Ch 112: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

Lu Yao opened the image. Mo Bao’s human form bore a resemblance to Zeyuan—black hair, black clothes, and red eyes passed down like a familial trait. Sitting together, they indeed looked a bit like father and son.

[Lu Yao’s Interdimensional Internet Cafe has earned renown across the Six Realms, upgraded to a four-star shop. Reward: Popularity +40,000, World tree +1! Keep up the good work, store owner!]

Lu Yao looked up, momentarily distracted by the system notification.

[New mission available! In three months, the Ancient Celestial-Demonic Conference will take place. Lu Yao’s Interdimensional Internet Cafe must inform all Six Realms and host this long-lost event. Successfully holding the Celestial-Demonic Conference will complete the mission. Rewards: Popularity +1,000,000, Spirit-Converging Colorful Stones ×10, Immortal Fruit ×1, World tree seed ×1, Godslayer Arrow ×1. Please strive to complete the mission!]

The reward list was both astonishing and thrilling, perfectly hitting the store owner’s aspirations.

After reading over 10,000 books in the Mirror of Serenity, Lu Yao had developed a deep understanding of the rare treasures in the Mortal World.

Spirit-Converging Colorful Stones were said to be fragments of the Five-Colored Stones used by Nuwa to mend the heavens.
The Immortal Fruit came from the Immortal Tree and was also the raw material for the Elixir of Immortality.
World tree, the mythical bridge connecting heaven, earth, and divine realms, was the only divine tree with “heavenly ladder” properties.
Only the mysterious Godslayer Arrow had an unclear origin.

Turning back to the mission, the phrases “ancient,” “inform all Six Realms,” “lost for millennia,” and “Celestial-Demonic Conference” combined to instantly raise the mission’s difficulty to an extreme level.

Lu Yao had always suspected that the proxy bot had a mischievous streak.

Still, if the last seemingly impossible task was completed just before its deadline, this new one, with three months of preparation time, might just be doable.

She had taken precautions in advance—collaborating with Shen Pingjin on game development—partly for this reason.

While Lu Yao didn’t know the specifics of future missions, after running nine stores and gaining ample experience, she realized the Dream Fulfillment System seemed to act like a test setter. The scope of its questions was often determined by the store owner’s chosen business focus.

This relationship of mutual checks and balances likely existed from the very beginning, even if the novice store owner back then hadn’t noticed.

But how could a humble internet cafe host a grand event lost to time for millennia and gather beings from all Six Realms?

Money? Prestige? Power?

Or the simplest and harshest truth in the cultivation world—the rule of the strong?

None of these seemed within reach of a small internet cafe owner.

Lu Yao believed there was a universal trait among all sentient beings: curiosity.

That, she felt, was her key to success.

Lu Yao got up, washed up, grabbed two freshly made ham sandwiches from the stove, drank a glass of warm milk in one go, and placed the empty cup on the inn’s central kitchen counter without looking back as she walked out the door.

Heici, from across the guesthouse courtyard, noticed this. He led the now noticeably larger Beef Cube through the glass corridor to the counter to clean up after Lu Yao.

Lu Yao left the inn and headed straight to the small road opposite, stopping at the entrance of the second office building. She knocked lightly on the door.

Liu Yixi and Mei Xue, who had just arrived, looked up.

Lu Yao: “How’s the progress?”

Liu Yixi: “About 30% done.”

Mei Xue: “I’m at roughly 20%.”

For a project still in its infancy, with only a handful of team members, the progress was impressive.

The background materials provided by the store owner were particularly dense. The world-building alone involved all Six Realms, featuring a vast and complex setting. The detailed character backstories, high modeling standards, intricate scenes, game mechanics, and balance required extensive effort. The collaborating partners on the other end were also racing against time to meet expectations.

Lu Yao: “What if I said we need to launch in a month? Any chance?”

Liu Yixi: “…Boss, with all due respect, dreaming might be faster.”

Lu Yao’s expression didn’t change, still in the mood to banter. “You’re a bit bold.”

Liu Yixi immediately wore a pained expression. “Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Ask a hundred times, and it’s still impossible—even if the salary triples!”

Lu Yao turned to Mei Xue.

Mei Xue, much softer, blinked innocently. “I’m just a humble artist who knows nothing.”

Lu Yao: “…So, realistically, how long would it take? Assuming everything is perfectly resourced and scheduled?”

Mei Xue: “…Three months?”

Liu Yixi buried his face in his hands. “At least half a year.”

Lu Yao relaxed. “Actually, here’s the thing: I recently got a special-artifact, a time distorting realm, in the Floating World. Inside it, one year equals one day in the real world.”

Liu Yixi & Mei Xue: “…”

They were very intrigued by this time distorting realm, but why develop such a crazy feature?

Lu Yao: “Let me figure something out. When the time comes, can you manage a little overtime inside my time distorting realm?”

Liu Yixi & Mei Xue: “…”

Lu Yao: “Of course, I’m not stingy. Overtime in the time distorting realm will be compensated according to the time spent inside.”

