Ch 58: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

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A skeleton draped in a luxurious black and gold robe stood at the black door, gripping a staff. Red light flickered in its hollow eye sockets.

Time had frozen, a result of the necromancer Archmage Ambrose’s ultimate magic derived from dark arts. This magic halted everything within a five-hundred-meter radius, leaving all within suspended in time, except for the caster who could move freely through these frozen moments.

Ambrose cast this time-stopping spell inside the nail salon, freezing humans, monsters, demons, and even dragons as if they were lifeless objects. Yet, there was one human who remained unaffected by the magic.

Ambrose was puzzled. Why could this human move?

Sensing danger, Lu Yao gripped her nail knife tightly. Despite having “lured” the necromancer into the shop, with both the dragons and demons immobilized, the situation seemed challenging.

However, compared to the demon god she had encountered before, this necromancer didn’t seem as terrifying. When the demon god had appeared, though poorly dressed, his presence had been overwhelming, unlike this necromancer, who seemed more sophisticated but less threatening.

Thinking of the demon god made Lu Yao feel unexpectedly confident—perhaps she could handle this.

She had studied a few attack spells from her magic books but never had the chance to use them. Ambrose’s time-stopping magic was powerful, but for some reason, it didn’t seem to affect her.

Generally, magicians weren’t skilled in close combat, with Clarissa being a notable exception. The undead, however, posed a unique challenge. They were already dead, and their physical bodies were not a limitation. No matter how many times she struck the necromancer down, he would likely rise again.

Lu Yao suddenly had a thought—perhaps the power of the Demon God would be effective in this world as well. She retrieved the finger bone the Demon God had given her and cautiously approached Ambrose.

The moment the Demon God’s finger bone appeared, the temperature around them dropped sharply.

A chilling sensation pierced the soul, as if some terrifying, otherworldly entity had emerged.

Ambrose’s glowing red eye sockets trembled as he glanced at Lu Yao’s hand. He took a step back. “Could that be…?”

He was shaken.

Lu Yao raised the pure white finger bone, her mind and expression icy. “This is just a simple nail salon, and we have no quarrel with you. I won’t ask why you’ve come, but you should leave immediately. Otherwise…”

Before she finished speaking, a red number appeared above Ambrose’s head.

Her guess was correct—the Demon God was the true embodiment of death.

The necromancer retreated again, his skeletal claws raised in a frantic, placating gesture. “Wait! Calm down! Let’s talk this over!”

This human held the Scythe of Death itself. She had visited the Underworld, met the God of Death, and even received a gift from the deity. This was beyond terrifying!

Meanwhile, in the main hall, a spark of black flame ignited from Harold’s hair, slowly shattering the time-freezing spell.

With a sound like cracking glass, Harold blinked, glancing around. Si Jin, Tina, the demon, and the slime were still frozen in place like statues. Worried about Lu Yao, he rushed into the research room.

The sight of the necromancer blocking the doorway made Harold’s dragon claws, enveloped in black fire, lash out, burning through the luxurious robe.

Bones shattered with a “crack,” scattering across the floor as the black flames continued to spread. Ambrose’s skull rolled to a stop at Lu Yao’s feet.

Although the undead didn’t have typical physical vulnerabilities, and their bones could reassemble, Harold’s black flames could burn not only flesh and bones but also undead souls.

Ambrose’s red-glowing eyes flickered as he tried to speak, but before he could say anything, Harold kicked the skull aside and turned to Lu Yao. “Are you okay?”

Lu Yao glanced at the pitiful state of the necromancer and shook her head, surprised that Harold had managed to break free from the necromancer’s time magic.

The little black dragon was more powerful than she had thought.

She exhaled slowly, pushing down the lingering fear from earlier, and casually put away the Demon God’s finger bone, now only holding a small nail knife in her hand. “I’m fine,” she said.

Harold, mimicking Lu Yao’s usual behavior, grabbed her hand to check for injuries, then circled around her, ensuring she was truly unharmed. Only then did he finally relax.

