Ch 61: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

They seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.

The sparrows’ Shadow Recording Stone had already been used and was no longer functional. It didn’t matter—Lu Yao only needed to know that such things existed in the Floating World Continent.

She took the stone and sat behind the counter, studying it alone.

By noon, the sparrows didn’t go out to forage but clung to Cheng Ye, begging for food.

Without looking up, Lu Yao instructed, “Don’t we have instant noodles? Cook some for them and add a sausage.”

Cheng Ye wasn’t sure what Lu Yao had in mind, but instant noodles weren’t costly, so he followed her orders.

Cheng Ye was meticulous. He boiled the noodles, counted seventeen sparrows, and went to the hot spring inn to fetch a pack of single-use containers sized for the tiny folk.

Once the noodles softened, he divided them into seventeen portions and placed a slice of sausage on top of each, creating a special sparrow spirit lunch.

The rich aroma of instant noodles filled the café, making the sparrows drool as they flew over to snatch the food.

Without raising her head, Lu Yao said, “Queue up to eat. Chew slowly, and don’t spill soup everywhere.”

Though it was Cheng Ye who cooked the meal, the sparrows knew full well who was truly in charge of feeding them.

As soon as Lu Yao spoke, they obediently lined up on the counter to eat their noodles in an orderly manner.

From his seat in the main hall, Cui Yu glanced over and observed silently for a moment before asking, “What are they eating?”

Cheng Ye replied, “Instant noodles and sausages.”

Of course, that explanation didn’t make much sense to them.

After gaining intelligence, demons cultivated much like human practitioners, relying on absorbing the essence of heaven and earth or consuming spirit stones to strengthen their realms.

Cui Yu, with slightly higher cultivation than the black swallow, was still a young demon with no solid foundation—just barely a century old. Both he and the black swallow had struggled through tough times, often cultivating together to support each other.

A few days ago, Cui Yu had failed a breakthrough and had lingering inner demons, so he locked himself away in his cave. The black swallow, remembering Cui Yu while playing at the café, had specifically brought him here to relax.

In short, they were both poor, young, and rootless demons.

Cui Yu didn’t say much more after his initial question.

While they could use coupons for internet access, food required spirit stones, which they didn’t have.

Noticing Cui Yu’s interest in the instant noodles, the sparrows began hopping around the counter, dragging noodles and showing off shamelessly.

Overexcited, they accidentally made too much noise, disturbing Lu Yao.

She looked up, her gaze warning, and then said, “I’ll treat the black swallow and Cui Yu to some noodles. Pick your flavors and add a sausage. Cheng Ye, show them how to make instant noodles.”

Cheng Ye suddenly understood. Is the boss fishing again?

Lu Yao’s practiced calm was almost terrifying. At first, Cheng Ye didn’t realize, but now it was clear—these simple young demons wouldn’t even notice they were being baited.

Demons weren’t like humans.

They wouldn’t pretend to decline politely or make small talk.

When Lu Yao said she’d treat them, the black swallow and Cui Yu immediately stood up and approached.

Unfamiliar with the options, Cui Yu chose the same flavor as the sparrows, while the black swallow picked a braised meat flavor.

Setting down her pen, Lu Yao watched with interest as the two young demons, under Cheng Ye’s guidance, tore open the sausage packets and poured hot water over the noodles.

She asked curiously, “Don’t demon cultivators practice fasting?”

The black swallow shook his head. “After transforming, we don’t need to eat every day. I… just wanted to know what this tastes like—I’ve never seen it before.”

Cui Yu glanced at Lu Yao. “You’re just a mortal, yet you’re not afraid of demons?”

Lu Yao replied, “I wouldn’t say I’m fearless. It’s just that sometimes, there are things you have to do.”

Cui Yu continued, “Why did you come to Baixian Mountain?”

Lu Yao smiled gently. “Why am I here? I’m still searching for that answer myself.”

Cui Yu stared at her, frowning deeply.

Lu Yao’s smile didn’t falter. “Your instant noodles are ready.”

She lifted the paper lids, releasing a rich, cheap aroma that immediately filled the air.

For demons, this was an entirely novel scent.

The black swallow and Cui Yu returned to their seats, awkwardly using plastic forks to pick at the noodles. After the first bite, their eyes widened in surprise. Then, in a whirlwind of activity, they devoured the noodles and drank every drop of the broth.

…

Lu Yao spent the day crafting two dandelions.

Using her powers, she shrank and lightened the teleportation scrolls and coupons, attaching them to the seeds of the enormous dandelion.

Having seen the massive dandelions of the Nitean Continent, it was easy for her to replicate their structure and appearance.

She used a sparrow spirit’s feather as a medium, infusing the dandelion seeds with a faint trace of demon energy.

When the seeds floated on the wind and encountered cultivators or entities with demonic power, they would burst, releasing a teleportation scroll and a coupon.

The finished dandelion bombs were the size of ordinary dandelions from the shopping street but would expand to the size of the massive dandelion seeds when they hit their target.

Under normal circumstances, they drifted invisibly through the air.

Lu Yao handed one dandelion to the sparrows and instructed them to scatter the seeds outside Baixian Mountain.

