Ch 101: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

After five days of continuous flooding, the rain finally stopped. The water level began to recede, but thick gray fog spread rapidly from all directions.

Zhong Ruying informed Lu Yao that this new wave of Impermance was a toxic mist. This time, there was no transitional period—everything seemed to be accelerating.

The mist contained dust, pollutants, viral particles, and other contaminants that could cause respiratory infections and damage the nervous system upon inhalation. It was harmful not only to humans but also to mutated animals and plants. Mutated plants, with their unique structure, suffered less, but mutated beasts were as vulnerable as humans; too much exposure to the toxic mist would lead to illness and poisoning.

Luckily, the blind box store’s magical barrier could repel physical threats, block water and acid rain, and prevent the toxic mist from seeping inside. Still, the situation was far from ideal.

Lu Yao spent an entire day preparing a new batch of “Anti-Toxic Mist Limited Edition” blind boxes, stocking them across the blind box machines and filling an entire glass shelf. The staff all wore protective masks, and a filter screen was installed over the shop’s door as an added precaution.

Despite these measures, very few people visited the store during the mist period. Wei Xuan and Nie Yu stayed inside for the time being, even spending their nights there.

Lu Yao had been reading in the research room, and between the recent chaos and lack of sleep, she eventually drifted off, slumped over the desk. Little Lilly, who had been quietly gnawing on an apple in her pot, suddenly stopped and crept toward Lu Yao.

Sniffing curiously around her, she confirmed that Lu Yao was indeed asleep. Slowly, her tendrils reached out, coiling around Lu Yao and lifting her into the air. The bell-shaped flower bud tilted up, revealing rows of jagged little teeth.

Lu Yao’s brow furrowed slightly, and she gradually opened her eyes, realizing her body was suspended in mid-air. She turned her head to meet Little Lilly’s open mouth. “Planning to eat me?”

The flower bud immediately drooped, showing an odd hint of guilt. Lu Yao moved her fingers, gently tickling the slender tendril coiled around her.

Linglan, apparently ticklish, loosened her grip slightly.

When Lu Yao’s toes touched the ground, she steadied herself, glancing at Linglan. “With your strength, it wouldn’t take much to eat me outright, so why all the sneaking around?”

Though she seemed small, her eating habits were anything but dainty. When she ate meat, her ferocity was almost unsettling.

Lilly wobbled her flower bud.

Although this mutated plant seemed to have some level of intelligence, Lu Yao knew its nature was still fundamentally different from humans. She wasn’t particularly angry but didn’t intend to let it go unaddressed.

With a more serious tone, Lu Yao added, “Pouting won’t get you anywhere. If you need something, just say it outright. I can’t read your mind when you’re so coy.”

[Notice: Blind Box Store Staff “Little Linglan” has increased their favorability with the store owner by 10%. Current favorability: 11%.]

Lu Yao: “….”

She’d pampered this little thing with food and care, yet its favorability hadn’t budged.

But now, after a bit of scolding, it actually started to like her?

…This is perplexing.

Unable to resist, Lu Yao asked, “So, do you think that by eating me, you’d inherit the store, become the owner, and have unlimited access to all the food here?”

Linglan’s flower buds suddenly perked up, showing a look of pure shock.

[Notice: Blind Box Store Staff “Little Lilly” has increased their favorability with the store owner by 10%. Current favorability: 21%.]

Lu Yao scratched her head. “…Why are you suddenly so easy to please? Fine, mess around with me all you want, but don’t go scaring anyone else in the store, or I’ll throw you out.”

Little Lilly scooted closer, trying to nuzzle Lu Yao with her flower buds.

Lu Yao stepped back, dodging the outstretched green tendril, and suddenly recalled Chi Jin’s words from before: “Don’t spoil her too much.”

[Notice: Blind Box Store Staff “Little Lilly” has increased their favorability with the store owner by 20%. Current favorability: 41%.]

Lu Yao: “…well… you certainly have unique tastes.”

…

In the thick gray mist, a palm-sized orange creature was sprinting with all its might, huffing and puffing, and heading in the direction of a distinctive scent—the only one it could detect.

Gradually, his pace slowed, vision blurring, and double images appeared before his eyes.

The small mutated creature stopped, shook its head to reorient itself, and then continued running in the right direction. He didn’t know how long he had been running, but eventually, his round eyes stared ahead with a look of frustration as he slowly stopped, collapsing to the ground. He had inhaled too much toxic mist and could no longer move.

The shop was just within sight, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach it.

The small creature gently closed his amber eyes.

Just then, a figure clad in a full protective suit tore through the dense mist, picked up the little creature, limp as a ragdoll, and turned back toward the blind box shop.

