Ch 92: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Task completed early with many rewards, and with a new task requiring staff recruitment, Lu Yao decided to upgrade the blind box store.

With all products sold out, the store had automatically closed, so Lu Yao chose not to restock and proceeded with the upgrade.

She sketched an upgrade plan and submitted it to the system, deducting 150,000 popularity points.

The maintenance time was set for 12 hours, equivalent to a full day in her world.

The store now had three new blind box machines, three empty glass shelves, and three new category slots.

She planned to head to the nail salon to prepare some new blind boxes.

As she stood outside the nail salon and was about to enter, a system notification suddenly sounded.

[The nail salon has successfully served 1,000 customers with a satisfaction rate of 99.9%, upgrading it to a six-star shop. Rewards: a free store upgrade, 100,000 popularity points, and a 10% increase in rare species catalog progress. Keep up the good work, store owner!]

Lu Yao paused. A free upgrade was definitely worth using, and it was the perfect opportunity to expand the nail salon’s internal space.

At first, only Harold and Si Jin stayed at the nail salon overnight, but soon Tina began moving between Dragon Valley and the nail salon, also residing there.

After a while, Merulu and Puxiu didn’t leave after their shifts either, preferring to sleep in the public lounge area, nestled in snack boxes.

Lu Yao often returned to the store at night to find these little fairies napping, bellies round and snack crumbs at the corners of their mouths.

They seemed plumper than when they’d first arrived.

Lately, even Clarissa, Ambrose, Edward, and even Mumu often didn’t go home, staying in the research room for several days at a time.

Lu Yao directly upgraded the nail salon to a three-story building, doubling its internal space.

The first floor remained the nail salon, the second floor now served as an external workshop for the blind box store, and the third floor became a dormitory, divided into individual rooms for the employees.

The catalog in progress wasn’t the later task-related species catalog, but the comprehensive catalog she’d obtained when the nail salon first opened, covering the entire range of species, magical creatures, plants, and magical classifications of the Alexander Continent.

Even after completing the nail salon’s ultimate task, this catalog had remained unfinished.

Lu Yao had assumed it was irrelevant, but it was still being updated.

To design magical nail art, her non-human employees occasionally ventured out to gather materials, and all the items they brought back were documented in the catalog. This recent 10% rare species reward appeared to have directly unlocked ten icons of long-extinct Alexander Continent creatures.

She couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if the catalog was completed. Would it include special rewards? Perhaps RMB?

Feeling a bit excited, Lu Yao entered the nail salon, where her non-human employees were gathered around Harold, seemingly discussing something interesting.

As soon as she walked in, Harold stood up, his deep blue eyes shining with excitement. “Lu Yao, I’m back.”

Harold had been studying in Dragon Valley recently.

According to Teacher Muxin and Tina, he remained a unique little dragon among the many dragonlings—mischievous yet skillfully avoiding any outright rule-breaking in Dragon Valley, making it hard for the teachers to find a reason to punish him.

Teacher Muxin had even suggested Lu Yao rein him in a bit, but she’d only smiled.

After all, dragons were different from humans; her little black dragon just needed the freedom to grow up happily.

Seeing Harold’s proud little look, Lu Yao walked over. “Where did you go? You seem happy.”

Puxiu, spotting the store owner, was thrilled and immediately wanted to speak.

Harold shot him a warning glance before turning back to Lu Yao. “I just returned from another world—there were no dragons there, only humans.”

It took Lu Yao a couple of seconds to understand what he meant.

Recently, a few silver strands had appeared in Harold’s hair—not gray, but beautiful, shiny silver.

When she accompanied him to White Sand Lake for a bath, she’d noticed a few silver patches on the tip of his tail, the scales no longer purely black.

Concerned, she’d asked several adult dragons who came for nail services, and they’d explained that Harold might be awakening a bloodline ability from his mother’s side.

Silver dragons possessed a unique ability that other dragons didn’t have—the power to travel through time and space.

The young boy had grown quite a bit taller. Lu Yao stood on her tiptoes to ruffle his hair, praising him, “Our little black dragon is really amazing!”

Harold’s ears turned pink as he glanced sideways at Mumu and Puxiu, who were trying to cozy up to the store owner. Then, from his pocket, he took out a shiny, jet-black scale. “Lu Yao, this is for you.”

Lu Yao instinctively ran her fingers over the surface of the scale. “What’s this for?”

