Ch 159: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

Lu Yao put on the mask, freeing herself from the concern of speaking aloud. “I made a weapon for Chen You. Liu Jing, Cai Yuxing, and Xiao Ji are all there, so there shouldn’t be any major problems. Besides, with customers around, things might even get… interesting.”

Pei Qi couldn’t quite imagine the “interesting” scenes Lu Yao was referring to and decided not to dwell on it. He led her onto the red bridge heading toward the central city.

A rumble of thunder cracked through the sky. Just before dawn, a sudden storm broke, with rain pouring down in torrents.

Lu Yao and Pei Qi exchanged glances, quickening their steps under the downpour.

…

In Mingshi City, He Baiheng jolted awake, turning his head toward the window. Lightning flashed, and heavy rain pounded against the tempered glass with sharp, urgent clatters.

He Baiheng rubbed his face hard. He had always disliked rainy days, especially in Mingshi City.

At least he hadn’t gone home last night. He didn’t have to scramble to get ready, still groggy, fumbling with an umbrella to catch the early train.

He rose, grabbed a cold beer and a pre-made sausage roll from the fridge, and skipped heating it up, munching the cold bread while sipping the icy beer.

His computer screen showed the time as 6:04 AM. Ghost Street was also in the rain. On the narrow, crowded streets, tiny figures held tiny umbrellas, navigating the maze-like pathways between the shops. The sound of the rain was a soft patter, and the umbrellas looked like fluttering petals.

Even on a rainy morning like this, the streets were packed. They really love Ghost Street, He Baiheng thought.

His gaze followed the line of umbrellas, trailing from east to west and south to north. The north district was teeming with people, umbrellas forming a massive queue. Some customers were pushed into corners, with nowhere to stand.

From He Baiheng’s perspective, some of them stood on rooftops, others in the drains—completely clipping through the environment.

The 13th shop on the northern street: Lu Yao’s Creative DIY Workshop.

When did this shop appear?

Why didn’t he have any impression of it?

Setting down his half-eaten bread, a wave of doubt rose in his heart.

He had never noticed this shop before. It didn’t even seem particularly interesting. Yet more and more people in Ghost Street were flocking to the northern district, with the DIY Workshop as their apparent destination.

As he observed, his fingers swiftly filtered through the shop’s information.

Lu Yao’s Creative DIY Workshop primarily offered craft-making experiences. It had been open for less than a month, and the owner’s name was Lu Yao.

A new shop attracting crowds wasn’t unusual, given the novelty.

But the sheer volume of visitors was staggering—practically the entire northern district seemed to be queuing to enter.

And the weather was so awful.

…

In Ghost Street’s northern district, at the DIY Workshop:

Before leaving in the early hours, Lu Yao messaged Liu Jing through the Ghost Bracelet, explaining how to unlock the shop and informing her that Chen You’s weapon was placed in the lounge.

Liu Jing, Chen You, Cai Yuxing, Ji Linkai, and Gan Qing arrived at the shop one after another.

To prepare for the visit from the All-Knowing God’s followers, the DIY Workshop suspended its daily activities for the day. However, Ghost Bracelets were still for sale, and the mobile classrooms remained open.

Chen You arrived early, heading straight to the lounge to retrieve the weapon the shop owner had crafted for her.

Cai Yuxing was also in the lounge and immediately pointed to the table. “That huge thing over there—don’t tell me that’s the weapon the boss made for you?”

A massive, long object, wrapped in black cloth, lay across the dining table where the staff usually ate. Its size was intimidating, almost covering the entire table. A golden lotus branch was embroidered on the cloth’s knotted corner.

Chen You stood by the table for a long moment before unwrapping the fabric to reveal a large black rectangular box.

The staff gathered around, their curiosity piqued, watching as Chen You opened it.

Liu Jing remarked, “This thing is enormous. Did the boss make you a Gatling gun?”

Ji Linkai joked, “Then I’ll be jealous for sure.”

Xiao Cai urged, “Hurry up and open it.”

Chen You lifted the lid, revealing a sleek, black, glossy handle. At the end of the handle was a dark-colored ring connected to a length of chain, which attached to the back of a scythe blade. The blade was wide and long, its edge polished to a dazzling silver sheen. It was a massive, pitch-black scythe, exuding a chilling, sharp aura. Near the handle on the blade was a golden “Yao” insignia.

Xiao Cai exclaimed, “So cool!”

Liu Jing added, “It’s huge and looks super sharp. I can’t believe the boss made this in just one night.”

Ji Linkai mused, “I wonder if the boss can make guns too.”

Among the staff, Gan Qing’s emotions were the most complicated.

Even now, he still didn’t have a Ghost Bracelet.

Initially, Gan Qing had planned to con one out of Lu Yao to deliver it back to the Street Committee. But thanks to that infuriating scanning feature, he could never even touch one.

Now, with colleagues and customers alike equipped with Ghost Bracelets, he no longer cared about sending it back. He just wanted one to use.

He wanted to bind a combat system, discover his abilities, and, like Chen You, possess an impressive weapon.

Chen You gently touched the handle of the scythe and tentatively lifted it. It had some weight but was much lighter than she had expected.

As she picked up the scythe, her colleagues immediately stepped back three meters.

“It’s not heavy,” Chen You said, “but it’s so intimidating. Besides, I don’t even know how to use it.”

Ji Linkai pointed to the box on the table. “There’s still something in there.”

Inside the box was a manual detailing the materials and crafting techniques used for the scythe.

Among the materials was an ultra-rare magical ore, known for its resilience and enchantability. However, this ore was exceedingly heavy, so the blade had been engraved with weight-reducing runes. Additionally, multiple magical enhancements had been added to amplify the weapon’s power.

