The first word of welcome that Su Zimo heard when he came to An Yu Yi Yu, the first voice he had heard, hadnât been hear again. He didnât know why, but at the moment when he knew that the grand opening was about to begin, Su Zimo wanted to tell âAyuyuyuâ the news first.
Because the No. 1 shelf where the no star products were placed was almost full, Su Zimo took the starred ghost tools from the most recent nightmare world to the empty No. 2 shelf where only the âReal Fragmentsâ from the metro station were placed.
Su Zimo originally thought that shelf No. 1 could only store no star products, and shelf No. 2 can only store one star commodities, but the âReal Fragmentsâ have been placed on shelf No. 2 for so long without any problems, and even had the â50 yuanâ label like other products.
As a result, Su Zimo guessed that shelf No. 2 couldnât hold just one star products, but the products placed there must be âat leastâ one star. He could try to place two and three star products on shelf No. 2.
Thinking about that, Su Zimo glanced at the three-tiered white wooden shelf, and placed the two star âReal Fragments,â âHoly Water,â and âNightmare Brand Sleeping Pillsâ on the top shelf. One cplaced, the price tags that appeared were all labeled â50 yuan.â
Su Zimo originally wanted to put the two star âGhost Severerâ on it, and even thought that the weapon-type ghost tool would be the easiest to sell. But when he thought of the young girl Wan Ling who had so preciously held the ghost tool, he stuffed it directly into the empty cabinet behind the counter.
The three star ghost tool âGushan Notes: Postscriptâ had a special ability âDo Not Enter,â and it could also attract some special customers to the store. Su Zimo was going to find some time to seal the postscript in a picture frame and hang it on the wall of the store so that it wouldnât be place on the shelf like a normal commodity.
Next was the broken âStupid Old Caneâ that needed to be repaired urgently. Su Zimo temporarily opened the back door of the shop, and returned with a large roll of transparent glue from his room, then used it to splice the broken halves back together. He would prepare to find a good carpenter to fix it when he was free.
When the two halves were violently ârepaired,â several canes suddenly jumped onto the counter, which made the ghost umbrella and Peng Peng aware that the cane wasnât an ordinary product.
As for Su Zimo, the text boxes on the cane didnât disappoint him.
[Stupid Old Cane (Three Stars)]
[Sale Price: 150 yuan]
[Description: An old man is like a treasure in a family. Although the grandfather has become old and confused, the saying goes âIf you donât listen to the old, you will suffer disadvantages.â Sometimes guidance from foolish old men will give you unexpected benefits. Of course, the grandfather is also more confused than when he was young, and the frequency of confusion is getting higher and higher, and some simple questions cannot be answered very well.]
[Special Ability: This is a guiding cane. When you hesitate in the face of a yes/no question, or when you feel conflicted about where to go next, let the cane fall in front of you. It will guide you in the right direction.]
[Limitation: In 40% of cases, the guide provided by the cane will be wrong.]
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The text boxes on the cane reminded Su Zimo of the âDiexian (Two Stars)â that the snake had snatched from Cheng Yun. That ghost tool was a guide or divination tool, just like this cane. But with a difference of only one star, the accuracy of the cane was 60%, while the accuracy of the Diexian was only 20%.
Thinking about the abilities held by Peng Peng, the Red Gloves, and the Demonic Baby Jade Seal, all three of which were three star ghost tools, Su Zimo really felt the ditch between two and three stars was bigger than the strait. <sup>1</sup>
After looking at the ghost tool that had been roughly ârepairedâ in his hand, Su Zimo thought about it and placed it on the middle layer of the second shelf. It occupied its own shelf; it was the treasure of An Yu Yi Yu.
Although the 60% accuracy rate may be precious for some people or non-human beings, for Su Zimo, he would prefer not to decide his fate based on luck.
The last item in Su Zimoâs backpack was the grey teddy bear that the old malicious spirit entrusted to him, It wasnât something that could be sold at will, so Su Zimo put in in the cabinet with âGhost Severer.â
With all the ghost tools in place, Su Zimo felt there was something more in the shop. Even the ghost umbrella and Peng Peng beside him closed there eyes and took a deep breath. The expression on their faces showed their enjoyment.
âSuddenly I feel like thereâs a real shop here.â Ghost Umbrella opened his eyes and looked around for a while. âAlthough itâs not comfortable enough, itâs beginning to rise up out of poverty.â
âDing!â
A soft sound, like that of a microwave, came from the computer behind the counter and attracted Su Zimoâs attention.
