Ch 62: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Carlos left the palace and returned directly to the temple. He dismissed the accompanying knights and walked alone down the quiet corridor, heading to its deepest section.

“Weep, weep, weep…”

Standing before the grand holy door, he heard faint sobbing even before he entered.

As he pushed open the door, all the lamps made of magic stones instantly lit up, turning the once-dark hall as bright as day. Carlos stepped inside.

The sobbing paused for a moment before growing louder.

A slight smile curved Carlos’ lips as he walked to the deepest part of the hall.

At the top of a staircase made of white magic stones stood a golden birdcage.

Each bar of the cage was embedded with several magic gems, interlinked to form a complex magic array, tightly imprisoning whatever was inside.

Inside the luxurious golden cage sat the fairy knight Merulu, crying on a swing.

Large teardrops plopped onto the ground, forming a pool of moisture around the cage.

Upon hearing Carlos’ entrance, Merulu secretly glanced at him with her tangerine-like large eyes, and her crying became even more pitiful.

Puxiu fluttered his transparent wings, circling around Merulu, his delicate brows furrowed in frustration. His lemon-yellow eyes were filled with helplessness. “Merulu, you’re going to wring yourself out at this rate. You’ll turn into an old lady soon.”

Merulu glared at Puxiu, covered her eyes with her small hands, and cried even harder.

Carlos now stood before the birdcage. He lifted his robe and sat down on the steps, his voice low. “Puxiu is right. If you keep crying, you really will turn into an old lady.”

Merulu flew off the swing, looked up at Carlos, and loudly accused him, “Then let us out, you impostor!”

Puxiu also flew over, looking seriously at Carlos. “Evil being, we won’t tell anyone about you. Please, let us out, okay?”

The fairies were only the size of a human thumb. Merulu’s face still had tear stains, while Puxiu’s brow was furrowed, yet he spoke with politeness.

Carlos half-opened his eyes, his ruby-like gaze cold and lifeless. He responded indifferently, “It’s not impossible to let you out.”

Puxiu’s eyes lit up with surprise. “Really? You’re willing to let us go?”

Merulu eyed Carlos suspiciously, not speaking immediately.

Carlos continued, “The emperor has assigned a task to you, and I’ve agreed to it.”

At the same time, Carlos snapped his fingers, and a contract appeared in midair. “Sign this confidentiality contract, and you’ll be free to go. Once you complete the task and return, I won’t keep you any longer.”

The two fairies approached to inspect the contract, which only required them to swear by their souls to keep Carlos’ true identity a secret.

Merulu looked up at Carlos, unable to figure out what this evil being was plotting.

The real Carlos had long since disappeared, and the fairies had been imprisoned in this temple for ten years. Seeing this as a chance to escape, Merulu and Puxiu didn’t hesitate.

They signed the contract and were freed from the cage.

Puxiu couldn’t resist flying around the hall as soon as he was free, having longed for the freedom to soar once again.

Merulu’s tangerine-colored eyes darted around, scheming in her mind.

Carlos, seemingly oblivious to their plans, calmly explained the task. “It is rumored that an apocalyptic black dragon has appeared in a small town near the northern border. The emperor believes that the Kinkley family can once again form a pact with the dragon, so you will accompany Lord Kinkley to investigate.”

Merulu’s expression shifted slightly. The apocalyptic black dragon had returned?

…

The next morning, the twin fairy knights set out with Mickey Kinkley, a team of temple knights, and a squad of royal mages, heading for the northern border and the town of Emerald.

Mickey Kinkley was the younger brother of Duke Bors Kinkley, making him the uncle of Lady Helena Kinkley.

Learning from previous mistakes, when Mickey and his group arrived at Emerald Town, they didn’t make a grand entrance into the shop. Instead, they found an inn in town to gather information first.

There were many rumors about the nail shop in town, and the temple knights and mages had gathered a lot of information.

Some said there was a dragon in the shop, others claimed the shop owner was the dragon, while others insisted there were no dragons at all, only magical creatures being raised there.

The townspeople of Emerald Town had divided opinions about the nail shop. Many women praised Lu Yao’s nail salon as simply a skilled nail art shop, saying there was indeed a slime there, but it was gentle and very capable.

However, others claimed the shop housed dangerous magical creatures, not only a dragon but also slimes, demons, and necromancers.

Mickey Kinkley, along with the knight commander, the mage squad captain, and the twin fairy knights, were in a room sorting through the intelligence.

The presence of a dragon and slime was old news, but the appearance of demons and necromancers was recent, involving new staff members at the shop.

