Ch 64: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

The crystal ball revealed a swirl of black mist, obscuring everything from view.

After a while, the black mist gradually dispersed, leaving behind nothing but a vast white expanse, empty and featureless.

Lu Yao was unsure what this meant and glanced at the fortune-teller.

Dumanine looked just as confused. Being unable to see someone’s future was something she had never encountered before.

“What happened?” Lu Yao asked.

Dumanine’s face was slightly awkward. “The crystal can’t see your future.”

“Oh,” Lu Yao responded calmly, having not expected much from the reading in the first place. “Harold, do you want to try a fortune?”

Dumanine, feeling the slight dismissiveness in Lu Yao’s tone, grew more uncomfortable and stood up. “This situation happens on rare occasions. I’m not lying.”

“Oh?” Lu Yao’s nonchalant response made Dumanine feel even worse.

Perhaps due to her nature, Dumanine, who had been born unable to lie, felt especially eager to prove herself when misunderstood.

“Drop a single drop of blood onto the crystal, and I’ll read your fortune again,” Dumanine suggested urgently.

Lu Yao shook her head. “No need, I’m not that interested in knowing my future.”

Dumanine felt helpless and wronged but couldn’t force her. She explained, “Occasionally, there are people whose futures cannot be seen by a fortune teller. I’ve only ever heard of it before, never encountered it. It’s extremely rare.”

This piqued Lu Yao’s curiosity. “Why is it so rare?”

Dumanine replied, “There are legends that say those with extraordinary fortune are protected by the gods. Even the most skilled fortune tellers cannot easily peer into their futures. It’s a form of protection for the fortune-teller, as forcing a glimpse could provoke divine wrath. The other type is… those with no fortune at all, whose path is filled with endless obstacles or lifelessness. For such people, the crystal shows only darkness, revealing nothing.”

Lu Yao: “…”

Sometimes, it’s better not to know too much. Whether one has extraordinary fortune or no fortune at all, either revelation could easily lead to overthinking.

Harold kicked a stool aside and sat down, his brow furrowed. “Your little fortune-telling is useless.”

Dumanine’s face flushed. “My fortune-telling has never been wrong. She’s just… too special. If you don’t believe me, put your hand on the crystal, and I’ll read your fortune.”

Harold lazily stretched out his hand, fully prepared to flip the table if the fortune-teller slipped up.

The crystal ball quickly filled with images, and Lu Yao leaned in curiously, eager to see what it would reveal.

Inside the ball, a massive white egg lay alone in a dark cave, a crack forming with a “snap.”

After a long moment, the eggshell broke from within, and a small black dragon clumsily stretched out its little claws, crawling out of the shell with soft cries. No one responded.

Lu Yao blinked, resting her hand on Harold’s shoulder, her eyes full of curiosity. “Is this when you were born?”

Harold was about to lose his temper, but Lu Yao’s presence calmed him down. He turned his face away awkwardly, his ears turning red, and said nothing.

When he was born, there was no father, no mother—he was alone from the very beginning.

He didn’t know who had left him in that cave, abandoned without care.

He’d only broken out of the shell because he’d grown bored of being inside.

Had it not been for the strength of his dragon bloodline, any other magical creature born in such a place would have quickly been devoured by other monsters.

But he wasn’t just any dragon—he was a dark-attribute black dragon, born strong and powerful.

Even when he understood nothing, he instinctively claimed dominion over the Black Mountain Wasteland, plundering treasures from all over and storing them in the cave where he was born.

Later, during one of his treasure-hunting adventures in a secret realm, Harold met Si Jin.

The two dragons fought for three days and nights in a secret realm over a glowing magical gemstone.

Si Jin didn’t win the battle, but he did drag the satisfied little black dragon—who had fallen asleep clutching the gem—off to Dragon Valley.

At that time, the little black dragon had grown used to a wild life, and the rules and structure of Dragon Valley were unbearable restraints for him.

However, he couldn’t defeat the teachers, so he was forced to accept the hundred-year mandatory education of dragonkind.

Teacher Muxin and the other instructors in Dragon Valley spent a long time correcting Harold’s bad habits.

This young dragon had started late and had no parental guidance, yet he excelled in learning both magic and combat techniques beyond his peers.

Harold lived in Dragon Valley for twenty years—though with the long lifespan of dragons, twenty years wasn’t very long. During that time, he learned many things that a wild dragon like him would never have known.

