Ch 138: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

The dazzling fireworks lingered in the sky above Ghost Street, refusing to dissipate. Jiang Lin craned his neck, staring at the brilliant display, and the dazed look in his eyes gradually gave way to clarity.

It was as though a hand had swept away the thin mist shrouding his memories, bringing the blurry images into sharp focus.

He remembered.

The events from four years ago, everything about Ghost Street, and the reason he and Cai Yuxing had walked into the DIY workshop.

Jiang Lin shifted his gaze slightly and saw Cai Yuxing standing beside him.

She, too, was watching the fireworks in the night sky, just as she had four years ago.

Across from the DIY workshop, a handful of patrons in the “Abyss” bar had left their seats and walked outside. They glanced curiously at the people across the street before tilting their heads up to admire the fireworks.

Lu Yao noticed that the bartender from last night had also stepped out of the bar at some point.

Unlike the others, he wasn’t looking at the fireworks—he was looking at her.

The octopus atop his head seemed even larger than it had been the night before, its tentacles covered in countless protrusions.

Strangely, no one else appeared to notice anything unusual.

This man’s condition seemed different from Jiang Lin’s.

Lu Yao lowered her gaze slightly and, as she had the previous evening, gave him a polite nod.

The loud, vibrant five-minute fireworks show finally came to an end, with every shell made that afternoon expended.

After several seconds, the effect of the nightfall firework faded, revealing the softly glowing hues of twilight as the sun neared the horizon. The tranquil dusk once again wrapped itself around the street.

Lu Yao clapped her hands and called out to Jiang Lin and Cai Yuxing, who were still standing at the door in a daze. “For a first attempt, it’s pretty impressive. Come on, let’s go eat.”

After a busy afternoon, Lu Yao was indeed hungry.

She pulled out her phone, ready to order food from one of the snack shops nearby. Before she could enter, someone ran up behind her.

“Hey, those fireworks—were they really handmade?”

Lu Yao turned to see a middle-aged man with a thick beard hurrying toward her, his eyes bright and fixed intently on her.

“Of course,” Lu Yao replied.

The man glanced at the advertisement board next to her, his expression briefly stunned before regaining composure. He quickened his pace. “I want to try.”

Lu Yao was about to agree.

It wasn’t yet six o’clock. If she grabbed a quick bite, there was still time to fit in another session before midnight.

But Xu Zhengrong and Ren You reacted faster, stepping in to block the man.

She couldn’t hear what they said, but the man cast her a deep, reluctant glance before turning back toward the bar across the street.

The other onlookers, having witnessed this exchange, seemed to understand something. Gradually, they began to disperse.

Lu Yao’s gaze cooled as it swept over Xu Zhengrong and Ren You.

Liu Jing tugged at her arm and shook her head. “The church will send someone soon. It’s better not to accept any more guests.”

Lu Yao withdrew her gaze. “Fine, I’ll cooperate.”

Liu Jing lingered at the door. “I should head back to the office. I’ll visit again tomorrow—save me a slot to try the activity.”

With so much happening, Lu Yao didn’t have time to ask Liu Jing about her situation.

Liu Jing seemed busy herself. She said her goodbyes and turned to leave, only to be stopped by Xu Zhengrong.

The security team needed to stay and watch over Jiang Lin until reinforcements from the church arrived. Without anyone available to escort her back to the management office, Liu Jing had no choice but to stay at the workshop for now.

Lu Yao shrugged indifferently. “If you’re stuck here, you might as well join us for a simple meal. I was just about to order.”

Back inside, Lu Yao placed an order for six classic set meals.

Xu Zhengrong and Ren You hadn’t expected the shop owner to include them in her order and hurriedly, though earnestly, declined.

The aroma of the delivered meal was utterly enticing, far more tantalizing than the usual fare at Ghost Street’s snack stalls.

Xu Zhengrong and Ren You silently turned away, swallowing hard to stifle their hunger. Yet, unable to resist, they cast furtive glances back at the shopkeeper and the other three guests.

The snack shop, prepping ingredients for its evening barbecue stand, had thoughtfully included a three-tiered seafood barbecue set as a treat for Lu Yao.

The guests, already captivated by the delicious scent, were practically salivating.

Then, the top layer of the box was lifted, revealing charcoal-grilled squid and small octopus sprawled generously across the first tier.

Everyone except Lu Yao sprang back, retreating several steps, their faces pale, bodies trembling as if they were leaves in a storm.

It suddenly dawned on Lu Yao: Ghost Street’s absence of seafood shops, combined with other peculiarities, likely meant its residents harbored a deep-seated fear of such creatures.

But the snack shop’s chefs had truly outdone themselves. The seafood was perfectly grilled, rich with sauce and emitting a tantalizing smoky aroma.

Lu Yao removed the first tier, exposing the second layer of garlic butter oysters and the third, filled with grilled shrimp and conch meat. “These are just normal snacks; there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Despite their watering mouths, the others shook their heads vigorously.

Understanding that such fears couldn’t be easily overcome, Lu Yao didn’t push them to try the seafood.

Fortunately, the standard meal boxes were equally delectable: short-grain rice with a pearly sheen, braised premium magical beast meat from Alexander Continent, stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork, sautéed seasonal vegetables, a hearty three-flavor soup, and a cooling summer-exclusive dessert.

Jiang Lin, Cai Yuxing, and Liu Jing calmed down and chose seats farther from Lu Yao to eat.

One bite was all it took to hook them—they couldn’t stop. The meal’s deliciousness was simply irresistible.

Meanwhile, Xu Zhengrong and Ren You clung to their unopened meal boxes, unwilling to let go yet too stubborn to give in to their hunger.