Once he was back behind the counter and glanced at the information on the computer, Su Zimo found that unlike the beginning, the store management program that originally only had two lines seemed to have more content. The information that he knew was included along with some new contentâ
[Shop: An Yu Yi Yu (Ayuyuyu)]
[Owner: Su Zimo]
[Life Savings: 353 days]
[Shelf No. 1 Capacity (No Stars): 46/50]
[Shelf No. 2 Capacity (One Star): 4/20]
[Ghosts in the Shop: Ghost Umbrella, Peng Peng]
[Shop Upgrade Progress: 0/1000]
[Shouhua: 0 Flowers (For Sale, Not Available to Store Members)] <sup>2</sup>
âGhost Umbrella, do you know what Shouhua is?â Su Zimo looked at the last line of the shop information that was getting longer and longer. Although he saw the parentheses behind Shouhua, he still didnât understand what had appeared so suddenly.
âI havenât heard of it, but it may have something to do with that?â Ghost Umbrella gestured to the front door of the shop.
Su Zimo followed the direction of Ghost Umbrellaâs fingers, then found that the shop door seemed to have become completely unlike what he remembered!
If Su Zimo remembered correctly, there was only a large white wall and two glass windows beside the door, and the glass door was tightly locked with nothing to see through it except for a black and grey fog.
But now the front wall of the shop had become a glass wall, and because the fog was still surging outside, it seemed even more weird. Whatâs even stranger was that there were two flowerbeds on each side of the storeâs glass door, surrounded by white picket fences. There was obviously no soil but two large green plants were planted there- they looked like unblossomed lilies. The doorway extended all the way to the corner of the wall.
The reason he said it was an unblossomed lily was because on the flowerbed to the left near the door, there was a green-white bud hidden. It was no different from the lily buds in Su Zimoâs memory.
âThis is the Shouhua?â Su Zimo bent down, stretched out his hand and gently caressed the fragile bud. âAfter it blooms, will it be the same as a lily?â
âGege, will there be fully bloomed flowers here in the future?!â Peng Peng, who had been beside him, also stretched out his little hand to touch the buds.
But what was strange was that Peng Pengâs hand stopped as soon as he reached the fence of the flower garden. His hand seemed to touch a nonexistent barrier, and he couldnât get close to the Shouhua in the flower garden.
âEh?â
âIt seems that only the boss can reach them.â Ghost Umbrella also looked up to take a peek. âThe security measures in the shop have always been excellent.â
âAlways?â Su Zimo turned to look at the ghost umbrella in doubt.
âHai hai, itâs nothing. It feels like the whole shop has been upgraded. Donât humans have that kind of game? Using stars obtained from mini games to add new furniture?â The ghost umbrella stood up straight with the black umbrella held in his hand, then opened it to hide himself. âMaybe the goods in the store are those stars.â
âI didnât expect you would know about human games?â Su Zimo was a little surprised.
With that said, Su Zimo didnât wait for Ghost Umbrellaâs answer. He couldnât wait to walk to the door and re-checked the display next to it.
[World Options:]
[001: Real World]
[001: Nightmare World]
[Not Yet Open]
[Not Yet Open]
[âŠâŠ]
Looking at the only two world that could be selected, Su Zimoâs finger that originally pointed to â001: Real Worldâ suddenly moved down and tried to click â001: Nightmare Worldâ on the second line.
When Su Zimo did that before, there was obviously no response from the screen, but this time, a countdown of 48 hours appeared on the screen!
The cooldown period for Su Zimo to enter the nightmare world was two days. If he wanted to enter the nightmare world again within 48 hours, such a countdown would appear on the side door of An Yu Yi Yu.
So when Su Zimo saw the countdown on the screen, he guessed that the second option was available. But what was the difference between that option at the front door versus the side door?
Su Zimo set his doubts aside, waited for the countdown on the screen to fade, then switched to the â001: Real Worldâ option.
He originally thought that when his finger pressed down, there would be a shocking change outside the store, like lightning and thunder or the colorful glow of when a treasure is born.
But Su Zimo never thought that the only change in front of him would be⊠a new list appearing on the displayâ
[Shoushan]
[Xiyang]
[Jiangdu]
[Yandu]
[âŠ] <sup>3</sup>
âIs this high-tech? It lets you choose the name of the place?â The ghost umbrella had appeared next to Su Zimo again. âWant to choose Shoushan?â
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Su Zimo thought for a while, but in the end he dropped his finger and chose Jiangdu, the farthest from Shoushan on the map. If Shoushan was a slow-paced area full of famous mountains and rivers, attracting many people seeking ease and families looking to settle down, then Jiangdu was a fast paced metropolis full of skyscrapers and commercial plazas and busy streets. The distance from the Su familyâs home was also a plus.