The other dandelion she planned to give to the black swallow and Cui Yu, asking them to take it to a larger, more prosperous city. She had already given up on Baixian Town.

If she was going to advertise, she might as well go big.

The two young demons had been visiting the internet café daily, staying until nightfall. Lu Yao often treated them to instant noodles at noon.

The black swallow reached out to take the dandelion.

Cui Yu stopped him, turning to Lu Yao. “What are you plotting?”

This human seemed intent on gathering powerful demons in the mountains.

Lu Yao responded calmly, “I just want to attract more customers.”

To demonstrate, she plucked a seed from the dandelion and lightly touched it to Cui Yu’s feathered cloak.

The seed burst, releasing a teleportation scroll, a coupon, and a small projection.

Cui Yu silently watched the projection play out.

The black swallow took the dandelion from Lu Yao and headed for the door. “The noodles and sausages settle our debt.”

…

Each dandelion carried 120 seeds, totaling 240 seeds between the two plants.

However, it was impossible for all 240 seeds to meet their intended targets. Some loss was inevitable along the way.

The greatest advantage of this method was its efficiency. Lu Yao no longer had to distribute flyers personally.

The dandelion seeds would float with the wind, inevitably reaching a few cultivators or demons.

The sparrow spirits, with their low cultivation, didn’t dare venture far from Baixian Mountain. They heeded Lu Yao’s instructions, avoiding Hengze Sect and scattering the seeds outside the mountain.

The black swallow and Cui Yu, on the other hand, took their dandelion to Liuxian City, scattering the seeds randomly in the surrounding wilderness.

Under the cool night breeze, the tiny dandelion seeds floated silently through the air.

One seed landed on a peach blossom tree.

Bang—

The seed burst, releasing a teleportation scroll and a coupon.

In midair, a projection unfolded:

A small demon walked into a strange shop and called out to the man behind the counter, “Net manager, open a computer.”

The demon received a number, turned, and found a seat in the main hall. Tiny figures in a box on the desk moved in sync with the demon’s actions, accompanied by lighthearted gaming sound effects.

The demon deftly cleared levels, then suddenly raised its head and shouted, “Net manager, a bowl of noodles, with a sausage!”

Moments later, the man referred to as the “net manager” delivered a steaming bowl of noodles. The aroma seemed to drift out of the screen.

A strand of pink light floated out from the peach blossom tree, landing on its bare branches. Slowly, it morphed into a pink-haired youth, dressed in flowing robes.

The projection continued, showing the demon slurping down the noodles and, after wiping its mouth, resuming its game, battling the tiny figures in the box.

There were no exaggerated acting or dramatic plotlines—the projection simply showcased the internet café in a straightforward way.

The pink-haired youth picked up the magic teleportation scroll and coupon hanging from the tree branch. Seeing the large words on the coupon, “Lu Yao’s Interdimensional Internet Café,” and recalling the shop sign from the projection, his brow arched slightly.

What a clumsy trap.

…

Baixian Mountain, Interdimensional Internet Café.

The sparrows returned after completing their task and noticed a drawing left on the table by Lu Yao.

The drawing depicted a boy wearing a short brown feathered cape, his messy hair resembling a bird’s nest. His round, black eyes looked like little beads, with a small round dot beneath each eye.

The sparrows froze in their tracks, captivated by the boy in the drawing.

They had accidentally encountered one of the dandelion seeds outside and seen the same boy in the projection.

The boy in the projection looked exactly like the one in the drawing.

Though there wasn’t anything particularly striking about the boy, the sparrows found him inexplicably appealing.

Lu Yao returned from taking a phone call and found the sparrows staring blankly at the drawing. She chuckled. “What’s this? Do you like this character?”

The sparrows tilted their heads and chirped noisily, their meaning unclear.

Lu Yao picked up the drawing and handed it to them. “If you like it, it’s yours.”

The sparrow spirits eagerly grabbed the drawing and flew off with it.

The projection inside the dandelion seeds had been filmed and edited collaboratively by the snack shop, internet café, and cinema post-production teams.

The boy featured in the projection was based on Lu Yao’s drawing.

The actor came from the snack shop, and illusion magic was used to replicate the boy’s appearance as shown in the drawing.

The inspiration for the boy’s design? None other than the sparrow spirits themselves.

Pressed for time, Lu Yao hadn’t given much thought to character design and had simply sketched a humanoid version of the sparrow spirits.

Unexpectedly, they loved it.

…

At 7 p.m., Cheng Ye got up from behind the counter, preparing to clean up and close for the day.

Most internet cafés wouldn’t close this early. Typically, evenings and late nights were the busiest and most profitable times.

However, since opening, this café had seen few customers, so they had been closing at the same time each day.

Cheng Ye suspected the boss was being considerate of his physical well-being.

Over the past few days, the café had tried hiring new staff. The boss had interviewed a few candidates, but it seemed none of them worked out.

“Net manager, open a computer.”

A new voice suddenly came from the front counter.

Cheng Ye looked up and saw a… pink-haired, pink-clothed, pink-faced youth standing at the counter.

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