Ch 166: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

Lu Yao walked over to the group. Out of the eight, seven were in wheelchairs, creating a scene that was both somewhat comical and a little pitiful.

She took out a small medicine bottle from her Ghost Bracelet. “I’ve recently made a batch of medicine to help restore your health. If you don’t mind, please take one pill. You should feel the effects by tomorrow.”

The group exchanged uncertain glances, their thoughts a chaotic mess. Lu Yao and Harold’s miraculous appearance had completely upended their perception of reality. This wasn’t Ghost Street; this was Mingshi City. They could no longer convince themselves that the shopkeeper’s unusual abilities were simply part of a game’s settings or linked to It.

Cai Yuxing hesitantly raised her hand. “Shopkeeper, are you really not a robot?”

Lu Yao tilted her head. “Why do you ask?”

Liu Jing interjected, “…You seriously don’t have any idea why we’d think that?”

Lu Yao walked over to Cai Yuxing and Liu Jing, leaned down, and gently patted their shoulders. “I can assure you, I’m not a robot.”

Suddenly, Jiang Lin raised his hand. “I’ll take one pill.”

The others stared at him in shock.

Lu Yao handed each person a pill. “If you’re hesitant, you can store it in your Ghost Bracelet for now. Harold and I plan to explore the area a bit, so we won’t bother you further. Thank you again for your help today. If anything comes up, feel free to contact me through the bracelet.”

Before leaving, Lu Yao returned the Ghost Bracelets to Jiang Lin, Ji Linkai, and Liu Jing.

After Lu Yao and Harold left, the group fell into a brief silence.

A few minutes later, Xing Yong turned to Jiang Lin. “Are you really going to take that medicine?”

Jiang Lin shook his head. “I want to have it analyzed first.”

Ren You clapped his hands in sudden realization. “Smart. You’re thinking ahead.”

Liu Jing couldn’t hold back her curiosity. “Do you think there’s something wrong with the shopkeeper?”

Jiang Lin shook his head again. “I’m just curious. To be honest, even if there were something unusual about her, what could we possibly do to stop her?”

That thought hung in the air, and they all recalled the door that had materialized out of thin air, along with the shopkeeper’s inexplicable arrival. They truly had no means to resist her.

Out of nowhere, Ren You blurted, “So… the shopkeeper is actually an alien, right?”

The group went silent.

…

Green Forest Rehabilitation Center was thirty-five stories high. Lu Yao and Harold took the elevator down from the rooftop.

Lu Yao was dressed casually in black trousers and a red-and-white plaid shirt, blending in easily. Harold, however, stood out far too much.

As they exited the elevator, Lu Yao led Harold outside. “Since we’re in a big city, let’s get you some proper clothes first.”

Harold glanced at her. “Do we have money in this world?”

Lu Yao shook her head. “No, but I brought some gold, gemstones, and two boxes of pearls. If there’s a bank or jewelry store nearby, we’ll have money soon enough.”

Although Mingshi City’s technology was advanced, gold, pearls, and other precious metals and natural gemstones still held value. Lu Yao had researched this beforehand.

Her main goal in coming to Mingshi City was to track down the Dream Fulfillment System, so she had no intention of wasting time on trivialities. Preparing resources in advance was part of her plan.

Shopping for clothes was simply another way to familiarize herself with the city.

Hearing about clothes shopping, the small black dragon coiled around Lu Yao’s wrist as a bracelet flicked the tip of its tail. “I want new clothes too.”

Harold crossed his arms. “If we’re getting clothes for you, we’ll have to go to the kids’ section. Such a hassle.”

Qiuyu scoffed, “Who wants to wear kids’ clothes? I’m going with Lu Yao to buy proper outfits, and you’d better behave and call me ‘big sister’ later.”

Harold snorted. “Big sister? All I see is a thousand-year-old granny.”

…

While Harold and Qiuyu bickered, Lu Yao tilted her head, observing the surroundings. Towering skyscrapers lined the horizon, residential buildings were mostly deep gray, hospitals gleamed in white, rehabilitation centers stood out in green, and other infrastructure had distinctive colors representing their functions.

From afar, without even approaching, one could easily identify a building’s purpose by its color coding.

The streets of Mingshi City were the polar opposite of Ghost Street. Everything was meticulously orderly—so much so that it bordered on being dull.

