Ch 117: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Lu Yao’s fingers brushed over the orca’s teeth, waiting for several minutes, yet she still didn’t hear its thoughts. A sense of foreboding began to rise within her.

Telepathy for birds and beasts worked on all non-human creatures. If she couldn’t hear any thoughts, there was only one explanation—the orca wasn’t actually an orca.

Deep-sea creatures instinctively avoided the solitary fish group, so it made no sense for an orca to be unable to distinguish its own kind.

If anyone could bypass the orca’s natural sonar and be accepted as kin, only one person came to her mind.

The mysterious young man who had appeared from the first store—when she thought about it later, she realized she had encountered him in three different worlds.

In the first store, he had possessed Bai Ming. In the second, he was the High Priest. The fairies later informed her that the real High Priest Carlos had been gone for over a decade, meaning the silver-haired, red-eyed youth had been the one she encountered from the start.

In the third world, he made a deal with the Balance Compass, transforming into a golden lotus, initiating a second cycle for the already-destroyed Impermanence World.

He was always hiding bones, and somehow, Lu Yao had started collecting bones herself.

This person wasn’t showing up without reason. He must be connected to the Wish Fulfillment System.

Lu Yao had tried to get the system to reveal something, but this time it was staying unusually tight-lipped.

There was also the possibility that the system itself didn’t know its connection to the red-eyed youth.

She often felt the system’s simplicity wasn’t an act; it genuinely wasn’t very bright.

To this day, she still didn’t know what her wish was. Sometimes she would wonder why she couldn’t remember her wish, yet was compelled to fulfill it.

The red-eyed youth’s appearance seemed to be related to the wish as well.

His first appearance was as an employee, the second time as an observer, and the third as an antagonist…

What connection existed between her wish, the Wish Fulfillment System, and the red-eyed youth?

Even Lu Yao herself was beginning to feel curious.

When the previous world ended, he had told her he would kill her.

This time, she’d been waiting.

Based on past experiences, his eye color was his defining mark, impossible to conceal.

She’d been particularly observant of customers wearing glasses.

Yet, he had transformed into a killer whale, blending into the orca pod.

If not for her telepathy skill, he might have deceived her completely.

Suppressing her chaotic thoughts, Lu Yao tilted her head to study the orca holding her wrist.

Above the white patches, its round, innocent eyes gleamed, making it difficult to distinguish their color.

But she was almost certain—this guy had to be him.

Lu Yao didn’t rush to expose him. She returned to the pet shop, waved to the orca, and prepared to go inside.

The orca calf wanted her to come out and play again, but she was too exhausted, so she stood by the steps, gently reasoning with it.

Naturally, the calf didn’t understand and opened its mouth, ready to pull her back outside.

The adult orca nudged the calf aside with a gentle “whimper.”

The calf spun in place, whimpering incessantly, throwing a little tantrum.

“Whimper…” The adult orca “whimpered” twice, then suddenly noticed Lu Yao’s amused gaze, paused almost imperceptibly, then swiftly swam away.

The calf, feeling a bit aggrieved, gave a soft, “…whimper.”

The adult orca swam off without a backward glance, offering no room for negotiation. The calf whimpered and chased after it.

Lu Yao returned to the shop in high spirits, took off her diving suit, and soaked in a hot bath.

She was too tired today, lacking the energy to go out and scavenge, so she planned to rest for the afternoon.

When she emerged from the bathroom, a group of customers was gathered around the shop’s entrance, as if something had happened again.

Qingmei stood at the doorway and, upon seeing the shopkeeper come out, called out loudly, “Another humpback whale has swum over!”

Lu Yao slipped slightly, surprised. Another one?

“Whimper—” The song of a humpback whale echoed, and Lu Yao shuffled to the door with a blank expression.

The customers instinctively stepped aside to make space.

As she appeared at the entrance, the humpback whale swam over, seemingly holding something in its mouth.

When it reached the shop’s entrance, it slowly opened its mouth, and a heap of large lobsters wrapped in seaweed tumbled out with a splash.

After depositing the lobsters, the whale lifted its head slightly toward Lu Yao and waved its fins, happily singing.

Recognizing the morning’s whale, Lu Yao felt a wave of relief—it was just a false alarm, and she wouldn’t need to scrub down another huge whale. Feeling relaxed, she tentatively asked, “Are these for me?”

Since humpback whales don’t have teeth, they mainly feed on krill and small fish. She wondered where it had found so many large lobsters and even wrapped them in seaweed—its intelligence was quite impressive.