The knight commander and mage were confused, but Mickey Kinkley understood perfectly well—this was all his niece’s doing. Instead of forging a closer relationship with the dragon, she had sent two powerful new allies there instead.

The magical creatures must have had something wrong with their heads, willingly staying in the shop as apprentices after failing their mission.

Helping customers with nail art—just the thought was laughable.

The mage was the first to speak. “That’s all the information we can gather in town. If we want more, we’ll have to go to the shop.”

The knight commander added, “The problem is, who do we send? That shop doesn’t even take hero-level adventurers seriously. If our knights or ordinary mages are found out, they’ll be kicked out immediately.”

Puxiu, sitting on an overturned earthenware cup, raised his hand with an innocent look in his lemon-yellow eyes. “Marquis, please allow me and Merulu to serve you. As fairies, we are weak and cute, and it’s easy for us to gain the trust of humans. Even if there are other non-humans in the shop, they’d never suspect us of being temple knights.”

Merulu flew over from another cup and landed beside Puxiu, pouting and muttering quietly, “That shop sounds terrifying, with dragons, demons, and necromancers all together. Who would want to go there? Puxiu, are you out of your mind?”

Mickey Kinkley didn’t agree right away, as though he had some reservations.

The knight commander and mage exchanged glances, neither wanting to be the first to volunteer.

If the rumors about the shop were true, it would be worse than the depths of the Abyss itself—whoever went would surely meet a miserable end.

Seeing that the innocent fairy knights had volunteered, they quickly jumped on board with Puxiu’s suggestion.

After a brief pause, Mickey decided to go with Puxiu’s plan.

Merulu, frustrated, kicked over a teacup, while a trace of satisfaction finally appeared in Mickey’s eyes. Perhaps he had been overthinking it—these twin knights, though fairies and under Carlos’ command, were indeed loyal to the emperor.

Having gained Mickey’s permission, Merulu and Puxiu shed their holy knight armor, transforming into ordinary forest fairies, and flew off together toward the nail shop.

On the way, Puxiu quietly asked Merulu, “When are we going to escape?”

Merulu’s tangerine-colored eyes darted back and forth before she decisively said, “Let’s first check out the shop and see if the black dragon is really there. Even if we plan to escape, we can’t let the Kinkley family get their hands on the dragon again.”

Puxiu’s small wings slowed, and he said somewhat dejectedly, “If there really is a dragon, do we have to go back?”

The emperor’s ambition was boundless, willing to break taboos for his own desires, and the twin fairies had long since lost their will to serve him.

They had joined the temple and become Light Knights only because they admired the High Priest.

But now, the real High Priest was gone.

The twin fairies had only agreed to the evil being’s request because they wanted to escape.

Merulu flew back and took Puxiu’s hand. “How could a dragon willingly serve humans? The Kinkley family used threats and bribes to force Drex into submission back then. I don’t believe there’s truly a dragon working at that shop. We’ll take a look for peace of mind. Don’t worry, once we’re sure, we’ll head straight for the secret realm.”

..

In the nail salon:

Ambrose was practicing nail art magic arrays, but a soft, occasional “tsk” from nearby was distracting him and making him irritable.

He raised his head, the red light in his hollow eye sockets flickering, and spoke impatiently, “Edward, why are you still here?”

The vampire progenitor had left at noon yesterday, and everyone thought he was gone. But this morning, when the shop opened, he returned.

Edward was sitting with Harold, holding a comic book in his hand. On the corner of the page, small text read: “Vampire Romance Love Story: The Strange Love Between a Human Girl and a Vampire.” The progenitor had unexpectedly opened the door to a new world and was frowning, occasionally making that “tsk” sound.

Hearing Ambrose’s irritated outburst, Edward slowly lifted his head, his voice filled with delight. “Mumu wants to stay here to work, so I’ve decided to move in temporarily. Oh, by the way, I’ve bought the small building next to your house, so we’re neighbors again, my old friend.”

Ambrose: “…”

Edward’s decision made Mumu very happy.

After a night of contemplation, Edward seemed to have accepted the name Mumu, and he was even calling him that in public now.

Lu Yao didn’t mind; Edward wasn’t what she imagined a vampire to be like. Instead, he resembled a lonely parent accompanying his child to school.

It would feel oddly pitiful to force him out. Besides, he was quiet, mostly sitting in a corner reading comic books and not bothering the other customers, so she let him be.

Additionally, the vampire progenitor’s handsome appearance and noble aura drew attention.

Whenever he stayed in the shop, onlookers would gather, and business would mysteriously improve.

Recently, the shop had lost customers due to trouble caused by adventurers, but now, business was slowly picking up again.

