Ch 46: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

“Alright, come on in!”

“Me! Me!”

“Lu Yao, I want to ride!”

“Let me on!!!”

The tiny people clamored like children in kindergarten, eagerly trying to catch the teacher’s attention.

“Lu Yao, what are you doing up there?”

Below the tree, Monk stood holding a string of horned rabbits and dragging a sack of hemp chicken, curiously looking up.

Monk, Zhuang Yu, and their tribe members had been hunting in the mountains. Hearing Lu Yao’s voice, they had come over.

Lu Yao explained, “The inn just set up a cable car. The guests want to try it out.”

Monk’s eyes sparkled. “What’s a cable car?”

Hudie, leaning against the railing, shouted, “A cable car is like a giant dandelion! You can ride it to fly to the inn!”

Fly to the inn?

They had spent the entire day hunting and had forgotten the time. With so much game, it would take until midnight to return to the tribe on foot.

Monk’s eyes darted around, scheming. “How long does it take to fly to the inn from here?”

The tiny people didn’t know exactly, only saying, “It’s really fast!”

Lu Yao thought for a moment and explained in terms they’d understand:
“About the time it takes to cook three bowls of noodles continuously—that’s how long the ride would be.”

Zhuang Yu exclaimed, “That fast?!”

Cooking three bowls of noodles was about fifteen minutes, a time frame they could grasp easily.

The others were equally astonished.

Lu Yao jumped down from the tree and bent over, extending her hand. “Want to go up and see?”

Monk, already impatient, leapt into her palm, placing his game there as well. Zhuang Yu quickly followed.

Curiosity ran high among the others. They didn’t want to be left behind and one by one jumped into Lu Yao’s hand.

With a short ladder beside the trunk, Lu Yao stepped onto it and placed the tiny people onto the cable car platform.

Monk, Zhuang Yu, and their companions landed and immediately abandoned their game to run towards the giant dandelion carriages, fascinated.

The dandelion carriages weren’t small. After adding exterior decorations, they appeared as fluffy, adorable puffs.

Monk turned to Lu Yao. “How do we ride it?”

Lu Yao pointed to the currency exchange machine nearby.
“Just like the inn—use items here to exchange for ride tokens. See that small slot at the door? Insert the token, and the carriage door will open. Once inside, buckle up the safety harness, and you’re ready to head down the mountain.”

Monk and his companions conferred. They had plenty of game. Using some to exchange for tokens and saving hours of travel seemed like a great deal.

Though initially hesitant, Monk took three horned rabbits to the exchange machine. But after placing just one into the machine, a round, bronze-colored token rolled out.

This token was another type of Nitean currency with a lower value than the standard large Nitean coins, akin to the difference between bus fare and hotel fees.

Monk turned to look at Lu Yao.

She nodded. “One token is enough.”

The group of young tiny people, who often secretly spent money at the inn behind their tribe leader’s back, immediately grasped the value. Riding the cable car was much cheaper than staying at the inn. Even those who had been hesitant now stopped objecting.

Monk held the single token and inserted it into the slot of the first dandelion carriage. The door slowly opened, revealing red seats on either side.

The dandelion cable car carriage could accommodate up to sixteen passengers. Beneath the seats, there was ample hollow space for storing game.

With twelve people and their haul, two carriages would suffice.

They were a bit slow at counting and took a long time to figure things out.

Lu Yao intervened and quickly split them into two groups—Monk’s group and Zhuang Yu’s group—each with six people.

Zhuang Yu paused for a moment before switching seats with someone in Monk’s group.

She wanted to sit with Monk.

Under her insistence, her companion reluctantly took out another horned rabbit to exchange for a token and inserted it into the second dandelion carriage.

Finally, the two groups settled into their carriages. Following Lu Yao’s instructions, they pulled up the safety harnesses beneath their seats and secured themselves.

Once everyone was seated safely, the doors of the carriages slowly closed, and the carriages began to move.

At first, they slid forward from the platform. Then, as they detached, they began to descend smoothly along the sloped cable.

When the carriages dropped below the platform, the tiny people inside couldn’t help but scream.

Realizing the carriages were stable and safe, they began to look around. From the cable car, they could see the distant stone forests, hills, and even the familiar small haystacks in the Red Pig Tribe’s territory.

Zhuang Yu tugged hard on Monk’s hand. “Look, a sparrow just flew by!”

Recently, Lu Yao had noticed that Nitean Continent was home to animals of normal size—birds, fish, and insects—all much larger than the Nitean tiny people.

Warm weather made these creatures more visible. Most had little interest in the tiny people, though some larger animals, like sharp-toothed striped rats or stealthy snakes, were feared by the Nitean people.

For the tiny people, who spent most of their lives with low vantage points, this was their first time overlooking the places they lived from a height. Everywhere they looked, they saw new and unfamiliar sights. Even the sky seemed more vast than usual.

The two groups from the Red Pig Tribe descended the mountain in the cable cars.

Upon reaching the platform at the bottom, the tiny people waiting there gazed longingly at Lu Yao. They also wanted a ride but hadn’t brought anything to exchange for tokens.

Lu Yao pulled two spare tokens from her pocket and handed them over. “You can go back first.”

Hudie asked, “Aren’t you going back?”

Lu Yao climbed down the ladder and jumped to the ground. “I think just having the cable car here isn’t enough. The tree is too tall. If someone like Monk brings game, they won’t be able to climb up. I plan to build an elevator here.”

Hearing this, the tiny people returned the tokens to Lu Yao.

Lu Yao raised an eyebrow. “?”

Hudie grabbed Jiegeng. “We’re going hunting. Call us when it’s time to leave.”