Harold’s sudden entrance had interrupted Ambrose. The time-stopping magic automatically dissipated, and the dragons, demons, slime, and humans all returned to normal.

Ambrose, after being kicked into the wall by Harold, had a hole in his skull. His head rolled around, still trying to speak.

“Smack!” Si Jin stepped over Ambrose’s bones, while Tina calmly entered as well.

Half-demon Clarissa dragged her giant red scythe, the blade scraping against the floor with a nerve-wracking screech.

Mumu and Eugenia arrived at the door, but by then, Ambrose had already been beaten several times over.

The red glow in the necromancer’s eye sockets flickered dimly, and he seemed utterly defeated.

Seeing enough, Lu Yao called out, “Let’s stop for now.”

Si Jin narrowed his eyes, his voice chilly. “The shopkeeper doesn’t like to see this. Let’s drag him to the wilderness to deal with him.”

Tina’s red eyes gleamed. “Might as well hand him over to the master.”

A hundred years ago, humans schemed against dragons. Now, the undead were playing with fire. Did they really think they were untouchable?

Clarissa lifted her scythe, letting it lightly strike the floor, a slight smile tugging at her lips. “I could handle soul reaping too, you know.”

Mumu furrowed his brow and raised a tiny paw. “Squeak, squeak!”

Only Eugenia, pale-faced, seemed unsettled by how differently her coworkers were acting.

Ambrose’s skull, like a soccer ball, was kicked back and forth by the dragons and the demon.

When Ambrose had first been approached, he was told the task was simply to deal with a human shop. Once it was done, he’d get to keep the high-tier magical gems like Extreme Crystals and Glimmering Crystals, along with precious herbs stored inside.

Ambrose had coveted the Extreme Crystal and hesitated before deciding to come. He should’ve known better—why would such valuable treasures be in a common human shop that even dragons could locate?

Now, all he felt was regret.

Lu Yao sighed and spoke again. “I understand how you all feel. Honestly, I’m angry too. But I think this physical torment doesn’t mean much to the undead. It’s kind of pointless.”

Si Jin, familiar with the shopkeeper’s unique perspective, stopped what he was doing. “What do you propose, then?”

Tina and Clarissa also halted and turned to Lu Yao.

Even Ambrose slowly turned his head, a faint glimmer of hope flashing in his hollow eyes.

Humans, with their limited imagination, couldn’t possibly come up with a punishment more terrifying than being handed over to the dragons.

Lu Yao rested her chin on her hand, her voice calm. “Give him a full set of nail art, the most avant-garde and fashionable design. After that, if you’re still not satisfied, you can do as you please. I won’t interfere.”

She really was racking her brain for the sake of completing her tasks.

…

It took Ambrose some time to reassemble his body. His black-and-gold robe was already in tatters, but he didn’t dare complain or bring out a new one. He simply draped the ragged robe over himself, trying to look as pitiful as possible.

Even a necromancer had to submit before the mighty dragons.

Especially when faced with a human who wielded the Scythe of Death itself.

The necromancer had no idea what nail art was, but judging by the shop owner’s tone, it seemed to be some sort of humiliating punishment.

He sat at a workstation by the window, the warm sunlight shining on his exposed bones, causing a faint sting. Ambrose had no say in choosing a design; he extended his skeletal hand, unsure of what was about to happen, feeling a deep sense of gloom.

It had been a long time since the powerful necromancer found himself in such an embarrassing situation. Surrounded by dragons, he didn’t dare to complain.

Tina and the others gathered around, looking at Ambrose’s bare finger bones, puzzled.

Eugenia asked, “He doesn’t have nails… how do we do this?”

Tina suggested, “We can file them down. Even though it’s just bone, we could carve some nail ridges with a small knife, enough to apply color.”

Mumu frowned. “Filed ones won’t look good, too shallow. And his bones are so thin, we can’t make anything fancy.”

Eugenia: “…”

Sometimes she felt out of place because she wasn’t twisted enough in her thinking compared to her colleagues.

Ambrose: “…”

These dragons are so cruel, and even the slime is so arrogant. Sigh.

