apprentices becoming more independent, Lu Yao decided it was time to spend some popularity points to upgrade the nail salon.

The shop space needed to be expanded, and Lu Yao planned to hire more staff, preferably suitable apprentices.

She drew a sketch, something she hadn’t done in a while, and gave it to the system, planning for maintenance after closing the shop tonight.

…

Red Heart Guild was the largest and most prestigious adventurers’ guild in Braibis City, boasting three top-tier adventure squads, two of which even had hero-level members.

After registering as adventurers, the guild assessed their strength based on the level of tasks completed and success rates, issuing rank badges accordingly.

The ranks, from highest to lowest, were: Hero Level, Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Copper, with the badge representing the adventurer’s power and standing.

In all of Braibis City, there were fewer than ten hero-level adventurers, two of whom belonged to Red Star Guild, proving the guild’s formidable power.

At this moment, a group of adventurers gathered around the task board, where a peculiar A-rank task had just appeared—open only to adventure squads with at least two platinum-ranked members. The reward was a staggering 10,000 gold coins. The task? To destroy a small shop in a remote northern empire town.

“Why is this an A-rank mission? It looks so easy.”

“10,000 gold? I’m dying of envy!”

“This mission barely qualifies as C-rank. Five silver-rank adventurers could easily handle it, and I also want that 10,000 gold!”

Just then, Annie walked in from the entrance, and her teammates immediately called out, “The Great Mage!”

Annie was a member of the Silver Wing Adventure Squad, one of the Red Heart Guild’s top three teams.

Though the Silver Wing squad lacked hero-level members, they boasted three platinum-ranked members, including Annie, who was the top mage in the entire guild.

The squad leader, Ian, a platinum-ranked warrior with a sunny disposition and golden hair, walked up to Annie, “You’re finally back. We just picked up an interesting mission, and we’ve been waiting for you.”

Before Ian could say more, a seductive red-haired woman holding a task commission smiled at Annie and then turned to Ian. “Our Red Eye Squad took the mission too, and you know the rule—first come, first served.”

The Red Eye Squad was another top team within the guild, led by Red Eye, a hero-level assassin.

Shortly after, the third top-tier team, Black Hawk Squad, also accepted the mission.

Typically, once a task commission was taken from the board, no one else could accept it. But this A-rank mission had another oddity—the client specifically stated that it was open to all, with no limit on the number of teams.

Neither Red Eye nor Black Hawk took the mission seriously. As soon as they left the guild, they split into two-person teams: one weaker pair went to handle this A-rank mission, while the hero-level adventurers took on a more challenging S-rank task.

The Silver Wing Squad didn’t depart immediately. Instead, they surrounded Annie, asking why she had suddenly left Braibis City earlier.

Annie made up an excuse, then took the commission from Ian’s hand. Her brow furrowed as she read the task requirements. “We should give up on this one,” she said.

Ian looked bewildered. “Are you worried we can’t beat Red Eye or Black Hawk?”

Another platinum-level teammate chimed in, “Red Eye and Clarissa are off doing the S-rank mission. Without those two heroes, what’s there to fear?”

Ian nodded, agreeing. “Carter’s right. The mission is easy, and the reward is too good to pass up. With the four of us, we could be back in less than half a day.”

Annie stared at the mission location—Lu Yao’s Nail Salon in Emerald Town. Thinking of the terrifying entities in that shop and the formidable storekeeper, she shook her head. “This mission is harder than any S-rank task. Even if Red Eye and Black Hawk’s hero-level adventurers went themselves, they’d struggle to complete it.”

Ian and the others widened their eyes in disbelief.

With a sigh, Annie pulled them aside and whispered, “I know this shop. The staff are all fierce, and the storekeeper is incredibly powerful. Our squad has no chance of success.”

One of the team members, the orc Carter, widened his eyes in disbelief.
“No way! You’re trying to scare us out of this mission because you don’t want to go.”

Ian thought for a moment, then looked at Annie, speaking softly.
“Annie, explain more about that shop. I believe there’s a trap, but with your intel, we might still have a chance.”

No matter what Annie said, her teammates couldn’t believe that three platinum-ranked adventurers and an excellent mage couldn’t handle an A-rank mission.

Seeing she couldn’t convince them, Annie reluctantly agreed to accompany them to Emerald Town.
She understood her companions’ mindset—if she hadn’t seen it herself, she wouldn’t believe that a small shop could have several dragons lurking inside, and that the shopkeeper was a mage with both light and dark attributes.
Whoever dared provoke that shop must have lost their mind.

Annie had no intention of causing trouble at the nail shop; she only hoped her teammates would be smart enough not to create an irreversible mess.

..

At Lu Yao’s Nail Shop in Emerald Town.

Si Jin and Harold leaned against the door as a group of adventurers surrounded the shop, watching the two dragons warily.
The 10,000-gold reward was tempting enough to attract not only the top three teams but also many adventurers who met the mission requirements.
By noon, these people had been circling the shop like they were delivering food, scaring away most customers.

Si Jin and Harold were growing increasingly irritated; even though these adventurers were weak, they all seemed to think they could easily claim the shop. They had already driven off wave after wave of them.

Soon, members of the Red Eye and Black Hawk squads arrived in Emerald Town.
Both teams wanted to claim this lucrative task, and as soon as they exited the teleportation array, they started fighting in the fountain square.

Black Hawk proved to be the stronger squad, knocking out two members of Red Eye before heading straight for the nail shop.
The Black Hawk squad consisted of a warrior and a wind mage. The mage immediately unleashed a wave of wind blades, attacking everyone near the shop indiscriminately.

Lu Yao had just emerged from the research room after hearing from Mumu that trouble was brewing outside, so she went to check it out.

The Black Hawk mage, acting arrogantly, easily dealt with the other adventurers who might compete for the mission. He then unleashed another wave of wind blades, aiming to destroy the nail shop’s sign as a show of force.
“Lu Yao’s Nail Shop? What a joke of a place,” he sneered.

Lu Yao arrived just in time to hear that comment, with several wind blades flying straight toward her.

Harold pulled her to his side and effortlessly blocked the wind blades, his brows furrowing deeply. “No slacking. Let’s deal with them right away.”

Si Jin summoned a magic circle, blocking the wind blades, then sent a massive golden blade slashing directly at the Black Hawk mage.
The mage quickly chanted a spell, conjuring a thick blue shield in front of him.

He relaxed, confident the shield would hold.
However, the golden blade sliced through the shield with ease, and before the mage could fully process his shock, the blade struck him down.

Annie and her three teammates arrived just in time to see Harold conjure a black flame in his hand, melting the heavy armor off the Black Hawk warrior.

The armor, crafted by dwarven artisans and blessed by a grand light mage, was a legendary piece, yet it melted away so easily.

Annie looked at her teammates and asked, “Do you still want to go in?”

“…”
The teammates, who had been so confident earlier, stood frozen, slowly shaking their heads.

Annie breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Since we’ve decided to give up, shall we head back?”

Her teammates nodded reluctantly, still trying to save face.
“It’s not that we couldn’t win. It’s just that fighting so hard for a measly 10,000 gold isn’t worth it.”

Lu Yao, standing between Si Jin and Harold for protection, saw Annie and her group approaching from the street corner, only to turn around as if they were leaving.

She focused on Carter, noticing that he seemed to be an orc.

Lu Yao called out, “Annie! Are you bringing your friends to visit?”

Annie stiffened, forcing a smile.
“Uh, yeah, sure.”

Lu Yao’s expression softened when she saw that there was indeed an orc among them.
“We’re not busy right now. Come on in, have a seat.”

Silver Wing Squad: “…”

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