Ch 79: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Lu Yao got up to wash, thinking she should first head over to the blind box shop to check on the situation and collect the energy crystals.

The blind box shop, which had been restocked with 400 items last night, was now completely sold out, leaving behind only two empty machines.

With two new machines as part of the task rewards in her warehouse, Lu Yao decided to set them up first.

Just then, Li Shuang and Xia Min entered the store, surprised to see Lu Yao standing by the machines, sizing things up. They had been outside seeing off their team leader and teammates. Given how bright it was outside, it didn’t make sense that someone could have entered without being noticed. How had she managed to get in?

Hearing the noise, Lu Yao turned her head, assuming they were new customers. She explained, “Sorry, the stock is sold out. The restock won’t happen until at least this afternoon.”

Li Shuang was the first to respond. “You’re the shopkeeper? Will the restock really be ready by this afternoon?”

Lu Yao was still shocked. Nearly 400 blind boxes had sold out overnight. Based on the barrage of system notifications she had received in the morning, it seemed like some major player had gone on a wild spree and emptied the machines.

While she was happy about the sales, this level of consumption was still a bit painful. The machines had even expanded in capacity, so once she set up the four machines, she would need to prepare 1,000 items at a time.

“Yes, I’ll probably restock the hot drink and instant noodle blind boxes by the afternoon,” Lu Yao said, distracted by her thoughts but still responding.

Li Shuang looked at Xia Min, clearly pleased. “Our captain was right, they will restock!”

Xia Min nodded. “We’ll just wait here. Once it’s restocked, we’ll empty the machines again.”

Lu Yao: “…”

So you guys are the ones responsible, huh? Not satisfied after clearing out two machines? Are you really that hooked on it?

Or are you just here to grab more goods?

Lu Yao could understand the sentiment, though. Drawing blind boxes was just like pulling cards in a gacha game. Even if you knew all the characters in the pool or had a complete collection, you still couldn’t help but anticipate each draw.

Since there were customers in the shop, Lu Yao couldn’t set up the new machines or collect the energy crystals just yet. She pulled out two pieces of dark chocolate from her pocket, approached the two kids, and figured she’d start gathering some information. “My name is Lu Yao. I’m the shopkeeper here. Have some chocolate.”

Li Shuang and Xia Min stared intently at the chocolate in Lu Yao’s hand but didn’t reach out to take it.

“Not interested? It’s a bit bitter but very smooth in texture.” Lu Yao unwrapped a piece and popped the whole thing into her mouth. She pulled out another one, handing over two pieces this time.

Li Shuang held back, but Xia Min couldn’t resist and took one.

She inspected it curiously, then asked, “What’s chocolate?”

Without showing any surprise, Lu Yao patiently explained, “There are many types of chocolate. The one I like, this dark chocolate, is typically made from cocoa butter, which comes from cocoa beans—the fruit of a plant that looks somewhat like a pod, about this size.” She gestured with her hands to show the size.

She continued, “Oh, by the way, one of the drinks in the hot drink blind boxes is hot cocoa. Its taste is very similar to chocolate since both are made primarily from cocoa butter.”

Li Shuang had drawn hot cocoa, and as Lu Yao described it, he immediately recalled the sweet, fragrant taste. His expression softened, and he reached out to take the chocolate from her hand.

However, the two still only held the chocolates, not eating them.

Lu Yao clapped her hands, then casually remarked, “It’s been dark outside for a while. Who knows when it will be light again?”

Xia Min responded, “This time, the eternal night has lasted much longer than usual. Our captain said a couple of days ago that it might be ending soon.”

“That’s good,” Lu Yao nodded, looking delighted. “I was originally planning to stock some blind boxes with lighting equipment, but if the Eternal Night is ending, maybe they won’t be needed anymore?”

Li Shuang immediately asked, “Shopkeeper, does that mean you can stock anything?”

Lu Yao smiled, “It’s not that simple. Do you have something in mind?”

Being just kids, with a bit of bait, they bit right into it.

The two of them started excitedly listing off various ideas, and during the conversation, they inevitably revealed some useful information. For example, after the Eternal Night ends, there will be a transitional period of about ten days. During this time, mutated animals and plants will awaken and become rampant. The base will organize teams to go out hunting to collect energy crystals. Some of these crystals are used to exchange for food, while the rest are stored for the next phase, which is likely to be a cold wave.

Energy crystals have many uses: they can be used for fuel, lighting, electricity generation, and enhancing abilities. However, using them as fuel is the least efficient way, yet it’s also the most common. Ordinary people who don’t have abilities to activate the energy within the crystals can only use them for burning or lighting.

