[Successfully helped 500 drowning people leave the garbage sea, mission completed! Reward popularity value 100,000 points, the store owner will be given the right to enter and exit the garbage sea freely! ]
[Lu Yao's furry shop is very popular and has been upgraded to a four-star shop, with a reward of 100,000 popularity points and +3 furry varieties. Please keep up the hard work! ]
[You have a new task! Please add at least three new furries within fourteen days, with a total number of no less than thirty. Reward popularity points of 100,000 points, and free store expansion once (Note: the expansion area is limited to 60 square meters)! ]
Jiuhua came and went two or three times, and Lu Yao's mission was finally completed. He got the access rights he had coveted for a long time, and he couldn't wait to float to the surface of the sea to take a look.
From the guests' conversations, I learned that the development of civilization in this world seemed to be similar to hers, but there were definitely some differences.
This new task came at the right time. She also felt that there were not enough furry employees in the store, especially after the store expansion. The whale room, coral room, and sea urchin room were still relatively empty, and more furry employees were needed to boost popularity.
She has been looking for new furry animals recently, but hasn't decided on a specific breed yet. Now she can complete a task at the same time.
It's really too much to play, the mission rewards actually limit the expansion area.
It’s only 60 square meters, too small.
System: [… I heard everything. ]
Lu Yao immediately climbed up the ladder: "Anyway, 60 square meters really doesn't fit the style of your dream-fulfilling system. I thought it should be at least 100 square meters.]
The system was so angry that it wanted to make a fist (if it really existed). The last time the furry shop was upgraded, it was too damaging. The owner simply treated it like a hard laborer. This time, he would never be fooled again, even if he was beaten to death.
[The task has been released and will never be withdrawn or modified. ]
Lu Yao: "So you don't have enough authority?"
system:[…]
So annoying.
At this time, the system suddenly broadcast a new task message.
Lu Yao was stunned for a moment. This was the first time he received a side quest.
[You have triggered a side quest! The Deep Sea Goddess has disappeared, the barrier of the Garbage Sea has weakened, and the garbage piled up here is about to overflow and spread to the human world. The consequences will be disastrous. Please solve this problem and stop the garbage from flowing out. Reward: Depending on the completion of the task, there is a chance to directly open the ultimate task! ]
After reading the entire task, Lu Yao couldn't help wondering: "What is the probability of 'having a probability'?"
The system is still holding a grudge: [… No comment. ]
Lu Yao: "Okay, all. You can draw the pie. Since it's a side quest, you can do it or not. If you do it, there is only a chance of unlocking the ultimate mission. Who knows what the probability is? One percent or even a few tenths of a percent is not impossible. If you don't do it, the ultimate mission will eventually be unlocked. I'm not in a hurry at all, so I'll just skip it."
System: [… Fifty percent.]
Lu Yao: "What? I didn't hear clearly."
The system raised its voice: [I say! If the completion rate of the side quest is high, there is a 50% chance of unlocking the ultimate quest.]
Lu Yao rubbed his ears and said, "I know, I know."
Everyone was very angry, but couldn't argue with her, so they went offline angrily.
Lu Yao arrived early, Jiuhua left, and the store suddenly became quiet.
The pigs were crying, and Lu Yao poured some cat food into their food bowls, not a lot, to leave some in their stomachs for the guests to feed them.
Feeding is a particularly popular activity for customers of the furry shop. Not to mention that Erxin's weight-loss plan "failed halfway", the boxer shorts, chacha and white socks that were as skinny as ribs when he first came have now become as round and plump as a pig, and his cheeks have started to grow, which may also be related to "picking the bell".
Although the furry shop is large, the toys for animal enrichment are a bit limited.
The guests are very fond of the pig and like to hold it wherever they go. Even the fat kid next door shows signs of gaining weight.
Lu Yao plans to put some high-intensity and interesting enrichment toys in the bird room and cat room to encourage Zhumi and Feichu to exercise moderately.
After making good plans, Lu Yao slowly started to eat the seafood noodles. Halfway through, Qingmei arrived.
She pushed the noodles that were originally cooked for Jiuhua over to her, "Eat noodles? I cooked them for the guests. She left early."