As the Church’s security team arrived at the DIY shop, the rich aroma from within hit them before they even reached the door. Entering, they were greeted by the sight of the shopkeeper devouring grilled octopus with evident relish.

Xu Zhengrong immediately handed his boxed meal to Ren You and stepped forward to meet the newcomers.

The team leader, Qin Qiuming, surveyed the scene, his sharp eyes taking in every detail. His hands trembled slightly as he watched Lu Yao down three octopus in quick succession before moving on to the squid. He urgently gestured for Xu Zhengrong to step aside and report.

The other four team members stood rooted to the spot, their expressions frozen in disbelief.

Ren You quickly joined them.

A veteran security officer pulled him into the group and glanced at the meal box in his hands with a peculiar expression. “Which one is the transitional lamb’?”

Ren You discreetly pointed toward Jiang Lin. “That boy.”

The officer followed his gaze, his frown deepening. “Didn’t the report say his symptoms were severe?”

Ren You quickly summarized what had transpired before their arrival.

The four officers shifted their wary gazes from Jiang Lin to Lu Yao, their apprehension growing.

A senior officer, whose face had been grim from the start, asked, “Does she have a god seal?”

Ren You’s face turned white as he shook his head vigorously.

The god seal, occasionally found on Ghost Street’s residents, was said to mark those chosen by Him.

Intelligence gleaned at great cost—countless lives and souls of security officers—indicated that bearers of the god seal often possessed extraordinary, terrifying powers.

Such individuals used these powers to aid Him in luring and misguiding Ghost Street’s ordinary inhabitants into their doom.

The last god seal bearer had nearly turned the South District into a wasteland. Thousands of guests, shopkeepers, and even district administrators were dragged into the abyss, transformed into grotesque creatures to serve as His sustenance.

The Church had paid a staggering price to eliminate that threat, leaving the security division critically understaffed.

If this new shopkeeper in the North District turned out to be another god seal bearer, they weren’t sure they’d survive the fallout.

While the others whispered among themselves, Lu Yao quickly finished her dinner. Across from her, Jiang Lin and Cai Yuxing had also emptied their plates.

Qin Qiuming, seeing Lu Yao clearing the table, steeled himself and approached her cautiously. “Hello, I’m Qin Qiuming, the director of the West District Church Security Office.”

Lu Yao stood up and greeted him calmly, “Hello.”

Qin Qiuming avoided her gaze, lowering his eyes slightly. “I assume Xiao Xu has already explained the situation. Jiang Lin has exhibited severe signs of transformation. For the safety of the street, we must take him back to the church.”

Lu Yao had been observing carefully. While the security team didn’t seem as helpless as Cai Yuxing had described, their intent to take Jiang Lin was evident.

In the past, Lu Yao would have let them handle it. As long as it didn’t affect her shop or tasks, she rarely intervened.

But recently, she had begun to reflect more deeply on small matters. Perhaps she had grown stronger than she imagined over the past year, capable of achieving far more than she once thought possible.

She walked over to Jiang Lin and removed his mask.

Cai Yuxing gasped in shock.

Jiang Lin’s appearance had significantly improved. His skin and limbs had mostly returned to normal, leaving only a pink, tumor-like protrusion beneath his left eye.

Even Xu Zhengrong and Ren You were astonished.

Ren You’s voice trembled, “He’s really recovering!”

The other security officers, who had just arrived, were confused, not knowing the full context.

Lu Yao, now confident her hypothesis was correct, turned to Qin Qiuming. “Apologies, but Jiang Lin is my guest. Since the incident occurred in my shop, I have a responsibility to help him recover. Judging by his current progress, he should be fully healed by tomorrow.”

Qin Qiuming felt a headache forming.

This shopkeeper was unlike anyone he’d ever encountered. Even after witnessing the transformation process, she seemed entirely unafraid.

After a pause, Qin Qiuming firmly reiterated his stance: Jiang Lin must be taken to the church.

At this, Liu Jing, who had remained silent, finally spoke up. “I spent some time in this shop before going to the church earlier today. The guest’s transformation symptoms genuinely disappeared. Maybe this could be an opportun—”

“Enough!” Qin Qiuming’s voice suddenly rose, his cold gaze cutting Liu Jing off. “You are no longer a North District street administrator. You have no authority to interfere in our work.”

Liu Jing bit her lip, her eyes reddening.

Lu Yao interjected calmly, “There’s no need to lash out at others over your frustrations.”

Qin Qiuming’s expression darkened further, his breathing heavy.

Lu Yao’s tone was steady. “Let me be clear: Jiang Lin and Cai Yuxing will both stay in my shop tonight. And until dawn tomorrow, none of you will be able to leave this place.”

Everyone in the room froze and stared at Lu Yao in disbelief.

Ren You, unwilling to accept her claim, bolted toward the door.

Despite appearing just a few steps away, the door seemed like a mirage—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get closer.

Lu Yao clapped her hands lightly. “No need to panic. I don’t eat people, nor do I have peculiar hobbies. I simply want to observe Jiang Lin’s condition without distractions. Please stay here tonight.”

The guests and security officers stared at her in stunned silence, their expressions shifting to one of growing fear.

Lu Yao lowered her gaze.

At some point, a strange mark had appeared on the back of her right hand.

One of the security officers clutched his head and cried out in despair, “It’s a god seal!”

Lu Yao raised her left hand and pressed it against her right. Activating her ability, intricate golden patterns spread across her entire left arm, glowing faintly as the seal was slowly erased in front of everyone.

“I’m not really a fan of tattoos,” she remarked nonchalantly.

The security officers and guests were speechless.

Not a fan of tattoos, but here she was with a full sleeve.

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