Ch 97: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Yao Yiyi picked out two blind boxes from the daily essentials vending machine and eagerly ran over to her group, who were sitting in a corner of the hall. “I got two more blind boxes! They say you can get items we used to use before the Impermanence Days.”

Her teammates, huddled together over cups of instant noodles and eating ravenously, looked up briefly, nodded, and then continued gulping down the hot drinks by their sides, savoring each mouthful before diving back into their noodles.

They came from a neighboring district’s base. After the freezing period had ended, they ventured out in search of supplies and happened to hear about a magical store in the east that exchanged food and supplies. The five-person team had braved the rain to find it.

The latest Impermanence cold snap was harsher than usual, making it almost impossible to gather any usable resources. Yao Yiyi’s base residents had stretched their rations thin, surviving by melting snow until the cold finally broke.

Dragging their exhausted bodies, they made it to the blind box store. Under the guidance of the store staff, they quickly learned the exchange rules. Like most new visitors, they were initially drawn to the food blind boxes. Following recommendations from the staff and other customers, they exchanged for noodles, hot drinks, and fruit. When they tore open the boxes and saw the contents, it felt like a dream.

As they sipped sweet, warm drinks and ate noodles and crisp, juicy fruit, they were too moved to speak, each of them becoming instant “food fanatics.”

Yao Yiyi shared a cup of noodles with her teammates, but since she had been hungry for so long, her stomach became upset after a few bites, and she felt nauseous. Deciding to stop eating, she got up to take a walk around the store.

She wandered over to the daily essentials vending machine and saw many people exchanging boxes. This series was cheaper than the crystal core and medical boxes, so she couldn’t resist and exchanged for two.

While her companions were still enjoying their food, she sat down, ate half an apple, and began opening her new boxes. She opened the first one to find a spray bottle filled with light blue liquid, labeled as containing 300 milliliters.

The product card explained in small text: “Nine Gods Mint Mosquito Repellent Spray: Apply to the skin to repel insects and prevent bites.”

Yao Yiyi sprayed a bit on her arm, and a light floral scent spread out, leaving her skin feeling slightly cool. “So, this keeps bugs away just by putting it on?”

Her team members, all born after the Impermanence Days, were unfamiliar with most of the items in the blind box store.

A nearby person who had wanted mosquito repellent but hadn’t gotten any looked enviously at her. “Everything from the blind box store works well; no need to worry. With the rain and warming temperatures, bugs will come out soon. That spray will come in handy.”

Yao Yiyi, delighted, eagerly tore into the second box and found a large pack of wet wipes.

The product card read: “Cleaning and Disinfecting Wet Wipes: Gentle and skin-friendly, suitable for face and hands.”

It was about the size of her palm and roughly three fingers high, surprisingly heavy in her hand.

Curious, she tore it open and pulled out a wipe. “It’s really wet and has a nice scent,” she said, pleasantly surprised.

The fragrance was light and refreshing. She unfolded a wipe and wiped her face, revealing black smudges on the sheet. She laughed, “I didn’t realize how dirty I was until now!”

Her companions, finally intrigued by what she had drawn, paused their eating. Li Xin touched the wet wipe and exclaimed, “This is so convenient.”

During the Impermanence Days, survival was the priority, and personal hygiene was a minor concern. But if it was possible to stay clean, who would turn it down?

Li Xin, Wei Quan, and the two younger teammates all went to get their own daily essentials blind boxes.

Li Xin came back first, having pulled out a large pack of toilet paper and a bottle of shampoo. The shampoo’s label promised “nourishment for healthy hair” and had a nice scent, which she loved.

The two younger members each got three bars of soap and a dental care kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, and a cup), while the other pulled out a raincoat and a bag of laundry detergent.

Finally, Wei Quan returned with two daily essentials boxes, a food box, a medical box, and a basic crystal core box. Seeing that everyone else had opened their daily essentials, he opened his as well.

The first box revealed a large plaid umbrella. Though he had hoped for a raincoat, thinking it would be easier to carry while searching for supplies, an umbrella was still useful.

The umbrella was big enough to cover three people, and with a bit of a squeeze, it could even fit four. Now, none of them would have to walk back in the rain.