The whale seemed to have come specifically to deliver the lobsters to Lu Yao. After a brief pause to greet her, it swam away with a series of joyful “whimpers.”

The customers at the door were stunned.

“Isn’t this the same whale from this morning? It even knows how to bring gifts. The sea creatures around here seem unusually intelligent.”

“Those orcas also visit the shopkeeper often, bringing fish and shrimp as gifts.”

“These lobsters are so plump, and they’re still alive. Can we order? I’d love some lobster sashimi.”

“It’s pretty cold in the sea; seafood porridge would be nice too.”

The customer who suggested seafood porridge suddenly started to revert, turning into a yellowish garden eel. Enclosed in a bubble, it floated gently out of the shop.

The solitary fish group had adapted to life in the Garbage Sea. They lounged around the shop, petting cats, eating seafood, and occasionally ventured out to collect sea urchins and catch fish, living a laid-back and comfortable life.

When people grow too comfortable, it’s easy to become complacent, and some began to feel that life here wasn’t so bad.

Lu Yao noticed that the sea seemed to have its own rules. As soon as the state of the solitary fish was restored, they would be immediately transported out.

Another one sent off, task progress +1.

Lu Yao had Qingmei bring a large bucket from the kitchen, picking up the lobsters at the shop entrance and tossing them inside. After filtering and cleaning them, she transferred them to a tank for keeping.

She quickly counted—around a hundred in total, which filled three or four buckets.

Lu Yao selected thirty large lobsters and picked out three baskets of other seafood, asking Xiao Ji to deliver them to the snack shop.

One-third was used as ingredients for the shop, one-third was made into seafood blind boxes for the blind box shop, and the final third became a seafood meal for the staff at all four shops.

Today’s happiness came courtesy of seafood.

…

In the evening, the sunset glow fell along the window ledges, casting a soft, warm hue over the misty mountains and forested sea.

The seabed gradually grew darker and colder, and customers were accustomed to leaving before nightfall, returning to gather with the solitary fish group.

At night, staying with their kind provided a sense of security far greater than in other parts of the deep sea.

Erxin lay on a low table, belly up, paws curled, looking lazy and tired.

Lu Yao had been waiting all day for this moment. She crouched down, petting Erxin’s belly, and activated her telepathy skill.

“So… tired…”

Erxin’s inner voice was soft and endearing, but the voice that echoed in Lu Yao’s mind was regal and authoritative, with a strong, elegant tone—she was indeed a little queen.

Listening for a while, Lu Yao realized Erxin was a “calculative” cat, consistent inside and out, with plenty of inner thoughts.

She complained about the guests not feeding her fish snacks and kept grumbling about them squeezing her paw pads.

In fact, Lu Yao had intentionally asked them not to feed Erxin too many treats.

Erxin was far too greedy, putting on weight rapidly. She was lazy and barely moved, preferring to beg cutely for food, more skilled than even the younger cats.

Every guest who saw her wanted to feed her.

Erxin was well on her way to becoming the size of a gas tank, so Lu Yao had put up a small sign in the shop, asking guests to limit treats for her.

Erxin was so good at acting cute that guests found it hard to resist, but she had clearly started to hold a grudge.

Lu Yao also planned to find a time to get her spayed. Given Erxin’s attitude, it might be best to have Xiao Ji take her.

Erxin, completely unaware of the shopkeeper’s plans, rolled over, rubbing her round face against Lu Yao’s hand and starting to purr.

“Love the boss the most! Always brings back meat!”

“Boss, want meat!”

Lu Yao couldn’t help but smile—no wonder Erxin was so attached to her; it turns out she valued her “hunting” skills. Erxin was indeed a clever little cat, knowing exactly who provided the food.

Just then, Boxers cautiously passed by, giving a soft meow as if wanting some attention from Lu Yao too.

Erxin sprang up, darted over, and unleashed a barrage of “invisible kitty punches” on Boxers.

Flattening himself on the ground in defeat, Boxers continued to mouth off, tossing out trash talk nonstop.

This only irritated Erxin more, and she swatted him a few more times.

After the scuffle, Erxin strutted back to Lu Yao, her round eyes wide and innocent, “Meow.”

Lu Yao: “…”

She walked over and scooped up Boxers.

The fluffy, long-haired tuxedo cat settled in her arms, drawing out his voice as if reluctantly.

“You’re holding me again and again—just can’t get enough of me, huh?”

“Humans are so weird. Hmph.”

The deep, magnetic male voice in her mind carried a hint of complaint, leaving Lu Yao uncertain if he genuinely disliked it or was just being tsundere.

