"It's you, is it really a mermaid?" Lu Yao recognized Du Manning at a glance. She was more curious about the identity of the mermaid than the divination.
In Lu Yao's world, the existence of mermaids is so dreamy.
Who hasn’t heard the story of the Little Mermaid as a child
The nail salon had received several mermaids before, but they were underage mermaids who looked similar to human girls.
After all, Du Manning best fits Lu Yao's fantasy of mermaid.
When she first met him, she didn't know he was a mermaid, and she thought she would never meet him again.
Du Manning leaned against the window sill and nodded, "Yes, it's a mermaid. But I didn't realize that the owner is a time traveler. The scenery outside the window is completely different from the Alexandria continent. Is that your hometown?"
When Lu Yao first asked Du Manning about her identity, he had already walked to her side, and the two of them spoke in low voices.
Except for the foreign shop assistants in the store, ordinary customers were not disturbed.
"Well. You came here just to tell fortunes for me?" Lu Yao asked.
Du Manning nodded. She had been bothered by the result of the last divination.
After returning to the sea to recuperate for a long time, and knowing Lu Yao's identity as a time traveler, he was confident that he would be able to see something this time.
The little mermaid was still very persistent. Lu Yao smiled and said, "I have nothing to do right now. How about trying a manicure? I think I said last time that your fingers are very suitable for manicures."
Du Manning had also heard of the nail salon's reputation in Haili, and was not completely uninterested in it.
When Lu Yao invited her, she accepted reluctantly.
There were many people outside, so Lu Yao simply took Du Manning to the reception room of the laboratory.
Last night, the nail salon also got an upgrade.
The interior space of the laboratory has doubled, while the exterior space has not changed.
The left side is divided into two lounges, and Tina, Clarissa, Eugenia and Merulu also have rooms to rest.
The large area in the middle has a small public leisure area separated from the lounge, and two transparent reception rooms next to it for Ambrose and Edward to use.
Edward accompanied his baby to work and did not apply for the job of clerk, but was interested in magic manicure and forced Lu Yao to reserve a reception room for him.
Considering that he worked at his own expense, Lu Yao agreed.
The large space on the right was converted into Lu Yao's dedicated research room, with a refining table for processing materials, a reception area, bookshelves for magic books and various miscellaneous books, and a very large material room filled with various Warcraft materials, rare herbs and magic gems.
There is a small room with a bathroom in the corner, which is her exclusive lounge.
Du Manning and himself were the only ones in the room. Lu Yao handed the tablet over and said, "Take a look at the styles first."
Du Manning flipped through the photos one by one. Born in the gorgeous ocean, she had seen countless fantastic scenes that were difficult to describe in words, but she was still attracted by the manicure in front of her. She kept flipping through the next one, wanting to know if there were any designs she hadn't seen before.
Lu Yao didn't rush, picked up the notebook and started drawing, thinking about the new products that would be in the blind box store.
She just received a system prompt. Because she chose the beverage direction at the beginning, the blind box store can only sell beverage-related blind boxes before completing the task and adding new categories.
And the weight of each blind box cannot exceed 500 grams for the time being.
Not knowing enough about that world, Lu Yao initially thought that food was the product least likely to go wrong. After all, even the undead could not resist the temptation of food.
When choosing specific products, I chose hot drinks that can be produced and shipped in a snack bar for convenience, but now I am a little restricted.
The system was the same. It would only prompt her with this kind of question when she hit a wall, but it wasn't a big problem.
There shouldn’t be too many drinks to choose from in the world today. Even if you change a new series every day, it won’t be difficult to have a different one for thirty days.
Du Manning put down the tablet and pulled back Lu Yao's thoughts: "Shopkeeper, I want to make a manicure that looks like a mermaid. The style doesn't have to be too exaggerated, and it doesn't have to be magical, but it would be better if it could be a little special."
Lu Yao put down the paper and pen and thought for a moment, "There is a style that I haven't made here yet, and it should meet your requirements. Do you want to try it?"
When Du Manning heard that it was a new style, he was very interested and said, "I want to make it!"
Lu Yao communicated with her again, then turned around to pick out the nail polish color, some accessory materials, and special tools.
Mermaids love the sea because there are places on the seabed where sunlight can shine in.
The beach is covered with beautiful shells and colorful stones, and colorful fish swim leisurely by.
Lu Yao polished the mermaid's nails, applied protective nail polish and let it dry, then took out golden cat-eye nail polish as a base, used a magnet to absorb a beautiful halo at the edge, and then applied a thin layer of transparent blue nail polish, adding layer by layer to blend out a layered blue.
The golden base oil spreads out a clear blue, just like the seabed illuminated by the sun, with beautiful fine light spots appearing on the surface.
[Successfully sold a hot drink blind box, initial task completed! Popularity value +1, blind box category 1. ]
Lu Yao was looking down for tools and paused when he heard the prompt.
