Ch 56: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

At the Redheart Guild, many adventurers stood before the mission board.

One person asked in confusion, “Didn’t the Red-Eye, Black-Eagle, and Silver-Wing teams all take on that A-rank mission? Why is it still posted?”

Someone lowered their voice and said, “I heard that all three teams failed, and Silver-Wing has already voluntarily given up on the mission.”

“Isn’t it just an A-rank mission? I can understand Silver-Wing, but how could the Red-Eye and Black-Eagle teams fail? Heroes unable to complete an A-rank mission? That’s ridiculous.”

In the crowd, a platinum-level adventurer grimaced, “That shop is gone. No matter how many times we went, scoured the town, we couldn’t find it.”

“It is odd. Yesterday, a lot of us went, and it was clearly on that eastern street. But today, we couldn’t find it.” Another adventurer chimed in.

What he didn’t mention was that even if they found the shop, the mission wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

The shop had two guards of absurd strength. Apart from the Silver-Wing team, everyone else was driven back, including Red-Eye and Black-Eagle.

Ian ignored the murmurs and glances around him, tore off the mission he wanted from the board, and headed towards the guild’s entrance.

Red-Eye team’s leader, Red-Eye herself, was coming to submit proof of an S-rank mission. She met Ian at the entrance and greeted him, “So, Silver-Wing actually gave up on a mission. Without any hero-level adventurers, I thought your team had a bit more backbone, at least enough to keep up with my squad.”

On her way to the guild, Red-Eye had already heard from her team members about the situation surrounding that A-rank mission.

Silver-Wing was the only team to return from the town unscathed, but they had voluntarily given up on the mission.

Ian was well aware of Red-Eye’s ploy; she was merely fishing for information. He smiled calmly, raising the task commission in his hand. “With the strength of the Red-Eye team, you’ll have no trouble completing that mission. We have other tasks to take care of. See you around.”

Red-Eye watched as the Silver-Wing team disappeared into the distance, a thoughtful look in her eyes. As she turned, she saw Black-Eagle team member Clarissa and smirked. “A demon wouldn’t be interested in such a trivial mission, would they?”

Clarissa didn’t respond, simply heading into the guild to submit proof of the S-rank mission.

Red-Eye’s expression soured slightly. Clarissa’s demonic bloodline wasn’t a secret in the Redheart Guild.

But due to her overwhelming strength, few dared to openly discuss it.

Only Red-Eye, also a hero-ranked adventurer, occasionally dared to make remarks, though they rarely elicited a response.

Clarissa was like a machine, constantly completing missions, indifferent to others’ opinions, provocations, or even gestures of goodwill.

Black-Eagle’s captain, Norman, sat in a carriage waiting for Clarissa to return from the guild. He handed her an A-rank mission slip. “I want to hear that this mission is complete before nightfall.”

Clarissa took the slip without even looking at it, then turned and left.

One of the team members, the greatsword warrior whose artifact-level armor had been melted, looked uneasy. “Can she handle it alone?”

Norman’s expression remained cold. “She’s not like you.”

The warrior’s face flushed with embarrassment, and he said no more.

Indeed, Clarissa, with her demonic bloodline, was absurdly powerful, never failing a mission.

The Black-Eagle team’s strength and reputation were largely due to Clarissa’s prowess—she accounted for ninety percent of their success.

She was simply too strong.

…

Clarissa stood in Fountain Square, glanced around, and quickly found her bearings, striding towards the eastern street.

Standing before the “Lu Yao Nail Salon,” a flicker of curiosity passed through her red eyes. The shop had the aura of powerful beings, but also some very weak ones.

There was a notice on the door—recruiting apprentices?

Clarissa blinked, pushing down her sudden curiosity.

Her mission was to make the shop disappear; there was no need to know more. Summoning a massive red scythe, she gripped it tightly and cautiously pushed open the door.

As Clarissa stepped into the shop, Tina, who had been sitting at the workbench, suddenly turned around, her eyes filled with surprise and suspicion.

A formidable presence had entered.

Clarissa also sensed the aura of a dragon and gripped her weapon even tighter. No wonder ordinary adventurers couldn’t handle it.

“Welcome! If you’re here for a manicure, please have a seat inside,” a soft and cute voice suddenly spoke.

Clarissa looked down and saw a slime.

A dragon and a talking slime? This was definitely a strange little shop.

The nail salon had undergone an upgrade last night, doubling the interior space. Three more windows had been added, although the view outside remained exactly the same.

The number of workstations had increased from three to six, and the lounge area had expanded as well, with a new set of brown sofas and a three-tier wooden bookshelf in one corner.

The bookshelf was just the right height to reach the sofa’s armrest, topped with a round piece of frosted glass used to display snacks and drinks.

