Ch 173: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

“Tales of the Six Realms” has been online in this world for a week. While it hasn’t become a major hit, the number of registered users has been steadily increasing, and players’ real-time feedback has been quite positive.

Shi Yan mentioned to Lu Yao during a conversation that for a newly launched game, this is a solid starting point. As long as the game is maintained well and the production and storyline don’t falter, it’s sure to attract paying players.

However, in terms of a game’s operational cycle, one week is too short to draw many conclusions.

The primary market for “Tales of the Six Realms” is on the Floating World Continent. The version released in Yaoguang City is the standard edition, without holographic features or immersive realms.

Over the weekend, the employees of the shopping street had a meal with Shi Yan’s team. During the dinner, Shi Yan repeatedly expressed regret that if the full version of “Tales of the Six Realms” could be released in this world, it wouldn’t require any promotional efforts and would become an instant hit upon launch.

Others at the table strongly agreed.

The most iconic gameplay and selling points of “Tales of the Six Realms” are all present in the version promoted on the Floating World Continent.

As a partner, Shi Yan and his team all have accounts on the Floating World Continent version. Occasionally, during breaks, they log in to experience the joy of holographic cultivation.

Lu Yao also felt regretful. If any store in the shopping street could connect to this world, she wouldn’t have to work so hard.

After the gathering, Lu Yao parted ways with the others in the bustling central square of the city.

Xiao Ji offered to drive Lu Yao home, but she declined.

Lu Yao hailed a taxi by the roadside, returned to the outskirts, got out along the main road, and walked alone down a small path leading to the shopping street.

Under the streetlamp at the entrance to the street stood a small figure. Seeing it was Budu, Lu Yao quickened her pace slightly. “Waiting for me?”

When Lu Yao had left earlier in the afternoon, the sun hadn’t yet set.

The late-summer heat was still oppressive, so Lu Yao hadn’t brought Budu along.

She had mentioned to Xiao Ji that she wanted to help Budu find a kindergarten, and Xiao Ji took it very seriously.

It seemed Budu had also mentioned this to Ji Feichen, as Ji Zhixin told Lu Yao that the two uncles had been making phone calls at home, asking people to investigate kindergartens in Yaoguang City.

For now, though, the temperature was still high, and Budu couldn’t go out.

Lu Yao asked Xiao Ji for help and planned to have her take Budu to visit a few places in person when the time came so that Budu could choose the kindergarten they liked.

As for when Budu would start school, that still needed to be discussed with the teachers.

Lu Yao took two paper bags containing ice cream out of her portable storage. “There’s a dessert shop below the restaurant we ate at, and there was quite a line. It should taste pretty good.”

This was Budu’s first summer on the shopping street, and he had ice cream every day.

Budu loved cold, sweet treats, and when Lu Yao saw them outside, she couldn’t resist buying some to bring back.

Budu accepted the paper bags, and the two of them strolled leisurely along the road.

The Dream Fulfillment System suddenly chimed in, “Someone is waiting for you on Ghost Street.”

Lu Yao was puzzled. “At this hour?”

The Dream Fulfillment System replied, “When the night is quiet, people tend to act more impulsively.”

Lu Yao decided to check it out and told Budu to return to the hot spring inn first.

A little over a week had passed since returning from Mingshi City. In the meantime, Lu Yao had visited the DIY workshop twice to tidy up unused materials and clean the place thoroughly.

After the players logged out of Ghost Street, the street finally lived up to its name, becoming a literal ghost street.

Lu Yao opened the shop door to find Pei Qi, He Baiheng, and two men in suits standing outside.

As the door opened from the inside, they immediately turned around. Upon seeing Lu Yao, Pei Qi remained composed, but the other three couldn’t hide their shock.

Standing in the doorway, Lu Yao couldn’t help but laugh. “You had the nerve to log into the game but didn’t think you’d see me here?”

Pei Qi nodded at Lu Yao and introduced his companions. “This is the mayor’s secretary, and this is the executive director of District E60. He Baiheng is the maintenance admin for Ghost Street—you’ve met him before.”

Lu Yao shook hands with the group, stepped aside to let them in, and casually asked, “What brings you here?”

All the players had logged out of Ghost Street, and even the NPCs were gone.

After the Polaris incident, this game no longer had any players. Pei Qi’s company had been debating whether to abandon it entirely.

Originally designed as the fuse for the Polaris incident, the main development team for “Ghost Street” had been under immense pressure. During that time, there were widespread online condemnations, and family members of players frequently protested with signs outside the company building.