Lu Yao interjected, “Let’s make press-on nails. We can paint them and use a magic array to fix them in place.”

Usually, they practiced with nail tips, but Tina and the others had assumed they were just for training, unaware of the concept of press-on nails.

Lu Yao took out plastic nail tips and started shaping them to fit Ambrose’s finger bones. Mumu was right; the necromancer’s finger bones were too thin for regular-sized tips, so they had to be filed down significantly.

Finding the small nails unappealing, Lu Yao created a suitable shape and began painting. Once finished, she planned to shrink them down to size.

The dragons initially thought doing the necromancer’s nails wasn’t really a punishment. After all, they enjoyed getting their nails done, and it seemed more like a reward than anything.

They had only agreed to this for the shop owner’s sake, thinking they’d beat him up afterward. But now, seeing this undead creature with no nails, eagerly awaiting his press-ons, he did look a bit pitiful.

Lu Yao chose a bold, avant-garde design for the nails: sexy leopard print, a style that hadn’t been done in the shop yet.

Once the nail tips were shaped and primed, she layered on the design, curing it under the lamp and adding fine details.

Lu Yao wasn’t trying to make it ugly—leopard print nails were quite trendy, though they required the right vibe to pull off.

Residents of the Alexander Continent probably wouldn’t understand this style; the fact that no one had chosen it until now made that clear. In this sense, it might actually count as a punishment for the necromancer.

Halfway through the nail job, a commotion erupted outside.

The door to the nail salon was violently flung open as Red-Eye, the leader of the Red-Eye Squad, and Norman, the leader of the Black Hawk Squad, entered, followed by more than twenty platinum-ranked adventurers.

Red-Eye scanned the room, his gaze settling on the necromancer surrounded by the others but saying nothing.

Norman’s face twisted into a scowl when he spotted Clarissa sitting at a table. “Clarissa, you’re really here. What spell has this shop owner cast on you to make you fall this far? The guild master has agreed to give you back your hero-level badge. Come back with me now.”

Lu Yao looked up, noticing the doorframe had been damaged, and frowned slightly.

When she wasn’t in the shop, no one could force their way in. But if she was there, the door was just an ordinary door. While the stargate remained intact, the doorframe could still break.

The necromancer had barely caused a scene before more adventurers arrived. It was starting to feel endless.

Before Clarissa could respond, Si Jin slowly cracked his knuckles and walked over. “Since you’ve already broken our door, I assume you’re prepared for the beating that’s coming, right?”

Norman scoffed, not taking Si Jin seriously at all. “So what if I broke it? We’ve accepted a mission to not only break the door but to burn down the entire shop.”

Si Jin’s golden, round pupils narrowed into slits.

Humans—disgusting creatures. Greedy, evil, and arrogantly self-assured.

Clarissa avoided looking at the shop owner’s expression and summoned her red scythe, turning to leave.

Red-Eye blocked her path, his eyes filled with contempt. “To think that we’re both hero-level adventurers. I find you pitiful.”

Clarissa chuckled softly, her eyes flickering with red light. “Do you really think you can beat me?”

She had become a hero-level adventurer simply because there was no rank higher than that. Meanwhile, Red-Eye had to constantly struggle to maintain his hero-level status.

Red-Eye’s face twisted with anger as he summoned his weapon and swung it down.

Clarissa raised her arm to block, and his giant axe struck her forearm.

A loud “clang” rang out, and a notch appeared on the blade.

Clarissa grabbed Red-Eye by the collar with her other hand, purple lightning crackling around her arm. In the next moment, she flung him out of the shop with a flick of her wrist, her cold gaze sweeping over the platinum-ranked adventurers around her.

Outside, Red-Eye struggled to lift himself, spitting out a clot of blood, his face pale—he had been utterly defeated.

These adventurers had come in confident, with a hero-level adventurer leading them, convinced they would crush the shop this time. They had wasted days without completing the task, and many had harbored resentment against the nail shop, intending to humiliate the owner and staff before burning it down.