Inside the shelves, books were neatly arranged—two tiers filled with comics and one with various other books.

Based on the information provided by Si Jin and Harold, Lu Yao had drawn a concealed magic array around the shop, effectively blocking magic users at or below the platinum level from finding it.

Only those without magical abilities or those stronger than platinum-level magic users could still locate the nail shop.

Because of this, there were still some customers, but far fewer than the previous days.

Today, there were no people waiting in line, with only two customers getting their nails done at the workstations.

Clarissa didn’t immediately carry out her mission. Instead, she followed the little slime and sat down.

Lu Yao emerged from the workshop, intending to call Mumu. But when she saw Clarissa, she paused, saying nothing for a moment.

Clarissa sized up Lu Yao—the shop owner, who appeared to be just an ordinary human, yet something about her aura was strange.

Mumu slowly shuffled over to Lu Yao’s side and looked up with a little “chirp.”

Lu Yao crouched down, patted Mumu’s head, and praised him. “Mumu, you’ve been super helpful today, thank you for your hard work.”

“Chirp!” Mumu’s round eyes sparkled, looking soft and adorable.

“Is there something special about this slime?” Clarissa suddenly teleported beside them, confusion in her eyes. She even reached out and gave Mumu a squeeze, confirming that it was just a regular slime.

“Huh?” The sudden appearance startled Lu Yao. She hadn’t heard the question clearly.

The concealment magic array had worked well, preventing any disruptions throughout the morning. Lu Yao had let Si Jin and Harold go out to gather materials, leaving only Tina in the shop.

The customer who had just arrived seemed quite powerful—likely above the platinum-level adventurer rank—otherwise, they wouldn’t have found the shop.

However, this person didn’t seem like the demon adventurer she had been waiting for. Tina had mentioned that the adventurer with demonic blood was at least fifty years old.

Clarissa lifted Mumu again, squeezing him a few times before looking at Lu Yao once more. “Why would you keep it? Slimes are the weakest creatures on this continent, without any value. If you wanted a pet, there are far better choices.”

“…”

Lu Yao quickly snatched Mumu back from Clarissa’s hands and placed him gently on the floor, trying to maintain a calm tone. “Even though he’s a slime, Mumu is very capable.”

“Mumu?” Clarissa raised an eyebrow. “You named it?”

“Yes, Mumu is his name. Strictly speaking, I only gave him a name; I’m not really keeping him. He’s not a pet. Mumu is an employee of the shop, very diligent. He earns his keep through his work—he supports himself.”

“Chirp.” The slime extended a tiny paw, clutching tightly onto Lu Yao’s sleeve, its big eyes becoming even more teary and glistening.

Clarissa faintly sensed some anger in the shop owner’s words, but her expression remained confused. “What can he do?”

Lu Yao stood up, her gaze toward Clarissa showing a hint of helplessness as she gestured toward the workstation. “Please, have a seat over there.”

A few minutes later, Mumu moved into the manicurist’s seat.

Clarissa, still puzzled, asked, “What’s going on?”

“Mumu will be your manicurist today. If you have any requests, please communicate them with him.” With that, Lu Yao walked to the lounge area, casually picking up a comic book to read.

There weren’t many people in the shop. Mumu, still in his slime form, handed Clarissa a tablet and patiently showed her how to use it.

Clarissa was slightly surprised by how smart this slime seemed. After browsing for a while, she finally realized this was a nail salon.

The selection was extensive, with the designs getting more impressive as she scrolled through. Initially, the designs were simple, but soon she found ones imbued with magical elements, including some with a dark magic aura.

However, Clarissa wasn’t particularly interested in magical nail art, so she chose the simplest plain-color style. Her only request was for each nail to be a different color.

After discussing the details with the slime, Clarissa briefly stiffened as she remembered that she had come here on a mission.

Mumu’s tiny paw grasped a nail file, but as soon as he started filing, it snapped.

Tina glanced at Clarissa, then pulled out a black-gold dragon-strength nail file from the drawer and handed it to Mumu.

Getting a manicure was a long and relaxing process, one Clarissa couldn’t remember indulging in for quite some time.

Suddenly taking a break made her feel a strong sense of unease and guilt.

Her father was human, her mother a demon, but her birth had been nothing more than a transaction. Her father had sacrificed a powerful creature’s soul to summon her mother and wished for a demon child.

Thus, Clarissa was born—carrying a mysterious power.

But something went wrong with the deal. The powerful soul her father had offered was taken by someone else before the deal was complete.

The demon, having not received the full price, reclaimed part of the power Clarissa had been born with.

As a half-demon child born of a forbidden pact, her value faded along with her lost power. She should have been executed by the holy knights on the spot.