In the Impermanence Day, various disasters such as Eternal Night, extreme daytime, cold waves, droughts, floods, acid rain, dust storms, earthquakes, locust plagues, and even pandemics repeat in cycles. There’s no fixed pattern, and the disasters seem endless.

However, after years of observation, people in the Impermanence World have figured out the frequency and order of these disasters. It is highly likely that after this Eternal Night, the next disaster will be a cold wave.

Li Shuang and Xia Min, who usually followed adults on missions, spent most of their time thinking about acquiring resources and gathering intelligence. They rarely had the chance to express their thoughts, so they were unusually talkative today.

Lu Yao listened quietly, occasionally interjecting with a small question, gathering enough information. Then she stood up and patted the two kids on their shoulders. “I need to go prepare more stock. The shop will be closed for a while. It’s not safe outside—why don’t you two head home?”

Li Shuang and Xia Min found themselves standing outside the blind box shop, realizing a bit too late that they had been coaxed into talking. But the shopkeeper’s approach had been so gentle that, even if they had realized it, they couldn’t bring themselves to feel any dislike. Plus, the news of restocking was good for them.

The two decided not to leave. They sat side by side outside the shop, waiting for Xi Tingran and the others to return. With the shop sign and streetlights shining brightly, they weren’t too afraid.

Inside, Lu Yao asked the system to close the shop door. She then retrieved two new blind box machines from the warehouse and placed them next to the instant noodle machine. From the hot drink and instant noodle machines, she collected the energy crystals that had been compressed into blind box coins.

Two full boxes of crystals, in blue, green, and red—these were the shop’s earnings and the raw materials for developing new blind boxes.

Lu Yao realized that stocking the machines and collecting crystal coins couldn’t always be done in front of customers. She thought about adding a room behind the blind box machines where she could restock and collect coins at any time.

The idea was inspired by a news story she had seen years ago, about a repairman trapped inside an ATM without any way to communicate. He had to pass notes to customers who came to withdraw cash, asking for help…

It gave rise to a rumor that in every automatic machine people encountered in their daily lives, there was actually a real person hiding inside.

Lu Yao didn’t care about the truth of the story, but it gave her the idea that her blind box machines could indeed have a hidden space inside.

She drew a design plan and handed it to the system, which immediately began the upgrade. The upgrade was hidden behind the machines and would take twelve hours to complete. The system assured her it could be done without disturbing customers, but it would cost her 20,000 popularity points.

Lu Yao paid the upgrade fee and left the shop with the energy crystals.

She returned to the nail salon, storing the crystals in the research room. She also spent 100,000 popularity points to upgrade the second floor of the nail salon.

The system was puzzled: “Why the sudden upgrade?”

There had been many opportunities before, but the shopkeeper had never been interested in upgrading.

Lu Yao simply replied, “It will be useful in the future.”

Ignoring the system, Lu Yao grabbed a bag of gold coins and prepared to head out.

Harold and Si Jin were still resting, but Tina had woken up early. Seeing that Lu Yao was heading out, Tina offered to accompany her to Onorton City.

The city’s morning market was bustling, far livelier than the quiet Emerald Town, and the food was fresher with a greater variety.

Lu Yao purchased various types of magic beast meat, vegetables, and fruits, bringing them back to the snack shop. She called to have fifty boxes of instant noodles delivered and instructed Qi Chen to prepare 250 servings of hot drink blind boxes: thirty servings of each regular flavor, six small hidden ones, and four large hidden ones.

After completing the preparation for restocking the blind boxes, Lu Yao spent another 100,000 popularity points to upgrade the fourth floor of the snack shop. She also posted a hiring notice for two new employees. To avoid disrupting the normal operations of both the snack shop and the nail salon, Lu Yao urgently required a new space. She paid an additional 40,000 popularity points to have the system begin immediate maintenance.

The system commented, “Aren’t you spending a bit too wildly? You hesitated when it came to installing the blacklist system.”

The blacklist system’s trial period was about to end, and it certainly wouldn’t be lenient when it came to charging for it.

Lu Yao waved dismissively, “Don’t worry, I’ve got everything planned out. Now I’ve got to start crafting the packaging for the blind boxes—750 illusionary packages. I hope I can find new employees soon.”

The system was a little puzzled. The shopkeeper had been busy with a lot of big moves that morning, but it couldn’t understand what she was suddenly planning. Still, every time it thought things were dire, Lu Yao managed to handle it without any major issues.