She crouched down and quietly set Boxers back on the floor.

Best to avoid this one.

Boxers, suddenly placed back down, looked up at her in confusion, his amber eyes filled with bewilderment as if to ask, “Why did you stop holding me?”

White Socks, Cha Cha, Pounce, and Sugar had already been packed into carriers by Ji Feiming. Lu Yao turned to find the dazed Tape.

The little guy was still crouched by the wall membrane, entranced by the floating sea creatures outside.

Lu Yao scratched his head to get his attention, then scooped him into her arms, listening in on what this little one might be thinking.

“Oh, it’s big sis. Time to go home.”

A clear, cheerful young boy’s voice echoed in her mind, as Tape snuggled further into her arms.

“Love big sis’s scent.”

Lu Yao couldn’t resist a smile—cat manners truly needed to be taught from a young age.

Except for the rebel, Pounce, Sugar and Tape were both incredibly well-behaved.

In comparison, the world of adult cats was complex and realistic, a tangled web of desires, lacking any innocence.

To Erxin, she was a food-providing servant.

To Boxers, she was a weirdo.

She hadn’t yet interacted with White Socks and Cha Cha. For now, she decided not to “invite further humiliation.”

…

After half a day of rest, Lu Yao secretly drank a recovery potion that greatly relieved her muscle soreness.

The next morning, after arranging the daily operations of her shops, she dove back into the sea to collect more “treasures.”

The solitary fish group had been more active lately, with a visible increase in guests coming to the shop to relax and play.

The shop’s space was now a bit cramped, and there still weren’t enough fluffy creatures. Lu Yao wanted to upgrade the shop as soon as possible and increase the number of fluffies.

This current task came with a reward of a free shop upgrade, and the task progress was steadily advancing.

With no immediate concerns for the task, Lu Yao focused on gathering popularity points—it wouldn’t hurt to stock up.

Following the solitary fish group’s direction, she headed toward the garbage mound, where the most trash had gathered, making it easy to collect.

This area was much less empty than when she had started; a small path had even started to emerge in the spots she’d cleared.

She swam along the path, hoping to find some larger items to boost her popularity points.

“Whimper.”

A sudden sound made Lu Yao pause.

“Whimper.”

A short, guttural “whimper” sounded again moments later.

Looking around, her gaze stopped on a slope piled high with metal debris.

An adult orca was trapped under the garbage, with only its head and half of its tail visible, seemingly unable to move.

Lu Yao swam up the slope, finding the orca more familiar with each look.

A suspicion rose in her mind. She reached out and touched its smooth head, and sure enough, heard no thoughts.

“Whimper.” The orca looked somewhat pitiful.

Lu Yao struggled to keep a straight face, pretending to assess the situation. She swam around it, finally finding the mark under its tail—a cross-shaped scar, unique to solitary fish.

Its body was sleek and streamlined without any visible scars, so she’d never been entirely certain. But there it was, hidden under the tail in a spot hard to see.

“Whimper?” Sensing something, the orca made a questioning sound, trying to wriggle its tail free.

Marine animals’ tails are typically quite beautiful. Lu Yao hadn’t paid much attention to other orcas, but this one’s tail was black with a narrow ring of white at the tip, like a French manicure—oddly refined.

“Don’t move!” Lu Yao lightly patted it. “I’ll help you.”

This guy definitely had a reason for being here.

She couldn’t guess why it was stuck in the garbage heap, but maybe it really was just an accident.

It clearly didn’t enjoy making “whimpering” sounds. It had only let out a few whimpers in succession for help.

Lu Yao raised her equipment and cleared the large debris pressing on the orca.

Freed at last, it made a few symbolic “whimpers” and circled back, stopping at her side without leaving.

Lu Yao: “Are you here to help me collect trash?”

“Whimper.” The orca looked at her with wide, innocent eyes.

This guy, he’s really putting on an act.

Without another word, Lu Yao resumed picking up trash, equipment on her back.

The orca didn’t leave either, sticking by her side the entire time.

It was different from other orcas—quiet and almost mute. If not for its massive size, Lu Yao might have forgotten it was there.

She finished her morning dive without encountering it in the afternoon when she went to the garbage mound alone.

Close to evening, she returned, with a good haul. By the end of the day, she’d gained nearly 70,000 popularity points.

Back at the shop, exhausted yet in a great mood, Lu Yao was greeted by Ji Feiming, who approached her with a bright gleam in his eye, whispering, “Boss, while you were out this afternoon, an orca came by and dropped a bundle of eels at the door.”

Lu Yao: “???”

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