Ch 121: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

“A bare-bones shop is a bit much—it was more like a fully furnished one-bedroom apartment, and now it’s an underwater villa.”

“Understated. I’d call it a deep-sea dragon palace.”

“Yesterday, there was nothing here. How did it transform overnight?”

“With this much space, at least we won’t have to wait in line.”

“But I’m worried that the shop’s gotten bigger, and with so few cats, it’ll be even harder to get a turn to pet them.”

“When are they opening?”

The solitary fish chattered away, just as the shopkeeper appeared inside the Little Pet Cafe.

But Lu Yao didn’t open the doors right away.

The expansion had been completed last night, and she hadn’t had time to check everything yet. She wanted to inspect the newly added areas before letting guests in.

The system’s irritation was understandable; this upgrade was quite an overhaul. Unlike previous space-only upgrades, this time, Lu Yao had gone all out.

Not only had the shop space been expanded, but the rarely-seen beauty of the deep-sea landscape had been put to full use.

The Little Pet Cafe was no longer confined to its main area; it now served as the center for five entirely new zones.

Each area was connected by transparent tunnels and slides, allowing guests to easily move between spaces.

Starting from the east of the Little Pet Cafe, a 100-meter walk through a clear tunnel led to the first expansion—the Coral Field.

The coral here was wildly varied in shape and color. Lu Yao had always enjoyed observing this coral field during her dives, watching them sway with the current, coexist with fish, and their fierce predatory behavior.

While there were corals around the Little Pet Cafe, the scale and colors paled in comparison to the vivid splendor here.

Now, with an underwater tunnel as a bridge, a cat lounge in the shape of a sea anemone had been built above the Coral Field. Here, guests could relax with the cats while enjoying views of the coral and various fish outside the windows.

The solitary fish eagerly urged the shopkeeper to open the doors, but their voices couldn’t penetrate the shop’s walls, so they formed a group and followed her movements.

“I want to go in; it’s like a stroll through the ocean—so refreshing.”

“A real deep-sea tunnel. Way more exciting than an aquarium.”

“When will it open? I want to walk through the underwater tunnels too.”

The Coral Room had a simple layout: four low tables by the windows, floor cushions, a cat tree, a litter box, a restroom for guests, and a hidden mini-storage stocked with cat food and toys.

All the new areas were connected by transparent tunnels, forming a complete loop.

Entering the tunnel on the other side of the Coral Room, guests could walk about 200 meters, passing over a small trench, and arrive at a garden eel habitat, where they could also observe bottom-dwelling creatures like flatfish, shrimp, and mimic octopuses.

This room, shaped like a giant octopus, was similar in setup to the Coral Room.

However, the octopus’s eight arms had been fashioned into slides, each ending in a small, three-square-meter room with windows. Through these windows, guests could look out over the mountains and forest beyond the Little Pet Cafe, while inside, they enjoyed a view of the deep-sea world—a perfect space for private relaxation.

The solitary fish followed Lu Yao from the Coral Room to the Octopus Room.

“These slides might seem childish for kids, but they’re perfect for adults.”

“The octopus lounge is amazing, especially that little room under the slides. I want to try it immediately!”

“But after sliding down, how do you get back up to the top?”

“Look, the shopkeeper!”

Lu Yao slid down from the octopus’s head to the small room at the base of one of its arms. Sitting by the window for a moment, she then stood up and pulled a small, pale-gold handle in the shape of an octopus tentacle, revealing a hidden transparent door.

She walked straight out, where eight transparent tunnels converged from the ends of each arm, meeting at a central spot where a red octopus-shaped hot air balloon was docked.

Lu Yao sat in the hot air balloon as it slowly ascended, bringing her back to the large room at the octopus’s head.

“Oh wow! This design is amazing—it’s like an amusement park!”

“I must immediately ride the octopus slide and the octopus hot air balloon!”

“Shopkeeper, open up! I can’t wait another minute!”

The solitary fish began to bump against the transparent membrane outside the octopus room, startling Lu Yao. Even the little manta ray was flapping its “wings” outside, its eyes sparkling brightly through the membrane.

Lu Yao returned to the main door and opened it, letting the guests flood in.

Inside, the shop’s space had expanded as well, with three more windows added for a total of six, along with more low tables, cat trees, and cushions.

“Shopkeeper, where are the cats? I want to grab one and take it to the octopus room!”

“Never mind the cats—I’ll head for the slides first!”

“The coral room is stunning. I’m checking that out first.”

Once inside, the guests quickly scattered, some teaming up to explore the new coral and octopus rooms. Currently, the octopus room was the most popular.

Watching the guests—some in their twenties, thirties, even forties—waiting in line to ride the octopus slide made the system avert its gaze in disbelief.

System: 【Is it really that fun? Don’t they have slides outside?】

“The deep-sea world’s slides are definitely rare. Besides, I’d guess they usually don’t have the time or energy for these things,” Lu Yao responded calmly.

She couldn’t help but think how the Little Pet Cafe would easily become a popular social media spot if it were in her own world. It was a unique underwater amusement park that couldn’t be copied.

But perhaps the guests here needed this shop even more. From the corner of her eye, she noticed several bubbles slowly drifting up from the octopus room, indicating guests leaving the Garbage Sea, which lifted her spirits.

When Ji Feiming arrived with the cats, he was stunned by the transformed shop.

He knew the Little Pet Cafe was undergoing an upgrade, but he hadn’t expected anything so extravagant.

“Shopkeeper, what’s all this?” Ji Feiming asked, holding two large pet carriers. He was so astonished he forgot their weight, looking dumbfounded.

Lu Yao, eager to check the other areas, barely noticed his reaction. “Let the kittens out to start their shifts, and have Qingmei keep an eye on them. Then, go to the Blind Box Store and bring over a few new staff. I’ll show them the work areas in a bit.”

Ji Feiming turned to Qingmei, hoping for answers. “How did the shop change like this?”

Qingmei, having already recovered from her own shock, took the carriers from him with an unnervingly calm expression and tone, “I woke up this morning, and it was just… like this.”

She leaned in close and whispered, “The shopkeeper must be a sea witch living in the depths.”

Ji Feiming: “…”

Meanwhile, Lu Yao walked toward where the solitary fish were gathered.

Here, two underwater tunnels extended in different directions, each leading to a unique room.

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