The product categories are increasing, and we can consider blind box products in other directions.
That world was very dark, and it didn't seem like it was caused by a power outage. Perhaps there was a market for lighting tools.
However, there is still a restriction that a single blind box cannot exceed 500 grams. Perhaps we can open another series of food categories.
[You have a new task! Sell 50 blind boxes and get 50 points of popularity as a reward. Blind box category 1.]
Lu Yao showed no emotion on his face as he continued to do his manicure. He found the tools and took out a box of solid patch glue, which was the protagonist of today.
She used a small scraper to scoop out a small piece of adhesive, smeared it on Du Manning's nails, and changed to the embossing stick to shape it.
With just a few simple movements, the lump of solid glue instantly turned into a transparent jellyfish with a light body and outstretched tentacles.
Lu Yao used a small tool to adjust the folds of the jellyfish's skirt and the direction of the tentacles' fluttering. After shaping it and shining a light on it, he changed to a soft brush and painted a layer of light purple on the surface of the jellyfish.
After the magic seal, the blue and purple colors on the nail surface complement each other, and a faint golden halo appears under the gradient.
Finally, she added a layer of gold powder on the surface and shook her fingertips. Tiny spots of light flickered, like a dream.
Du Manning raised his finger and looked at it for a while, a smile appeared on his face: "What a cute little Shuimu. I also like small octopuses and small scallops. The owner helped me make them."
Octopus and scallops are the mermaid's favorite foods. Lu Yao felt that this was a bit scary if you thought about it carefully, but also very comedic. The favorite foods all appeared on her manicure.
The scallop is fine, but the little octopus is made on the nail and shaped with solid patch glue. It takes some effort to make it look cute.
Lu Yao calmed down and created a deep sea world on Du Manning's fingers, including octopuses, scallops, conchs, starfish, fish, corals... The base oil changed from blue-purple to purple-red, red-blue, and blue-orange, changing unpredictably and never the same.
When you put your ten fingers together, you will see a beautiful yet eerie picture of the deep sea.
Du Manning gently stroked the nail surface, which had obvious bulges, but did not look exaggerated. The design and color matching perfectly hit all her aesthetic points.
She couldn't help asking, "Have you ever been to the bottom of the sea?"
Otherwise, how can you create such realistic deep-sea nail art that is so similar and so cute
Lu Yao shook his head: "No, but I have watched some documentaries and read some related books."
Du Manning didn't know what a documentary was.
Few humans in Alexandria know the sea so well. She suddenly felt very happy. She stopped thinking about the things she couldn't figure out and took out a new transparent crystal ball. "I'll help you with your divination. I'm very inspired right now."
Harold knocked on the door, "Luyao, it's time for lunch."
This was to urge Lu Yao to go next door to get food. He didn't like the food in the restaurant in town, which was far worse than that in the snack bar.
Lu Yao stood up and said, "Okay, I'm coming."
Du Manning had no choice but to wait for Lu Yao to come back, and then had a special lunch at the snack bar before sitting down again to prepare for divination.
During lunch break, the shop assistants gathered together. When they heard that Du Manning was going to tell fortunes for the owner, they all came over with interest.
Lu Yao put his hand on the crystal ball just like last time, and images gradually emerged in the ball... It was still a ball of black fog.
Except for Harold, the other shop assistants felt strange when they saw Lu Yao's fortune-telling for the first time.
"Why is there nothing?"
"Could it be that the shop owner is a man of great luck, so he can't see it?"
"No matter how strong the human race's luck is, it won't be so strong that it can't be seen at all. Isn't it possible for a fortune teller to do this?"
Du Manning seemed to have expected this and took out another black crystal ball. "Shopkeeper, please drop a drop of blood on it."
This is the secret technique of the mermaid clan, which consumes vitality to predict the future and forcibly spy on fate.
However, mermaids are a long-lived race, and Du Manning was so curious about the secrets of this human race that he was willing to sacrifice his life just to take a look.
Edward stopped Lu Yao and looked at Du Manning: "As far as I know, this divination will not only consume the life of the divination practitioner, but also shorten the life of the person being divined."
Du Manning nodded: "It's just a few years, it's not a big problem."
Harold and Mum hugged Lu Yao tightly, with tense faces, not allowing her to bleed.
Harold angrily accused: "She is a human being. She only has a few decades left to live. You want to waste a few more years of her life?"
All the foreign clerks in the store were of a long-lived race. When they were reminded of this, they suddenly became sad when they thought that Lu Yao only had a few decades left to live.
Lu Yao broke free from the shackles of the dragon and the slime, "... Hey, don't look at me like I'm going to die soon!!! I still have a long time to live."
The shop assistants looked even sadder, as a few decades is a lifetime for humans.
For them, it wasn't even a childhood.
Harold thought that he still had another fifty years to go before he became an adult, and by then Lu Yao might be dead, and the whole dragon would be in trouble.