Because Qiuyu was making a fuss about coming out, Lu Yao and Harold stopped in a discreet corner nearby. Harold set up an invisible barrier, and Lu Yao gently placed the black bracelet from her wrist onto the ground.

Minutes later, Qiuyu, now in her human form, emerged from behind them.

Qiuyu was half a head taller than Lu Yao but slightly shorter than Harold. Her phoenix-shaped eyes lifted at the corners, and her fine features included a delicate nose and thin lips. Her long hair cascaded down her back, partially gathered into a bun secured with a jade dragon hairpin. Though her attire was simple, her commanding presence was undeniable.

This was Qiuyu’s true form.

Having been trapped in an egg for over a thousand years, she had emerged as a demon upon hatching. At the café, while Xiong An’an liked to play up his cuteness in his beast form, Qiuyu often enjoyed taking on the guise of a little girl, playfully mingling with the others.

Lu Yao, standing between the two of them, glanced at Harold, who wore a sulking expression, and then at Qiuyu, whose aura had shifted dramatically with her transformation. She let out a soft sigh. “The contrast in styles is really jarring. Let’s exchange some money first.”

Qiuyu hooked an arm around Lu Yao’s shoulder and pointed at a girl across the street. “Lu Yao, I want to try curls like hers.”

Lu Yao looked at the girl and imagined Qiuyu with dramatic waves. She nodded enthusiastically. “As you wish.”

After leaving the rehabilitation center area, the number of pedestrians on the streets began to thin. There were plenty of shops on either side of the road, but they were mostly empty, with few staff and numerous self-service stores.

Lu Yao circled the area twice before entering a self-service gold jewelry store.

The jewelry was displayed openly on the counters without glass cases, allowing customers to try them on freely. Near the entrance stood an automated payment machine where customers could scan a barcode to pay, as easily as buying groceries.

Next to the payment machine was a device for recycling gold. The machine automatically weighed the gold, tested its purity, and provided a quote.

The currency in Mingshi City was called Moon Coins. Lu Yao quickly calculated the gold exchange rate: 10 Moon Coins roughly equaled 1 yuan. That day’s gold price was 4,800 Moon Coins per gram. Unsure of the local cost of living and wary of running out of money while traveling, Lu Yao decided to exchange 1,000 grams of gold.

Since all three of them were unregistered individuals with no linked accounts, they had to request a cash transaction. However, the automated machine didn’t have enough cash, prompting a message to wait for manual processing.

After a 20-minute wait, two staff members arrived with briefcases, and the transaction took another 20 minutes to complete.

The exchange yielded 4.8 million Moon Coins. After deducting various baffling fees, they walked away with over 4.6 million.

Lu Yao handed Harold and Qiuyu each 500,000 Moon Coins as pocket money, storing the rest in her portable warehouse. Both Harold and Qiuyu had spatial pouches, making it easy to carry the cash.

While exchanging the gold, Lu Yao casually chatted with the staff. She learned that with the rapid advancement of network technology and AI, the market had phased out a lot of inefficient manual labor, favoring highly efficient automated systems.

Most storefronts were equipped with robust security protocols and constant monitoring by Polaris, making street crimes exceedingly rare.

Residents of Mingshi City had long adapted to this streamlined way of life. Nowadays, only fields like medicine, computing, scientific research, and a few specialized sectors retained substantial human labor. Most retail and entertainment industries had fully transitioned to unmanned operations.

Afterward, Lu Yao took Harold and Qiuyu to a nearby mall. The massive shopping center had only a few scattered stock clerks, who paid no attention to the rare customers, focusing instead on organizing inventory.

On the first floor, a small hair salon caught Qiuyu’s eye, and she stopped in her tracks.

The shop was empty except for the owner, who was dozing in a chair.

Lu Yao knocked on the door, startling the hair salon owner awake. He quickly got up to greet them.

Qiuyu stayed in the salon for her hair appointment, while Lu Yao and Harold wandered through a men’s clothing store on the second floor.

When the two returned to the salon, Lu Yao was still dressed in her casual outfit from earlier. Harold, however, had ditched his formal black robe for light-colored jeans, a plaid shirt, and a black leather jacket. Around his neck hung a black necklace with a pendant—a miniature version of the Regulation Rod.

