Ch 84: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

“All the food blind boxes are gone; you got a crystal core blind box,” Jiang Han explained, curiously glancing at the item in her hand. “So, what did you get?”

“A crystal core blind box? What good is that? Can it heal?” Wei Xuan, clutching the small orange object, was disheartened. “My friend is seriously injured. I only brought her here because I heard there was food.”

With resources for medicine scarce, most injuries were managed with food as a substitute, and the belief that “food helps heal” had become common knowledge here.

One of Jiang Han’s team members noticed scars on Wei Xuan’s arm, some fresh, others faded. He whispered to Jiang Han, “She might be a ‘Blood Bait.’”

In the post-apocalyptic world, mutated animals and plants were drawn to the smell of blood. Certain groups employed “Blood Bait”—regular people with no powers, often frail, to lure high-level mutant beasts.

Soon after the beginning of the cataclysm, some humans started to awaken special abilities, or powers. Those with abilities quickly became better suited to gathering resources and protecting their groups. As the days of chaos wore on, the likelihood of newborns with abilities increased. However, children who had not manifested powers by age seven were classified as “non-evolvers.”

With the ongoing scarcity of resources, non-evolving children were increasingly seen as a burden, and some parents abandoned them. Wei Xuan, thin and frail, bearing numerous scars, appeared to be a young non-evolver who had become “Blood Bait” to survive.

Jiang Han’s gaze drifted to the small orange item in her palm—an unfamiliar tool, about fifteen centimeters long and two fingers wide. Though clearly not edible, he pulled out fifteen blind box tokens and said, “This isn’t food. If you don’t want it, I’ll buy it back from you for fifteen tokens. The food blind boxes will probably be restocked tomorrow, so you can try again then.”

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble, and a piercing shriek sounded outside.

Wei Xuan’s face paled as she turned and ran out. Jiang Han’s team followed, only to find a girl around Wei Xuan’s age lying on the ground near the entrance, her arm covered in blood.

Across the street, a towering mutant rat, nearly half a building high, was making its way toward the blind box store, drawn by the scent of blood.

Wei Xuan struggled to lift her unconscious friend, Nie Yu. Lacking strength and panicking, she couldn’t manage to move her.

Jiang Han’s team was stunned.

“Holy…! That mutant rat is heading straight for the store!”

“Look at its eyes—don’t tell me it’s a high-level mutant beast?”

Jiang Han’s face grew tense. “Its size is over the top; it might be close to advancing in level. Get ready!”

But his teammates backed away. “Han-ge, we can’t take that on!”

Jiang Han assured them, “Don’t worry, Chi-ge’s here.”

Assuming Chi Jin was right behind him, Jiang Han turned to check, only to find the others retreating into the store and the sunglasses-wearing young man nowhere in sight.

Jiang Han: “…”

Through the surveillance, Lu Yao noticed the commotion outside. She stepped out, spotting the sunglass-wearing youth still by the blind box machine. With a slight nod, she quickly headed outside.

The young man smirked faintly, hands still in his pockets, and leisurely followed her.

Outside, the mutant rat lumbered forward, its massive body making it slow but not sluggish.

Jiang Han froze for a moment, then hurried over to help Wei Xuan support her friend. If they couldn’t fight, they had no choice but to flee.

Lu Yao emerged from the store, her nerves tingling as the giant rat steadily closed in. With the arrival of the transition period, the Fairy Tale Plaza area had become host to many large carnivorous plants and strange creatures.

Lu Yao had encountered many mutated plants and animals before, knowing they were sources of crystal cores. But this mutated rat was unnervingly huge, with fur bristling like steel spikes, its red eyes glowing like lanterns, and long, sharp claws that shook the ground as it moved—a truly intimidating sight.

Still, she saw this as an opportunity.

Suppressing her unease, she approached Wei Xuan. “Could I borrow your knife?”

Wei Xuan was taken aback. “What?”

Lu Yao raised her wrist. “The small item you pulled from the blind box.”

Wei Xuan didn’t understand but, flustered, dug it out from her pocket and handed it over.

Taking it, Lu Yao casually flicked the lever on the handle. A golden blade snapped out, gleaming like a flame.

Spinning the golden knife deftly, she walked calmly toward the center of the plaza, directly facing the mutated rat.

Jiang Han’s team watched, a mixture of shock and fear evident on their faces.

“Isn’t that the store owner? She’s not really going to fight that monstrous rat with that little knife, is she?”

“Han-ge, get the store owner back here! That knife probably won’t even scratch the rat’s skin; she’ll be killed!”

“But isn’t the store owner an ability user? Maybe she has a plan?”

“We’re ability users too, and just one look is enough to know this rat isn’t ordinary. It’s about to become a black crystal rat—a beast that even ten top-level ability users would struggle against.”

Jiang Han noticed Chi Jin had come out and immediately asked for help. “Chi-ge, please save the store owner!”

Unfortunately, it was too late.