Chen You handed the manual to her colleagues. “So, basically, this weapon is amazing, right?”

Xiao Cai remarked, “Forget everything else—our boss’s design skills are off the charts.”

Ji Linkai added, “It’s not just the design. Everything the boss makes lives up to the hype.”

Xiao Cai speculated, “Do you think the boss could be a maintenance staff member for Ghost Street?”

Liu Jing shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

Xiao Cai sighed, “Sometimes I really wonder where the boss came from.”

Suddenly, Gan Qing interrupted, “They’re here.”

They?

The staff stopped chatting and immediately began preparing, pulling out their weapons from their Ghost Bracelets and heading toward the lobby.

Xiao Cai asked nervously, “Where’s the boss? Why isn’t she here yet?”

Liu Jing explained, “The boss messaged me this morning. She and Pei Qi went out for something. Until she’s back, we’re in charge of the purification task.”

Xiao Cai’s confidence waned. “Without the boss, how can we handle this?”

Ji Linkai reassured her, “It’s not just us.”

In the shop’s lobby and the streets outside, countless players who had combat systems and received the bounty task were already in formation.

There were thousands of players participating in the fight—not just their small group.

Xiao Cai hesitated, “But my combat system is auxiliary. I have to coordinate with someone.”

Liu Jing agreed, “Same here.”

Ji Linkai said, “Chen You and I are both offensive types. Each of you can pair with one of us. Gan Qing, stay back and guard the shop. Don’t let them into the workshop area or the storage.”

Gan Qing replied with a flat, “…”

When the staff reached the lobby, the battle outside was already in full swing.

Most shops in the northern district were closed. Even a breakfast shop, midway through service, had shuttered as golden giant octopuses and massive ghosts descended with the rain. The shop owner put on their Ghost Bracelet, ready to focus solely on completing the task.

On the streets, a rain gear shop and a few supermarkets displayed umbrellas and raincoats at their entrances, quickly clearing out their stock.

The swarm of aberrations seemed to have been assigned performance targets, intentionally making a show of power against the DIY Workshop. Before even reaching the northern district, they rampaged through the streets, attempting to clear the way.

In the past, customers and shop owners encountering them would have immediately fled. But on this day, despite the torrential downpour and harsh weather, the people in the streets didn’t retreat. Instead, they stood their ground with weapons in hand, brimming with fighting spirit, ready to confront the approaching aberrations.

The sheer number of people blocked the intimidating aberration swarm at the outskirts of the district, preventing them from advancing further.

Inside the DIY Workshop, the four employees had already discussed their team strategy and donned raincoats, preparing to join the fray.

Xiao Cai, blessed by the fire dragon Tina, had a flight skill.

At the entrance, Xiao Cai activated her ability, unfurling her dragon wings, and carried her three colleagues directly to the frontline of the battlefield.

Landing on a rooftop, the employees quickly surveyed the scene. At the center of the northern district’s streets were four fully mutated, massive golden octopuses, along with a single ghost.

The battlefield was somewhat scattered, with five smaller battle zones forming around the aberration enemies. Across the road at the entrance of a supermarket, a strange group of people stood idly.

Initially, the employees thought the supermarket was holding some kind of event. But after observing for a moment, they noticed an old lady sitting under the supermarket’s eaves.

The old lady held a sunflower-shaped watering can in yellow and green, with a small sign by her feet:
“Willpower Honey Wine: Enhances weapon potency and accelerates purification speed. Effect lasts 10–15 minutes. 200 Ghost Coins per enhancement.”

A line of young players queued up with their Willpower weapons, ready to pay for a temporary boost.

Looking further along the eaves, the roadside was dotted with players setting up stalls selling an assortment of items.

Overall, participants in this purification mission seemed to follow three general approaches:

1. Traditional attack-assist squads—teams of players combining high-damage, high-burst attackers with supporting roles.
2. Laid-back auxiliary players—focusing on a relaxed approach, offering assistance while earning some side income.
3. Lone wolves—players without teams, primarily relying on the auxiliary market for supplies and enhancement tools sold along the streets.

The Ghost Bracelet had fundamentally transformed the Ghost Street environment. Players were no longer defenseless prey—they could fight back and adapt to the game’s challenges as they pleased.

The DIY Workshop staff fell into the first category, a traditional attack-assist squad. Avoiding the roadside commotion, they quickly grasped the battlefield’s state and joined the fight.

Ji Linkai spotted familiar faces among the Ghost Battlefield combatants—former comrades, including Song Wen.

Ji Linkai and Liu Jing entered the Ghost Battlefield.

Xiao Cai, noticing one of the giant octopuses was significantly larger than the others and that the players fighting it were struggling, pulled Chen You along. “Let’s go help over there!”

Chen You paused mid-step when she saw the massive octopus. “That aberration…”

Xiao Cai asked, “What about it?”

Chen You’s expression turned complicated. “It’s Huang Qi.”

…

In Mingshi City, within the tech building.

Behind He Baiheng, a few colleagues stood watching his screen in fascination.

“Where did those players get those tools? They’re actually holding their own against the aberration monsters.”

“And this many aberration monsters occupying the streets isn’t normal. Ghost Street has never had events like this.”

He Baiheng moved his cursor, pointing to an inconspicuous shop in the middle of the northern district. “This shop is odd. I’ve found that the bracelets players are wearing are sold here at this DIY Workshop, but there’s no backend record of product information or transaction data. And beyond the shop owner’s name and age, there’s no personal information available at all.”

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