Ch 78: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

After the Day of Impermanence arrived, the collapse of order was accompanied by the breakdown of boundaries—the boundaries between cities and the boundaries between people.

Cities became vast and perilous. People struggled to survive, betrayal and disaster walking hand in hand. In the end, survival instincts took over, and they began to gather, uniting through conflict. It was in this way that bases emerged.

The relationships between bases were as unpredictable as the world of Impermanence itself—sometimes allies, sometimes enemies, and sometimes they would avoid each other with a polite distance, not wanting a direct confrontation.

Yu Li and his group were from a different base than Zhou Yan’s team. Zhou Yan’s group came from the Tingcheng Base, while Yu Li and the others lived at Hope Base, which was located a bit farther from Fairy Tale Square.

After leaving the blind box shop, Yu Li and his team returned to the base, hoping to find ways to earn energy crystals. They were extremely excited, and as they discussed the blind box shop while browsing through suitable tasks in the mission hall, they caught the attention of Xi Tingran, who was there to submit a mission.

Xi Tingran, 28 years old, was a strength-type ability user and the second son of the Hope Base leader. He was responsible for leading teams to search for resources.

Recently, they had heard about a large chain supermarket in a nearby area that had been buried underground during the Day of Impermanence. Xi Tingran led a team to investigate after it was uncovered, but they arrived too late. The location was far, and much of the journey time was consumed getting there. By the time they arrived, most of the valuable supplies were gone. Additionally, the supermarket had been waterlogged and frozen over the years, making what was left unusable.

After three days of excavation, all they found was a bag of vegetable seeds, not even sure if they were still viable. They returned to the base with this meager haul.

The team’s morale was low, and they weren’t paying attention to their surroundings. Xi Tingran was considering taking the night to rest before deciding which area to search for supplies the next day when he overheard Yu Li’s group talking, causing his eyebrows to raise. He immediately intercepted them.

At Hope Base, people might not recognize the base leader, but nobody was unfamiliar with Xi Tingran. His team had contributed greatly to the survival of the base, especially during the most dangerous periods of the Day of Impermanence when food shortages were dire. Ordinary people didn’t dare to step outside, and it was always Xi Tingran who led the teams to find life-saving supplies.

When Yu Li saw Xi Tingran, he didn’t hide anything and told him everything about the blind box shop.

Without hesitation, Xi Tingran led his team to Fairy Tale Square.

However, they were a step too late—Zhou Yan’s team had arrived first.

Once Zhou Yan’s group left, Xi Tingran and Yu Li’s team immediately entered the blind box shop.

Tang Ling walked over to the blind box machine and noticed that another machine was now stocked as well. Delighted, she said, “There’s a new type of blind box, and the quantity has increased!”

Xi Tingran stood in front of the blind box machine, examining it for a while. “Hot drink blind box, instant noodle blind box, 15 yuan per draw—this is indeed interesting.”

Aside from Yu Li’s group, Xi Tingran was accompanied by his team members Zheng Yang, Li Shuang, Xia Min, and his young nephew, Xi Ruiyang.

Xi Ruiyang, the son of Xi Tingran’s older brother, was twelve years old and had also awakened strength-type abilities.

When Xi Tingran went out from the base, he encountered his nephew and, since the mission was within their region and in the sparsely populated Fairy Tale Square, decided to bring him along to broaden his horizons.

Xi Ruiyang stood in front of the blind box machine, eyes filled with wonder. “Second Uncle, is instant noodles that stuff you brought back before—the moldy-smelling noodles?”

Born in the eighth year of the Day of Impermanence, Xi Ruiyang was part of the new generation and the child of the base leader’s family. He had seen more than others, but had only ever eaten those moldy-smelling instant noodles.

Those noodles weren’t very tasty, yet his family had treated them like treasure, giving them only to him to eat.

As a result, Xi Ruiyang thought that instant noodles were supposed to taste like that and always referred to them as “moldy-smelling noodles.”

Xi Tingran brushed his hand over his nephew’s innocent eyes, turning to exchange blind box tokens, chuckling. “Moldy noodles, huh? You’ve been too spoiled to realize your blessings. Today, Second Uncle will let you taste authentic instant noodles.”

Yu Li and his group had already explained how to use the energy crystals and how the blind box system worked.

Following Xi Tingran’s lead, the three of them exchanged their crystals for a handful of blind box tokens.

Yu Li and the others didn’t have any extra crystals on them, so Xi Tingran tossed over a red crystal and said, “Consider this your information fee.”

