Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Chapter 24: The first store

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Bai Jian ate that bowl of beef noodles in the morning and felt restless the whole day.

The noodles are chewy and smooth, and are covered with the rich red oil bone soup. When you slurp it into your mouth, it is spicy and fragrant. The beef is moderately fat and lean, and is stewed just right. It is lean but not dry, and the tendons are fat but not greasy. It is chewy and sticky, and full of fragrance.

The snack bar has been open at the entrance of the park for so long, but he didn't know until today that the food there is so delicious.

But the feud had already been formed (one-sided), and although he wanted very much to go to the snack bar to take a look, he could not lower himself and take the initiative to suggest going to the snack bar.

The beef noodles alone were so delicious, and he heard that there were many other delicious things in the store. He often saw the three Bubble kids and other employees in the park sneaking to the snack bar to buy things, and they often came out with boxes of different sizes. He wondered how delicious those things must be.

Bai Jian's desk was filled with beef noodles made with magic, wide noodles, round noodles, in big bowls, small bowls, and even dry beef noodles served on plates... Rich in color, full of details, they were all the result of his whole morning's work.

Unfortunately, these noodles are not warm and burst when you bite them. They have neither fragrance nor taste.

Bai Jian walked around the office with his hands behind his back, determined to find an excuse to go to the snack bar. He was almost going crazy with his food.

Suddenly, several deliberately suppressed voices were heard from outside the door. The captain of the guards had a strong soul power, and his five senses were sharper than those of ordinary guards.

He walked over and leaned against the door, listening attentively.

"Today is the night shift, so when you get off work, go to the snack bar and line up."

"The snack bar has new products, and they're desserts. I really want to try them."

"When did it happen? What dessert?"

"Cream puffs and coffee pudding. I just saw Guard Green secretly eating them in the office. I could smell the sweet aroma at the door."

Bai Jian: “!!!”

Cream puffs and coffee pudding, the names sound delicious, but Qing actually ate them all by himself!

The captain of the guards could no longer bear it, so he turned the doorknob, stuck his head out, and silently stared at the three people at the end of the corridor.

Bubble, Dudu, and Dongdong heard the slight sound, turned around, and immediately said respectfully, "Captain of the Guard."

Bai Jian came out, relaxed his brows, and tried to be approachable: "You are talking about snacks..."

"I'm sorry, Captain Guard, we were wrong!"

"We should be more serious when working the night shift. We must teach those challengers a lesson!"

"Snack bars and the like, the food is terrible, who wants to queue up to eat there!"

The three of Bubble bowed and moved along the wall, bypassing the captain of guards and running downstairs without looking back, "Oh, it's time to get ready for work, Captain of Guards, we're leaving first."

Bai Jian: “…”

He just wanted to join the conversation, chat about the snack bar, and then follow them...

The chief guard encountered obstacles everywhere that day. Whenever he appeared at the door of the staff office, the employees who were enthusiastically discussing the snack bar would immediately scatter like birds and beasts, not giving him a chance to speak.

Bai Jian was very depressed. He used to be satisfied with his own authority, but now he felt like he was trapped in his own web.

Is he really that scary

After a while, Bai Jian walked to the door of Qing's office. The door was not closed, but he still knocked on it.

Qing didn't even raise his head, "Please come in."

This guy is quite steady. Apart from his minor shortcoming of being too obsessed with snack bars, he is strong and serious about his work. He is indeed a rare talent.

Bai Jian walked in, feeling somewhat reluctant, but thinking of the aftertaste of the beef noodles, he had to speak awkwardly: "Qing, do you want to go to the snack bar after get off work tonight?"

The captain of the guards was tired and didn't want to beat around the bush anymore, lest the person escape, so he went straight to the point.

Qing raised his head, with surprise in his eyes, and seemed to be stunned for a moment before he came to his senses: "No."

"..." Bai Jian raised his foot and hooked a chair to sit down opposite him, "Why?"