But now, their legs were shaking, their faces filled with fear, all thoughts of revenge forgotten. If even Red-Eye was completely outmatched, what chance did they have?

Si Jin calmly approached Norman, his fingers morphing into dragon claws as golden dragon breath coiled around them. “Did you just say you were going to burn the shop?”

Norman stared at the golden claws, his mouth opening and closing, but no words came out.

In truth, Norman was a low-ranking knight from the Holy Temple, sent by his superiors to control Clarissa. He had left the temple to become an adventurer for this purpose. Over the years, 80% of the tasks Clarissa completed had been directives from his superiors.

This A-rank mission was no different. He hadn’t expected Clarissa, who had always obeyed without question, to suddenly leave the team.

Norman thought that by scolding her as usual, she would feel guilty and fall back under his control. But Clarissa had changed—she had become more like a demon.

Even more terrifying was that this shop not only had a demon but also dragons.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Norman would never have believed that dragons still existed within the empire.

Long ago, the Kinklay family had made a pact with dragons, earning glory as the protectors of the empire. Many envied them, with some secretly searching for dragons in hopes of forming a second contract.

But for nearly a century, dragons had disappeared from the empire. Rumors began to circulate that the Kinklay family’s reckless use of dragons had led the dragon race to abandon the empire.

These whispers, however, were only spoken in private, for the current emperor had been saved by a dragon on the battlefield, and he firmly believed that dragons favored the empire.

Since the death of the dragon knight from the Kinklay family, even the dragon that had made a pact with the humans had vanished.

The emperor now listened to the advice of the empress, convinced that one day a new dragon would once again form a contract with the Kinklay family to protect the empire.

Norman had long believed that no dragon would ever agree to such a contract again. But now, seeing a dragon in this shop and recalling his superiors’ orders, he sensed the threads of a vast conspiracy.

Yet, Norman had no time to ponder further. The dragon was staring at him.

…

The adventurers from the guild were swiftly taken to the wilderness by Si Jin and Clarissa, where they were sure to have an unforgettable night.

Back in the shop, Harold and Tina were lounging on either side of Lu Yao, showing no intention of going outside to help.

The necromancer Ambrose fidgeted uneasily as the patterns on the nail extensions in the shop owner’s hands gradually emerged. The wild, untamed leopard print design that was forming… the thought of having such a thing stuck onto his skeletal fingers felt utterly humiliating.

Ambrose watched Lu Yao’s hands as she worked, his gaze slowly moving upward. It wasn’t just his imagination—there was definitely something odd about this human. The fact that she wasn’t affected by his time-stopping magic still puzzled him.

His ultimate spell, capable of immobilizing even dragons, shouldn’t have failed on a mere human. Even if she wielded the Scythe of Death, it still didn’t explain this anomaly.

He had a theory forming in his mind, but it was too outrageous to consider. Even the Empire’s Grand Priest, famed across the continent, couldn’t have achieved such a feat. Yet, if his theory were true, staying close to this human might just give him a glimpse into the deeper mysteries of magic.

On the transparent nail extensions, black and white leopard prints intertwined in a wild and untamed design. Lu Yao actually thought they looked quite striking. She inscribed light and dark magic arrays on both the top and bottom of the extensions to handle potential magic surges. Then, she added a stabilization array at the base.

No glue was needed—the extensions would automatically adhere to the nails, and a reverse magic array could be used to remove them with ease.

Ambrose hesitantly extended his bony fingers, and Lu Yao placed the nail extensions over his bones. The extensions shrank to fit, perfectly aligning with the skeletal structure.

When the extensions sat on the display board, they looked rather ordinary. But once applied, the delicate leopard print on each nail, with its varied lengths, looked surprisingly refined and wild at the same time.

Ambrose’s hollow eye sockets flickered with a faint red glow as he unconsciously flexed his bony fingers. For the first time, his perpetually bare claws now bore a touch of unexpected color. And surprisingly… it wasn’t so bad. Perhaps even… a little attractive?

