Ch 68: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

【Successfully lit up all ten species icons in the Alexander Continent. Collection complete! Task accomplished! Rewards: 100,000 popularity points, 4 special glue formulas, and 1 Ancient Weapon Forging Magic Book!】

【The fame of Lu Yao’s Nail Salon has spread throughout the Alexander Continent. Achievement: “Renowned Across the Land.” Upgraded to a four-star store. Please keep up the good work!】

【The Ultimate Mission has been triggered. A request from the Dragon Couple has been sent to your item box. Please complete the task within seven days!】

After seeing off the mermaids from the deep sea, Lu Yao received the task notification. The sudden arrival of the ultimate mission startled her, so she immediately headed back to the workshop to check her inventory.

Several new items had appeared, including the 100,000 popularity points she earned from completing the collection, along with special glue formula four and an ancient weapon-forging magic book.

She carefully took everything out without opening them immediately. A small, black, gold-edged chest sitting quietly in the corner of the storage space caught her attention. It was palm-sized and adorned with a protective magic array on top. After examining it for a bit, Lu Yao quickly unlocked it, revealing only a letter of commission inside.

“Before the day of the contract, please craft for our son Harold a set of nails with the strongest defense and the most powerful offensive weapons.”

The letter was signed by Drex and Alia.

Lu Yao blinked, realizing this was the request from the dragon couple. Based on the seven-day deadline, it seemed that the “contract day” was likely to occur sometime within the next week.

Harold—there was no doubt that this referred to the little black dragon. But if this commission came from his parents, where were they now? And what exactly was the contract day that required the strongest weapons?

Lu Yao recalled the fortune teller she met in Onorton City, who had said that what appeared in the crystal ball would inevitably come true at some point in the future. Was the contract day referring to that moment?

She had assumed that since Harold hadn’t met Helena that day, his future had already changed. But perhaps the fortune teller was right—perhaps the future wasn’t so easily altered.

Lu Yao put the letter away and opened the newly acquired magic book. It recorded three weapons: the artifact-level Dragon Armor, the artifact-level Nine-Star Magic Sword, and the sacred-level Holy Light Shield. The forging conditions for each were extremely harsh, requiring several rare materials.

Special glue formula four, intended for dragons, was even harder to gather materials for than the previous formulas. It even required unicorn blood. A small note at the end of the recipe indicated: “Exclusive to Light Magic weapons, granting a rebound damage effect upon enchantment.”

Glue formula two increased defense, glue formula three enhanced attack with a life-stealing effect, and glue formula four provided a rebound damage effect. But what about formula five?

There was no mention of the fifth formula, nor any new task regarding it. Lu Yao set it aside for now and instead focused on organizing the materials needed, dividing them into three parts.

With Ambrose and Edward busy working on Annie’s custom nails, Lu Yao assigned the material-gathering task to Si Jin, Clarissa, and the twin fairies.

“These three sets of materials need to be gathered within two days. Please take care,” Lu Yao instructed.

The collection team immediately set off.

Harold came over, looking a little left out. “What about me?”

Lu Yao called him over, “I’m going to make you some magic nails. We need to go out for a bit.”

To craft armor and weapons for a dragon, she first needed to measure his form—and it had to be in his dragon form.

Harold, delighted at the prospect, asked no questions and eagerly led Lu Yao out.

They didn’t go too far, stopping at the White Sand Emerald Lake, where the little black dragon had bathed last time.

Taking measurements for the armor was a massive task. Since Harold was still growing and would continue to do so, Lu Yao had to take that into account. After all, she couldn’t have the armor only fit him for a year, only for him to outgrow it soon after—that would be quite embarrassing.

..

Meanwhile, the collection team headed out. Si Jin and Clarissa were the first to depart.

Merulu and Puxiu left the nail salon a bit later than the others. After only a few steps, they noticed the captain of the knights and the leader of the mage squad waiting nearby.

The two humans, upon seeing the twin fairies, hurried over excitedly.

The knight captain wore a stern expression. “Why have you not reported back for several days? What’s going on in the shop? Have you gathered any information? Marquis Mickey is waiting for your report.”

Puxiu glanced at Merulu, wondering if they had to go back.

Merulu took Puxiu’s hand and nodded, not resisting. “Yes, we were just about to report back to the Marquis.”

The knight captain and the mage leader visibly relaxed. As expected, fairies were highly obedient, wouldn’t resist, and wouldn’t betray. Their earlier worries were unfounded.

Merulu and Puxiu followed the two humans back to the inn.

Mickey Kinkley sat at the table, his expression cold and condescending. “What did you find out?”

Merulu picked out some trivial information to share.

Mickey Kinkley had been waiting in the inn for days, and his patience had worn thin. He interrupted her mid-sentence, growing irritable. “You’ve been gone this long, and all you’ve got are these insignificant details? You haven’t found the dragon’s weakness? Is this the extent of a Saint-level Light Knight’s ability?”

“Bang, bang—”

Suddenly, two sharp noises came from outside, followed by a crash as Clarissa, holding a giant red scythe, jumped in through the window, propping herself up on the sill. “Marquis Mickey, long time no see.”

