Ch 164: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

Song Wen lay on the sofa, weary and disheartened, unable to fathom the shopkeeper’s intentions or see how he could possibly assist her. The fact that she could still video call him from inside the game would have sent him running if his body allowed it.

In his eyes, the shopkeeper now seemed even more enigmatic than the mysterious entity in Ghost Street. Yet she was different. From his interactions with her in the game, Song Wen found Lu Yao to be calm, rational, and gentle—not at all like the wild speculations circulating online.

He didn’t believe she was a robot, but considering the current circumstances, her existence felt increasingly unsettling.

He rehearsed a refusal in his mind, intending to decline tactfully. “I just woke up, my body is still weak, and I can barely move. I’m afraid I won’t be of much help.”

Lu Yao didn’t press further about his assistance, instead asking with concern, “You’ve been unconscious for a long time; it takes time to recover. Don’t rush yourself. How’s Grandma doing?”

Mentioning his grandmother brought a pang to Song Wen’s heart. Before he entered Ghost Street, it was his grandmother who had cared for him while his parents were busy with work. When he inadvertently entered the game, his grandmother had followed.

Later, she explained she had called him for dinner but received no response. When she entered his room, she found him slumped over his desk, wearing his communicator. Concerned about the growing reports of “net-blindness,” where young people became addicted to virtual worlds and refused to leave, she had tried to contact his parents but had somehow also ended up in Ghost Street.

His grandmother, unfamiliar with the newest communicators and only capable of using voice commands for calls, could never explain how she had entered the virtual game world.

Song Wen replied, “The hospital contacted us not long ago; Grandma has woken up. But given her age and how long she’s been unconscious, she’ll need to stay for observation.”

Lu Yao reassured him, “Don’t worry. Grandma will recover soon, and so will you. By the way, after all the players logged out, how’s the game company responding?”

Song Wen, simmering with indignation, found it hard to suppress his frustration. “They’re playing dead. Players who woke up this morning flooded the forums, and the news is everywhere, but the game company isn’t issuing statements or apologies. What’s most outrageous is that nearly 100,000 players were trapped in the virtual world for years, and even Polaris didn’t detect anything.”

Lu Yao, unfamiliar with “Polaris,” simply murmured, “Polaris, huh…”

But Song Wen, absorbed in venting his grievances, didn’t notice. “Seven years! Ghost Street has been running for seven years, and people started getting trapped in the first year. Polaris, this so-called super AI monitoring virtual worlds in real-time, didn’t notice a thing. It’s ridiculous! They claim to be the guardians of the virtual world’s order, but what can they actually protect?”

So Polaris was the name of the AI, Lu Yao realized. She quietly listened, mentally piecing together useful information from his tirade.

After about twenty minutes, Song Wen’s voice grew hoarse. He paused to sip water and glanced at the screen showing Lu Yao. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he apologized, “Sorry for unloading all that on you.”

Lu Yao shook her head. “It’s fine. I don’t have much else to do. With the players gone, there’s no business in the shop anymore.”

Song Wen thought of the morning’s live broadcast—the desolate streets of Ghost Street, the shopkeeper single-handedly facing a boss. Now, with the boss defeated, she was left to guard an empty world. How lonely that must feel.

Despite the mysteries surrounding her, Song Wen couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. “What was it you wanted my help with? If it’s not too urgent, I can try once I can walk again.”

Lu Yao said earnestly, “It’s nothing too complicated. Apart from you, four other players brought Ghost Bracelets out of the game. I’d like to ask you all to meet.”

Song Wen asked, “Is that all?”

Lu Yao’s expression was sincere. “Yes. I’ll coordinate the details through the bracelet.”

Song Wen nodded. “Understood.”

After ending the call with Song Wen, Lu Yao’s list still included four other players: former chapel guard Ren You, shop assistant Cai Yuxing, Chen You, and guest Xing Yong.

…

Mingshi City, A50 District.

A slender young man leaned against the edge of the bed, a bowl of vegetable porridge placed on a folding table in front of him. Each spoonful he took seemed to require immense determination.

The person beside him couldn’t bear it anymore. “Is it that bad?”

Ren You frowned and smacked his lips. “It’s as tasteless as the food in Ghost Street—no flavor, no texture.”

Ren You’s mother didn’t quite understand. “Maybe you’ve been asleep too long, and your taste buds are off? I think this porridge is quite good. I went downstairs to get it just for you.”

Ren You hesitated. “…After a few more bites, I guess it’s not that bad.”

His mother pointed to the silver ring on his finger. “When did you get that? It wasn’t there this morning when I changed your clothes.”

Ren You also found it peculiar. He took the ring off and examined it, his face full of surprise. “This ring… it seems like the one I bought in the game.”

His mother’s face stiffened, a hint of worry in her tone. “What nonsense are you talking about? You’re not fully awake yet.”

Ren You was about to retort when a sharp pain shot through his finger. Instinctively, he summoned the storage panel and saw the Ghost Bracelet sitting neatly in the storage slot.

Hesitating for a moment, just like Song Wen, he eventually retrieved the bracelet. The small flashing dot on the inside caught his attention. When he touched it, the bracelet transformed into a watch.

Lu Yao’s voice came through the screen on the watch, startling Ren You and leaving his mother looking alarmed.

Lu Yao explained her purpose, and while Ren You found it surprising, he didn’t ask too many questions and readily agreed to her request.