Yu Li, Tang Ling, and Wei Dong were overjoyed. They quickly exchanged the red crystal for 100 blind box tokens and prepared to start drawing.

Xi Tingran handed a handful of tokens to his nephew, Xi Ruiyang. “Here, go ahead and draw your own.”

Xi Ruiyang hesitated between the two machines. He had enough tokens for a draw, but he wanted to choose his favorite one first. His uncle had said there were no moldy noodles this time, which piqued his interest, but the hot drink blind box on the other side also intrigued him more since he had never tried such drinks before.

He decided to go for the hot drink first. After inserting the blind box tokens, the small red light on the machine lit up, and a drink can dropped down.

He crouched down to pick it up and felt the can, his expression turning a little strange. “Isn’t this supposed to be a hot drink?”

Xi Tingran asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xi Ruiyang held out the drink. “It’s cold.”

Wei Dong came over and curiously touched it. “It really is. We drew hot drinks earlier.”

Tang Ling thought for a moment and offered a guess. “Could it be that you got a hidden item?”

“What’s a hidden item?” Xi Ruiyang asked, confused.

Tang Ling pointed to the design on the can and suddenly exclaimed, “Wow! The hot drink blind box has new flavors. These weren’t there when we drew earlier.”

Wei Dong leaned closer to Tang Ling. “There’s also a new hidden item.”

Everyone gathered around Xi Ruiyang, curious.

He opened the can, and a card fell out—Yang Zhi Gan Lu (Mini Hidden).

“Wow, it really is a hidden item,” said Zheng Yang, a member of Xi Tingran’s team.

A sweet and rich aroma spread through the air, causing Xi Ruiyang to wrinkle his nose. “It smells amazing.”

“Hurry up and take a sip! Let’s see how it tastes,” Wei Dong urged, unable to hold back his excitement.

Xi Ruiyang took a small sip and his eyes lit up. He then took a bigger gulp and exclaimed, “Uncle, you have to try this! It’s so delicious.”

Xi Tingran leaned in and took a sip from the drink in Xi Ruiyang’s hand. He paused for a moment, surprised—it really did taste like Yang Zhi Gan Lu.

The soft mango chunks were fragrant and sweet, the tapioca pearls smooth and chewy, while the pomelo bits added a slight tang and bitterness, almost unnoticeable. The ice-cold drink, made with a coconut milk base, was refreshing, sweet, and had a rich texture.

“Isn’t it delicious?” Xi Ruiyang’s eyes curved into happy crescents.

Xi Tingran nodded. “Yes, it’s very good.”

“No way! It’s really something you can drink? The smell is so sweet,” said Zheng Yang, clapping his hands in excitement.

Xi Ruiyang offered the drink. “Brother Zheng Yang, do you want to try it?”

Zheng Yang initially wanted to refuse, thinking it wasn’t right to take from the kid, but the combination of mango and coconut was too tempting. He couldn’t resist and took a sip, immediately blown away.

“Holy crap! This Yang Zhi Gan Lu tastes as if it was just freshly made. None of the ingredients have spoiled, and the flavor is perfect!” Zheng Yang exclaimed, clearly excited.

Li Shuang, a younger team member, laughed. “Brother Zheng Yang, you’re acting like you’ve had this drink before.”

Zheng Yang waved his arms enthusiastically. “Believe it or not, I actually have! The year the Day of Impermanence hit, it was scorching hot. My grandma used to make Yang Zhi Gan Lu every few days to help me cool off.”

But after the Day of Impermanence arrived, his grandparents fled with him, and he never got to drink it again.

A few years later, his grandparents passed away, leaving Zheng Yang alone. With daily struggles in the chaotic world, he had forgotten much of his childhood.

That sip of Yang Zhi Gan Lu brought back memories of those hot summer days and the rustic ceramic bowl of the dessert his grandmother used to serve him.

Zheng Yang had initially planned to draw a ramen blind box, but after tasting that refreshing drink, he opted for another hot drink. This time, he got a large cup of warm Plum Wine.

As soon as the can was opened, the intoxicating aroma of the wine mixed with the sweet and sour scent of plums wafted through the air. Startled, Zheng Yang let out a whistle, sniffed it carefully, and took a small sip. “Wow! This plum wine is incredible! Brother Xi, you have to try this!”

Xi Tingran had just drawn a ramen blind box and was about to tear open the packaging when a cup of plum wine was thrust in front of him. At the bottom of the cup, a few green plums floated gently. Back when the cold waves hit, people couldn’t find anything to burn, so they used alcohol to warm themselves.

