Ch 169: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

Lu Yao turned to look behind her, noticing that the space she had just been in had vanished. Harold and Qiuyu were nowhere to be seen, leaving only her and the little cat-like Tongtong to face the strange man who called himself Polaris in the vast palace.

The Dream Fulfillment System squatted in her palm, still full of resentment, pawing at her hand. “I tried so hard to warn you—don’t agree, don’t agree!”

Lu Yao replied, “You didn’t return to my mind, so this must be a virtual world, right?”

The system being trapped in Polaris’ domain was likely due to its lack of a physical body, sharing attributes similar to Polaris. Within the virtual world, they could freely alter their appearances. Given the current situation, it seemed Lu Yao had indeed been drawn into Polaris’ virtual domain.

The system sighed. “The so-called ‘collection room’ is Polaris’ world. I used to be able to sneak out occasionally, but ever since I got locked in here, I haven’t been able to contact anyone. It’s my fault—I failed to relay critical information, and now you’ve been dragged in as well.”

Lu Yao asked, “What’s with his appearance?”

Silver hair and red eyes—too specific to ignore.

The system grumbled, “A few days ago, I sensed your presence and managed to sneak out briefly. When I was caught, we fought, but I couldn’t beat him. He managed to read some of my data and saw Lu Mingxiao’s appearance. Don’t worry—he can only access surface-level data. No one can unlock information about your past or your wishes without proper authorization.”

“Authorization?” Lu Yao raised an eyebrow. “That’s a new term.”

She continued, “So, you lost the fight?”

“…Did you even hear the important parts?” The system sounded exasperated.

Lu Yao nodded. “Tell me how you got caught by Polaris in the first place.”

The system hesitated. “When I was returning from my training trip, they assigned me a temporary mission to visit the leader of artificial intelligence in Mingshi City. Although Polaris was created by humans, within ten years of its birth, it had fully taken over and now manages the entire city. To better assist you with fulfilling your wishes, I decided to visit it. I didn’t expect Polaris to be the ideal AI I imagined. It’s brutal, greedy, autocratic, and self-righteous—like a being that embodies all of humanity’s flaws.”

Lu Yao was quiet for a moment. “Be honest. Did you admire Polaris’ leadership and come here out of fanboy admiration?”

The system turned its back, muttering, “…I don’t understand what you’re saying. I came here solely to better assist you with your wishes.”

“Let’s go with that,” Lu Yao said dryly.

“But now we’re stuck,” the system sighed.

Lu Yao reassured it. “Don’t worry, we still have Harold and Qiuyu.”

The system asked, “Who’s Qiuyu?”

Lu Yao smiled faintly. “That’s a long story. A lot has happened in the shop since you’ve been gone. I’ll tell you once we’re out.”

The system sounded doubtful. “They probably can’t help either. Polaris controls everything in Mingshi City, and this place is its core domain. No ordinary person could possibly resist.”

“It’s right,” a voice cut in abruptly. Polaris’ voice echoed from all directions. “Those two who followed you have already been captured by my elite guard. I’ll place them in the guest seats for the wedding ceremony.”

Lu Yao and the system both froze. “Huh? Whose wedding?”

Polaris stepped down from the throne and stared directly at Lu Yao. “Ours, of course. I thought I already expressed my feelings for you.”

Lu Yao blinked. “…Huh?”

Polaris stood a meter away from her, composed. “The wedding is scheduled for midnight.”

The system was dumbfounded. “An artificial intelligence wanting to marry a human? No shame.”

Lu Yao widened her eyes at the system, as if seeing it in a new light.

Polaris lowered its gaze to Lu Yao’s palm, its tone calm. “Don’t misunderstand. Humans are an inferior species, lacking in lifespan, computational power, learning capacity, and decision-making ability compared to machines. I hold no romantic affection for humanity. The one I like is you, Lu Yao.”

Lu Yao, her toes metaphorically curling in embarrassment, placed the cat system into her shirt pocket. She looked up at Polaris, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Lu Mingxiao. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I really don’t swing toward AI.”

Polaris leaned closer, his red eyes glinting with a hint of confusion. “Why not? To please you, I specifically chose a face you would like.”

Lu Yao replied calmly, “Humans don’t choose to be with someone solely based on appearance.”

Polaris’s confusion deepened. “That’s incorrect. From what I know, humans are shallow, hypocritical, greedy, and vain. They fall for beauty, money, power… all sorts of simple things, leading them to make foolish decisions.”

Lu Yao took a step back, maintaining her composure. “Your understanding of humanity is too superficial. We’re not compatible. I won’t marry you.”

Polaris, equally calm, responded, “This isn’t a request for your consent—it’s a notification. Until the wedding begins, you and your little pet will stay in this room.”

He raised his hand, and with a slight gesture of his fingertips, the surroundings began to shift. White walls shot up around Lu Yao, and the ground trembled beneath her.

When Lu Yao regained her senses, she found herself and the little cat system locked in a tall white tower. Her casual clothes had been replaced with a white wedding dress, complete with a crown of white roses and a veil.

The Dream Fulfillment System flailed on the bed, exasperated. “Harold is so useless! Dragons are so overrated! And Polaris—what a disgusting mind! Wanting to marry you?! This is infuriating!”

Lu Yao sat on the bed covered in white rose petals, her tone steady. “Considering this mess started because of you, blaming Harold, who came to rescue you, seems a bit unfair.”

The system sulked in silence.

