Ch 83: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Before launching the crystal core blind boxes, Lu Yao spent time setting up something new.

The second floor of the nail salon was to serve as a secondary workspace dedicated to blind box packaging. Initially, she planned for it to be another handcraft workshop. However, inspired by the automatic packaging machine Meng Qin had designed, she created a magical device capable of automatically stamping contract seals.

By placing a headpiece engraved with a protective contract magic array on the machine and fueling it with magic stones, a single injection of magical energy from a mage could activate the machine, enabling it to stamp a protective contract seal onto any item.

In the magic history of Alexander’s Continent, contracts usually require a soul-bound connection, with both parties present to finalize the contract. But with advice from the nail salon’s diverse team of magical beings, Lu Yao developed a new protective contract magic array that did not rely on soul-binding or simultaneous presence. Although this weakened its effectiveness, it was sufficient as an added service for the blind box store.

In simple terms, Lu Yao planned to stamp her blind boxes with a special seal that carried magical protective properties. Once activated, the protective array would immediately form a contract between the blind box and the buyer. Anyone attempting to steal a protected blind box would be punished instantly.

This service came with an additional fee but was optional. Every blind box would bear the protection stamp; however, activating the protection contract was up to the customer.

Lu Yao collected the packaged blind boxes from the snack shop, stamped them on the nail salon’s second floor, and then took them to the blind box store. Today’s restocked blind boxes were all marked with the protective seal.

The blind box machines were also upgraded to handle automated contract agreements, now equipped with a fingerprint button below the coin slot. After restocking the three standard blind box machines, Lu Yao opened the fourth, previously empty, machine and loaded forty crystal core blind boxes, adding a scrolling message on the machine: “100 Creative Uses for Crystal Core Energy.”

Once restocked, the store automatically opened for business.

…

As soon as the doors opened, residents waiting outside quickly queued up to enter.

Liu Hai, a resident of the Hope Base, came daily to try his luck at the blind box store. Given the high demand, he couldn’t always get a box, but today he was fortunate, standing right at the door with unused blind box coins from yesterday. He rushed to the machine, eager to be the first to draw.

During checkout, the blind box machine offered a ten-coin option to activate something called a “protection contract.” Worried about missing out on boxes from the other machines, he hastily paid the extra and pressed his fingerprint, not paying much attention.

After purchasing three blind boxes, he realized he had spent an additional thirty coins. Regret set in immediately—those extra coins could have bought two more boxes! What protection contract? In the Impermenance World, it felt utterly useless.

The blind box store was just like those local base thugs, finding ways to charge “protection fees” under various pretenses. The excitement of scoring three blind boxes was now dampened by frustration, and he hurried back to the base, planning to store the food at home and then head out to hunt more mutated creatures to gather crystal cores for future blind boxes.

Pricey or not, these supplies were crucial for his family to survive the oncoming cold season.

As Liu Hai approached the base gates, he needed only to cross a ten-meter stretch of woodland. Just as he entered the trees, three men emerged from behind, their eyes fixed on the boxes in his arms, gleaming with intent.

The leader, a bulky man with a scar stretching twenty centimeters across his chest, held a large, chipped machete and barked menacingly, “Leave the goods. You can go.”

The two tall, thin men blocked Liu Hai on either side, smirking.

One eyed the items in Liu Hai’s hands, swallowing hard, “Blind boxes with instant noodles—the kind we had the other day. The pickled beef flavor was so good; I’m craving it.”

The other chimed in, “Not just that, he’s got fruit and a hot drink too. Looks like we’re in for a fancy meal today, ha!”

Liu Hai stepped back, his expression tense and heavy. This was exactly why he didn’t let his family come to the blind box store.

Lacking powers, he could only hunt some low to mid-tier mutated creatures by teaming up with familiar people. Now, facing these three alone, resistance seemed pointless. Yet he hated to give up the blind boxes he’d finally gotten, so he held back his fear and tried to reason, “There’s stock at the blind box store every day, and during the transition period, crystal cores are easy to get. It took me days to score these few boxes, and my whole family relies on them for food. Please…”

“Shut up! Give us the goods, or I’ll chop you up,” the big man with the machete shouted, lifting it menacingly.

The two on either side grabbed Liu Hai, prying open his arms so the three blind boxes fell to the ground.

The burly man crouched to pick them up, his greasy face breaking into a smug grin. “Sure, it’s easy to get crystal cores now. But that store makes you line up forever, no cutting, no fighting. We don’t need to go there to get our hands on some boxes—no crystal cores needed, ha!”

His sneer was mocking as his fingers brushed the blind boxes.

Crack! Purple lightning suddenly sparked across the blind box’s surface, traveling up to the man. He froze, his hand recoiling, dropping the machete as he fell backward, screaming and writhing in pain, “It hurts! Ah! It’s killing me!”

His two lackeys, clueless and frightened, released Liu Hai and took a few steps back, then turned again, tempted to grab the boxes. But as soon as they touched them, boom! Flames ignited on their hands, spreading to their arms in an instant.

Howling in agony, they rolled on the ground, desperately trying to smother the flames with dirt, but the fire seemed unquenchable.