Isn't that your favorite store

If you like it so much, wouldn’t it be reasonable not to visit it every day

Qing seemed a little helpless, and explained slowly: "Snack shops usually close in the afternoon and are not open at night."

Bai Jian: “…”

So what does Bubble and the others mean when they say to queue up after the night shift

There were people squatting outside the snack bar almost all day and all night, and he always thought that the shop was open 24 hours a day.

It turns out that once you have eaten there, no one can escape the temptation of snack bars.

Qing lowered his head to hide the curved corners of his lips, and said seriously: "The guard captain wants to go to the snack bar, and it is better to go earlier. Bai Ming happened to tell me secretly today that the owner is preparing new products, and I also want to try my luck. I will call you later?"

Bai Jian was happy, with an expression that said, "Since you insist on calling me, I'll give you a favor and go there." "Okay."

In the middle of the night, there was a knock on the door of the chief guard's office. Bai Jian sat up from his chair and said, "Come in."

Qing did not come in, but stood at the door and said softly, "Captain of the Guard, it's time to go out."

Bai Jian glanced at the time. It was three o'clock in the morning. Shouldn't the snack bar be closed at this time

When they came out of the park and saw the long line outside, Bai Jian appeared calm on the surface but secretly took a breath. Were these people waiting for the snack bar to open

This is too exaggerated. Even when the park was doing the best business, there weren't so many people waiting there.

Qing took the captain of guards and found the end of the crowd, waiting in line. Bored with waiting, he began to explain the history of Luyao Snack Shop to the captain of guards.

As the first customer of the snack bar, Qing was somewhat proud of himself. He said that he had come to the park to study that day, and as soon as he got off the elevator, he noticed that this snack bar was different.

He described to the captain of the guard the spicy taste of the grilled wings and pig's trotters, the sweet and sticky taste of the rice wine meatballs, and talked about the leek and egg pie, coffee, and the noodles, cream puffs and coffee pudding he had just eaten this morning. Finally, he talked about the train conductor Gao Yang's advertisement for the snack bar.

Bai Jian had never heard Qing talk so much before, and he was quite insightful when talking about food, which made him secretly swallow his saliva. Fortunately, it was dark at night, so no one should notice.

In fact, except for the captain of the guard, everyone queuing in front, behind, and on both sides of the guard was unconsciously attracted by Qing's description and kept swallowing their saliva.

In the early morning, the NPCs working in the park got off work and ran out to line up. From afar, they saw the chief guard in the long line and were a little frightened.

Does the guard captain want to smash up the snack bar himself

After all, he had had this idea before.

The line lasted for several hours. By the time the snack bar opened in the morning, the line slowly moved forward. By the time it reached the guard captain and Qing, it was almost eleven o'clock.

When Xingzi saw the captain of the guard, there was surprise in her eyes, and it took a moment for her to return to normal.

Bai Jian looked normal and ordered three things as required: a bowl of beef noodles, a pair of spicy chicken wings, and a bowl of fermented glutinous rice meatballs.

They were lucky. When they came in, the guests at the table by the window in the far left corner were about to leave, so Qing immediately took Bai Jian over to sit down.

Bai Jian noticed the succulent potted plants on the windowsill, his eyes trembled slightly, and he couldn't help but stretch out his fingers and touch them carefully.

The plump, round, green succulent plant withered and turned black at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning into ashes and falling into the small flowerpot.

The guest at the next table was sharp-eyed and immediately raised his hand and said, "Wow, that guy rubbed the little succulent to death."

The customers dining in the restaurant all looked over, and the clerk downstairs also watched silently. The thin layer of dust on the window sill could not deceive anyone.

Bai Jian: “…”

He had no ill intentions, he was just curious and couldn't help it. He didn't expect this little thing to be so fragile.

Xingzi had never encountered such a situation before. If it was an ordinary guest, it would be easy to deal with, but the captain of the guard was a little special.