Standing by the entrance, Zhong Ruying was surprised when she saw what Lu Yao brought back. “An underdeveloped mutated cat?”

Lu Yao examined the deep orange stripes on the creature and nodded. “It’s a little orange cat. It looks small but pretty round… even a bit cute. But it’s taken in too much toxic mist and can’t move.”

Having been attacked by mutated beasts and seen her base destroyed by them, Zhong Ruying gave the orange kitten a cold look. “Don’t underestimate mutated beasts. Are you planning to save it?”

“I’ll try giving it some antidote first.” Lu Yao noticed Zhong Ruying’s expression, then carefully took out an antidote and used a syringe to slowly administer it into the kitten’s mouth. “It collapsed just outside the shop door, like it was headed directly here. We’ll see what it wants when it wakes up.”

In the world of mutated plants, some individuals developed consciousness, and it was possible that some mutated beasts could too. Perhaps humans weren’t the only ones struggling to survive through these times of Impermanence.

As the antidote began working, the orange kitten’s breathing slowly became steady.

The little creature fit right in Lu Yao’s palm, covered in soft fluff. She placed a towel on the table, rolled it into a small nest, and set the little creature down.

Lilly, carrying her flowerpot, climbed out from the back. Spotting Lu Yao gazing tenderly at the little creature on the table, she jumped up with a “thud, thud, thud.”

Seeing the little creature curled up on the towel, Lilly looked up at Lu Yao. The shopkeeper had a gentle expression, which made Lilly so shocked that she took a few steps back, nearly falling off the table.

The shopkeeper was starting to like mutated beasts!

Devastated, Lilly edged closer, trying to get some affection from the shopkeeper.

Just then, the little creature blinked awake, amber eyes moist. When he saw the finger extended toward him, he instinctively stuck out his tiny tongue and gently licked it.

Lu Yao’s eyes lit up, and her heart melted.

He was so adorable.

So small and cute.

Lilly: “…”

The little creature gave a few more licks before suddenly becoming fully alert. He looked up at Lu Yao, then turned his head to look around, seemingly unsure how he ended up here. Spotting the blind box machine, he quickly hopped down from the table, patrolled the shop, found what he was looking for, and began pouncing on the medicinal blind box machine.

Observing his actions, Lu Yao guessed he was trying to get a blind box and gently reminded him that he’d need crystals to exchange for one.

The little creature tilted his round head, stared at Lu Yao for a moment, and then scurried off to a corner hidden by one of the blind box machines, curling up out of sight.

Lu Yao had learned that for mutated plants and beasts, crystals were akin to a human heart.

In each world, the item used for exchanges was something the system automatically determined based on an evaluation and wasn’t within Lu Yao’s control.

Lu Yao quietly walked to the back of the blind box machine and carefully peeked to see what the little creature was doing.

He had arrived with nothing, a bare little cat, no crystals on him—was he about to retreat into himself?

Lilly seized the moment to leap into Lu Yao’s arms, peering over to spy on the little creature as well.

The little creature squatted in the corner, facing the wall, with his back to them, straining as he concentrated hard.

Moments later, a golden crystal chunk fell to the ground.

Standing up, he pawed at it as if counting the pieces. Seemingly satisfied with the amount, he looked up and caught Lu Yao peeking, his amber eyes blinking brightly as he gave a proud, “Meow!”

“Got it. Take it now.”

“Quick, give me the blind boxes!”

Lu Yao & Little Linglan: “…”

Wasn’t the crystal nucleus supposed to be equivalent to the heart of a mutated beast? Was this a new evolution in beast species, or was this little creature unique?

Fresh golden crystal nuclei were more valuable than red ones, redeemable for a large amount of blind box currency. The small creature eagerly exchanged for every possible blind box in the store.

Lu Yao packed everything into a sturdy box, tied it with rope, and put a protective mask on the little creature. Although it was only palm-sized, it had a surprising amount of strength. With the rope looped around its front paw, it pulled the box of blind boxes and disappeared into the thick, gray mist in an instant.

Watching the little creature leave, Lu Yao turned back into the store. Little Lilly extended her stem, gently brushing against Lu Yao’s cheek with even more enthusiasm than before.

[Blind Box Store detected: Little Lilly’s affinity towards the shopkeeper increased by 20%, current affinity level 81%.]

Lu Yao: “…”

…

Deep within the forest, the little creature dashed like the wind, dragging the box of blind boxes. His fellow creatures were trapped in the dense fog—he needed to get back quickly. With the antidote and protective masks, they’d recover just like he did.

When he returned to the spot where his kin usually gathered, he found only an empty clearing with no one in sight. Confused, he looked around.