Muxin had once gifted her a similar scale, saying that by touching it, the owner of the scale could sense it, though she hadn’t tried it out yet.

Harold felt a tickling sensation from her touch and tried hard to keep a straight face. “Hold onto it in another store and wait for me. I’ll come find you.”

Lu Yao’s eyes widened in surprise. “It works like that?”

Harold lowered his gaze, looking at her seriously. “When you leave the store, I can’t feel your presence. But if you hold onto my scale and try a few times, I’ll definitely be able to find you.”

So it was like a precise locator?

If Harold could really travel through time and space to find her, that would be amazing. She’d have a reliable helper in the store.

Lu Yao tucked the scale into her pocket. “Alright, I’ll wait for you to come find me.”

…

Impermanence World

Luo Huian walked back from the river with Wei Xuan and Nie Yu, heading toward the blind box store.

That morning, he had encountered the two of them in the store while they were redeeming blind boxes.

They’d saved up their crystal-core tokens for a long time and exchanged them for a complete set from the winter-exclusive series. With good luck, they pulled out a hidden backpack with a sleeping bag, replacing their heated water bottle.

Since Luo Huian already had a filtered water cup, he offered to trade it for half a day’s use of their liquid crystal-core knife.

For now, he wasn’t sure where he would go, but he didn’t plan to return to the research team. He wanted to save up some crystal cores and redeem new blind boxes.

Wei Xuan agreed to the trade.

She proposed an exchange of twenty uses of the crystal-core knife for twenty uses of the water cup.

Luo Huian was a bit surprised.

Knowing the habits of mutant creatures, he led them to a small upstream river channel where they spent half the day hunting several mid-level mutated aquatic creatures.

Each of them managed to save up a small bag of crystal cores. Meanwhile, Luo Huian was unaware that he had missed Xi Tingran’s team, who had been out looking for him.

That night, he planned to stay at the blind box store. As he approached, he noticed that the store’s sign and the lights by the entrance were on, but the door was closed.

A recruitment notice was posted on the door. Luo Huian stood on his tiptoes, reading it with excitement.

Wei Xuan and Nie Yu, who were heading back to their lodgings, looked back and saw the chubby boy sitting by the store’s entrance. They reminded him, “It’s going to snow heavily tonight. You should find shelter, or you’ll freeze.”

Luo Huian wrapped himself tighter in his worn cotton coat, clutching his hot water cup. “The blind box store is hiring staff. I want to wait here until it opens.”

Wei Xuan and Nie Yu exchanged a glance, then moved closer to read the notice, looking a bit surprised.

Wei Xuan said, “I bet a lot of people will want to apply.”

Nie Yu added, “It says they’ll provide food. Maybe we should try, too?”

“We’re close by. Let’s come back in the morning.” Wei Xuan glanced at Luo Huian, then took an old crystal-core heated blanket from her backpack. “Use this for the night so you don’t catch a cold.”

They now had sleeping bags, a larger new heated blanket, and cold-weather clothing, so they weren’t worried about getting cold at night. Lending an old blanket to the chubby boy was no trouble.

“Thank you,” Luo Huian said, wrapping himself in the blanket and feeling much warmer.

The next morning, the blind box store was fully restocked, with a new blind box series of over thirty varieties.

As soon as the store opened, Luo Huian woke up with a start, leaping up from the ground and running inside. “Good morning, store owner!”

Lu Yao was inspecting the newly upgraded store.

The space had doubled, with three new blind box machines and new glass shelves neatly arranged into sections, making it brighter and more organized than before.

Feeling satisfied, she turned at the sound of a voice. “Oh, it’s you.”

Luo Huian looked a bit anxious. “Yes, I’m Luo Huian. Store owner, I saw the recruitment notice outside and came to apply as a store assistant.”

Lu Yao sized him up. “How old are you?”

Luo Huian fidgeted nervously. “…Fourteen.”

Even in the Impermanence World, that age was quite young. But thinking of Harold and Tina, who had joined the nail salon at a similar age if compared to human years, she decided to ask further. “Why do you want to work here?”

