Ch 140: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Night Light City.

Li Mo posted his latest illustration on his work account, featuring two humans and a seal army engaged in a water gun battle with a group of deep-sea fish, each brimming with personality.

The illustration was packed with characters, intricate details, and vibrant, imaginative colors, full of life and tension.

Li Mo was a well-known artist in the community, famous for his detailed, story-driven scenes with a dark and mysterious style. His account boasted over half a million followers.

This illustration, titled “Undersea Battle,” immediately attracted a crowd of fans.

“The colors are so bright! It’s not quite Li Mo’s usual style.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t look like Li Mo’s usual work, but everyone looks so happy.”

“It’s kind of like… Imagine a renowned thriller author suddenly releasing a heartwarming, feel-good family novel…”

“Aw, I still miss Li Mo’s original style!!”

“Such a fairytale vibe. Did Li Mo get inspired by a storybook?”

Li Mo rarely interacted with fans, and they were used to his aloofness.

But today was different; the usually silent Li Mo responded to a fan’s comment.

“The inspiration came from a dream. I dreamed I turned into a fish.” //@LittleHeheLovesBunnies: “Such a fairytale vibe. Did Li Mo get inspired by a storybook?”

Initially, it was just a new illustration shared within Li Mo’s circle, a fresh twist on his usual style that some fans liked and others found too different from his earlier work.

But after Li Mo shared this rare reply about the inspiration, a flood of comments began pouring in, sparking a lively discussion.

“I knew this picture looked familiar! Li Mo, did you go to the Little Pet Cafe?”

“My friend told me to check this out. OMG! It’s really from the water gun battle that day! The boss and the guy with the high ponytail were so obvious! I wasn’t chosen to play, so I just watched from the sidelines. Who won in the end?”

“I didn’t stay till the end, but I think our team won. This morning, I found a badge in my bag out of nowhere! I was confused, but now I remember everything.”

“+1, I got a badge too!”

“No way! They’re already giving out prizes? I’m so jealous!”

*“Quick question… did anyone win the *Tear of the Goddess? I’d be interested in buying it! DM me, please!”

…

“Am I the only one who has no idea what’s going on? What’s the Little Pet Cafe? And a water gun battle?”

“Clearly, you’ve never been to the Little Pet Cafe. No wonder you don’t get it.”

“Isn’t the Little Pet Cafe that super-hyped place that went viral a while back? People said it was fake. Someone went and said it was just a rip-off plush toy shop!”

“That’s definitely the fake one. The real Little Pet Cafe is… well, if you know, you know.”

“Got it! Li Mo’s been to the real Little Pet Cafe! Where is it? I need to visit!”

…

Li Mo scrolled through the comments on his phone, and at first, he was convinced the inspiration for his illustration was just a dream.

But as he read more and more comments detailing the water gun battle and questions about the Little Pet Cafe, the scenes from his “dream” became clearer, and he realized he had actually been to Little Pet Cafe.

As memories resurfaced, Li Mo felt the experiences and sights from the deep-sea world becoming a wellspring of inspiration. He felt an irresistible urge to paint, immediately and without delay!

He shut off his phone, returned to his workstation, and dived into a new creation.

Meanwhile, his illustration became the key that unlocked memories for other guests of the Little Pet Cafe. With memories of the deep-sea shop awakening, discussions online grew even more intense.

“What?! They have Marumaru Dogs and seals now? When I went, the shop had just expanded once, and they’d introduced those little chubby birds.”

“Ahhh, I missed out! When I went, the Little Pet Cafe was just a single room with only cats. I’d love to go again!”

“Same here! I want to go back too! The underwater slides, jellyfish Ferris wheel—never gets old. Now they have Marumaru Dogs and chunky seals? How can I go back to the shop?”

“It’s all about fate. If you’re lucky, you’ll blink, and you’re there!”

“Does this mean we only get one visit in our lives? I really want to see the expanded, upgraded shop and meet the new furry staff!”

“Never been there, no idea what everyone’s feeling so wistful about…”

…

Not half a day had passed since the illustration’s buzz when an anonymous post popped up online.

[OP: Rumor Alert – The deep-sea Little Pet Cafe might soon have rabbits.]

The post title included “Little Pet Cafe,” drawing a large audience right away with the recent wave of attention.

“Rabbits!!!”

“Do you have proof? Have you been to the Little Pet Cafe too?”

OP: “I haven’t been there myself, so maybe I’m reading into things. About five days ago, someone from Night Light City ordered twenty Wakaba Rabbits from us. With the city’s pet ban, we rarely get orders from there, so this one stood out. Because of the pet ban, I asked a few questions. The buyer claimed to work for the Little Pet Cafe and ordered the rabbits for their store. They didn’t want delivery to the city itself but arranged pickup at the docks. An hour ago, I handed ten pairs of Wakaba Rabbits to the buyer—a black-haired young woman with a gentle face and a tall, blue-haired youth with a high ponytail.”

“The tall, ponytailed youth—that’s Harold!”

“Must be the boss and that grumpy staff member. Can’t believe they bought Wakaba Rabbits! I want to cuddle them too!”