The massive mutated rat suddenly accelerated, leaping straight into the center of Fairy Tale Plaza, landing with a force that cracked the ground in a spiderweb pattern.

The rat spotted Lu Yao and, without fully steadying itself, swiped a sharp claw aimed directly at her vulnerable neck, poised to slice through it and reduce her head to pieces.

The rat seemed to anticipate the gruesome result, its red eyes glowing with excitement as it screeched.

“Snap—”

The mutated rat froze, its claw halted just next to Lu Yao’s ear, blocked by a thin, narrow golden blade, unable to advance any further.

Lu Yao pushed outward, and with a soft “shrrk,” she sliced cleanly through the rat’s entire claw.

With a heavy “thud,” the severed flesh hit the ground, and the rat let out an ear-splitting roar.

In one swift motion, Lu Yao brought the knife down in a powerful slice, severing an entire foreleg from the rat at the joint.

Jiang Han’s team, gathered by the blind box store entrance, watched in awe.

“Holy—! Is the store owner really this strong?”

“Is that knife… is that knife just insanely powerful or what?”

“No way, would I be that strong if I used that knife?”

“The rat’s going down!!!”

Despite its large size, tough skin, and spiked fur, the giant mutated rat couldn’t withstand Lu Yao. She calmly raised the golden knife and threw it, aiming directly at the rat’s brow, slicing through it as easily as tofu.

With a final shudder, the giant mutated rat collapsed, disintegrating into ash and leaving behind an enormous gray crystal core.

Lu Yao bent down to pick up the core, retrieved her knife, and turned to head back to the blind box store.

Jiang Han’s team clustered together, their eyes gleaming as they watched her… eyeing both the crystal core in her hand and the now-sheathed knife.

“It really is a gray crystal core,” Jiang Han murmured. “Any later, and it would have turned black.”

Lu Yao paused. “What’s different about a gray crystal core?”

Jiang Han explained, “High-level mutant beasts usually have red crystal cores, but there’s an even rarer black crystal core. These creatures are few, but when they appear, they cause massive disasters, commanding other mutated plants and animals to swarm bases. If that rat had eaten one or two more high-level mutants, it would have turned black. Thankfully, you managed to take it down in time.”

“This is how it is,” Lu Yao nodded in understanding, then turned to Wei Xuan, offering back the small knife. “If you don’t want this, I can take it back and exchange it for a 15-credit food blind box.”

Jiang Han’s team gathered around Lu Yao, curious to touch the knife in her hand.

“Store owner, what’s the deal with this knife? Why is it so sharp?”

“Is it because your powers are really strong, and you’re skilled with small weapons like this?”

Lu Yao was secretly hoping they’d ask that, but her expression stayed calm as she shook her head. “No, you’ve misunderstood. I don’t have any powers. I’m just an ordinary person.”

The team: “…Store owner, are you kidding?”

Lu Yao flicked open the spring-loaded knife and explained, “This tool is called a Liquid Crystal Core Knife. The blade is filled with highly refined crystal core energy. Look closely—you’ll see a flowing golden liquid within the blade. This purified crystal core energy is incredibly potent, and in a thin configuration like this, it’s sharper than any other material. It doesn’t discriminate by user; both ordinary people and ability users can use it to easily kill mutated plants and animals.”

Wei Xuan’s eyes flickered with hope. With this knife, both she and Nie Yu wouldn’t have to live as ‘blood bait’ anymore. Even without powers, they could go out hunting and gather crystal cores themselves.

She was so young when her parents abandoned her that she barely remembered how she became a blood bait. From childhood to her teenage years, she was used as bait, shedding blood just for a bit of food to barely survive. Eventually, her body was so scarred it barely bled anymore, and she could no longer attract mutated beasts. The team abandoned her, but Nie Yu, another blood bait, took her in.

If Nie Yu survived and they had no way to make a living, she would have to go back to being a blood bait. But if she took this knife, she could hunt herself.

Yet, if she didn’t exchange for food, Nie Yu might not survive. Without Nie Yu, what would be the point of struggling alone?

Seeing Wei Xuan’s indecision, Lu Yao spoke softly. “If you want this knife, I can lend you a food blind box and a medical item. We can make a simple agreement, and you can pay me back in crystal cores later.”

Wei Xuan’s face lit up. “I want the knife, thank you, store owner.”

The custom-made furniture from Alexander’s world had already been set up in the store’s lobby. Jiang Han’s team helped move the unconscious Nie Yu inside to rest.

Lu Yao brought out a basin and a clean towel for Wei Xuan to wash Nie Yu’s wounds, then returned to the nail salon for a diluted healing potion. Nie Yu was not only injured but also severely malnourished and anemic. Without proper care, she might not wake up. Lu Yao diluted the potion a hundredfold, molding it into capsule form, and wrapped it in paper.

Meanwhile, Jiang Han’s team had become fascinated by the Liquid Crystal Core Knife, which also piqued their curiosity about the crystal core blind box. Unable to resist, each bought one and sat at the table to open them.