Seeing the red scythe, Mickey Kinkley’s heart skipped a beat, but upon realizing it was Clarissa, he relaxed. “Clarissa, His Majesty grieves for you.”

A cold smile crept onto Clarissa’s lips, and with a wave of her hand, her scythe sliced through the air, sending a wind blade toward Mickey.

He felt a chill on his face, followed by a faint stinging sensation. When he wiped his face, his hand came away covered in blood. Furious, he lashed out. “You filthy demon spawn! Have you forgotten? It’s because of your lost power that His Majesty’s grand ambitions were thwarted. This is all your fault. You should have been executed at the temple. It was only the Kinkley family’s intervention that spared your life, allowing you to atone as an adventurer. And now, not only have you fled, but you dare to strike me? A demon will always be a demon, born rotten and damned to fall.”

Clarissa casually waved her hand again, and more wind blades flew at Mickey Kinkley, leaving several new wounds on him. “What sin am I guilty of? That I didn’t complete enough tasks? That I wasn’t obedient enough to elevate your Kinkley family to the throne, and that still wasn’t enough to atone?”

During her time at the nail salon, Clarissa had occasionally reflected on her life over the past decades. What once bound her like thorns now seemed no more than trivial weeds, hardly worth mentioning.

She had no intention of returning to the capital, but the Kinkley family’s reach had grown too long. From Mickey’s words, it seemed even her dear father had a hand in this.

Clarissa was the second child of Bais III, with an older sister who had long since disappeared without a trace, and a younger half-brother from the queen consort. Because of her demon blood, she was never officially recognized by the royal family. Few knew the truth of her identity, with only a select few aware of the details.

Mickey Kinkley glanced toward the knight captain and the mage leader, but Clarissa noticed. With a flick of her wrist, her scythe spun, swiftly taking out the small fry.

Stepping on Mickey Kinkley’s back, Clarissa pressed down. “What are you doing here? What’s your goal with the nail salon?”

Mickey Kinkley, utterly powerless to resist and too afraid to lie, confessed his intentions.

Clarissa applied more pressure. “Back then, what powerful soul did Father—Bais—sacrifice to the demons? And what did he ask of them?”

Mickey Kinkley replied, “A dragon… It was a dragon. That silver dragon was Helena’s friend. It died of illness. His Majesty wanted to make a wish to the demons but couldn’t find a suitable sacrifice. So, the Kinkley family offered the dead dragon to His Majesty. You should be able to guess His Majesty’s wish.”

Clarissa fell into deep thought.

Merulu’s eyes flickered as she flew over and urgently asked, “A silver dragon? The one that died was a silver dragon? What about the black dragon? The black dragon that your Kinkley family made a contract with?”

Puxiu, already realizing the silver dragon’s identity, had tears welling up in his lemon-yellow eyes, ready to cry.

Silver dragons were rare, possessing unique abilities, including the power to briefly travel through time and space, and one could go centuries without encountering one.

Back then, when Merulu and Puxiu met Drex, he had been chasing after a silver dragon all over the world. They were too young at the time to think much of it.

Puxiu remembered that Drex called that beautiful and gentle silver dragon “Alia.”

Mickey Kinkley said, “Dead. Died even earlier than the silver dragon. No one knows what Helena did, but just a few years after the contract, the black dragon was dead.”

…

Meanwhile, Luo Yao and Harold returned and immediately dove into the research lab.

With the material-gathering team still out, Luo Yao took the time to complete the nail design and practiced making several similar magic weapons according to the steps in the magic book.

Si Jin was the first to return, bringing a large batch of materials.

Luo Yao mixed the ingredients for the fourth type of glue and brewed it in advance.

While looking for a sample of the fourth glue, she picked up the fifth glue and examined it. She had never used or even noticed this glue before. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the bottle and label were different from the others.

The black bottle was labeled with four characters—”Soul-Attracting Blood.”

Luo Yao brought the fifth glue back to the lab as well.

Half a day later, Clarissa, Merulu, and Puxiu returned.

Luo Yao was so engrossed in refining the magic weapons that she didn’t notice the hesitant expressions on the twin fairies’ faces.

For five days straight, she worked tirelessly in the lab, sustained only by restorative potions.

Apparently, Annie had stopped by to pick up her custom nails at some point, but Luo Yao hadn’t even noticed.

【Urgent notice: The ultimate mission will expire in three minutes!】

Luo Yao lifted the finished nails in her hand. “I’ve completed it, Harold!”

Harold pushed open the door, followed by a curious group of staff. Everyone was eager to see what kind of nails the shop owner had worked on tirelessly for seven days.

Luo Yao waved Harold over and handed him the freshly completed black-scale nails. “Try them on.”

The design was so simple it bordered on plain. Every nail was identical, with neat, tightly arranged black scales that shimmered faintly, reminiscent of dragon scales.

Harold removed his old jeweled nails, scattering the various gemstones without care, and put on the black-scale nails.

At first glance, there was nothing particularly remarkable about the nails.

But after wearing them for a moment and studying them closely, Harold tilted his head toward Luo Yao. “Did you use Sunshine?”