The staff were all quite attractive, but most of them were young, radiating a vibrant youthful energy. The only one who looked slightly more mature was Si Jin.

Si Jin was somewhere between a handsome youth and a dignified young man, but the vampire progenitor exuded elegance and maturity. His pale features, tinged with a subtle fragility and melancholy, were particularly captivating.

Earlier that morning, Lu Yao had welcomed a lady who had come all the way from Braibis City.

Not long after the lady left, several new customers arrived one after another.

At the moment, Mumu and a few others were attending to customers, while Ambrose and Clarissa were focusing on their studies.

Edward had seamlessly blended into the slacking-off group with Si Jin and Harold, the three of them huddled in the corner, engrossed in their comic books.

After attending to two customers, Lu Yao retreated to the study room to read.

After reading for a while, she opened the compendium. The icons for vampires, demons, undead, elves, subhumans, humans, and dragons were already illuminated. Only the icons for another type of demon, fairies, and one mysterious blacked-out icon remained.

She pondered for a moment. Mumu, being a demon of a kind, meant she didn’t need to search for more. The ones that required attention were the fairies and the last unknown icon.

According to Ambrose, elves and fairies were both beloved by the Mother Earth, but fairies were even more mysterious and rarely appeared in human settlements. Perhaps the elves had information on the fairies.

Lu Yao decided to take advantage of the shop’s slower hours to visit Onorton City and ask Fisa.

She informed the staff that she was heading out. Harold silently put down his book and approached her. “I’ll go with you.”

Lu Yao didn’t refuse. The magical world was far more violent than she had imagined, and she felt she definitely needed the protection of a dragon.

As they left the shop, Harold noticed Lu Yao’s bangs had curled up. He reached out to smooth them, and an idea suddenly popped into his head.

He paused, his dark blue eyes filled with both shyness and a hint of anticipation as he quietly asked, “Do you want to fly to Onorton City?”

Lu Yao stared at him in surprise for a moment before softly asking, “You want to fly?”

Harold averted his gaze, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks as he nodded slightly. “…Yes.”

It was a sudden idea, or perhaps one he had held for a long time.

He wanted Lu Yao to see his true form.

Not the boy, but the little black dragon.

Would she be afraid? Or would she like it?

Harold wasn’t sure what he truly wanted.

But even the slime had a father, so why was he born a dragon, destined to be alone?

Lu Yao thought for a moment and then grew excited. “We’re going to fly from here? Will I fall off?”

Harold took her hand, secretly taking a deep breath and trying to appear steady and reliable. “No, my back is wide. But we should go outside the town first.”

Hand in hand, the dragon and the human walked further away, as Merulu and Puxiu flew out from their hidden corner.

Puxiu’s eyes were still wide with surprise. “Was that Drex?”

Merulu couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “When you met Drex, he was nearly two thousand years old. Look at that kid, he’s no more than a hundred.”

Puxiu understood, of course, but the black-haired boy with the high ponytail looked so much like Drex.

Yes, a younger version of Drex.

Merulu recalled the scene she had just witnessed and couldn’t help but say, “It’s his way of acting spoiled—he’s almost exactly like Drex.”

Puxiu finally caught on, his lemon-yellow eyes widening with shock. His expression turned blank with astonishment. “Are you saying that kid is Drex’s son? That rumor… Did Drex really fall in love with a human?”

Merulu: “…”

Silence spread between them. Merulu began to think that maybe Puxiu had lost some of his wits after being confined in the temple for so long.

That boy was clearly a pure-blooded dragon with immense power.

How could he possibly be a human-dragon hybrid?

Back then, Merulu could never figure out what leverage the Kinkley family had over Drex that made him willing to sign a subjugation contract.

And the strange rumor that began to spread—that a dragon had fallen in love with a noble lady from the Kinkley family and willingly became their servant—became a laughingstock.

Seeing Harold, Merulu had a new suspicion.

The Kinkley family was far more corrupt and despicable than the world knew.

But now, it seemed that Drex’s child had placed his trust in a human.

Merulu felt uneasy. She had intended to gather information from the shop, but now she wasn’t in a rush.

“Let’s follow them and see.” Merulu fluttered her wings, trailing behind the dragon and the human.

Puxiu followed closely behind.

…

Outside Emerald Town, in the barren mountains, Lu Yao stood on a large rock.

Harold stood twenty meters away in an open space, his magic power surging, tearing his clothes apart as scales slowly covered his skin.

The slender, graceful boy in front of her transformed into a massive black dragon, as tall as a small mountain.

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️

Thingyan: Hold up, so it’s that ghost thing that possessed Bai Ming now possessed Carlos? Don’t tell me he’s the ML.