Ch 141: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Under the cover of night, the Little Pet Cafe underwent an expansion and upgrade, unbeknownst to both guests and staff—only Lu Yao and the system were aware.

As she finished her shift, Lu Yao called out to Ji Feiming, who was just about to leave. “Xiao Ji, the Little Pet Cafe will be hiring a telephone operator soon. If you know anyone suitable, you can bring them for an interview.”

The operator role was somewhat unique, and after consideration, Lu Yao thought it might be better to recruit from within the shopping district.

Ji Feiming had already contacted his family during the day but hadn’t received a reply. He paused, quickly catching on. “Alright, I’ll get in touch right away. But… which shop needs a telephone operator?”

“The Little Pet Cafe,” Lu Yao replied.

Ji Feiming tried to act as if he understood, but his curiosity got the better of him. “So, Boss… are you planning to expand beyond the ocean?”

Lu Yao nodded. “You’ll understand by tomorrow. But if you can’t find someone suitable, let me know, and I’ll look elsewhere.”

Ji Feiming nodded seriously. “No problem; I’m sure I’ll find someone. Rest assured, Boss.”

…

That night, while the Little Pet Cafe expanded, nine squads of Seal Guardians left the Garbage Sea and traveled to Night Light City and the surrounding coastal towns on a special mission—to establish telephone coverage.

The power of the Deep Sea Goddess already spanned the entire world, which was why “drowned souls” appeared in the ocean in the first place.

What Lu Yao intended to do was similar: using magic and the Seal Guardians’ strength, she aimed to spread a kind of “telephone signal” across the world, connecting it to the Little Pet Cafe’s reservation line. Although the system could have achieved this, it demanded a hefty one million popularity points, so Lu Yao had asked the Seal Guardians for assistance instead.

The system silently sulked about this but couldn’t argue with the host.

Early the next morning, Lu Yao arrived at the Little Pet Cafe to inspect the newly expanded area.

Outside the Whale Room and Jellyfish Room, she found a multitude of whales, sharks, and dolphins nearly covering the entire sea, a breathtaking sight.

Knowing she’d summoned them by playing the song in the Whale Room the previous day, Lu Yao swam out from the entrance without needing a diving suit—thanks to the Deep Sea Goddess’ eye she possessed—and saw the giant blue whale and sperm whale she’d encountered before.

Without a word from Lu Yao, these ancient and powerful sea creatures sensed the presence of the Emerald Star’s divine power within her.

“It’s Mother’s aura. Mother has returned…”

At dawn, the Seal Guardians gradually returned to the shop, now resting in the Whale Room.

Lei Lei noticed the activity outside and quickly swam up to stand beside Lu Yao.

Lu Yao, hoping to uncover the Garbage Sea’s original name, asked Lei Lei to inquire.

Lei Lei squeaked and translated her question to the whale pod.

Lu Yao then used her telepathic ability to collect answers.

Unfortunately, even the whales didn’t know this sea’s name. They only instinctively returned here whenever they needed help from their “Mother.”

To the deep-sea creatures, the territory of the Emerald Star Goddess had one universal name: home.

Lei Lei exchanged a few more words with the fish, who lifted their heads and emitted long, resonant calls before slowly swimming away, back into the open ocean.

Their mother was still here, so their home remained.

The whales didn’t bring the useful information Lu Yao had hoped for, leaving her feeling slightly defeated. Less than two days remained to complete the task.

When it was time for the Little Pet Cafe to open, Lu Yao set aside her slight frustration and opened the door.

Taking advantage of the quiet morning, she ascended the new underwater tunnel connected to the recently expanded area.

The tunnel, leading to the latest expansion, was located in the main store. She climbed over thirty meters up a transparent staircase to reach the Little Pet Cafe’s newest section—the Above-Sea Fishing Room.

This unique area was the shop’s only spot above sea level. It featured a wooden, overhanging pier where guests could play in the water, relax, or fish, with wooden extensions stretching out from the Fishing Room in all directions.

Inside the Fishing Room, there was a transparent self-service area for renting fishing gear and lounge chairs, as well as three rooms designated for the shop staff’s rest. Since the Marumaru Dogs and Wakaba Rabbits couldn’t be moved to other shops at night, and more cute creatures might join in the future, Lu Yao had planned for resting spaces for the shop’s furbabies in this newly expanded area.

Additionally, the new area included an office for the telephone operator, with a unique phone: a purple conch shell receiver, taken from the pearl necklace Lu Yao had. She called it the “Ghost Line”—thanks to the efforts of the Seal Squadron, this phone, without any traditional wiring, connected to the entire world and could receive reservation calls from guests in any city.

Satisfied with the expansion, Lu Yao prepared to test out the new features.

…

Guests hadn’t noticed the Little Pet Cafe’s expansion, but they did notice a new display in each area—a small stand holding shell-shaped boxes with pale blue business cards, eye-catching and inviting.

When someone picked up a card, they saw “Lu Yao’s Little Pet Cafe” printed on the front, and on the back, a golden set of numbers—this was the shop’s exclusive reservation phone number.

Below the number, fine print explained: “For reservation inquiries. Reservation tickets cost 99 Yur each. If you hear a busy signal, congratulations—you do not need to visit the shop for now.”

“‘For reservation inquiries’—what does that mean?”