With that thought in mind, Su Zimo decisively pressed the word âJiangdu.â
There was no colorful glow, no lightning and thunder. The two ghosts in the shop watched the dark fog around the door gradually dissipate. Instead, a very prosperous-looking street appeared outside the glass wall of the shop.
Although it was late at night outside, there were many shops on both sides of the four-lane road with lights on. The neon lights appeared on many signs and were almost brighter than the street lights beside the road.
There werenât fewer pedestrians even though it was night time. A crowd of chatting and laughing groups passed by the door to An Yu Yi Yu, but no one seemed to have noticed the odd shop. No one was even paying attention.
Couldnât people outside see the shop?
Where had the store opened? Did it really arrive in a place like Jiangdu?
Guessing was worse than acting. Su Zimo directly grasped the door handles of the left and right glass doors with both hands and pulled them both inward. It was a memorable occasion that he opened the doors to An Yu Yi Yu for the first time.
The warm wind belonging to the late summer night blew into the shop. Even the sheet music of the dead on the piano was blown. The smell of perfume from pedestrians passing by, the smell of various snacks, and all kinds of strange scents instantly flooded into the store. All of that seemed to prove that An Yu Yi Yu, which was originally separate from the world⊠had opened!
At the moment the shop doors opened, the sounds of vehicles driving along the main street and the sound of chatting and laughing pedestrians on the sides all poured into Su Zimoâs ears. The dialects he occasionally heard seemed to prove that An Yu Yi Yu had really landed in Jiangcheng. <sup>4</sup>
The noises were completely inaudible when the shop doors were closed.
âWhen did a new store open here?â
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âWhere?â
âItâs the place where the handsome guy is standing. The one next to the bookstore. The storeâs sign seems to be unlit.â
âReally! Iâve never seen it before. I feel like thereâs a lot of plants. Is it a flower shop? A handsome guy in a flower shop sounds so good!â
ââŠâŠâ
The conversation not far away reached Su Zimoâs ears. He was sure then that pedestrians could see An Yu Yi Yu, and there was a lot of discussion about the appearance of the store. He didnât know why⊠but no guests came to the door.
Su Zimo went out and looked up at the shopâs sign. He found that it was a white wooden signboard with the four characters âAn Yu Yi Yuâ written in gold. It was a normal sign, and because there were no lights around it, it became extremely inconspicuous in the street full of busy lights.
After standing at the door for a while, Su Zimo couldnât help yawning.
It was already late at night when he entered the nightmare world, and he had experienced a variety of things in the nightmare world. As an ordinary human, Master Su, who was very tough, was still a little bit sleepy at the moment.
There was obviously a lot of things to do when a shop opens for the first time, but Su Zimo felt that he couldnât do anything. He thought it was a good decision to just close his eyes and fall asleep.
âGo back in and rest?â The ghost umbrella holding his own body and Peng Peng stood in the door with a smile. âGhosts donât need to sleep, so weâll stay and watch the store. The hard-working owner should go back and rest first, right?â
Su Zimo was already so sleepy that his eyelids were fighting, so he nodded after hearing Ghost Umbrella and Peng Pengâs suggestion. He patted Peng Pengâs hair on his way, and said with a smile, âPeng Peng, although the sheet music is in the store, if you want, you can also play nearby. When dawn comes, I can take you to the amusement park in Jiangdu.â
âGege is the best!â With an innocent, lovely, and perfect smile on Peng Pengâs face, he threw himself in to Su Zimoâs arms and looked back, holding Su Zimo tightly while Ghost Umbrella stood behind him and made a face.
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âThank you!â Su Zimo, whose footsteps were already a little heavy, couldnât help but yawn, and finally opened the back door of An Yu Yi Yu and walked through. In an instant, he walked from the remote Jiangdu Commercial Street to the bedroom of the main Su family residence in Shoushan. Once inside, he fell desperately on the soft bed and fell asleep.
When Su Zimoâs consciousness was fuzzy, he suddenly thought of a question â what does â001: Nightmare Worldâ at the front door actually mean?
If he chose Jiangdu in the real world, he would be able to set up An Yu Yi Yu on a prosperous street in Jiangdu.
So if he chose the nightmare worldâŠ
Wouldnât he be able to open the doors to An Yu Yi Yu in the nightmare world?
Before thinking clearly about his question, Su Zimo fell asleep.
Footnotes
<ol>The ditch is bigger than the strait: idiom meaning that something you thought was similar were actually really different. Shouhua means Life Flower, but because the unit for the quantity is also flower, it seems repetitive so Iâll keep it as its actual name instead of its translated name. Shoushan, etc. â These are all locations. Jiangdu is a district, Jiangcheng is a city.</ol>