“Wait, if the boss was seen in Night Light City, does that mean tLittle Pet Cafe might not be far away?”

“Didn’t care much about it before, but after reading so much about the Little Pet Cafe today, I’m beyond curious now!”

“I want to visit the Little Pet Cafe too!”

…

Lu Yao had no idea that the Little Pet Cafe had gone viral in the online world outside the deep sea. She and Harold picked up the twenty Wakaba Rabbits and headed back into the ocean.

The Seal Guardians, waiting at the shore, sensed their return and immediately poked their heads out of the water.

The Wakaba Rabbits in the cages had already been fitted with special collars to protect them from the seawater.

One human, one dragon, twenty seals, and twenty rabbits made their way back home together.

Just then, a notification from the system sounded, announcing the side quest’s completion.

【Ultimate task unlocked! Over countless years, the Garbage Sea lost its original name. Host, retrieve the true name of this sea within three days!】

Lu Yao double-checked the message twice. So the Garbage Sea originally had a different name, and she would complete the task simply by discovering it.

She could hardly believe it—could the ultimate task really be this straightforward?

“Seriously?”

The system responded slowly: “Yes. However, there is only one chance to guess the correct name. If you answer incorrectly, the task will immediately fail. Please think carefully.”

Here we go again.

Every day, the system seemed to come up with a new way to test the host’s patience.

Lu Yao turned to the Seal Guardian leader, Lei Lei—who always wore the pearl necklace given by the Deep Sea Goddess and, to distinguish him from the others, had been named by Lu Yao. Lei Lei loved the name, and now he tilted his head, his round, black eyes looking at Lu Yao questioningly. “Something wrong?”

To Lei Lei, the boss was the smartest yet most troublesome human he’d ever met. Her actions were often unpredictable, a mixture of curiosity and mild fear.

Completely unaware of Lei Lei’s inner conflict, Lu Yao casually asked, “I’ve been here so long, but I still don’t know what to call this sea where the Emerald Star resides. The guests and staff all refer to it as the Garbage Sea, which seems disrespectful. You used to be the head of the guardians, so you must know, right?”

After a few seconds, Lei Lei’s inner thoughts came through: “It definitely isn’t called the Garbage Sea, these wretched humans! But… the name… I’ve never heard of it… The palace of the Emerald Star is called the Divine Palace, so maybe this sea is called the Divine Realm…?”

Lei Lei seemed defeated, unable to give an answer.

As a divine envoy, he’d never even considered this question before.

Lu Yao patted him reassuringly. “No worries if you don’t know. I was just asking offhand.”

Lei Lei’s inner voice: “…sob sob.”

Even more defeated.

As the captain of the Seal Guardians, Lei Lei was smarter and more knowledgeable than the other guardians. If even he didn’t know the name of this sea, it wouldn’t be easy to uncover.

Lu Yao thought about asking some ancient deep-sea creatures and decided to play the piano in the Whale Room back at the shop. She’d previously learned from a young orca that certain wise deep-sea creatures responded to a strange melody she played, though she couldn’t recall where she’d learned it.

Upon returning to the Little Pet Cafe, Lu Yao and her group settled the Wakaba Rabbits into the Sea Urchin Room.

【Successfully introduced three new “furry friends” within fourteen days, totaling over thirty. Task complete! Rewards: 100,000 popularity points and one free store expansion (limited to 60 square meters).】

【Ultimate task detected as active. Please complete it as soon as possible.】

The final main task before the ultimate task was successfully completed, yielding a popularity bonus and an opportunity for free store expansion.

After recently amassing over 30 million popularity points from clearing out the trash heap, Lu Yao wasn’t short on points. Yet, having experienced the grind of poverty and endless nights of trash collection, she was now more frugal than ever, planning to make good use of the 100,000 points and expansion reward.

As soon as Jiu Hua heard of Lu Yao’s return, she dashed over from the Coral Room, barely resisting the temptation to check out the new Wakaba Rabbits, and pulled Lu Yao aside to talk privately.

“Boss, I just got back from home. The internet is practically in an uproar over the Little Pet Cafe…” Jiu Hua, clearly excited but keeping her explanation concise, quickly filled Lu Yao in on the online events. “So many people are curious about our shop now, wanting to come experience it in person. If only our location were actually in Night Light City! That way, guests who can’t transform into fish could visit, and we could even charge them!”

The Little Pet Cafe was amazing in many ways, accepting seafood, jewelry, and even cash as payment for experience fees, but it lacked the true “real-world” vibe of a shop. Jiu Hua understood this was part of its charm, but she still longed to experience the thrill of running a booming business—it would be incredibly rewarding!

Lu Yao listened thoughtfully, then, after a few moments, replied calmly, “It’s not impossible.”

!!!

Jiu Hua’s eyes widened, her surprise slowly giving way to delight. “That’s actually possible? Boss, I love you!”

Lu Yao nodded. “Let me figure it out first. This sea isn’t exactly a place for ordinary humans, but there might be another way.”

As she spoke, a complete plan began forming in her mind.

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️