Ch 138: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

The heavy door opened a small crack without making a sound. Then, a mountain of pearls rolled inside with a gentle, faint glow.

“Ying—”

“Ying ying—”

“Hululu—”

A few soft, weak, and adorable “ying ying” sounds came from inside the door. Lu Yao stiffened for a few seconds before cautiously peering in. Her pupils contracted slightly.

She paused her motion of pushing the door, tidied her hair, and raised her hand to knock.

“Knock knock—”

Almost instantly, dozens of round, plump seals snapped their eyes open, gripping silver tridents and aiming them nervously at the entrance.

“Ying!”

“Ying ying ying!”

The seal army balanced their bodies on their tail fins, holding their weapons tightly with their flippers. Their round, glossy black eyes gleamed with alertness.

They weren’t very large, standing up to only Lu Yao’s knee. Their bodies were covered in pure white, fluffy fur.

Each of them had a round head, round eyes, and even a round nose.

If not for the fact that they were wielding weapons with such an imposing stance, Lu Yao would have immediately grabbed one for a cuddle and rolled around on the floor.

The moment she cracked the door open, she had seen these little plump creatures sprawled out in all directions, lying on the ground. Her heart almost melted on the spot.

It was hard to imagine—such a deep part of the ocean harbored such dreamy creatures.

Lu Yao slowly raised her hand and smiled. “My name is Lu Yao, an ordinary human who accidentally fell into the trench and ended up here.”

A seal, wearing a string of pearls around its neck, stepped forward, slowly waddling toward Lu Yao before circling her twice.

“Pa—”

It pressed its trident against the back of Lu Yao’s knee, pushing her forward with a stern expression and tone. “Ying!”

Lu Yao was escorted by the seal army to an opulent and grand sleeping chamber. The seal leader carefully knocked on the door.

A lazy female voice came from inside, and soon, the palace doors slid open.

A woman lay leisurely on the bed, her stunning golden fish tail trailing partly on the floor. Her long golden hair cascaded over the bedding like flowing gold, dazzling and breathtaking.

She propped her head on one hand, gazing languidly at the escorted Lu Yao.

Lu Yao slowly lifted her eyes, tracing the golden tail dragging along the ground.

Even though she had already guessed, seeing the woman’s face up close still shook her to the core—she was beautiful beyond words. Not just in appearance, but powerful, gentle, wise, and resilient. She seemed to embody every word of praise ever spoken.

Lu Yao blurted out, “Deep Sea Goddess.”

The Deep Sea Goddess had been hidden in such an abyssal trench—no wonder no one could find her.

“You know me?” Deep Sea Goddess slightly lifted her chin, scrutinizing Lu Yao with a faint frown. “The Godslayer is actually a human.”

Lu Yao was puzzled. The goddess statue she had seen in Nightlight City was not a mermaid.

Yet the woman before her, aside from the fishtail, was almost identical to the Deep Sea Goddess statue.

So, was the Deep Sea Goddess originally a mermaid?

She had read many stories about the goddess from Jiu Hua, but none of them mentioned that the true form of the goddess was a mermaid.

Snapping back to her senses, Lu Yao explained, “I saw your statue in Nightlight City. What is the Godslayer?”

The seal leader waddled to the goddess’s bedside, reporting in “ying ying ying” sounds.

Deep Sea Goddess looked at Lu Yao again, this time with a hint of curiosity. She extended her hand toward her. “Come here.”

Lu Yao hesitated for a second before obediently stepping forward.

Without the system by her side, she felt a little uneasy. But after traveling through so many worlds, she wasn’t completely without judgment.

As the revered mother of both humans and deep-sea creatures, the Deep Sea Goddess shouldn’t be an enemy.

Even in the worst-case scenario, if her opponent was truly a god, being cautious wouldn’t make much of a difference.