Wei Xuan found Jiang Han and quietly introduced herself, “My name is Wei Xuan. I’m from the Tingcheng base. What’s your name, and which base are you from? I’ll definitely repay you when I can.”

Jiang Han blinked and replied, “My name is Jiang Han. I’m from the Changming base. It seems like things aren’t going well for you in Tingcheng. Would you consider coming to Changming?”

Wei Xuan was surprised. “Why?”

Jiang Han glanced at the Liquid Crystal Core Knife in her hand. “That knife is impressive. None of us managed to get one.”

Wei Xuan felt a bit relieved but began to seriously consider it. Changming wasn’t a big base, but Jiang Han seemed more reasonable than most people she had met in Tingcheng. Maybe it also reflected a better living environment. She and Nie Yu planned to stop being blood bait, and staying in Tingcheng wasn’t ideal.

“Let me talk it over with my friend once she wakes up,” Wei Xuan replied, holding off on a final decision.

Jiang Han nodded and, seeing Lu Yao return, called out, “Store owner, come here! We opened the crystal core blind boxes, but these items are unfamiliar. What are they?”

Lu Yao handed Wei Xuan the capsules and a food blind box, explained how to use the medicine, and then sat across from Jiang Han. “Let’s see if any of you got lucky.”

Jiang Han’s team consisted of four people, plus the white-coated young man, making five in total. The team members had already opened their blind boxes; only the young man still held his unopened.

Before Lu Yao were four items. She picked up a solid fuel block made from condensed crystal core liquid. “Who got this?”

Li Jing raised her hand, “Me. These things are all in small blocks, only six pieces in a box, and they’re really tiny. What’s the use?”

“Did you check the style guide?” Lu Yao asked.

Li Jing nodded, “I think it’s called a solid fuel block.”

Lu Yao confirmed, “Yes, this is solid fuel made from high-purity crystal core liquid. Each block is vacuum-sealed because it ignites upon contact with air. One piece can burn continuously for twelve hours.”

Li Jing was stunned, “!!! Such a small piece can burn that long?”

They were used to using red crystal cores as fuel, which could only burn for about two hours per core.

Lu Yao smiled, “If you don’t believe it, try it at home.”

Chen Feng quickly handed over his blind box, “Store owner, mine says it’s a ‘warm pack.’ What exactly is that?”

Li Cheng added, “Mine’s a warm pack too.”

Lu Yao explained, “This is a heating pad, made for warmth during the cold snap. It’s filled with crystal core energy and can be placed on your back over thin clothing, giving off heat continuously for 24 hours.”

In Lu Yao’s world, warm packs were common and cheap, but this crystal core-powered version was stronger, specifically designed for extreme cold. She had even tested its effectiveness on a trip to the glacier with Harold to experience temperatures of minus thirty to fifty degrees.

Chen Feng & Li Cheng: “!!!”

A thin pad that could heat like that? It was hard to believe. They decided to save the packs rather than test them immediately, given that only two to three days remained in the transition period before the cold snap. With only five packs in each box, it was best to preserve them.

Jiang Han eagerly presented his blind box, “Store owner, mine is a small flashlight. It’s really bright when I turn it on. What does that have to do with crystal core energy?”

Lu Yao explained, “This flashlight runs on a high-purity crystal core battery, providing strong, efficient lighting with extended battery life. It’s also rechargeable.”

“Rechargeable?” Jiang Han asked.

Lu Yao pointed to the new charging station next to the hot water dispenser, “You can recharge it there for twenty credits, which lasts about seven days. Liquid crystal core knives can also be recharged there for 100 credits per use, which will keep them sharp for a long time.”

Wei Xuan felt a surge of relief upon learning that her knife could be used long-term.

Jiang Han played with his flashlight, amazed. None of them had ever thought crystal cores could have such practical uses.

Chen Feng eyed the unopened box in Chi Jin’s hand. “Chi-ge, aren’t you going to open yours? I can help; maybe you’ll get the liquid crystal core knife!”

Chi Jin, seated on Lu Yao’s left, smoothly dodged Chen Feng’s hand and slid the box over to Lu Yao, “I’m notoriously unlucky. Would the store owner mind helping me open it?”

Lu Yao blinked in surprise, glancing up at Chi Jin’s face hidden behind sunglasses, making it hard to read his expression. She declined politely, “Why not let Jiang Han try? I’m quite unlucky myself.”

“…”

Chi Jin pressed his lips together, remained silent for a moment, then took the box back. He opened it effortlessly and placed it before Lu Yao, “Please take a look.”

This time, Lu Yao couldn’t refuse. She glanced down at the item, then laughed, “Unlucky? You just pulled a hidden item!”

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️

Thingyan: Heyyy I think this guy with sunglasses is the spirit thing that has been following Yao Yao. Last world, he chose a blind guy to posesss and now someone wearing sunglasses so he could hide his red eyes. Maybe he’s the ML? But he’s so underwhelming tho.