Ch 49: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

The elder chieftain of the Shenmu tribe, along with the tribe elders and about half the knights, boarded the train. It looped around the tracks, offering a panoramic view of the scenery surrounding the inn.

The chieftain leaned on his wooden staff, his gaze fixed on the landscape outside the window.

An elder seated across from him remarked slowly, “If no one told us this was Thorn Valley, who would recognize it?”

The chieftain closed his eyes briefly and exhaled deeply. The situation had far exceeded their expectations.

The reports brought back by Yingtong and Jianlan were far too limited. They had learned too late about the big human’s ability to handle the fetal seed.

Now, who knew what price they would have to pay to recover the world’s last fetal seed.

Seeing the chieftain’s distress, the elder tried to console him. “It hasn’t been long since the big human arrived, and Thorn Valley has already changed entirely. When you meet her, don’t rush into a quarrel. Speak calmly.”

The chieftain thought the elder’s advice was redundant.

He was impulsive, but not brainless.

In the rear carriages, the knights leaned out of the windows, marveling at everything they saw.

“What’s that giant dandelion?”

“It’s just a dandelion, isn’t it?”

“Look, someone’s sitting inside it!”

“Quick, look at the field. What’s that?”

“Soapberries and small beans. Haven’t you seen them before?”

“No, don’t you think that field looks strange?”

Indeed, it didn’t appear wild or untended. It seemed deliberately cultivated.

Nearby, there was another square plot of land, completely bare and waiting to sprout.

The small train stopped at the inn’s entrance. All the passengers disembarked, and Jinjin looped back to pick up the remaining knights.

The other half of the knights, who had ridden red pigs and even led a few extra, hadn’t waited for the train.

Once everyone was assembled, the elder chieftain organized the group and approached the inn to knock on the door.

Lu Yao opened the door, holding Heici in her palm, intending to take him to check out the beehive’s location.

The little people of the Shenmu tribe followed her gaze upward from her pant leg, craning their necks. The elder chieftain almost strained his neck in the process.

Lu Yao glanced down at the neatly arranged group of little people with pale golden hair. One particularly conspicuous individual had short silver-white hair.

Behind them, the robust and well-ordered red pig herd also caught her attention.

Lu Yao stepped aside. “If you’re here for food or lodging, please come inside.”

The elder chieftain cleared his throat, just about to speak, when Jianlan darted out from behind.

“Lu Yao, we’re back again! These are members of the Shenmu tribe—this is the elder chieftain, and this is an elder.” Jianlan introduced them swiftly.

The elder chieftain, cut off mid-sentence, was left standing awkwardly, stomping his wooden staff in frustration.

Lu Yao nodded politely. “Welcome, welcome.”

As Jianlan was about to jump straight to the point, the elder grabbed her and shoved her to the back, stepping forward with a composed expression. “We’re a group of thirty-two, here to stay.”

Lu Yao stepped aside to let them in. The staff immediately came over to assist with check-in.

The inn had three guest blocks. Most of the younger little people, after hearing the introduction, chose the blue-brick house on the left or the rose garden house.

Upon learning about the hot spring rooms, the elder decided he wanted to soak in the hot springs.

The elder chieftain and the current captain of the knights also requested hot spring rooms.

With both human and little people staff efficiently attending to the guests, Lu Yao watched for a moment at the door. Everything ran so smoothly that she barely needed to supervise. Turning away, she left with Heici to check on the location of the beehive.

She didn’t notice a small tail following her from behind.

Back at the inn, the knights of the Shenmu tribe felt like Alice lost in Wonderland. The guest rooms, gourmet food, and entertainment were all things they had never seen before.

The elder chieftain toured the guest rooms first before heading to the hot spring on the ground floor.

The hot spring room design exuded elegance but offered little sense of security. The theme was “bamboo,” with the rooms resembling bamboo houses. The interior design emphasized simplicity, serenity, and refinement.