But someone had told her that her demon bloodline, though a curse, was also her only remaining worth.

Clarissa became an adventurer, obeying orders and taking on mission after mission.

She firmly believed that strength was the only value that mattered.

It wasn’t until she encountered a human and a slime that the lies hidden in those words began to reveal themselves.

Clarissa’s nails were done, each finger painted a different color.

Mumu had added a personal touch: the left hand had a misty matte finish, while the right hand shimmered with silver cat-eye polish.

Lu Yao approached, patted Mumu on the head, and praised, “The color selection and design are very sophisticated. Great job, Mumu.”

Tina and Eugenia, having finished their tasks, gathered around to admire Clarissa’s nails, giving Mumu a thumbs-up.

“Chirp.” Mumu blushed, looking shy.

Clarissa counted out some copper coins to pay, then held up her fingers, staring at them for a long while before turning back to Lu Yao, confused. “You like this slime just because he can do nails?”

Lu Yao picked Mumu up and held him in front of Clarissa. “Look at this slime! He’s so soft, so clear, so cute. He even wears clothes and can chirp adorably. Even if he couldn’t do anything, I’d still like him.”

There was no denying that Mumu, with his ability to learn, was undeniably charming.

But when he knocked on the door, carrying the black lotus, Lu Yao knew she couldn’t refuse.

Because he was just too adorable.

“Bang—” The front door of the nail salon was blasted open from the outside.

Harold entered, carrying a massive box, his face dark. His voice was chilly, “Lu Yao.”

Lu Yao looked at him. “…You’re back.”

Harold casually tossed the box aside and marched up to Lu Yao, pointing at Mumu, who was nestled in her arms, furious. “Since you like this slime so much, let him go out and gather materials for you from now on! Hmph!”

Worried about her safety, he had rushed back halfway through collecting materials, only to overhear her praising that slime at the door. It infuriated him beyond belief.

Clarissa was even more surprised now. This dragon was jealous of a slime.

Lu Yao gently set Mumu down, then turned to pour some water. She sat beside the puffed-up young dragon. “Here, drink some water. You must be tired from the trip.”

Despite his anger, Harold accepted the cup and gulped down the water in one go.

Softly, Lu Yao asked, “Did you run into any danger? You’re not hurt, right?”

Harold snorted, “You know I don’t get hurt.”

Lu Yao grabbed his hand and checked him over, walking around him to make sure he was unharmed before she said, “I know you’re strong. But every time you go out, I worry. I’m afraid you’ll get hurt or encounter dangerous situations, or worse, run into people with ill intentions. I’m just relieved you’re okay. Are you hungry? I bought your favorite strawberry cake; it’s in the break room. There’s also some new flavored instant noodles.”

Harold couldn’t stay mad anymore. He stood up and headed for the break room.

That human was too cunning.

Clarissa was left dumbfounded, realizing that perhaps the most dangerous thing in this shop was the person who seemed the most fragile and harmless.

Seeing that Clarissa hadn’t left yet, Lu Yao raised an eyebrow. “Is there something else?”

Clarissa shook her head, still dazed, and walked out of the salon.

Standing at the door, she couldn’t help but glance back, her mind swirling with emotions she couldn’t quite place.

If she had to compare, perhaps she and that dragon were of the same kind.

Powerful, carrying the bloodline of evil, and feared by others.

Clarissa looked down at her colorful nails and felt a strange emptiness.

In the eyes of that human, the weak slime was capable, and the mighty dragon was fragile.

What, then, would she think of a half-demon like Clarissa?

It was a ridiculous thought, but Clarissa couldn’t stop herself from imagining it.

No matter how she pictured it, though, she was left unsatisfied.

Her eyes caught the recruitment notice posted on the door, and a thought crossed her mind. She turned around and strode back into the shop, announcing loudly, “Shopkeeper, I’m applying to be an apprentice.”

–

In a certain inn in Bribris City.

The heavy sword warrior of the Black Hawk Squad stood by the window, watching the setting sun with growing unease. “Clarissa’s been gone too long.”

Their leader, Norman, remained calm, his voice indifferent. “Don’t worry, even if she dies, she’ll finish the job.”

If she failed, there’d be no point in coming back alive.

–

At the Royal Magic Academy, inside a certain dormitory.

The Grand Priest Carlos lay in bed, feigning illness, with a secret crystal in his hand.

Inside the transparent crystal, an image of the nail salon appeared.

Carlos’s half-lidded eyes gleamed faintly with a dull red light.

Even the demon had now come to her side.

Yet he, of all people, could not go to her.

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️

Thingyan: Wait so who the hell is the ML? I thought it was Bai Ming and then he disappeared. Then I thought OK maybe Harold, but then he acts like a child, and now this priest. Author playing with us 😩