As expected, they preferred to hunt for their own items to exchange for tokens—it made the ride more meaningful.

Since Ziye and Jiexiang left, the inn had become much quieter.

Accompanying Lu Yao up the mountain were Hudie, Jiegeng, A’dai, Jin Jin, Heici, and Beef Cube.

Beef Cube had grown a bit and was well-trained by Heici, no longer running off wildly when outdoors.

Inspired by Hudie’s suggestion, the rest grew enthusiastic, all wanting to go hunting.

Lu Yao carefully placed them on the ground and left them to it.

Her priority was finishing the elevator before nightfall.

From her personal storage, Lu Yao retrieved extra parts and began working.

As she assembled the pieces, she thought about building a spiral staircase around the tree trunk, wide enough to include handrails.

If the elevator broke down, the tiny people would still have a way up.

Once the station was officially operational, it would require one or two attendants stationed here, plus a comfortable office.

It seemed she would need to hire more tiny people as inn staff. At the very least, the cable car station at the inn’s entrance needed an attendant.

Meanwhile, the tiny people riding the dandelion carriages grew excited as the inn came into view.

“We’re already there! That was so fast!”

“This cable car is so fun! Tomorrow we can hunt on the mountain again.”

The tribe had many people, and Monk’s group wanted to find suitable new hunting grounds.

The mountain had plenty of game, but climbing up and down was time-consuming.

With the cable car, things were different. Even if they hunted until dark, they could ride the cable car to the inn, safely transport their game, and even stay overnight before returning to the tribe.

Monk beamed with pride. “Lu Yao is the greatest of all big people!”

His companions nodded in agreement, inwardly acknowledging Lu Yao as the pinnacle of big people.

The dandelion carriages gently landed on the newly constructed platform, came to a stop, and the doors slowly opened.

The safety harnesses on the tiny passengers’ seats automatically released, and they dragged their game off the carriage.

The empty carriage doors closed automatically and ascended the mountain via the opposite side of the cable.

Zhuang Yu pointed to the departing carriage. “Can we also take the cable car up the mountain?”

Her companions stared blankly for a moment, realizing that using the cable car for both ascending and descending the mountain would leave them plenty of time for hunting.

Monk furrowed his brow and began walking toward the direction indicated by the signs. “Let’s go ask the big human at the inn.”

After all, if they didn’t know something, the big human would.

At the inn, Bai Lu noticed two more dandelion carriages descending. Since the innkeeper wasn’t present, she suspected it might be other tiny people and quickly called Ji Qingyan and Xiao Zheng to check.

Seeing the miniature cable cars operating smoothly in the wild filled them with a sense of accomplishment.

Soon, Monk’s group appeared, dragging their heavy game off the platform and slowly making their way to the inn.

Ji Qingyan observed, “They don’t seem to be from the inn staff.”

Bai Lu squinted and recognized them. “They’re from a nearby tribe. Some of them are particularly fond of the innkeeper.”

Xiao Zheng immediately identified Monk and Zhuang Yu. “They often come here for lunch.”

…

Large Hot Spring Room, Women’s Bath

Du Mingyan lounged in the pool, her arm resting on the edge.

There was indeed a connected miniature hot spring pool next to hers, but it was empty.

Was this false advertising?

She had genuinely been looking forward to soaking with the tiny people.

Across from her, Yu Shu was enjoying the bath. Her first impression of this peculiar inn hadn’t been great, but she had to admit the hot spring itself was excellent.

The decor was elegant yet understated, the privacy was perfect, and the peace and quiet were unmatched.

Soaking in the warm water, she could feel the tension and fatigue melting away.

Floating in the pool were two small wooden trays, each holding a plate of fresh fruit and a jug of low-alcohol cherry wine.

Before getting into the water, Yu Shu had tasted a glass of the wine. It was sweet, smooth, and surprisingly high-quality, complementing the overall environment and service.

Her earlier discomfort dissipated as she relaxed.

It had been a long time since she’d felt this at ease, though Du Mingyan, seated across from her, seemed less satisfied, even sighing occasionally.

Yu Shu opened her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Du Mingyan replied, “It’s nothing, just a bit of disappointment.”

Yu Shu frowned. “I think it’s fine. What are you dissatisfied with?”

Du Mingyan shook her head. “There are some unique sights here that we seem to have missed.”

Yu Shu frowned again.

Just then, the bell beside the pool rang.

Du Mingyan asked, “What is it?”

Bai Lu, standing outside, replied, “A few guests would like to join the bath. This is the only pool with a miniature warm pool attached. May I let them in for a while?”

Zhuang Yu had heard earlier that the inn’s hot spring rooms were open. Remembering the warm springs they’d seen on the mountain in the morning, she regretted not taking the time to enjoy them then.

By the afternoon, she was in a rush to get downhill and had forgotten about it.

When she learned that the inn’s hot springs were sourced from the mountain, she quickly gathered two of her female companions and begged Bai Lu to let them bathe.

Lu Yao had already notified the staff: the hot spring room with the window view was reserved exclusively for tiny guests, but tiny employees of the inn could use the larger hot spring room.

She had even built a small warm pool inside, complete with a transparent, tiny-person-exclusive pathway along the wall.

Zhuang Yu and her group weren’t staying overnight; they just wanted to enjoy a bath.

Bai Lu intended to let them use this side.

Yu Shu was about to refuse. She had just begun to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and didn’t want to be disturbed.

But Du Mingyan perked up, peering over eagerly. “Are they tiny guests?”

Bai Lu: “Yes.”

Du Mingyan: “Sure, let them in!”

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️