A tall, dark shadow stepped out from behind a tree. “Tiger, you’re back.”

The little creature took a step back, quickly recognizing the aura of the Beast King. His round eyes blinked rapidly, puzzled. The Beast King had taken on a form unfamiliar to him—one that looked much like the two-legged creatures from the blind box store.

In human form, the Beast King emerged from the fog, crouched before the little creature, and lifted him up to eye level. “Where did you go? You have a strange smell on you.”

Little creature: “Meow.”

Beast King: “So, you went to that store and traded… ‘that’ for antidotes and protective masks?”

Humans had always had such peculiar tastes.

Golden eyes full of surprise, the Beast King placed the small creature on top of his head and began to open the blind boxes, revealing food, crystal-core tools, medicine, and protective masks. Donning a mask himself, the Beast King picked up the crystal-core liquid knife, eyes glinting with fierce determination. He folded the knife and handed it to the little creature. “Take this little knife with you.”

The little creature opened his mouth and swallowed the knife, letting out a small, “Meow?”

Where was the rest of the group?

The Beast King gathered the food and tools, rose to his feet, patted his belly, and, with the small creature perched on his head, headed toward the forest edge. His voice was cold. “Don’t worry about them. We’re heading to perform the final sweep.”

…

At Changming Base:

Yao Yiyi and Li Xin lay on their beds, faces pale, bodies stiff.

The medic at the base quickly examined them and turned to Jiang Han. “They inhaled too much toxic mist—they’re poisoned.”

The two were found outside the base in the morning, already unconscious when discovered.

The base had stocked a batch of medicinal blind boxes, but unfortunately, they contained no antidotes.

Now, with the toxic fog blanketing the outside, it’s tough to get to the blind box store, and there’s no guarantee that they’ve even stocked detox blind boxes.

Based on what he knows about the owner, Jiang Han suspects that the store might have released a series related to protection from the toxic fog, but they’re stuck inside.

After sitting in thought for a moment, Jiang Han stood up and said, “I’ll go find Brother Chi and see if he can make a detox agent from herbs.”

With his grandfather away from the base, only Chi Jin could help with this kind of thing.

Jiang Han put on the cold-weather mask he got from the winter-themed blind box and donned his snowmobile helmet, then ran toward the research area.

…

At the blind box store.

Bai Jing had come again to change Zhong Ruying’s IV drip.

Zhong Ruying’s wound was healing nicely; today was her last IV, and afterward, she’d only need to take oral medication to recover.

Once he had started the IV, Bai Jing was ready to leave. Either Ji Feiming or the store owner could remove the needle later.

Lu Yao stopped him and handed over two folders. “These are the health reports for two of my store employees. Can you take a look?”

Bai Jing paused, surprised. “Where did they get the checkups done?”

It was a product of the system: a full-body health report for 100,000 popularity points each, totaling 200,000 for both.

Lu Yao exhaled lightly, not keen to explain further. “Just take a look. Can they be treated?”

Bai Jing opened Luo Huian’s report and scanned it, then looked up. “I’ll take these back to the hospital. I’ll send you the treatment plans later.”

The two reports covered one older and one younger individual, with different conditions; he’d need to consult with specialists to provide proper care plans.

Lu Yao nodded. “Thank you.”

That afternoon, Bai Jing sent back a full diagnosis along with treatment options.

For Jiang Shanjun, the issue was simply age-related organ decline, and his treatment plan consisted mainly of supportive medications. There wasn’t much else to be done.

Luo Huian’s case, on the other hand, was better than expected. His illness, once considered untreatable, had become manageable in recent years. Though he couldn’t be hospitalized, the conservative treatment plan involved IV drips and medication, which would take time to be effective.

After discussing the plan with Little Fatty, Lu Yao accepted Bai Jing’s treatment suggestion, prepaid 50,000 for medication, and secured additional medicine for Jiang Shanjun.

The system seemed puzzled: “Why doesn’t the store owner simply extend their lifespans?”

The store owner had enough time to spare; giving them a bit would save her the trouble of spending popularity points and money while avoiding all the effort and waiting.

Lu Yao replied, “I prefer to do things properly.”

“What do you mean by that?” the system asked, still perplexed.

“It’s nothing. As long as the outcome is good, I don’t mind a bit of trouble.”

The next day, Luo Huian began his treatment, needing to stay in a shaded area for his IV sessions. Each session took about six hours, combined with medication that caused some side effects, meaning he couldn’t continue his research work during this time.

Lu Yao took over his role, helping with experiments and recording the data on plant growth and soil changes.

Xue Ge, who assisted in the lab daily, would observe Lu Yao without much expression, his demeanor steady as always.