Luo Huian glanced toward the winter-exclusive series on the glass shelf and replied earnestly, “My parents, when they were alive, were also researching crystal-core energy development. They believed that this world’s energy hadn’t disappeared or been fully contaminated but had instead been absorbed by mutant flora and fauna, transformed into a purer energy source. If this energy could be reintroduced into daily life, it might improve humanity’s living conditions. But they never finished their research. Your crystal-core blind boxes are impressive—you’ve tapped into the full potential of crystal-core energy, though there are still minor issues. I…my health isn’t good. Without suppressant medication, I don’t have much time left. I’d like to spend my remaining time improving the crystal-core blind boxes. I hope you…will hire me. Please.”

Lu Yao: “…”

The sincerity in the chubby boy’s words was undeniable, perhaps too honest.

To admit poor health and limited time left—even a compassionate soul would hesitate to accept such an applicant.

After a pause, Lu Yao couldn’t help but ask, “You mentioned that my blind boxes have flaws. What are they?”

Luo Huian scratched his head and murmured, “They’re too wasteful.”

“Hm?” Lu Yao was taken aback.

Luo Huian explained, “Crystal-core energy is incredibly powerful. The pure energy liquid holds vast amounts of energy. You’re filling various items with it wholesale and selling them at such low prices—it’s a waste.”

Lu Yao: “…”

Luo Huian held up his crystal-core-powered filtered, heated water cup, pinching a tiny gap between his fingers. “For this cup, just this much energy liquid would suffice. With your level of technology, even selling it at ten times the price wouldn’t be too much.”

Lu Yao, who had noticed his choice to forego food blind boxes and endure hunger in favor of a crystal-core blind box, was intrigued. Now, his comments were even more interesting.

Amused by his serious demeanor, Lu Yao thought for a moment and said, “I can hire you. But I need a realistic estimate—how long do you think you have left?”

Luo Huian replied, “It’s been thirteen days since I stopped my medication. I probably have about seventeen days left—enough time to complete the blind box improvements.”

The store’s pain-relief blind boxes could ease his symptoms but wouldn’t cure his condition or extend his life.

Lu Yao sighed, “Alright, a seven-day trial period, starting as a regular assistant. If the evaluation goes well and we’re both satisfied, you’ll be formally hired.”

Luo Huian nodded. “…Okay.”

Even with only ten days left, if he prepared well, he could complete his improvement plan in time.

The blind box store’s backroom space also received an upgrade, with storage space tripling and new additions including a research lab, a lounge, and a restroom.

Lu Yao intended to show Luo Huian around the store when a knock came from the door.

Luo Huian didn’t react, likely indicating someone from the shopping street was visiting.

“Head to the back for a break and have something to eat. I’ll be right back,” Lu Yao instructed before heading out.

…

Yaoguang City, Abandoned Shopping Street

Zhuang Liang stood outside the blind box store, his expression conflicted.

He hadn’t paid attention for a while, and now she had three stores on this rundown street.

He couldn’t imagine anyone actually shopping here.

After knocking on each door from the snack shop onward with no answer, he wondered if she wasn’t here.

Just then, the blind box store’s door opened, and Lu Yao appeared in the doorway. “It’s you?”

Zhuang Liang felt equally awkward. If it weren’t an urgent situation, he wouldn’t have come looking for her alone.

“Has a scruffy-looking man come looking for you?” he asked, feeling a bit uneasy.

The whole situation was bizarre.

The last time he and Qi Jue entered the Park to buy the black ring, he’d fallen ill again afterward.

Just when he thought he’d shaken off the psychological shadow from that Park NPC, he found himself pestered by a strange middle-aged man.

The guy was chatty and, upon first meeting, told him he had a “light fate” and wouldn’t live long.

He went on to say that, although he might’ve originally had twenty years left, his recent illnesses had already shaved off more years.

Feeling spooked, Zhuang Liang grew anxious. After a couple of drinking sessions with the man, he unintentionally let slip about the Park.

Last night, he’d had too much to drink and vaguely remembered mentioning Lu Yao’s name.

When he sobered up in the morning, his memory was hazy, but he hurried over just in case, fearing that the man might go looking for her and cause misunderstandings.

Lu Yao asked, “Is this scruffy man you mentioned bearded, with half his face covered, messy hair, wearing a leather eye patch over his left eye, and dressed in a worn leather jacket with a rundown vibe?”

Zhuang Liang froze. “How do you know?”

Lu Yao pointed behind him.

Zhuang Liang turned around, stumbling slightly and almost tripping.

Standing right in front of the blind box store, Ji Feiming looked deeply at Lu Yao and spoke in a low voice, “I’ve found you.”

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