The fresh hand-rolled noodles that Lu Yao got from the snack bar were evenly thick and chewy, with rich seafood covering the noodles. The soup was fresh and delicious, and it didn’t get lumpy even after being soaked for half a day.
Qingmei couldn't stand waste, so she didn't mind the noodles that the customers hadn't touched. She just sat down and started eating, though she was a little absent-minded.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yao finished eating the cat food, then squatted aside and stared at their Erxin and Boxer Pants, continuing to slurp noodles mercilessly.
The slightly wide noodles are covered with a thin layer of milky white soup, and are served with peeled prawns and crab legs. All your worries will disappear after a few slurps.
Qingmei stirred the noodles, hesitated for a moment, and said, "The movie queen has been gone for several days."
She understood that the movie queen must have a lot of things to do and might not be able to handle her affairs as soon as she returned.
But there was no movement, and she couldn't help her wild thoughts, otherwise she wouldn't have been so anxious and rolled around outside the jellyfish room yesterday.
Lu Yao picked up the bowl and drank the noodle soup, saying, "Don't worry. If it doesn't work, I'll find a way. By the way, the chocolate starfish that left yesterday came back this morning, but it left not long after."
Qingmei was surprised: "Again?"
Lu Yao nodded: "Yes, this is her third time coming to the store. She comes and goes more freely than me, the store owner. I have a feeling that she will come again. You should keep an eye out."
Qingmei nodded, and the sadness between her brows dissipated a little.
When Chocolate Starfish came again, she asked about the situation outside.
Lu Yao put away the bowl, stood up, put on his diving suit and prepared to go out.
She didn't tell Qingmei directly that she had obtained the permission, mainly because she wanted to go ashore and see the situation first.
According to the system records, Lu Yao swam straight up for more than 30 meters and suddenly jumped out of the sea - the barrier that originally existed had disappeared.
She adjusted her posture and looked around.
Sea, sea, sea, sea, all sea.
She was right in the middle of the ocean, and no matter which direction she looked, there was endless blue sea.
A huge sense of loss hit Lu Yao like a tsunami, and he couldn't tell why.
Under the sea and sky, people are so insignificant.
Just like the pygmy seahorse that spends its entire life hiding in the coral reefs in the deep sea.
The feeling of loneliness, like the tiny waves stirred up by the sea breeze, erodes the senses bit by bit.
"Ying—" The melodious whale song came from far away, carrying an ancient charm. Lu Yao felt a little cold for some reason.
The system suddenly made a “hmm” sound, and Lu Yao came back to his senses, “What’s wrong?”
System: [There is a person with a group of sperm whales. ]
Lu Yao: "Sperm whales and humans?"
Among whales, sperm whales do not swim very fast, approximately between 20 and 30 kilometers per hour.
But compared to humans, that's too fast.
Lu Yao soon saw that not far away on the sea there were columns of water gushing up into the sky, accompanied by terrible sounds, one after another.
The height and momentum of the water column were far more spectacular than what he had seen in the audio-visual materials. Lu Yao's body was stiff, and he couldn't tell whether he was afraid or excited.
On the vast sea, a huge group of sperm whales passed by Lu Yao.
They swam past her leisurely as if they didn't see her, until... she saw a familiar chocolate starfish lying on the big head of one of the sperm whales.
"Jiuhua?" Lu Yao blurted out, his voice trembling with surprise.
The fat starfish's arms and legs moved slightly upwards, as if a little surprised, and then lazily climbed onto the sperm whale's broad back and turned over, "Hi, Lu Yao!"
Lu Yao struggled to keep his balance, "Why are you here?"
Jiuhua came out of the water still looking like a starfish, stretching her arms and legs and basking in the sun comfortably: "I'm traveling with the big whales, and by the way, I'm going to see if I can collect their poop."
Rumor has it that sperm whale feces, after being dried using special methods, can become the raw material for ambergris.
Lu Yao: “…”
How to tell her that sperm whale poop is no different from ordinary poop at first
"What about you? Why are you here?" The sperm whale carrying Jiuhua kept its head above the water for a few seconds to prevent her from falling.
Lu Yao swam along with great effort, "Don't you want to leave here?"