Just as Harold was about to be fully tamed, ready to become an obedient dragon, a group of adventurers showed up one day, attempting to steal the young dragons born in Dragon Valley.

Harold tried to save the younglings, fighting head-to-head with the human mages, who were no match for a dragon. Even though the adventurers had several powerful Light Mages, they were still no match for the little black dragon.

But humans are cunning. They used the young dragons as bait, setting a trap that forced Harold to set Dragon Valley ablaze.

Black dragonfire burned the valley for three days and nights. The human adventurers didn’t escape, but several young dragons were injured in the process.

After that incident, Harold was ostracized and isolated in Dragon Valley. Eventually, his teachers subtly suggested that he leave the valley.

And so, the little black dragon inexplicably dropped out of school.

The first thing he did upon returning to the Black Mountain Wasteland was give Si Jin a good beating. After that, he would occasionally return to Dragon Valley to visit the teachers who had taught him and to catch up with his former classmates.

Time passed like flowing water, and the little black dragon’s life became monotonous and routine. He would fight Si Jin from time to time and occasionally go treasure hunting.

When he grew bored, Harold would sit alone on the cliffs of Black Mountain Wasteland, gazing into the distance. Sometimes, he would sit there for an entire afternoon.

Harold’s face darkened as he tried to pull his hand away. “Is this fortune-telling or a life story? Does every reading start with a recap from birth?”

The term “recap” was something Harold hadn’t understood before, but after reading so many comics, he had picked up quite a few new words and was quite good at using them.

Dumanine was also puzzled. Her fortune-telling had never gone this wrong before.

Could it be that her powers had weakened after being away from her homeland for too long, making her readings inaccurate?

Lu Yao was watching with great interest. She placed her hand over Harold’s, pressing it firmly onto the crystal ball. “It’s almost at the part where you and Si Jin came to my shop.”

The crystal ball wasn’t like a continuous TV show. Most of the images flashed by quickly, only pausing briefly at important moments.

The little black dragon meeting her might not count as particularly significant, but Lu Yao hoped it would at least flash by.

That day, the little golden dragon who had agreed to meet the little black dragon for a fight in the Black Mountain Wasteland was late. The little black dragon sat on the cliff all afternoon.

Even as night fell, the little golden dragon didn’t show up.

Frustrated, the little black dragon went wild on the mountaintop, using his tail to hurl rocks into the swamp or pulverize them into dust.

Still feeling unsatisfied, he angrily flapped his wings and flew away.

Harold, who had been feeling embarrassed while Lu Yao held his hand, was interrupted by the scenes in the crystal ball.

His deep blue eyes filled with confusion. “That’s not me.”

In the crystal ball, the little black dragon left the Black Mountain Wasteland and encountered a lost noblewoman by the white sand lake. Out of curiosity, he approached her and spoke.

Later, he followed the woman to the Kinkley estate in Braibis City, agreeing to form a subjugation contract with the humans, becoming a dragon at their beck and call.

From this point on, the scenes in the crystal ball diverged completely from Harold’s actual experiences.

That day, he had waited for Si Jin and, intrigued by nail art, ended up at a human shop, becoming a fan of nail art and comics.

Dumanine frowned. “How could that not be you? Just because you don’t know something doesn’t mean it won’t happen. According to the prophecy, this noblewoman is your fated one. You’ll meet her in the future and form a contract with her.”

Lu Yao stared at the noblewoman in the crystal ball, finding it a bit absurd.

She wasn’t curious about Harold having a fated person, but how could it be Helena?

Last time, Harold had given that noblewoman a harsh lesson, showing no kindness at all.

Harold suddenly raised his hand, grabbing the crystal ball, and black flames ignited in his palm.

Crack, crack—cracks spread across the surface of the crystal ball, and moments later, it shattered into dust.

“What a lousy fortune-telling! Completely inaccurate! Lu Yao, we’re leaving.” Harold spoke angrily, then turned and walked out of the alley.

How could he be subjugated by anyone?

As a proud dragon, Harold couldn’t accept the idea at all.

Dumanine was on the verge of tears. That was her last fortune-telling crystal, and now it was shattered.

If something went wrong on her journey, she wouldn’t even have enough money to rent transportation, let alone the tools to set up her fortune-telling stall.