“Does this mean you don’t need to become a fish to come to the shop?”

“But there’s a fee now, 99 Yur per ticket.”

“Honestly, 99 Yur isn’t bad. It’s cheaper than the zoo, plus you can cuddle animals, eat seafood, and enjoy the octopus slide and jellyfish Ferris wheel.”

“The experience here is like a premium relaxation spot, all for just a bit of seafood. I’ve always wondered if the shop could keep this up; now that there’s a ticket fee, I feel reassured.”

“Am I the only one curious if this number actually works?”

While guests in other areas discussed the new reservation feature, some visitors in the main store noticed the newly expanded area.

After eating, a few guests climbed the transparent steps, reaching the pier. As the sea breeze swept over them, they were greeted by the endless blue ocean, with the sun just peeking over the horizon.

“Wow, the Little Pet Cafe has expanded to the surface!”

“An above-sea fishing area, with rod rentals and lounge chairs. This is incredible!”

“What sea is this? Could we take an airship directly here one day?”

Lu Yao, overhearing their excitement, stepped out of the operator room. “Airships, I’m afraid, aren’t an option. Guests who can’t transform into fish can only access the shop by phone reservation.”

The guests were puzzled.

At that moment, the phone rang, and Lu Yao turned back to answer it.

The guests hadn’t left, and they overheard her from the room.

“Hello, this is the Little Pet Cafe reservation line. I’m the owner, Lu Yao.

“Yes, today is the first day of reservations. We have twenty slots available. Yes, only a single reservation per person. Any additional guests need to call in personally.

“Can’t get through? Well, that means your friend doesn’t need to visit Little Pet Cafe at this time.”

“Please remain calm. This isn’t the shop’s attempt to inconvenience…” Lu Yao was cut off as the line went dead, likely due to the caller’s frustration—or perhaps the friend who couldn’t reach the shop took their phone away.

Having the number didn’t guarantee a successful connection.

When the Deep Sea Goddess initially allowed “drowned souls” into this sea, she must have wanted to help them. Lu Yao had asked Lei Lei about this, and he explained that when a human in this world reached a negative emotion level of ninety or above, they could become a fish and find themselves drawn to the deep sea.

Thus, Lu Yao set up a simple emotional filter on the hotline, allowing only humans with a negative emotion value of seventy-five or higher to dial the reservation line.

This essentially lowered the threshold, permitting guests on the verge of becoming fish to visit the Little Pet Cafe in advance. It served as a preventive measure, as the human spirit, if repeatedly hurt, could easily shatter beyond repair.

Although they missed the first caller, the twenty available spots were quickly filled.

Upon a successful reservation, the ticket would automatically be delivered to the caller’s location. After signing the ticket and completing payment, the guest would fall asleep within thirty minutes. When they awoke, they would find themselves transformed into a fish, facing the magical shop known as the Little Pet Cafe.

Lu Yao waved from the entrance, “This way, welcome to theLittle Pet Cafe under the sea.”

The twenty reserved guests entered the shop one by one.

One anemone fish, upon transforming back into her human form, immediately ran over to Lu Yao, “Owner, do you remember me?”

After a brief look, Lu Yao’s eyes lit up. “Qin Meng!”

Qin Meng smiled, “The shop has changed so much. When I first came, it was just a small shop. Now it’s like a whole amusement park.”

The reservation list included other familiar faces: Chen Xingyu, Xu Rumin, Zhao Rou and her husband—around seven or eight of the shop’s regulars.

They were among the first guests, who had seen the shop in its early days and were astounded by the transformation. Delighted by the new additions like the Fat Chubby Birds, Marumaru Dogs, and Wakaba Rabbits, they didn’t know what to do with all their excitement.

For first-time guests, the experience was even more intense; they nearly went wild with joy. Some of them had such a blast that they reverted to fish form within half an hour, only to be whisked away by bubbles.

After the day’s reservation experience concluded, the guests who visited longed to return, and those who couldn’t secure a reservation were desperate to visit at least once. The Little Pet Cafe had quickly become an urban legend outside the deep sea.

The newly opened Above-Sea Fishing Room was also a hit. Fishing while enjoying the sea breeze, or sitting by the pier to eat seafood and gaze at the sea and clouds, seemed to stretch time infinitely.

Sitting on the wooden pier outside the operator room, Lu Yao held a bucket of exploding fruit juice, her legs swinging over the gentle waves below.

The system popped up, exasperated: “Only six hours remain until the ultimate task’s deadline, and here you are, leisurely watching the sea!”

Taking a big gulp of fruit juice, Lu Yao squinted at the seafloor. “Honestly, I think we should just call this place ‘Eden.’ It suits it perfectly.”

“The area has successfully been named Eden Sea. Congratulations, Owner! You’ve received the Deep Sea Goddess Emerald Star’s acknowledgment. The ultimate task is complete! The owner may now proceed to the next world!”

She had only mentioned it casually, without finalizing her answer—how had it already succeeded?

The system was more startled than she was, barely holding back from shouting.

A gust of wind swept by, carrying a stack of small slips of paper.

Lu Yao realized her outfit didn’t have pockets today. She caught the paper and instinctively flipped to the last one.

On the plain white slip appeared patterns of swirling clouds in various shades, and in the center, four words were written.

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️

Thingyan: Could the next world be in the sky???