He put the umbrella on the table and started opening the second blind box, from which a soft, fluffy pack fell out.

The label on the product card read “sanitary pads,” with instructions in smaller text on how to use them.

Wei Quan looked at it for a while, realizing he didn’t quite understand. “I got something weird,” he said, handing the card to Yao Yiyi and Li Xin for a look.

The two girls read it through twice, unsure about its use, and decided to take the pads and product card to ask a store employee.

Wei Xuan was stationed by the daily essentials machine, guiding customers.

Yao Yiyi showed her the sanitary pads, saying, “Someone on our team got this and isn’t sure how to use it.”

Wei Xuan glanced at the card, then looked at Yao Yiyi, saying, “Hold on, I’ll ask the store owner.”

Lu Yao came out from the back and, seeing the sanitary pads in Yao Yiyi’s hands, seemed momentarily at a loss. She brought the three girls over to a quieter corner and asked softly, “None of you experience menstrual cycles?”

After a bit of conversation, Lu Yao exhaled lightly.

She had initially thought this product would be helpful for the girls, but it turned out that most of them had irregular cycles here.

Like Wei Xuan, who had endured a tough life as a blood bait since childhood, often not eating enough, and was now seventeen without ever having menstruated. Nie Yu was in a similar situation.

Lu Yao explained the purpose of the sanitary pads, and, seeing that they didn’t need them, planned to retrieve them and replace the blind box with another one.

Yao Yiyi, deep in thought, took back the pads. “It’s not useless; it’s just that we’ve never seen them before. I can bring these back for my sister.”

Though they might not use them, there were other women at the base who could benefit from them.

Noticing that Yao Yiyi’s team didn’t seem to be from a nearby base, Lu Yao asked a few more questions.

Yao Yiyi, being chatty, shared that they were from a small base to the west.

This last cold snap had claimed many lives due to starvation and freezing. Nearly all the small bases nearby were nearly empty, and resources were harder to find, prompting them to try their luck in more distant places.

After watching Yao Yiyi’s team leave, Lu Yao considered pulling the sanitary pads from stock and adding some medicinal items to improve health in the medicine blind box.

Such health-restoring items weren’t universally necessary, so a separate category would be ideal, but space in the machines and slots for stock were limited, so they’d need to be categorized under the medicine blind box for now.

However, medicine alone could only do so much; regular meals and balanced nutrition were the real path to health, which was challenging in this world.

Currently, the blind box store’s daily expenses rivaled that of the snack shop, with food, daily essentials, and medicines all requiring significant funds. Meanwhile, the vital crystal core energy here only offered minor conveniences without any real potential.

Lu Yao felt like she’d hit a dead end. This world gave her a sense of hopelessness even more profound than Dreamland initially had.

Luo Hui’an was chatting with Jiang Shanrun and looked up as Lu Yao approached, greeting her quickly, “Store owner.”

Lu Yao nodded and noticed the elderly man beside him, asking, “A friend of yours?”

Luo Hui’an introduced him, “This is Grandpa Jiang, a botanist who used to work with my parents.”

Lu Yao’s gaze softened. “I see. And you were talking about something related to the blind boxes?”

Jiang Shanrun, who had been quietly observing Lu Yao, replied kindly, “Nothing significant, just an old man’s musings. But, indeed, it relates to the blind boxes.”

Luo Hui’an replied, “Grandpa Jiang asked if the blind box store could possibly sell soil or potted plant blind boxes.”

Seeing Lu Yao’s confusion, Jiang Shanrun explained, “Here, both the soil and water sources are heavily polluted, making it challenging to cultivate normal plants. I’ve been researching ways to improve the soil, water quality, and seeds, but the past decade has shown little progress. I’m getting older and a bit… weary.”

Saying this, Jiang Shanrun felt a bit embarrassed.

Turning to the blind box shop for uncontaminated soil felt like a compromise—a concession. His health wasn’t what it used to be, and this approach was his last hope.

Lu Yao understood the elder’s reasoning, but she knew that merely relying on soil blind boxes, like the energy core blind boxes, wouldn’t lead to real change.