After the call ended, his mother finally spoke. “That girl—did you meet her in the game?”

Ren You was relatively lucky, having spent only a few months in Ghost Street. At just 23 years old, he was still very young. Hearing the gossip in her tone, he held his forehead. “Mom—don’t overthink it.”

His mother sighed and asked again, “What’s with this ring? It can hold things?”

Ren You couldn’t figure out how an in-game item had followed him to the real world. Unsure of how to explain without alarming her, he quickly finished the bowl of porridge, pushed the folding table aside, and pulled the blanket over himself. “Mom, I’m going to take a nap.”

Lu Yao then contacted Cai Yuxing, Chen You, and Xing Yong, convincing them to meet.

As her former shop assistants, Cai Yuxing and Chen You had a high level of trust in Lu Yao. While they were surprised by the call, neither hesitated to agree. However, both were in rehabilitation at the hospital and unable to move freely for the time being.

Xing Yong was also in a hospital and had a long conversation with Lu Yao before eventually agreeing to help.

Of the five players, three were in hospitals and undergoing rehabilitation, and one was recovering at home and unable to move much. Only Ren You’s condition was slightly better; with two or three more days of rest, he would likely regain full mobility.

Lu Yao urged them to add each other as friends and then closed the shop for the day. She returned to the shopping street to analyze the intelligence she had gathered.

Mingshi City was a world where technological advancements far surpassed those of Yaoguang City. Research into holographic technology and artificial intelligence had reached remarkable heights, and the construction of virtual worlds began about a decade ago.

Beyond holographic games, this world boasted rich and expansive virtual social platforms, all of which supported holographic technology.

Here, all one needed to surf the web was a communication device the size of a Bluetooth earpiece. They had even developed specialized communicators capable of transmitting the sensations of smell, taste, and touch within virtual environments.

This type of communicator is widely used in online streaming and e-commerce platforms.

The rapid development of the virtual world has brought convenience and rich entertainment experiences to people. However, it has also caused massive job losses for ordinary people and a surge in cybercrime. Shortly afterward, the government launched the super AI system known as Polaris.

Polaris possesses immense computational and learning abilities. Its introduction successfully curbed cybercrime, earning it the reputation of being the “ever-bright star of the virtual world” and the “guardian of order in the borderless realm.”

In recent years, thanks to Polaris’ oversight, the virtual environment has become increasingly unified and stable. This influence has extended to the real world, leading to more orderly and stable development in various areas.

The players trapped in Ghost Street were classified as “net-blindness” patients in recent years. Most were transferred by their families to nursing homes for rehabilitation.

The prevalence of “net-blindness” has surged in recent years, almost like an epidemic, affecting a massive and widespread population. Most families have come to regard it as a side effect of technological progress, akin to a seasonal flu, as they can no longer detach their lives from the conveniences brought by the virtual world.

However, the situation of Ghost Street players may force Mingshi City’s residents to confront a problem they had been trying to ignore. The supposedly safe virtual world may not be as secure as they once thought.

Mingshi City’s reality deviated significantly from Lu Yao’s expectations. She had assumed that an entity capable of trapping the System would possess nearly divine powers, or at least something akin to a god.

Yet, within the civilization she had come to understand in Mingshi City, no such comparable entity existed.

Her inability to enter Mingshi City posed a significant problem for her.

Without players, Ghost Street had become devoid of activity, leaving her shop without customers.

That afternoon, Lu Yao didn’t stay at the Ghost Street shop. Instead, she took a rare break, returning to the nail salon to rest for half a day.

The little ones at the salon were overjoyed. Merulu, Puxiu, and Mumu abandoned their work and clung to Lu Yao, begging her to play with them.

By evening, Harold and Tina returned from Dragon Valley, accompanied by a dozen young dragons—all classmates of Harold and Tina at the valley.

When Harold entered and saw Lu Yao, he quickly walked over, circling her twice to confirm she was unharmed. “You were in a fight today.”

At this time, there were no customers getting their nails done. The staff, who were wrapping up their work, paused and looked at Lu Yao in unison.

Lu Yao replied casually, “Just a little fight with a small boss.”

One of Harold’s classmates leaned closer. “It was a big monster—I could feel it.”

Tina added, “But Lu Yao won easily.”

Lu Yao belatedly realized, “Even such a tiny piece of scale, and you could feel it?”

Another of Harold’s classmates became particularly excited. “Battles in other worlds are so intriguing. Next year, I’ll send you a new scale.”

A small golden dragon suggested, “Let’s have the dwarves craft a dragonscale sword next time. Lu Yao would be the most powerful magical holy dragon swordsman!”

A young green dragon clung to Lu Yao’s leg. “I’ll molt next year too. My heart-scale will go to you. No losing in battles!”

Lu Yao: “…”

The young dragonlings bombarded Lu Yao with questions about her battles and urged her to take them along in future fights. Meanwhile, they also received manicures and nail care treatments.

By the time they left, the Emerald Town was gently embraced by the night.

Lu Yao and Harold retreated to the lounge for a conversation when Edward and Ambrose knocked and entered.

Edward teased, “Plotting another exciting adventure?”

Harold tilted his head up, grinning smugly. “Lu Yao wants to go to Mingshi City, and I’m the only one who can take her there.”

Ambrose pounded the door. “The dragon bloodline’s legacy is always enviably powerful.”

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