During the cold waves, all kinds of alcohol, especially high-proof spirits, were consumed in large quantities. Now, it was rare to see any alcohol at all. Alcohol had become even rarer than those moldy noodles.

Brewing wine required grain, and when people couldn’t even fill their stomachs, no one would use grain to make alcohol. The plum wine drawn from the blind box had been warmed and mixed with other ingredients. It had a fragrant scent but wasn’t too strong. It tasted slightly sour with a sweet aftertaste, and the best part was the lingering plum fragrance. One sip transported you back to an autumn many years ago, with rain falling on tree branches, making the plum boughs tremble lightly.

“Yes, it’s really good,” Xi Tingran praised before lowering his head to tear open the ramen blind box. A bunch of things fell out. He carefully picked up the noodle block, relieved it hadn’t broken. A card had fallen out too, reading “Jiao Jiao Spicy Chicken Noodles.”

Zheng Yang, Yu Li, and Xi Tingran were all born before the Day of Impermanence. The two immediately leaned over to take a look.

“What kind of flavor is this? We didn’t have this before,” Zheng Yang said.

Yu Li nodded. “The other flavors on the box look familiar, but ‘spicy chicken noodles’? That’s definitely new. Could it be some kind of weird flavor?”

Following the instructions on the packaging, Xi Tingran unwrapped the noodles and placed them in the box before walking over to the nearby hot water dispenser. It was only then that the others realized that the store had a hot water machine, seemingly set up just for people to use with the ramen blind boxes.

Xi Tingran brought the box of noodles back and remarked quietly, “The hot water machine is powered, just like the lights outside. It doesn’t seem to be using energy crystals.”

Everyone’s expressions shifted slightly; this shop was indeed peculiar, but it was also hard to resist.

The spicy chicken noodles were dry noodles, which required two rounds of hot water to soften. Normally, the noodle broth would be discarded, but Xi Tingran blew on it to cool it down, took a sip, and then drank two more mouthfuls. He pushed the bowl toward Xi Ruiyang, saying, “This broth doesn’t taste spoiled—it’s good.”

Xi Ruiyang held the bowl close and took a deep whiff before gulping down the broth. “Uncle, this soup doesn’t have that moldy flavor; it’s actually quite fragrant.”

Xi Tingran smiled as he went to get more hot water. “That’s the natural fragrance of unspoiled wheat. When those moldy noodles aren’t damp, they have this exact flavor.”

Seeing this, the rest of the team couldn’t hold back any longer. Everyone drew a ramen blind box and lined up to get hot water.

Zheng Yang opened his ramen box, glanced around at everyone else’s noodles, and said, a little confused, “Brother Xi’s ramen seems to have way more ingredients than ours. All we got is one noodle block and two seasoning packets.”

Xi Tingran handed him the card that came with his ramen, flipping it over to reveal the word “Hidden.”

The team had now experienced two waves of hidden items, so they had a rough idea that “hidden” meant rare, special, and winning big. Getting one would evoke envy and jealousy from others, and it gave the one who drew it a sense of achievement.

That was the allure of a hidden item.

“Ugh! So unfair!” Zheng Yang grumbled, heading off to make his ramen.

Xi Tingran drank the second serving of broth from the spicy chicken noodles, then began adding the extra ingredients. Aside from the usual chili oil and seaweed sesame flakes, the special ingredients included two thick slices of cheese, which melted over the hot noodles like a snug blanket. There was also a small packet of blanched bean sprouts that added a crisp freshness to the noodles, and finally, a soft-boiled egg.

This luxurious ramen, with added egg, veggies, and cheese, stirred up envy among the rest of the team.

Each person took a bite, their faces contorting from the spiciness, but none of them were willing to spit it out despite feeling like they were breathing fire.

Xi Ruiyang, eager to try, took a bite as well. His uncle had been right; these noodles didn’t have that moldy flavor, and they tasted amazing. However, since he couldn’t handle spice, he decided to draw another box and got Yi Yi Seafood Noodles.

It wasn’t a hidden item, but Xi Ruiyang liked the light seafood broth and slurped it up like a happy little pig.

Xi Tingran ate quickly, finishing the bowl of spicy chicken noodles in a few large bites. The soft-boiled egg was still warm when it was served, and when broken with chopsticks, the golden yolk spilled out, mixing with the melted cheese. The rich creaminess of the cheese and egg softened the spiciness, making it so delicious that it felt almost sinful.

The other team members also indulged, each with a cup of hot drink and a bowl of ramen, treating themselves lavishly.