The amount must have been minimal, as only the edges of each scale had a faint, almost unnoticeable golden shimmer.

Luo Yao, exhausted, nodded weakly. “Over nine thousand scales, three drops of material—I had to stretch it thin to cover everything.”

She had used up so many valuable materials, including a significant portion of Si Jin’s extreme crystals and darkstar stones. Even the special glue acquired from the task had been applied, yet the first thing that caught the dragon’s attention was still the glint of gold.

Tsk.

Si Jin stepped forward, holding Harold’s hand to inspect the nails. “Wasn’t there supposed to be a transformation feature?”

Harold responded, “Maybe it doesn’t work in human form.”

Luo Yao interrupted, “It works. The scale nails can transform flexibly, adapting to any form required for combat.”

To achieve that, she had scrapped several designs, abandoning anything flashy in favor of the simplest scale pattern.

Edward and Ambrose’s eyes lit up with anticipation. Having collaborated on Annie’s battle nails a few days ago, they had begun to appreciate the fun of nail crafting.

The shop owner had worked so hard for so long, and now, it seemed like this plain-looking set of nails would deliver a surprise transformation.

Harold chanted a special incantation, and the scales attached to the nail plates seemed to receive the command, lining up and flying out, gradually covering Harold’s body.

In less than a minute, a valiant young man clad in golden armor appeared, with a simple yet ancient-looking black sword at his waist. The hilt was embedded with nine magical gemstones, glowing with a mesmerizing light.

Harold curiously touched the sword’s hilt and noticed his fingertips shimmering in silver, as if a galaxy was flowing through them. His deep blue eyes curved in satisfaction. “Is this Starlight?”

Luo Yao nodded. “Yes, this nail set has three layers of design. This is the second layer.”

Harold was pleased.

Ambrose’s crimson eye sockets flickered as he pushed through the crowd to approach. “This…this…this armor… I’ve only ever read about it. But Bone-Eating Grass has long gone extinct; the Dragon Scale Armor can’t possibly exist again.”

Edward, also intrigued, leaned in to examine the sword hanging at Harold’s waist. “Is this the Nine-Star Demon Sword?”

Ambrose was in disbelief. “How could it be? The Nine-Star Demon Sword was the weapon of the apocalyptic demon dragon in legends. How could it appear here?”

The original Nine-Star Demon Sword had been destroyed long ago, and to forge a new one—just like the Dragon Scale Armor—required the now-extinct Bone-Eating Grass.

They had been watching the shopkeeper closely for days, observing her work. If she had used such rare materials, they would have noticed immediately.

Could it be that she had found substitute materials and recreated the Dragon Scale Armor and the Nine-Star Demon Sword?

Puxiu flew around Harold a few times, pointing at his fingertips. “There’s a trace of light magic. Did you enchant the nail plates with a special effect?”

Everyone turned to look at the shopkeeper. Luo Yao was slumped in a chair, her head hanging down, eyes closed, breathing softly.

Edward walked over to check on her and sighed with mild helplessness. “She’s asleep, probably drained of all her magical power.”

They had no choice but to bottle up their curiosity and wait for her to wake up.

…

Sunlight streamed through the window, stirring the curtains in a gentle breeze.

Luo Yao struggled to open her eyes, lifting a hand. A blanket was draped over her.

The room was quiet—it seemed she was in the break room.

She tried to sit up but felt weak; it had been too deep a sleep.

“Harold?” Luo Yao called, her voice raspy. “Si Jin?”

Her voice was too soft, and no one heard her.

Luo Yao painstakingly sat up and reached for the water cup on the low table, drinking half of it to soothe her parched throat. She then grabbed two biscuits to quell her hunger.

After a while, she felt a bit more energized.

Slipping on her slippers, she slowly shuffled out of the break room. The research lab was empty, and when she opened the black door, the shop was empty too.

Luo Yao patted her body, trying to find her phone, wondering how long she had slept—had they already closed?

Unable to find her phone, she paused and asked aloud, “How long did I sleep?”

System: 【Two days and two nights.】

“…”

No wonder her body felt so heavy and drained.

“Did you get the clues? What are they? Let me see.” She had heard the system prompt the completion of the ultimate task just before passing out, but she didn’t know what happened afterward.

System: 【…Not yet.】

Luo Yao frowned. “…So the task failed?”

System: 【It succeeded. But based on the store’s progress, you haven’t yet met the conditions to obtain the next world clue.】

Luo Yao was confused. “The ultimate task is done. What other conditions could there be?”

She had practically killed herself working on the task for a week. If it weren’t for her long lifespan and the restorative potions keeping her going, she’d be dead by now.

To think she still hadn’t met the conditions—Luo Yao found it hard to comprehend. Just as the system hesitated, preparing to explain, the nail salon’s front door was suddenly slammed open from the outside.

Merulu and Puxiu tumbled in, flying hurriedly. Upon seeing Luo Yao, they calmed down slightly. “Shopkeeper, shopkeeper! Harold—the black dragon—he’s been corrupted in Bribis City!”

Luo Yao: “???”

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