The two, initially wilted like dry pickled greens, perked up as if showered in spring rain. They almost wanted to kneel and proclaim, “Boss, you’re brilliant. Thank you, Boss!”

Inside the time distorting realm, one year equals one day outside.

A project requiring six months—about 180 days—could theoretically be completed in just a single day in the real world. They would indeed work for six months but receive fair pay, all without disrupting their normal lives. Plus, they could experience the legendary time distorting realm.

Thinking about it this way, it didn’t seem so bad after all.

Lu Yao: “So, it’s settled. Adjust your workflow for now, and I’ll schedule the overtime later.”

Lu Yao prepared to head to the internet cafe.

Mei Xue stopped her. “I think it’d be good to hire a writer.”

Mei Xue had long thought the game’s expansive world, models, and character designs were intriguing. With a professional writer, the backstories and characters could be made even more engaging. She hesitated before bringing it up, considering her recent hire and previous work experiences, but decided to speak up.

Lu Yao thought for a moment. “Alright. If you have someone in mind, feel free to recommend them. I’ll have Zhixin handle screening and interviews.”

Encouraged, Liu Yixi added: “Boss, I think relying on just me and Xiao Xue for overtime might not cut it. Maybe we could bring in the team from Shen Group?”

Lu Yao had considered it but found it slightly tricky. She promised to think it through.

With no further issues, Liu Yixi and Mei Xue got back to reworking their project schedule, already looking forward to the time distorting realm experience. It was strange—they were actually excited about overtime.

At the internet cafe, Zeyuan and Mo Bao were seated at the machines closest to the bar.

Lu Yao walked over and greeted them. “Morning. Have you eaten?”

Zeyuan seemed distracted and took a moment to respond. “I have.”

Lu Yao retrieved a still-warm ham sandwich from her portable storage and handed it to him. “You’re not good at lying.”

“Ridiculous!” Zeyuan turned slightly, avoiding her gaze. “Why would I need to lie?”

Feeling a bit hungry herself, Lu Yao started eating her own sandwich and casually placed a handful of candy on Mo Bao’s desk.

Mo Bao, newly crowned Demon Prince and no longer just the Demon Sovereign’s pet, was still reveling in his promotion. It was a good morning for the young Demon Prince—his new dad had even brought him to the internet cafe. He was so happy he didn’t notice Lu Yao at first.

Lu Yao studied Zeyuan for a moment. “Something happened?”

Zeyuan shook his head. “No, just bored.”

Unlike others, he never found much interest in using the internet.

Lu Yao leaned slightly forward. “What did Yu Yao say to you?”

Her sharpness never ceased to surprise him.

Ze Yuan nodded slightly. “She said she envied you.”

In truth, Zeyuan Yao’s words had been much more pointed. She genuinely believed she was more deserving of being the internet cafe’s owner and was consumed by resentment and frustration.

Lu Yao chuckled. “She told me she liked you.”

A flicker of astonishment crossed Zeyuan’s eyes, and he instinctively refuted, “I don’t.”

This sulking attitude likely stemmed from the day he stopped responding to her messages. Lu Yao knew Yu Yao had seen her memories and probably hated her to the core by now.

During the interrogation, Yu Yao might have let slip some secrets about her, such as the existence of the store, the interdimensional system, or her tasks.

Given Zeyuan’s lack of personal memories, being swayed was only natural.

Zeyuan Yao likely intended to sabotage her mission, but instead, Zeyuan expedited matters by appointing his companion pet as the Demon Prince.

The other day, Xuanfeng had mentioned that the Demon Sovereign was particularly busy—likely preoccupied with this affair.

Now that it was settled, he probably still felt a pang of discomfort.

Well, thanks to Yu Yao’s interference, Lu Yao’s task had wrapped up ahead of schedule. She could manage the cleanup now.

Lu Yao leaned in closer, her eyes meeting Zeyuan’s starry, trembling crimson ones. “What I said in the Demon Realm last time—I didn’t lie.”

Zeyuan’s cheeks flushed instantly.

Satisfied she had made her point, Lu Yao smoothly switched topics. “What were you looking for in the secret realm last time?”

…

Meanwhile, Xuanfeng, who had been waiting in line for food at the bar, finally got his turn. As he turned to leave, he saw Lu Yao walking straight toward the Demon Sovereign.

Knowing better, he tactfully kept his distance. Translated on hololonovels.

Still, with the Devil Clan’s natural talent for heightened senses, especially in a space as small as the internet cafe, standing three meters away didn’t stop him from overhearing everything.

Their sovereign was utterly captivated by the human store owner.

And yet, even with that, couldn’t she have just said it one more time?!

Zeyuan didn’t linger in the cafe for long. After talking with Lu Yao briefly, he dragged a game-obsessed Mo Bao away, apparently with more pressing matters to handle.

By then, Xiong An’an had already left with Jiao Niang in the morning and wasn’t in the store.

Lu Yao took a moment to discuss her future overtime plans with Cheng Ye.

Cheng Ye had no objections.

With nothing else pressing in the store, and plenty of time left in the day, Lu Yao decided to head out for a bit.

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