Once they were full and satisfied, Xi Tingran stood up and walked over to the blind box machine, observing it for a while. He then spoke loudly, “Each of you can draw four boxes for personal use. The rest, I’ll take back to the base. Of course, once this batch of supplies is distributed at the base, there won’t be any more for you.”

The team was accustomed to this rule. This time, they hadn’t even exerted much effort and had obtained valuable supplies.

Each team member exchanged their remaining blind box coins for their favorite items, while the rest were left for their captain to handle.

Yu Li’s team was more frugal, though they couldn’t resist the temptation of ramen. The three of them pooled their coins to draw one box, which they shared. They used the remaining 85 blind box coins to draw four boxes of ramen and one hot drink. After storing everything, they prepared to head back to their base.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Yu Li asked, “How do we transport all this back?”

Xi Tingran glanced at him, slightly puzzled, “We draw everything out, of course.”

Before he finished speaking, he had already turned and walked over to the coin exchange machine. From his pocket, he pulled out a handful of red energy crystals and tossed them into the machine. Suddenly, the sound of clinking filled the shop as blind box coins piled up like a small mountain in the tray.

Xi Tingran grabbed a handful of blind box coins and distributed them to Zheng Yang, Li Shuang, and the youngest team member, Xia Min. “I know you all want to play. Each of you can draw 50. The rest, Ruiyang and I will take care of.”

Yu Li stood in stunned silence for a long time. Xi Tingran was highly respected at Hope Base, but he wasn’t someone people wanted to cross. On the contrary, some spoke poorly of him behind his back, describing him as rough, unruly, and short-tempered. But his status was too strong, his abilities fully developed, and his accomplishments undeniable. Those who disliked him could only grumble in private.

Yu Li had assumed that Xi Tingran wouldn’t follow the rules of the blind box shop and would just take what he wanted.

It was as if Xi Tingran read his mind. As he stuffed blind box coins into his pocket, he casually remarked, “No need for fighting, robbing, or killing. Just exchange a few energy crystals, and you get premium supplies. It’s a fair trade.”

Yu Li was once again taken aback. Xi Tingran was right. Obtaining energy crystals just required hunting mutated plants and animals—far less gruesome than killing people for supplies.

They had been thinking about it all wrong.

The team drew 150 blind boxes in total, filling two large woven bags to the brim. Xi Tingran and Xi Ruiyang drew the remaining boxes, filling three more bags. When the boxes were stored inside the machine, they didn’t seem like much, but once drawn, they expanded in size, piling up like small mountains.

The team members couldn’t hide their joy. Even though they hadn’t managed to retrieve supplies from the underground supermarket in the neighboring district, these blind boxes were more than enough.

As they prepared to leave, Xi Tingran said, “Leave two people in the shop. We’ll take the supplies back, and then come back again.”

Zheng Yang asked, “Captain, are you suggesting…?”

Xi Tingran: “If this really is a shop, once the supplies are sold out, there’s a chance for restocking.”

This meant a steady flow of resources…

They couldn’t figure out who would open such a peculiar store here, nor where the person was getting so many supplies. The key point was that their base would benefit greatly from this influx of goods.

Li Shuang and Xia Min eagerly volunteered to stay behind. Despite their young age, they were both ability users. In the case of a minor crisis, they could at least work together to escape.

…

On the continent of Alexander, sunlight streamed through the window.

Lu Yao had stayed up late studying the blacklist system and was still groggy, trying to get a bit more sleep.

[Congratulations! You’ve sold 50 blind boxes! Task completed! Reward: 50 popularity points, new blind box category unlocked!]

[Shop upgrade successful, now a 1-star shop! Keep up the good work, shopkeeper!]

[You have a new task…]

[Congratulations! You’ve sold 100 blind boxes! Task completed! Reward: 100 popularity points, new blind box machine unlocked!]

[You have a new task…]

[Congratulations! You’ve sold 200 blind boxes! Task completed! Reward: 200 popularity points, blind box machine capacity increased by 50!]

[Lu Yao’s blind box shop has become a hot sensation and is now a 2-star shop! New category and new machine unlocked. Keep going, shopkeeper!]

“???”

The barrage of system notifications woke Lu Yao up, confused. “Which rich customer is flooding my blind box shop?”

[New task! Use energy crystals from the Impermanence World to develop a new blind box and sell 200 of them. Reward: 100,000 popularity points, new blind box category and machine!]

Lu Yao: “???”

What kind of absurd task is this now?

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