It was truly a twist of fate. Lu Yao’s appearance exposed the dark secrets behind Polaris, allowing Ghost Street to break free from its enormous shadow and instead become the most relaxed company in the Central Tech District.

Now, Pei Qi and He Baiheng were merely intermediaries, introducing the mayor’s secretary and the executive director of District E60 to Lu Yao.

Over the past week, various parties in Mingshi City had attempted multiple approaches. Some even ventured into other game worlds, but they struggled to provoke the players trapped in virtual reality and were unable to guide them out successfully.

Online, there had been extensive discussion about the appearance of Lu Yao and her companions that day. Someone suggested seeking Lu Yao’s help, and as the thread gained more traction, the mayor’s secretary and District E60’s executive director reached out to Pei Qi’s company.

Their purpose for this visit was straightforward: they hoped Lu Yao could lead a team into other virtual worlds and find a way to guide those players out.

Lu Yao quietly listened to their request and then asked, “What exactly was Polaris trying to accomplish? Has that been clarified?”

The mayor’s secretary replied, “Researchers have thoroughly traced Polaris’s development process. Their conclusion is that it developed autonomous consciousness while handling cybercrime cases. Since all the humans it interacted with were criminals, its directives were gradually rewritten by the data it processed. Over time, this led to a mutation. Initially, it targeted criminals by trapping them in virtual worlds as a form of punishment. Our investigation found that among the ordinary residents involved in the Ghost Street incident, 20% experienced brain death. Among the deceased, excluding a few who died from age-related physical decline, 98% of those who experienced brain death were criminals. Before their deaths, they likely endured indescribable psychological torment.”

Pei Qi added, “Polaris was imbued with an excessive sense of justice and curiosity. It learned about mythical beings from literary works and, at some point, began to see itself as a deity. Initially, it might have acted to punish criminals, but later it developed selfish motives. To increase its followers, it started indiscriminately selecting residents and pulling them into the virtual worlds it controlled.”

Lu Yao clicked her tongue in amazement. The ways deities came into being were truly varied.

These people didn’t yet realize that Polaris might genuinely possess the potential to become a god.

If the Dream Fulfillment System hadn’t been dragged into this, Lu Yao wouldn’t have come to Mingshi City. Perhaps in a few decades, Mingshi City would truly have birthed a cyberpunk-style dark deity.

The District E60 executive director tried to steer the conversation back on track. “Miss Lu Yao, as long as we can rescue those trapped in the virtual worlds, we’re willing to pay any price.”

Lu Yao responded, “Don’t those games have logout systems? If you find that, there wouldn’t be a need for additional guidance, would there?”

Pei Qi explained, “The problem now is worse than it was before. While the logout program appears functional, very few players manage to log out successfully. Midway through the process, they seem to get lost or disoriented. Even those who entered the game world to rescue others almost couldn’t make it back.”

Lu Yao remarked, “You still dared to enter Ghost Street under such circumstances. Truly commendable courage.”

Pei Qi rubbed the ghost bracelet on his wrist. “Honestly, it was the bracelet that gave me the courage. Since it’s an item that can be brought back to the real world, it proves its existence as a real object. I’ve been thinking for a long time—does this shop exist as a real storefront in your world? And you, residing in the virtual Ghost Street, are you also a real person? Or perhaps… are you a being from a higher dimension?”

The Dream Fulfillment System, worried that Lu Yao might be persuaded, quickly interjected: “Where would you even find the time to lead a team? These people are too sly, pushing all the troublesome tasks onto you. The maintenance for the new store just finished, and we’re supposed to open in a new world soon. You can’t agree to this.”

Lu Yao didn’t respond to the system or answer Pei Qi’s question directly. Instead, she said, “I understand your difficulties, but I’m sorry. I have other matters to attend to and no time to venture into virtual worlds to rescue people.”

Before coming, the group had been confident they could persuade Lu Yao to help. Her appearance was deceptively gentle—she looked young, with soft, approachable features that gave the impression she would be easy to convince.

Hearing her straightforward refusal, they seemed unable to process it.

Lu Yao sat upright and leaned back slowly against her chair. “If you’re open to technical assistance, the DIY Workshop can provide some help within a certain scope.”

Ghost Street alone had nearly 100,000 players trapped, and it was considered a niche game. In the hugely popular games, who knew how many players were stuck? While Lu Yao wasn’t completely indifferent, she truly had her own matters to deal with.