He stared at his hands for a while, feeling like something was missing. After a moment, he pulled a treasure chest from within his skeletal frame and grabbed a handful of gem-studded gold rings, sliding them onto his bony fingers.

Now, with his fingers adorned in glittering jewels and bold leopard print nails, Ambrose, the mighty necromancer, looked even more grandiose.

“I like this,” Ambrose murmured, gazing at his newly decorated fingers, the words slipping out before he realized it.

Harold suddenly grabbed the necromancer’s hand. Initially pleased, he couldn’t help but acknowledge how good Lu Yao’s nail art looked, but he didn’t want to show it. His brows furrowed awkwardly, his expression twisted. “Since you like it so much, let’s take it off.”

Ambrose panicked. “!!!”

The three apprentices were equally surprised. They had always skipped over the leopard print designs during their training. Even though they admired the shop owner, they could never honestly praise the pattern. It just didn’t seem appealing, nor did they want to learn it.

But the way the necromancer pulled off the bold, wild look—it actually worked. The nail art was indeed stylish, just a bit particular when it came to the right person.

Harold, determined to remove Ambrose’s nails, chased him around the shop, while Ambrose desperately clutched his fingers, running until he found refuge in front of Lu Yao.

“Shop owner, I’ve thought it over. I’d like to work at the nail salon. Please, take me in!”

He wanted to stay close to this human, waiting for an opportunity to glimpse the depths of forbidden magic.

And this thing called nail art was turning out to be more interesting than he had initially imagined.

Lu Yao: “…So, is there a chance that this is a nail salon and not a sanctuary for all kinds of non-human creatures?”

Ambrose sat across from her, his aura settling, suddenly giving off an air of profound mystery. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re currently on a journey. There’s an ominous energy around you, something close to death. As a necromancer, one day, you might find yourself in need of my expertise.”

Tina suddenly hugged Lu Yao tightly, while Mumu reached out with its small paw and clung to her clothes, softly squeaking in concern.

Harold’s face darkened as he punched Ambrose hard and then squeezed onto the seat next to Lu Yao, pushing Mumu slightly aside with a cold grunt.

Lu Yao didn’t take the necromancer’s words seriously.

In a way, she was entangled with something ominous.

That ‘something’ was the system, draining her funds and forcing her to keep opening shops in different worlds.

System: [ … ]

Clearly, it was the host who made the wish.

Ambrose was determined to stay at the nail salon, but his cryptic prophecy didn’t convince Lu Yao.

In the end, he offered a reason she couldn’t refuse.

Since Lu Yao would eventually travel to other worlds to open more shops, she wouldn’t always be around to tend to the magic nails. Her carefully crafted magic arrays had strict conditions and could only be used by dark or light magic users.

Ambrose, being a highly skilled dark magic user, could learn the dark magic arrays and help create some of the magic nails.

If Lu Yao could find a light magic user to work alongside him, they could continue developing magic nail art.

Little Black Dragon, though also a dark magic user, only liked it when Lu Yao did his nails and had no interest in becoming a nail artist.

Lu Yao wouldn’t force him. Skilled dark magic users were indeed rare.

After weighing her options briefly, Lu Yao agreed.

The undead race marker on the catalog lit up. She counted—the only ones left were the demons, vampires, and fae… and one other darkened marker. Tina hadn’t mentioned it last time.

With Mumu around, she wasn’t too worried about unlocking the demon marker for now. If she didn’t encounter any suitable demons, she could always make Mu Mu a set of wearable nails.

Although the thought of a little slime wearing nail extensions… would kind of ruin its cute image.

Mumu, always round and squishy, would look oddly sharp with claws.

If she ever did make nails for Mumu, she’d definitely design something soft and fitting.

—

That evening, after leaving the nail salon, Lu Yao stopped by the snack shop.

She had been so busy lately that she hadn’t been visiting as much.

The head guard was sitting by the window and turned at the sound of her arrival.

The snack shop was already closed for the night. Seeing the head guard still there, Lu Yao guessed he had been waiting for her.

Lu Yao walked over. “Is something the matter?”

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