It settled back, looking forward to collecting 500,000 popularity points soon.

…

Yaoguang City, Xicheng Five-Star Hotel, 18th Floor.

Qi Jue knocked on the door of room 1866.

Xiao Zhou opened it. “Officer Qi?”

Qi Jue nodded. “Yes.”

Xiao Zhou stepped back with a smile, “Please come in.”

Qi Jue had been urgently recalled from a mission the previous day and then received a special assistance notice. He was to assist Department 955 in investigating the unusual energy points that had repeatedly appeared in Yaoguang City.

Qi Jue had never reported his experience in the amusement park game because no one outside of the players would believe it. Until yesterday, he hadn’t known Department 955 existed. When he first saw the special assistance notice, he thought the long hours had affected his mental state.

Now, sitting in the hotel room with Xiao Zhou and Tang Qi, who claimed to be 955 department staff, reality began to set in.

Tang Qi, as a monitor, had long been curious about the amusement park game players. He asked Qi Jue excitedly, “What was it like in the game? Was it as terrifying as people say on the forums? I heard you successfully passed the hardest challenge in the Black Ring world—how did that feel?”

Qi Jue felt a bit overwhelmed by Tang Qi’s flood of questions.

At that moment, Lin Yan stepped out of the adjacent room. Upon seeing Qi Jue, the serious expression on her face softened into a faint smile. “Junior brother, long time no see.”

Qi Jue jumped to his feet. “Senior sister? What are you doing here?”

Lin Yan had graduated from the same police academy as Qi Jue and had been his senior. The two had also worked together for some time. However, about two years ago, Lin Yan had quietly resigned from her role in the special police force.

Qi Jue never knew the reason and had lost contact with her afterward. He had even worried that something bad might have happened to her.

Lin Yan briefly mentioned her recent situation, and noticing the surprise on Qi Jue’s face, she continued, “I already have information about your situation, so there’s no need to explain further. Your main task this time is to assist us by approaching the player known as the ‘Game Administrator.’ Late last night, she posted a new listing for selling black rings. I hope you can contact her as a prospective buyer.”

Qi Jue hesitated. “Senior, is there something wrong with her?”

Lin Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly, sensing something. “Junior brother, do you think there’s nothing wrong with her? Or do you have specific intel about her?”

Xiao Zhou and Tang Qi looked at Qi Jue curiously.

They had tried investigating the so-called Game Administrator before. After all, she had tax records, which suggested legitimacy. But strangely enough, their investigations kept hitting dead ends at crucial points. Up to this moment, they only knew her gender and nothing more—not even her full name.

Qi Jue grasped his knees, his eyes lowering slightly. “No, I don’t have any specific intel. Let’s just proceed with your plan.”

Last time, after his deal with Zhuang Liang, he had learned more about the situation in the game. It turned out that all the boss-level NPCs in the Black Ring world took orders from Lu Yao. She might not be a game administrator at all but rather someone even higher up in the system.

Qi Jue knew Lin Yan’s personality—warning her wouldn’t change her course. And in his current role, he had no other choice but to cooperate.

…

In the Impermanence World, Xi Tingran’s team returned to their base with the blind box supplies. The logistics department immediately notified the residents to line up in the square to receive rations.

The base residents were both surprised and thrilled.

“Didn’t they say Captain Xi didn’t bring back any supplies this time? What’s going on now with this distribution?”

“Each two households will get one share of food, so I guess there wasn’t a lot of supplies found.”

“Hey, we should be grateful to get even a bite! Remember the worst cold snap when four families had to share one hard, dry grain biscuit? Nobody was complaining then!”

“Oh, come on, I didn’t mean it like that. It just slipped out!”

As people grumbled, someone in the front of the line suddenly jumped and shouted, “Instant noodles! And they haven’t expired! It’s my favorite—pork rib flavor! This is amazing!”

Soon after, another voice shouted, “They even have sweet soup—it’s silver ear soup! It smells so sweet and delicious!!!”

The people further back in line were puzzled. Were these people imagining things from hunger?

In the 20th year of Impermance Days, they could hardly find even moldy instant noodles. How could there be fresh, unexpired ones?

And sweet soup? That was even more unbelievable. Sugar, like salt and crystal cores, had become a rare and valuable commodity. There wasn’t enough sugar in the entire Hope Base to fill two teaspoons, so how could they be giving out sweet soup?

Silver ear soup? Even dreaming couldn’t be this good.

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️