After recording the latest data on plant growth, Lu Yao removed her gloves, washed her hands, and returned to the break room, setting up her tablet to catch up on a couple of episodes of her show.

Counting silently to three, she waited for the system’s notification to arrive.

[Blind Box Store detected: Xue Ge’s affinity towards the shop owner has increased by 5%, current affinity level at 60%.]

Without turning around, Lu Yao knew Xue Ge was standing right behind her, his gaze fixed on the screen.

She’d noticed that he enjoyed watching the blind box ads on the store’s main screen, so she’d brought a tablet from the nail salon to play dramas. Playing two episodes each day during her break time quickly captured his interest, and he’d quietly lurk behind her to watch.

Xue Ge’s affinity grew more slowly than Lilly’s, but as long as she played the show daily, his affection steadily increased.

As a human, Lu Yao couldn’t fully grasp the thought patterns of a sentient plant, but her only goal was to finish the task quickly.

The toxic fog persisted for five days, clearing on the morning of the sixth. The sun rose from the east, and finally, the sky was clear.

After enduring successive cold spells, floods, and toxic fog, the buildings around Fairy Tale Plaza appeared even more dilapidated than before. The bright storefront of the blind box store stood out among the ruins.

In the distance, people were beginning to gather.

As the fog dispersed, customers returned.

After standing at the entrance for a moment, Lu Yao turned and walked back inside.

Just then, Xue Ge ran over, visibly flustered. “Store Owner, Lilly… Lilly has grown up!”

Lu Yao walked inside, amused, thinking that with Lilly constantly snacking, she should have apologized to all the food she’d consumed if she hadn’t grown.

Lilly stood in the laboratory. Hearing approaching footsteps, she slowly turned, her face lighting up at the sight of Lu Yao. She dashed to the door and hugged her tightly, her voice soft and sweet: “Big Sister!”

A small girl around five or six years old stood before her, wearing a white puffy dress with a green silk ribbon tied in a bow around her waist. Her hair was styled in two buns adorned with a strand of lily-of-the-valley flowers, and her big, round, grape-like black eyes sparkled.

So this was what “growing up” meant.

It dawned on Lu Yao that Lilly’s absence over the past few days must have been due to her evolving in secret.

Lu Yao knelt down to take a closer look, frowning slightly. “Lilly?”

Lilly threw her arms around Lu Yao, pressing her face close. “Big Sister!”

Lu Yao leaned back to avoid her embrace and looked up at Xue Ge. “Doesn’t she look… familiar?”

Xue Ge’s face remained expressionless. “She looks a lot like the Store Owner.”

“‘A lot’ is putting it mildly,” he added. Lilly’s features were almost identical to how Lu Yao had looked as a child.

A flash of recognition crossed Lu Yao’s face. She thought of her past with a moment of silence. “Can her face… be reshaped?”

Xue Ge replied, “As she grows, her features might change.”

Mutated plants typically had a natural elegance that set them apart from humans, with a delicate, greenish aura. Lilly’s appearance was likely influenced by her admiration for the Store Owner.

Relieved, Lu Yao finally allowed Lilly to nuzzle her cheek.

[Lilly’s affinity for the Store Owner has reached 100%. Xue Ge’s affinity for the Store Owner has risen to 90%. Mission accomplished!]

[Final Mission Unlocked: Locate and Restore the Equilibrium Compass. The Store Owner has seven days to complete this task!]

This mission felt different.

“What exactly is the Equilibrium Compass?”

System: “The Equilibrium Compass is essentially the deity of this world.”

Lu Yao: “Will restoring it bring an end to the calamities?”

System: “That is undisclosed. All that’s certain is that completing this task will provide the clue to reaching the next world.”

The little system was getting bolder.

“So… I’m just supposed to go out and find this Compass?” Lu Yao asked. “Isn’t there a picture or hint of what it looks like? How will I know if I’ve found it?”

System: “For 50,000 popularity points, you can obtain a special bracelet that senses the location of the Compass fragments. Would you like to confirm this exchange?”

Popularity points had been dwindling fast, and Lu Yao hesitated. Unlike her search for the Demon God back then, looking for an object was much trickier.

“… Yes.” She confirmed the exchange.

A new item appeared in her storage: an obsidian-colored bracelet adorned with cloud motifs and a red gem in the center.

Lu Yao put it on. The bracelet had a way of making her hand look even fairer, and it didn’t feel out of place.

Suddenly, the gem on the bracelet emitted a glow, pointing in a specific direction.

Lu Yao asked, “What’s this?”

System: “There’s a Compass fragment nearby. Lucky timing, Store Owner!”

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️