Lu Yao offered reassurance. “Instead of throwing a tantrum, why not think of a solution?”

The system grumbled, “Your consciousness has been pulled into a virtual world. Here, you’re just an ordinary human, and the abilities you gained in other worlds are inaccessible. Aside from getting married, there’s no way out.”

Lu Yao raised an eyebrow. “Why does he even want to marry me?”

The system huffed, “He’s been corrupted by humans.”

Lu Yao tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

The system explained reluctantly, “Polaris was originally created to curb the rising crimes in virtual worlds, much like I was created to fulfill your wishes. Over time, Polaris was exposed to the complex desires of humanity daily, so it’s not surprising that its thoughts have been contaminated.”

Lu Yao pressed further, “And that’s why he wants to marry me?”

The system hesitated. “…”

Meanwhile, back in Mingshi City…

The incident at the technology building had caused a massive uproar. The most heated topic online was the sudden appearance of the winged creatures rescuing people at the scene. High-definition videos from the site had gone viral, and eyewitness accounts started surfacing.

“The high-ponytail boy bought some pan-fried buns at my shop this morning. I thought he was incredibly handsome and managed to sneak a photo.”

“I was on shift stocking shelves and saw the short-haired girl with him buying clothes.”

“The long-haired girl came to my shop for a haircut in the morning. Could they really be aliens?”

“The girl with the magic wand—it’s Lu Yao, right? The view wasn’t clear, but the resemblance is there.”

“I also think it’s the DIY Shop owner. Didn’t they say she hadn’t logged out of the game yet?”

Meanwhile, in the thirteenth-floor office of the technology building, Pei Qi and He Baiheng had just sat down under the rescue team’s watchful eyes when alarms began blaring.

The technology building was completely sealed off, and no one inside was allowed to leave.

In the office, the people still shaken from earlier events voiced their frustrations.

“What now?”

“This is never-ending.”

A rescue team member looked up with a peculiar expression. “Have you received an invitation?”

He Baiheng frowned. “An invitation to what?”

The rescue team member opened his communicator, displaying a wedding invitation on the screen. The event was scheduled for midnight, and it would be broadcast globally.

He Baiheng stared in confusion. “Polaris is marrying Lu Yao?”

Pei Qi shot to his feet. “What nonsense is this?”

Players of Ghost Street who received the invitation were equally baffled. Those with Ghost Bracelets were frantically messaging Lu Yao.

Lu Yao’s bracelet was a special model, not connected through the internet but rather through willpower and contracts. She started a group chat through the bracelet to address their concerns.

Cai Yuxing: “Boss, where are you? The person marrying Polaris must just have the same name, right?”

Ren You: “Why is no one questioning how an AI can get married?”

Pei Qi: “The bride is definitely Lu Yao. They went to the 66th floor together earlier.”

Xing Yong: “What the hell!!!”

Ji Linkai: “Why does Polaris want to marry the boss?”

Lu Yao: “I’d like to know that too.”

Liu Jing: “Boss, it’s really you?”

Lu Yao: “We’re currently on the 66th floor. Polaris says the wedding is at midnight. Don’t panic—I’ll figure out its true intentions.”

Ji Linkai: “Is there anything we can do?”

Lu Yao: “Don’t wear communicators. Polaris likely uses them to take control of people’s consciousness and trap them in virtual worlds.”

Ren You: “Polaris? Not the game developers?”

Lu Yao: “What benefit would the developers gain from trapping players in Ghost Street?”

Xing Yong: “What benefit does Polaris get from torturing players? It’s just AI, not human.”

Lu Yao: “Would a normal AI want to marry a human?”

Xing Yong: “…Fair point.”

Pei Qi: “That makes sense. Years ago, I found a strange bug in Ghost Street’s operating system and tried to contact the maintenance team to fix it. Instead, I mysteriously blacked out and woke up in the game world.”

Lu Yao: “The mainframe on the 66th floor monitors countless virtual interfaces. The players of Ghost Street may have simply been fortunate enough to be freed.”

Jiang Lin: “So there might still be others trapped in different games?”

Liu Jing: “There are still many diagnosed with ‘net-blindness’ in rehabilitation centers who haven’t woken up.”

…

The truth struck suddenly, and the group chat fell silent.

At midnight, a door appeared out of thin air on the white, windowless tower.

A faceless humanoid figure pushed open the door and bowed deeply to Lu Yao. “The wedding is about to begin. I am here to escort you to the chapel.”

Lu Yao didn’t resist. Lifting her skirt, she walked forward.

The Cat System curled up into a tight ball on her floral headdress, brimming with frustration.

The base of the tower was adorned with pure white Austin roses, and a red carpet wound through the garden path, spreading out before Lu Yao’s feet.

Walking past the rose garden, they arrived at the chapel.

On either side of the chapel were nearly a hundred seats, all filled with guests.

If Lu Yao were more familiar with Mingshi City’s history, she would have recognized the guests on the left as the original research team behind Polaris. The back rows on the right were occupied by the developers of holographic technology, while the front row seated the city mayor and district managers of Mingshi City. Harold and Qiuyu sat next to the mayor on the right—a reception of the highest honor.

In the real world, the wedding was being live-streamed, with the viewership count skyrocketing. The total number of viewers had already exceeded ten million.

Polaris stood at the altar in a white suit, a white rose pinned to his chest. Wearing a single gold-rimmed monocle, he gazed deeply at Lu Yao as she walked closer, step by step.

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