Clarissa stepped forward and said, "If the owner's life is about to end, I can harvest your soul and transfer it to another container. You can still live, but you won't be able to live freely in your own body."
Ambrose said: "Soul harvesting is risky. The shop owner can change from a human to a necromancer in advance, and then he will be the same as me."
Edward thought for a moment and said, "If you don't like a bare skeleton, I'm still willing to embrace you for the first time, even if I become a vampire."
For them, there are many ways to extend the lifespan of a human being.
Harold's hand hung on the edge of the stool, gently pinching the corner of Lu Yao's clothes, lowering his eyes and saying awkwardly: "If you still want to live as a human, I can sign a symbiotic contract with you. There is no risk. You can live as long as I live."
The surroundings suddenly became quiet. The dragon voluntarily signed a symbiotic contract with the human race after the incident at the magic academy.
Everyone found it unbelievable, but because it was Harold who proposed it, it seemed very reasonable, and everyone's eyes fell on Lu Yao's face.
Lu Yao said expressionlessly: "… Thank you for your kindness, but it's really not necessary. In fact, I may, probably, maybe, live longer than you."
Shop assistants: “…Oh.”
The owner is so humorous, how is it possible that she can live longer than us
Lu Yao dropped a drop of blood on the black crystal ball, and the bright red blood was instantly absorbed.
After a while, blood began to seep out of the crystal ball again, gradually piecing together into four strange shapes.
Du Manning's face changed.
That was the mysterious divination text passed down by the mermaid clan. Others couldn't understand it, but they could tell something was wrong from Du Manning's expression.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yao asked, "What's the result of the divination?"
Du Manning shook his head stiffly, his voice trembling: "I can't see it, I can't see it."
Lu Yao: “…Okay.”
She actually looked forward to it.
Du Manning realized that he had lost his composure, raised his hand to brush his hair, and said calmly: "Shopkeeper, I can't see what will happen to your future. But you are blessed with good fortune, so you don't need to worry."
Lu Yao: … You clearly said last time that you are definitely not a lucky person. It’s too abrupt to change your words now.
She still prefers the rebellious look of the mermaid girl.
Du Manning didn't want to say anything more, so he quickly packed up his divination tools and left.
She walked to the fountain square and turned back to see Lu Yao still standing at the door of the nail salon watching her go. Her suppressed heartbeat suddenly quickened again.
Is the store owner aware that he is being targeted by such a being
Du Manning suddenly felt weak and her strength was draining away. She looked much older, and the backlash had indeed come.
Fortunately, she was alert and didn't say anything, otherwise she might have died immediately.
The mermaid is like a gust of wind, coming and leaving in a hurry.
The foreign shop assistants had different expressions, and seemed to be trying to figure something out.
Lu Yao looked at the time, it was still early.
There was nothing to do in the nail salon in the afternoon, so she was thinking about arranging new blind box products and returning to her own world.
She went out for a while and brought back some goods, preparing to start a new blind box product category.
In the snack bar, Qi Chen had already prepared 166 blind boxes of hot drinks and was waiting for her to come and pick them up.
Lu Yao dropped a few boxes of instant noodles at a snack bar and asked the clerk to put uniform blind box packaging on the outside and then take them directly to the blind box store for stocking.
Instant noodles are cheap and convenient.
A box weighs no more than 500 grams, has a wide variety of flavors, and is highly accepted by the public, making it perfect for making blind boxes.
There are only a few hot drink blind boxes missing from the blind box machine, and it seems that it has not attracted any customers.
Lu Yao went outside the store and took another look. It seemed that the sky had not yet brightened and was still pitch black.
Has this world really fallen into eternal night
She went back to the store to continue stocking up, one hundred and sixty-six blind boxes of hot drinks, but she hadn't finished them.
The blind box machine is full, and there are still three portions left. I throw them into the warehouse for storage. They won’t go bad anyway.
Lu Yao went to the snack bar to busy himself for a while, then returned to the blind box store with 200 packaged instant noodles to load the second machine.
There are six flavors in the instant noodle blind box, one of which is hidden.
The hidden version contains luxurious ingredients, and the weight of a box is barely controlled within 500 grams. The total quantity is only ten boxes.
Lu Yao was also thoughtful enough to borrow a hot water machine from a snack bar and move it to the blind box store.
There is a direct water inlet in the store, and you can boil water by installing a hot water machine.
If customers open a blind box of instant noodles in the store, they can directly add boiling water to experience it.
It took about fifteen minutes for Lu Yao to finish all the blind boxes and stood up clapping his hands.
There were voices outside the door, someone pushed open the shop door, and four or five young men and women walked in one after another.
The girl who came in first was shocked. "It really is a store! I wonder if I can find anything to eat."
Lu Yao immediately put on a business smile and said, "Welcome to the blind box store. We just got new instant noodle blind boxes. You can try your luck!"