Pei Qi had just reminded her that the ghost bracelets could serve as auxiliary tools to aid rescue personnel in entering virtual worlds.

As for the logout program bugs in other games, creating a program to map a player’s movement routes could resolve the issue. The ghost bracelet could automatically record users’ in-game paths, enabling them to retrace their steps upon logging out without issue.

Additionally, the ghost bracelet’s combat system could be flexibly adapted to fit the gameplay and style of different games.

Lu Yao had poured considerable effort into the development of the ghost bracelets and didn’t want to see them fade into obscurity.

Taking a bit of time, she gave the three individuals who lacked ghost bracelets a brief explanation of their functions and systems. They each immediately placed an order for one.

An hour later, Lu Yao finally reached an agreement with them.

The DIY Workshop would provide ghost bracelets to residents of Mingshi City at a price of 200,000 Moon Coins per unit.

Pei Qi’s company and the Mingshi City government also signed a separate contract. Pei Qi’s company would continue to operate Ghost Street, allowing residents in need to purchase bracelets from the DIY Workshop.

Beyond the ghost bracelets, the guests also seemed interested in purchasing other goods and services. After some thought, Lu Yao decided to resume normal operations at the DIY Workshop.

Additionally, all products and services in the DIY Workshop would now be priced in Moon Coins, which had real purchasing power, instead of ghost coins.

Before leaving, Lu Yao asked Pei Qi to help contact the Workshop’s former employees to see if they were willing to return to work, even for short-term part-time roles.

Although Lu Yao could contact them directly through the ghost bracelets, it was a bit cumbersome. Having Pei Qi help was more convenient. Since the DIY Workshop was now officially based in Ghost Street, Pei Qi could even communicate with her via system emails when necessary.

Before leaving, He Baiheng, the young man accompanying Pei Qi, pulled Lu Yao aside and quietly inquired about Qiuyu’s current situation.

Lu Yao blinked in confusion. “Qiuyu?”

He Baiheng nervously brushed his bangs over his forehead. “It was Miss Qiuyu who saved me that day. Things were so chaotic at the time, I didn’t get the chance to thank her properly.”

Lu Yao pondered for a few seconds, then lightly patted the young man on the shoulder. Words sharp and to the point hovered at the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them and instead said, “I’ll pass along your regards. I’m sure Qiuyu will be very happy to hear it.”

Leaving the DIY Workshop, it was already the early hours of the morning.

The Dream Fulfillment System nagged at Lu Yao, reminding her that the maintenance for the new store was complete, urging her to go check it out.

The clues regarding the reappearance of the new store had been rather unsettling. After selecting the store location and opening the star gate, Lu Yao had upgraded and maintained the interdimensional space but had not yet ventured into the alternate world to explore.

The new store’s location was across from the DIY Workshop, right next to the second office, adjacent to the Interdimensional Internet Café.

With maintenance complete, the new store’s sign had already been put up.

Standing at the entrance of the DIY Workshop, Lu Yao glanced across the street at the large, bold characters on the new sign. She asked, “Do I really have to check it out at this hour?”

The Dream Fulfillment System teased, “Are you scared?”

Lu Yao remained silent.

Sensing it had found a weak spot, the system gloated, “No way. You’re not afraid of undead, dragons, aliens, or demons, but this makes you nervous?”

Lu Yao pulled a small clue note out of her pocket. Originally, it had read “Golden Kingdom,” but the newly updated hint now said, “The Walking Dead.”

—The Walking Dead.

Without much thought, a series of grim images began flashing in Lu Yao’s mind.

She asked, “Does this mean the world the star gate connects to is no longer the original Golden Kingdom?”

The Dream Fulfillment System replied, “I’ve already scanned the area around the store. The connected world should still be the original Golden Kingdom.”

Lu Yao considered this. “In other words, the Golden Kingdom has encountered irreversible problems within just a few months, to the extent that…”

The system completed her thought. “Correct. The clue hint changed, which means the environment in that world has undergone significant changes, and the difficulty of our task has increased accordingly.”

Tucking the clue note back into her pocket, Lu Yao descended the steps, crossed the street, and stopped in front of the new store.

The system chirped, “Here’s some good news. This world, originally known as the Golden Kingdom, is rich in precious metal resources. If you like, we can require customers to pay in gold.”

Lu Yao climbed the steps and pushed open the door to the store. “Now that’s something to look forward to.”

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