The ground-floor hot spring pools were interconnected and bordered by smooth pebbles. Beyond the screens, fields of dwarf bamboo swayed gently in the breeze, their leaves rustling softly.

Although it was indoors, looking up revealed a starry sky and bright moon, creating an illusion of being under the open heavens.

The elder chieftain, the elder, and the knight captain entered and were immediately awestruck.

The world of the Nitean little people lacked such formalities. They didn’t mind bathing outdoors. Unfamiliar with the concept of holographic projections, they simply felt the inn held countless mysteries.

Unable to figure it out, they decided to enjoy the bath first.

As their old bones soaked in the warm water, the fatigue and soreness of the past few days melted away. The elder chieftain sighed contentedly.

The elder leaned against the pool’s edge, lazily picking a small drink can from a floating wooden tray. Pulling the tab, he sipped cautiously, confirming it was to his taste before gulping it down.

The elder chieftain frowned. “Where did you get that? Why don’t I have one?”

The elder replied, “It’s right at the entrance.”

The elder chieftain blinked. He had no memory of it.

The ground floor of the hot spring rooms was entirely dedicated to the baths. Between the men’s and women’s sections was a miniature vending machine. Both the machine and its tiny drink cans were crafted by Lu Yao and the snack shop staff. Like all miniature items in the inn, the machine was fully functional.

In his hurry to get into the bath, the elder chieftain had missed it entirely.

The elder and the knight captain, lingering behind, had stopped to admire the vending machine. After examining it for some time, they learned how to use it.

Now drink-less, the elder chieftain fumed silently.

The elder pushed the floating tray toward him with a magnanimous air. “We bought plenty. Take your pick.”

The knight captain hesitated, almost confessing that they had kept buying drinks because the machine was so entertaining. They ended up with a whole pile. Fortunately, the “drinks” were quite tasty, and any extras could be taken back.

After soaking in the bath, the three exited to find the young knights in the opposite guest rooms entirely captivated by the inn’s novelties.

Between the hot spring guest rooms and the newly built guest area was a slightly larger space. On one side stood a miniature cinema, while on the hot spring side was a transparent lotus pond.

The pond was entirely clear, revealing an underwater world. Small fish swam leisurely among the plants, and the water’s surface was adorned with blooming lotus flowers, creating a scene that instantly soothed the mind.

Before arriving at the inn, the elder chieftain and the elder had been filled with countless concerns.

But now, as they took in the surreal beauty of the place, the fear of an uncontrollable destiny seemed to recede slightly.

The inn felt like a sudden arrival from a paradise beyond the world, indescribably wondrous.

Standing by the lotus pond, the elder watched the fish swim freely and mused, “They probably think this is the entirety of their world. How carefree they are.”

The elder chieftain glanced at him and snorted coldly.

“Two hundred years old and still spouting nonsense,” he muttered, annoyed at the elder’s habit of rambling aimlessly.

The elder clasped his hands behind his back and turned away. “Let’s go. Back to the room for dinner. Afterward, we’ll discuss business.”

Later that evening, the elder chieftain and his two companions had their meal in their room. A planned meeting had to be postponed by half an hour.

Outside the inn, Heici said the beehive was under a rock slab at the foot of the mountain.

Following his directions, Lu Yao headed over.

Yingtong had been quietly following them the whole time.

Several times, he nearly caught up, but Lu Yao quickened her pace unexpectedly. In the end, Yingtong’s short legs couldn’t keep up. He stopped, opened his mouth as if to call out, but no sound came. He could only watch as Lu Yao walked further away.

About twenty minutes later, Lu Yao and Heici returned, chatting about making a beehive box to “house” the bees. Along the roadside, under a giant dandelion, they spotted a dejected little mushroom squatting alone.

Lu Yao paused, crouched down, and greeted it. “Who’s this poor little thing?”

The “poor little thing” turned its head and bit down on her fingertip.

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