Snapping back to reality, Liu Hai cautiously reached out and picked up the blind boxes, relieved when nothing happened to him. Without wasting a second, he sprinted toward the base’s gates.

Once he safely returned home, he urged his family to hide the blind boxes. Only then did he notice a line of red text on the boxes, making him realize something crucial.

Unless the protective contract was activated, no one else could touch the boxes before they were opened.

The reason he’d been able to escape those three unscathed with the blind boxes intact was entirely due to the protection contract he’d unknowingly paid extra for. That small fee had been worth every coin.

With his frustration now lifted, Liu Hai was convinced—he’d opt for the contract every time from now on. Whoever the shopkeeper was, they’d certainly thought things through.

The thought was brief as he packed up to head out and team up with others to collect more crystal cores.

…

At the blind box store, others in line noticed the new protection contract option on the machines.

Some, out of curiosity, paid the extra to activate it, while others scoffed at what they saw as a “hidden fee” and left with their boxes, contract-free.

For those who activated the contract and then encountered trouble, the protection ensured their boxes remained safe.

Word quickly spread about the blind box store’s new contract feature protecting supplies from theft. Those who hadn’t activated it and were robbed on the way back to the base were left full of regret.

While the three standard machines were emptied, the crystal core blind box machine remained untouched.

Lu Yao sat in the back, observing through the surveillance feature of her magical blacklist system.

Many customers entered the store, saw the empty vending machines, glanced briefly at the crystal core blind box machine, and left disappointed.

“These people have zero interest in crystal core blind boxes,” Lu Yao sighed.

The system, still sulking over the blacklist setup, jumped at the chance to criticize the store owner: “The name is too plain, and the price is way higher than the regular blind boxes. Only a fool would buy that.”

Lu Yao replied, “I put a lot of effort into designing this blind box series. Selling it cheap would hurt.”

The system mocked her: “Pat, pat.”

“Just wait. It’s only been half a day. All we need is the first brave soul to try it out—remember when the nail shop first opened? Patience is key.”

Li Shuang and Xia Min had mentioned that crystal cores held substantial energy. Only energy-users could fully harness this energy, channeling it into their abilities. For regular people, crystal cores mostly served as currency or crude fuel and low-quality lighting sources, used up in one go.

Lu Yao had developed a special magic array to extract 100% of the energy in each crystal core. While designing these blind boxes, she focused on maximizing energy efficiency and practical applications. Once people realized this, these boxes would certainly sell.

The system wasn’t entirely wrong, though. “Crystal Core Blind Box” was a bit too plain of a name to attract interest. If it were branded as a “Super New Energy Source from Space,” it might sell out instantly.

People sometimes ignore familiar sights but are drawn to unreachable mysteries.

The system was ready to lecture her further when a group of people entered the store.

Leading them was a tall, thin young man in a lab coat and thick sunglasses, hands tucked in his pockets, strolling slowly. The group matched his leisurely pace, including a teenager Lu Yao recognized.

Jiang Han, walking beside Chi Jin, glanced at the nearby vending machines and grumbled, “Chi-ge, you’re way too slow; everything’s sold out.”

Chi Jin reached the blind box token machine, tossed in a red crystal core, and received five hundred-yuan red tokens.

Jiang Han’s eyes widened. “Five hundred… Chi-ge, when did you sneak off and kill such a strong monster?”

Chi Jin said nothing, holding his tokens as he approached the crystal core machine and turned to Jiang Han, saying, “This one still has stock.”

Curious, Jiang Han’s group moved closer, seeing the words “Crystal Core Blind Box” on the machine, their interest instantly dropping by 80%.

Above the machine, a red banner scrolled: “100 Ways to Use Crystal Core Energy,” paired with a striking price of “sixty yuan per draw,” prompting Jiang Han’s team to back away cautiously. Was the blind box store trying to swindle crystal cores now?

Crystal core energy was everywhere; who cared? Uses were predictable: heating, cooking, lighting, and powering abilities.

Chi Jin, indifferent to their concerns, prepared to drop his tokens into the machine.

At that moment, a girl around seventeen or eighteen rushed in, her hair messy, clothes smeared with dirt and dried leaves, her eyes red, and voice hoarse, “A blind box! Do you have any blind boxes left?”

Chi Jin stepped aside, making room. “Here’s one.”

The girl hurriedly approached the vending machine, fumbling in her pocket for a few crystal cores, and tried to jam them into the slot, nearly crying when they wouldn’t fit.

Jiang Han gently advised her, “You need to exchange the crystal cores for tokens over there first.”

Blushing, she exchanged her cores for tokens, getting exactly fifteen yuan, which she quickly inserted into the machine. After a moment, though, nothing dispensed.

Her face fell, almost to tears. “Why isn’t it coming out?”

Chi Jin, standing silently nearby, offered no help.

Feeling sympathetic, Jiang Han, noticing her desperation, added his own tokens to make up the sixty-yuan requirement. A blind box clanged down.

She glanced at him, murmured a soft “thank you,” and eagerly grabbed the box, opening it to reveal a small orange item. Her face crumpled in disappointment. “Why isn’t it food? I wanted food!”

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