She thought for a moment and said, “We could introduce soil and plant blind boxes, but it might be unnecessary. Solving the pollution issues in the soil and water sources would be a more effective solution.”

Jiang Shanrun lowered his head, grasping her point.

Even if he managed to cultivate plants using uncontaminated soil from the blind boxes, the research would be more of an isolated achievement than a widespread solution. His goal wasn’t merely to grow plants in this broken world but to improve the quality of life for humanity within it. With farmland and seeds, people could grow food, and starvation could be averted.

Luo Hui’an blinked and said quietly, “Could we use energy core liquid to improve the soil? The store’s filter cup purifies water of impurities and contaminants. Maybe we could try filtering the soil this way?”

Jiang Shanrun’s eyes lit up, taking a step forward. “That’s an excellent idea! I never thought to try that.”

Luo Hui’an glanced at Lu Yao, “But ordinary filters won’t work; we’ve tried them all. The energy core liquid, though… no one’s thought to try that, partly due to the lack of extraction technology. I noticed the filter cup uses a very unique filter mesh, unlike any common materials.”

Lu Yao said, “If you want to research ways to use energy core liquid for soil restoration, the blind box store can provide support. We have a lab on-site that’s available for any experiments involving energy cores. However, if the research is successful, the findings will be published under the blind box store’s name.”

Jiang Shanrun’s face brightened, his hope rekindled. He expressed his willingness to join the blind box store’s research lab without hesitation.

Luo Hui’an looked earnestly at Lu Yao, “Store owner, I’ll leave all my research to you. In the time I have left…”

With Jiang Shanrun and his grandson nearby, Luo Hui’an left the rest of his words unspoken.

With their agreement in place, Lu Yao led them to the research lab. It was a large room extending from the store’s back, with transparent glass walls and well-equipped research instruments, along with a break room and a washroom.

After touring the lab, Jiang Shanrun immediately asked Jiang Han to take him back to the base to bring some of his materials. Luo Hui’an also ended his trial period, formally joining the store as a researcher.

..

System: [Are you aiming to play the savior?]

Lu Yao: [Quite the opposite—I’m trying to avoid the fate of becoming a tragic savior.]

System: [Then why agree to help them so readily? That’s unlike you.]

Lu Yao: […Do you not have any questions about this world?]

System: [??]

Lu Yao: [It’s been twenty years since the Impermanence began. Soil, water, and wildlife are all polluted, and people here survive solely on old-world supplies. But no matter how abundant, those resources have their limits. This is becoming evident in the struggles of people like Xi Tingran, Jiang Han, and the teams like Yao Yiyi’s who are searching for supplies. Do you understand?]

System, embarrassed: [Could you spell it out a little more?]

Lu Yao: [Without production, no amount of resources can save this world. Once the old supplies run out, the blind box store will be seen as the only “fresh blood” keeping this world alive. Can we sustain that?]

System: […I see.]

Lu Yao: [Which is why it’s best to hope that Elder Jiang and Little Luo solve the soil issue. With agriculture, people won’t starve.]

System: [But then…people wouldn’t need the blind box store.]

Lu Yao: [You really don’t get it, do you?]

System, feeling sulky: […]

Lu Yao didn’t bother explaining further. Noticing Ji Feiming standing solemnly by the glass shelves, she decided to check in with him about how he was adjusting to the job. Just then, several task notifications popped up.

System Notifications:

• [Congratulations on collecting 500 positive customer reviews for the blind box store! Task complete. Rewards: 100,000 popularity points, one currency exchange machine, one blind box machine, and one product slot.]
• [Lu Yao’s blind box store is gaining popularity, with glowing reviews! The store is now upgraded to five stars. Rewards: one product slot, one blind box machine, and one glass shelf. Keep up the great work!]
• [New Task! Recruit at least two non-human employees and gain their approval to unlock this world’s final task. Note: This task is classified as A-grade difficulty; please approach with caution.]

Lu Yao was a bit stunned.

System: [This task carries a death risk, so it’s rated with an A-grade difficulty to caution you.]

Lu Yao: […]

So… what’s meant by “non-human employees”?

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️

Thingyan: Maybe those mutated animals?..