Before coming to Mingshi City, Lu Yao had crafted two identical necklaces with similar functionality. Both Harold and Qiuyu had one.

The Regulation Rod necklaces acted as a partial embodiment of divine power and also provided a bilingual translation function. This was why Harold and Qiuyu encountered no language barriers in Mingshi City.

The salon owner’s eyes lit up when he saw Harold. “Handsome guy, how about a new hairstyle?”

Harold scowled impatiently. “No. Just hurry up and finish her hair.”

The owner wasn’t deterred. “Trust me, handsome. Let me give you a short cut—step outside, and you’ll look like you’re ready for a debut.”

Harold snapped, “I said no. Quit nagging!”

The owner chuckled despite the rebuff and continued his sales pitch with enthusiasm.

Seeing that Harold was on the verge of losing his temper, Lu Yao sent him to the food stall across the street to buy snacks.

Once Harold left, the owner turned to chat with Lu Yao. “There’s not much good food around here; it’s a waste of money.”

Lu Yao replied, “The rent for this area must be pretty high, right?”

The owner caught her meaning and grinned. “It’s all just pre-made meals anyway. They taste the same no matter where you go. But opening up shop here brings more foot traffic, so it’s still worth it.”

Food stalls required live staff, making them a bit livelier compared to other fully automated stores. However, Lu Yao hadn’t expected the food to consist entirely of pre-packaged meals. Judging from the owner’s tone, this seemed to be the norm in Mingshi City.

When Harold returned with the food, Qiuyu’s hair had already been styled. He handed the plastic bag to Lu Yao with a frown. “It tastes awful.”

Lu Yao tried a pork-filled dumpling. Her expression shifted subtly.

The dumpling, slightly smaller than a baby’s fist, looked enticing with its thin, glossy skin, golden-brown fried bottom, and a sprinkling of black sesame seeds. It smelled pleasantly meaty, but the taste and texture were oddly disappointing—not terrible, but far from good.

Golden chicken strips, donuts, hot dogs… Lu Yao sampled each item. Every one hovered in that strange liminal space between palatable and unappetizing.

The salon owner noticed they weren’t familiar with the area and eagerly recommended a few slightly better dining options nearby.

As they prepared to leave the salon, the owner was still rambling, attempting to convince Harold to get a haircut.

Harold, exasperated, grabbed Lu Yao and briskly led her out.

The two accompanied Qiuyu to the women’s clothing section on the third floor. Qiuyu purchased a stunning black dress, along with new shoes and a matching bag.

As they exited the mall, Lu Yao glanced at the time. “It’s getting late. Time to handle the main task.”

After wandering the mall, Lu Yao had pinpointed their next destination: the Technology Building.

This world is called Mingshi City, which is divided into countless districts.

At the very center of the city lies the Technology Building, the singular structure of its kind. It’s not just a geographical landmark but also the cradle of Mingshi City’s cutting-edge advancements, including holographic technology and Polaris.

If they took the fastest hover train, Lu Yao and her companions would still be three hours away from the central district.

Purchasing tickets was simple, requiring no identification. They bought their tickets discreetly at the station’s automated vending machine to avoid drawing attention.

On the train, the scenery outside the window blurred as it sped by.

Harold and Qiuyu leaned against the window, watching the view for a while before reclining back in their seats.

Qiuyu: “It looks like a dead city.”

Harold: “The food is bad, too.”

Lu Yao: “There’s no life here.”

Bored, Lu Yao pulled a deck of cards from her pocket and began passing the time.

By the time the train arrived at the station, a pile of gold coins and gems sat in front of Lu Yao, the spoils of thoroughly defeating the two dragons.

Leaving the train station, Lu Yao hailed a taxi.

As they got in, the driver gave them a long look. “You’re heading to the Technology Building for the protest too?”

Lu Yao shook her head. “Just meeting a friend.”

The driver said, “That place is packed today. If it’s not urgent, I’d suggest going another day.”

Lu Yao asked, “What’s going on there?”

The driver replied, “You haven’t been online? It’s that same issue again. The recently awakened net blindness patients are protesting at the Technology Building, demanding the creators of Ghost Street take responsibility. It’s gotten pretty intense, and there are live streams of the latest developments. I just saw an update earlier—the Ghost Street development team and maintenance staff have been forced up to the rooftop.”

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