The small succulent plant will die only because the guardian chief’s soul power is too strong, which overwhelms the vitality of the small potted plant and directly robs it of its vitality.

The store was eerily quiet. Many customers ate their food in a hurry and left. Some didn't even have time to eat, so they just grabbed their food in take-away boxes and ran away.

That person is so scary.

Xingzi hurried to find Lu Yao and explained the situation.

Lu Yao came out with noodles and spicy chicken wings. Seeing the empty potted plant on the windowsill, he put down his plate, picked up a small, round succulent plant and put it into the empty pot. He also compacted the soil a little, and said to Bai Jian, who was a little stunned, with a smile: "I'm sorry, I didn't pick this succulent plant well. I scared you."

After hearing Lu Yao's explanation, the customer who had just come in withdrew his inquiring gaze, ordered his food and waited.

Bai Jian watched Lu Yao return to the kitchen before he looked away, then lowered his head to look at the beef noodles and spicy grilled wings on the table in front of him.

Qing said, "You are so lucky, this bowl of noodles was cooked by the store manager."

Bai Jian came back to his senses: "What's the difference between what she cooks and what others cook?"

Qing didn't say it explicitly, but just said: "You will understand when you have the chance to taste the cooking skills of other employees in the future."

If you come a few more times, you can taste the obvious difference between Lu Yao's cooking skills and those of others, but the owner is too busy to ask her to do everything herself.

For most people, the most important thing is that the store continues to exist.

They chose to ignore this minor shortcoming.

Before eating, Bai Jian lowered his head to look at the freshly trimmed succulent plant by the window, his eyes flickered slightly, and he lowered his voice and asked, "Why did she say that?"

Before yesterday, he had always hated the snack bar, and naturally he also hated the snack bar owner Lu Yao.

He had planned to destroy her shop several times, and although she didn't know his thoughts, her actions still shocked him.

In comparison, the fact that she could perform illusion didn't seem to surprise him that much.

Qing shook her head: "I don't know either. If the guard captain is curious, why not ask her in person?"

Bai Jian: “…”

He suspected Qing was being sarcastic on purpose.

The captain of the guard was silent for a long time, until Qing reminded him that the noodles were going to become unpalatable, then he came to his senses and picked up the chopsticks.

After taking the first bite of noodles, he understood what Qing had just said.

The bowl of noodles that morning was probably not cooked by Lu Yao. There seemed to be no difference between this bowl and that bowl, but the one cooked by Lu Yao tasted more fragrant, warmer, and more soothing.

"It would be great if Bai Jue could also have this bowl of noodles." Bai Jian finished his meal in unusual silence, and finally said this while looking out the window.

Qing's fingers paused slightly, then he continued to eat noodles with his head down.

Bai Jue, the previous guard of the 99th Floor Paradise.

In the late stage of amnesia, he entered the highest level game, chose to surrender in the game, was chopped into pieces by the challenger, and never came out again.

The space of paradise is very special to them. They will materialize in paradise, grow hearts, and have weaknesses, so that they can experience reality.

Generally speaking, challengers cannot touch their weaknesses unless they voluntarily expose them.

That was what Bai Jue did at that time. He chose the most tragic way to end everything.

After Bai Jue died, the captain of the guard was depressed for a long time and rarely left the paradise afterwards.

The last time I went out was probably to look for new guards.

The young guard he found is now working as a clerk in a snack bar.

Bai Ming brought a white porcelain plate over and pushed it in front of Bai Jian, "The owner has just made some snacks, please try them."

He was determined to resign at the beginning, but he still respected the captain of the guard in his heart. The captain of the guard was more powerful than all of them.

On the white porcelain plate lay four small jellies skewered on bamboo sticks. They were round and looked very much like the succulent potted plants that he had just touched to death.

Qing first reached out and took one, biting off half of it, his eyes sparkling, "Delicious! What is this called?"

Bai Ming: "The owner said it's called bowl cake."