Jiuhua flicked her tentacles and said, "I haven't had enough fun yet. This place is so interesting."
Lu Yao was tired from swimming and couldn't keep up with the speed of the whale. He shouted, "I want to go to the shore. Do you know the direction?"
Jiuhua suddenly sat up cross-legged, transformed into a human, with a slightly surprised look on her face, and pointed forward: "That's the coast, less than a hundred meters away."
Lu Yao looked confused: "Where?"
Jiuhua supported the whale's head, stood up shakily, and took out a pen from his pocket, "So you can't see. It doesn't matter, I'll clear the way for you."
Lu Yao was left behind by the group of whales. He saw from afar Jiuhua raising his pen and swinging it forward.
In an instant, Lu Yao felt that the pen turned into a silver knife with a sharp blade. Jiuhua raised the knife and cut open the sky.
The transparent skylight made a harsh "cracking" sound, and cracks spread like tree roots from where the blade passed. The light gray barrier shattered, and golden light shone in through the gaps, soft and warm.
There was a hole in the sky, and the fresh morning breeze blew towards her, as if the world was greeting her for the first time.
Lu Yao opened his eyes and looked into the distance. The coastline was just within reach.
The group of sperm whales swam straight forward and passed the boundary of the gray barrier. Jiuhua was isolated by an invisible barrier again and fell into the water with a "bang".
Lu Yao dived into the sea and swam a long way, looking everywhere for the fallen Jiuhua. Finally, he saw the fat starfish lying wilted on the coral roof.
She picked the little starfish off and took it back to the store.
Jiuhua ate a big bowl of seafood noodles and was fully revived. "The seafood noodles are great. I want to eat them for lunch too."
Lu Yao introduced to Qing Mei, "This is Jiuhua."
Qingmei had guessed it, and nodded shyly to Jiuhua, "My name is Du Qingmei, and I'm a temporary clerk at the Furry Shop."
She couldn't wait a moment longer, and after a brief greeting, she went straight to the point.
Unexpectedly, after she had just said a few words, Jiuhua nodded and said, "I know you. I've seen your photo on the news. I wasn't sure at first, mainly because your condition here is not the same as in the photo."
Qingmei was stunned: "You said I appeared in the news?"
Jiuhua nodded: "You don't remember how you came here? As far as I know, people who have been here will basically forget their experience in the sea after returning. I didn't expect that there would be people who don't remember what happened before coming here."
Qingmei was surprised: "After you go back, will you forget what happened here?"
Jiuhua touched his chin and nodded hesitantly, "Theoretically, that's right. The first time I came here, I forgot about it after I went back. One day, I climbed to the rooftop to 'get some fresh air' and saw a sparrow flying by. The image of the little fat bird flashed through my mind, and I gradually remembered that I had been here. Later, I went to the supermarket to replenish my daily necessities and met the movie queen and her jealous husband who were shopping in the supermarket in a secretive manner. It turned out that they lived in Yeguang City. I was really curious, so I approached them to talk, but they had no impression of anything happening in the sea."
That conversation almost used up all her courage for the whole year.
Jiuhua returned to her residence with a calm expression. The moment the door was closed, the "three-dimensional defense device" was instantly released, and she couldn't recover for a long time.
When I woke up the next day, I turned into a starfish again.
However, after two trials today, she has mastered the trick of entering and exiting this sea area freely.
Qingmei let out a breath. It turned out that the movie queen forgot, not because she didn't want to help her. Knowing this, she felt less heavy in her heart.
She couldn't help but look at Jiuhua again, "I heard from the store manager that you have been here many times. If you go back now, will you forget what happened here?"
Jiuhua shook her head, "There is a delay, but I will recall it soon."
Qingmei's eyes sparkled with surprise, and she leaned forward to hold Jiuhua's hand: "I have something to ask of you. It may be a little troublesome, but no one here can help me except you."
The feeling of being needed is undoubtedly great, and Jiuhua could probably guess what Qingmei wanted to ask for.
But she had already used up a year's worth of courage and really didn't have the energy to go out again.
She told Lu Yao that she was socially anxious, and it was not a lie.
She felt very comfortable and at ease just in the sea, as if she preferred the feeling of being a starfish to being a human.