Deep Sea Goddess grasped Lu Yao’s hand, her expression gradually becoming complicated. A moment later, she released it, a look of sorrow flickering in her eyes as tears fell, rolling onto the bedding and transforming into large, round pearls.

Were the pearls piling up outside the door all from the goddess’s tears?

That was too absurd.

Seeing their goddess cry, the seal guards widened their round, glossy eyes and gathered toward the bed, casting accusatory gazes at Lu Yao.

Lu Yao felt a bit at a loss. “…What’s wrong?”

If the situation weren’t so serious, she would have loved to sneak away with one of these round, grumpy little seals and bring it back to her Little Pet Cafe.

The Deep Sea Goddess stopped her tears, curled her tail back onto the bed, and sat up straight, looking at Lu Yao. “I already know why you came here. Unfortunately, I have never seen that bone, nor do I know if it still exists in this sea.”

Lu Yao was momentarily stunned before realizing, “You can see the past?”

The Deep Sea Goddess picked up a nearby seal, cradling it in her arms. Her gaze was distant and calm. “Humans are my children, my people. If I cannot guide them, how can I call myself a god?”

Lu Yao asked, “Then have you seen my future as well?”

The Deep Sea Goddess replied, “Why? Do you wish to glimpse the future?”

Lu Yao shook her head. “I’ve met a mermaid in another world who once divined my future, but the result didn’t seem promising. The future isn’t urgent—I want to know what wish I made about six months ago.”

The Deep Sea Goddess’ gaze deepened as she absentmindedly stroked the plump seal in her arms.

The round little creature basked in its moment of privilege, its moist eyes filled with bliss, while its companions looked on enviously.

Lu Yao’s hands clenched slightly at her sides.

This level of cuteness was unfair.

Any fluffy lover would struggle to resist.

Just as Lu Yao thought the goddess wouldn’t answer, the Deep Sea Goddess spoke softly, “It was a wish that was never meant to be heard. Against the impossible odds of nearly zero, it was listened to. I cannot tell you the contents of that wish—it has been cursed with the most malevolent of maledictions. Being heard was only the first step; fulfilling it is the second. Finding it is the true endpoint.”

Lu Yao lowered her head in thought. So, the wish she made was something even a god could not interfere with?

She had always assumed she couldn’t remember her wish because of an accident that caused partial memory loss.

But the Deep Sea Goddess’ words suggested that the wish had been hidden, and that was part of the conditions for its fulfillment.

Perhaps the real cause-and-effect was that she lost her memory in order to protect the wish.

The Deep Sea Goddess seemed unwilling to speak further or keep Lu Yao any longer. She raised a hand, and the seal guards immediately lined up in formation.

“The bone you seek is not here. The seal guard will escort you back up.”

Lu Yao snapped out of her thoughts. “You’re not coming up with me?”

The Deep Sea Goddess looked at her in surprise. “Why would I go up with you?”

Lu Yao explained, “I was actually brought down here by someone else. My original goal wasn’t to find the bone. Since you can see the past, you must have also seen the situation up above. The seabed is piled with garbage, the currents are polluted, and the contamination is about to overflow into the human world. The Drowned and the deep-sea creatures are searching for their mother.”

The Deep Sea Goddess replied, “My tears contain divine power and can purify all filth. The ones piled at the bottom of the trench—some of the young ones like to carry them up. If you wish to cleanse the ocean, take some with you.”

Lu Yao recalled the first time she caught an anglerfish in the polluted waters. Its flesh had been tender and untainted.

She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now she realized—it must have been because the little fish had carried the god’s tears up to the surface.

A thought struck her. “You’re not refusing to leave—you can’t leave. Because of the Godslayer?”

The Deep Sea Goddess lowered her head. “Ridiculous, isn’t it? Once upon a time, even gods became prey to slaughter.”

The Deep Sea Goddess did not seem to fear death, but Lu Yao frowned. Was she overthinking this? “If a god dies… what happens to the world?”

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️