Bai Jian picked up a red bean flavored one and took a bite. It looked soft, but it was sticky and chewy when you bite it. It was slightly sweet but not greasy. It was indeed delicious.

At this time, Gao Yang came down from the second floor and found Lu Yao: "What do you want to talk to me about?"

His exclusive desk is on the second floor, and Lu Yao even hung a sign on it, which is very impressive.

These days, Gao Yang would take some time to come and sit with us.

Originally, none of the colleagues in the office wanted to participate in the snack bar project, but now they are all vying to get a share of Gao Yang's exclusive treatment. However, he doesn't want to take anyone, not even Xiao Qi and Ren Min.

Lu Yao also brought him a plate of bowl cake and pulled him to sit down: "The conductor is very knowledgeable. I want to ask you if you know where the Demon God is?"

"You want to see the Lord Demon?" Gao Yang found it strange. She was really brave.

Lu Yao nodded: "Yeah."

Bai Jian's five senses are sharper than those of ordinary people, and Lu Yao is facing his direction. He can read lips. Is she asking the Lord Demon

Gao Yang did not comment and asked, "Why?"

Lu Yao couldn't say that he was doing it to complete the task. Thinking of the invitation, he suddenly had an idea, "I want to invite the Demon God to have a meal in the restaurant."

"Eat?" Gao Yang never thought she would have such an idea, and couldn't help laughing, "Sorry, I don't know where the Demon Lord is. As far as I know, He should not be here."

He has been to all places in the Land of Dreams, but there is no place where he could sense the presence of the devil.

Lu Yao was surprised: "Not here? How could it be? Isn't the devil the origin of the existence of this world?"

Gao Yang said: "That's true, but He is not here. If there is anyone who knows where the Demon Lord is, it is probably only the guards of Paradise."

The guards of Paradise were actually originally the guards of the Demon Lord.

Later, the devil disappeared, leaving behind the paradise, and the guards were dispersed to various areas and became ordinary paradise guards.

Bai Ming has already asked, but at least Qing doesn’t know.

I met Du Chen this morning, and he also said that he didn't know the whereabouts of the Demon Lord.

Lu Yao felt that this task was a bit tricky. He couldn't deliver the invitation if he couldn't find the demon god. He also didn't know what the subsequent tasks would be, and there was a time limit.

Without getting any useful information from Gao Yang, Lu Yao chatted with him for a few words and then left.

Qi Chen came downstairs and found Lu Yao who was thinking hard in the kitchen. He said nervously, "Shopkeeper, I want to trouble you with something."

"What's up?"

"The matcha crepe mix I tried these days is still not right. I would like you to buy me a sample. I want to taste it again."

Lu Yao felt that his thoughts were interrupted. He couldn't think of a way to find the demon god in a short period of time, so he decided to go out for a walk to change his mood.

She stood up, touched her phone and was about to go out: "Okay, I'll go buy it."

Lu Yao walked to the door, Bai Ming stopped her and handed her something.

"Where did this thing come from?" Lu Yao looked at the pitch-black ring in his hand and was a little frightened.

Zhao Yuqing said that only a dying person would see this thing, so why did Bai Ming give it to her? Was this a hint that she was about to die

But she had just extended her life by two thousand years, could she be so unreliable

Bai Ming also frowned: "The guard captain asked me to give it to you."

Captain of the guard

Lu Yao felt that things were even more strange. She was not familiar with the captain of the guard, so why did he give her this

She had already learned about the phantom ring from Qi Chen.

The black ring is the most terrifying one. Not only will it take the owner into the highest level game, it also implies that if the game fails, the owner will die miserably.

Qi Chen said that his ring was also black. Lu Yao thought of Qi Chen's final outcome in the news and felt cold in his hands and feet.

Is she really going to die

Bai Ming seemed to see her worry and comforted her: "Don't worry, you will be fine. If it is your ring, it will not be handed to you by us. It will appear by itself where you can see it."

This statement is equivalent to making it clear that they know everything, but they just don't expose it.

Lu Yao: “…”