Dragons truly were the most brutish and unreasonable creatures on this continent.

Lu Yao didn’t leave immediately. She approached Dumanine, handing her a gold coin. “Sorry for breaking your crystal.”

Dumanine’s face lit up with joy, and without thinking, she reached out to take it.

Lu Yao stepped back, her smile faint, and pulled out two more gold coins, placing them with the first. “Answer a few questions for me. The crystal, compensation, and a reward—three gold coins, all for you.”

Dumanine felt as if fortune itself had smiled upon her and nodded eagerly. “What questions? I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Lu Yao asked, “Is the crystal ball’s fortune-telling always accurate?”

Dumanine nodded. “Yes, the results shown by the crystal ball won’t necessarily happen right away, but they will definitely happen at some point in the future.”

Lu Yao frowned slightly. “Can the future be changed?”

Dumanine hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly. “The future is constantly changing. Many people consult fortune tellers in the hopes of avoiding disasters, but few actually succeed.”

In fact, most people, upon learning their future, try so hard to avoid it that they end up bringing it about.

Perhaps even the act of fortune-telling is part of the path leading to fate.

Lu Yao raised an eyebrow. “So, the future can be changed?”

Dumanine gave Lu Yao a long look. This human’s thoughts were too naïve.

Changing the future wasn’t something that could be done so easily.

Recalling the earlier reading about Lu Yao and out of consideration for the three gold coins, Dumanine added, “If you’re trying to change his future and stop him from forming a contract with that noblewoman, I advise you to give up now. While the future of people with extraordinary luck or no luck at all is hard to predict, you… are probably not one of the lucky ones.”

A person with no luck would never grasp what they longed for, and reaching out for it would only be a futile struggle.

Lu Yao shook her head with a smile and placed the three gold coins in Dumanine’s hand, along with a business card. “I wasn’t thinking that at all. I suspect someone has already arranged everything for him, and from the looks of it, they succeeded. Thank you for sharing so much interesting information. I hope you make it back to your hometown safely. And if you ever have the time, come visit my shop. Your hands are perfect for some nail art.”

Dumanine stood in the depths of the alley, watching Lu Yao leave, her brows furrowed the entire time.

What did she mean by something was successful?

And what on earth is nail art?

Lu Yao thought Harold had already left, so she quickened her pace as she exited the alley.

He was still by the roadside, his brows furrowed, kicking a small stone in frustration.

Lu Yao walked over and grabbed his wrist. “Stop playing around. It’s time to go home.”

Harold lowered his gaze, his voice weak and listless. “I won’t turn into that.”

“Mm.” Lu Yao nodded. “You’re already the guardian of my shop. Signing two contracts would be a breach of contract. If you quit without reason halfway through, I might have to sue you.”

The word sue was something Harold had come across in comics, though he didn’t fully understand the meaning. In one comic, a man didn’t want to separate from his wife, so he caused her trouble by suing her.

He figured Lu Yao’s meaning was that she didn’t want to part from him.

A faint light flickered in the blue of his dragon eyes, and the frustration in his chest quietly dissipated.

He grabbed Lu Yao’s hand and swiftly pulled her out of Onorton City.

Lu Yao had been planning to use the city’s teleportation array to return to Emerald Town since it was faster.

But Harold moved too quickly for her to stop him. By the time she realized what had happened, she was already seated on the black dragon’s back, the wind howling in her ears.

On the way home, Harold took Lu Yao to the White Sand Emerald Lake he had pointed out earlier, rolling around playfully and insisting on taking a bath.

With no other choice, Lu Yao sat by the shore, waiting for him.

The little black dragon was like a moving mountain, bobbing up and down in the water.

After swimming alone for a while, he slyly extended his tail to the shore.

With nothing else to do, Lu Yao grabbed some sand and helped him scrub his scales.

The little black dragon was overjoyed, flicking his tail back into the lake and splashing Lu Yao with water.

The two of them played by White Sand Emerald Lake until dusk.

When they returned to the nail salon, there were no customers left, and the two fairies had fallen asleep on the table.

Out of boredom, Edward, imitating scenes from a comic book, had folded a bouquet of small white flowers from napkins and arranged them in a circle around the fairies. He had even covered them with a plain handkerchief.

When Lu Yao saw the scene, she almost thought the fairies had died in the shop.

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