***
Although fighting monsters far above her level had been quite perilous, the loot had been extraordinarily bountiful. Wu Guanyue had made a trip to [Secret Realm: Red Pine Forest], struck it rich, and even gained a cat employee on top of that. One could hardly ask for more emotional value.
When they reached Li Family Hollow, the three Li brothers said their farewells. Li Sanlang even asked, rather reluctantly, whether she could come to the inn to visit Wuyun in the future.
Wuyun licked its paws, its ears twitching sharply. Then it shot off and vanished in the blink of an eye. Wu Guanyue did not see it again, even after returning to the inn.
However, Wuyun’s little portrait had indeed appeared on the employee roster beneath Wang Er’s, and its duties were listed as [Cleaning], [Fishing Assistance], and [Mount].
…So although it cursed and grumbled nonstop, had it actually accepted the job?
Hmm…
Wu Guanyue happily stepped into the inn.
It was getting late, and time to rest. She returned to the starting room, logged out of the game, and planned to log back in first thing tomorrow morning.
***
Wang Er, meanwhile, was having a much rougher time of things.
That morning, he had followed the moneylender’s orders and lured the shopkeeper to Red Pine Forest. He had heard that several people had gone missing there before. The moneylender had been utterly confident, claiming he had already seen through her true nature—that she was some kind of insect—and that this time, she was sure to perish without a trace.
But who could have expected…
The shopkeeper had actually come back!
She had returned carrying her fishing rod, standing in exactly the same manner as when she had left that morning. She had even earnestly told him that the fishing spot he recommended was quite good…
Uh…
Wang Er spent the entire latter half of the night unable to sleep.
He tossed and turned in bed.
What, exactly, had the shopkeeper meant by that? Had she fallen into the moneylender’s trap when she went to Red Pine Forest? Hadn’t the moneylender guaranteed that she would never return? How was it that she had not only escaped without injury, but looked more radiant and energetic than ever?
The more he thought about it, the more frightened and uneasy he became. In the middle of the night, Wang Er suddenly sat bolt upright.
No! He couldn’t just sit around waiting for death!
Wang Er immediately got out of bed, reached beneath his pillow, pulled out a piece of cloth, and hurriedly began packing his valuables so he could flee.
Everyone already knew that the shopkeeper was a monster. How could he possibly stay here any longer? True, if the shopkeeper discovered tomorrow that he was gone, she would certainly become suspicious… But he couldn’t afford to worry about that now!
There were two strings of silver coins hidden in the stove—money Wang Er had gotten by selling off items from the inn, and most of his entire fortune. Taking advantage of the darkness, he tiptoed into the kitchen and crouched down to peer into the stove—
…and came face-to-face with Wuyun, which was hiding inside and playing with the ashes.
Wang Er: “…………”
Wuyun: “…………”
Wang Er: “Aaaah! There’s a demon! A demon!!!”
Wuyun: “Woof woof woof woof woof!!!”
Wuyun let out an indignant cry and fled on all fours.
A pitch-black, suspicious-looking clump of aquatic weeds let out a series of highly questionable dog barks as it vanished into the darkness of the kitchen!
Wang Er: “…………”
Wang Er: “………………”
Wang Er rolled his eyes back and collapsed limply like a noodle, scattering the silver coins from his hands.
After a while, Wuyun cautiously poked its head out from a corner.
It circled Wang Er once, leaving a trail of gray paw prints on the floor, then sat down and solemnly began licking its paws.
Wu… Wu Guanyue had said she wanted it to be her mount… But Wuyun didn’t think it could carry her.
Hmm…
Wuyun’s gaze fell upon the unconscious human. Its catlike pupils alternated between round and narrow slits.
After another while, Wuyun spread itself across the floor into a flat cat pancake.
The black cat pancake wriggled along the ground and flowed beneath Wang Er’s body. Wang Er’s body slowly slid forward until his head slammed into something with a bang.
It turned out that the kitchen threshold had blocked their path.
Wuyun: OωO
Wuyun’s eyes opened wide as it appeared to fall into deep thought…
Wuyun: OωO!
Suddenly, it seemed to understand something. It excitedly let out a wolf howl, then flowed back beneath Wang Er’s body.
Back up! Build speed! Charge!
“Bang!”
That was the sound of Wang Er’s head smashing through the threshold.
With Wuyun carrying Wang Er, they shot out of the kitchen like lightning! Even the profound principle that kinetic energy could be converted into potential energy was something Wuyun understood!
“Meow! Meow! Awoof-woof-woof!”
Wuyun let out an excited, rhythmic work chant. Wang Er was plastered against the ground, sliding along at breakneck speed, his head repeatedly slamming into one object after another…
But those were all minor details!
Wuyun was using Wang Er to practice how to carry a person while moving faster.
After nearly half an hour, Wuyun finally deposited the panting Wang Er back in his room.
Two hours later, the crowing of a rooster suddenly broke the silence. The sky began to pale like a fish’s belly, and a new day dawned.
Wang Er groaned and slowly regained consciousness.
Wang Er: “…………”
Wang Er: “………………”
…What had he been doing last night? Why was he lying on the floor? And why did his head hurt so much? For some reason, he felt a little nauseated, too.
Holding his head, Wang Er struggled to his feet. The moment he stepped outside, he saw a huge gap in the kitchen threshold. The courtyard was also a complete mess: the water bucket had been knocked over, the firewood had been scattered, and the stool used for washing clothes had been overturned.
…Damn it, had they been robbed?
Wang Er absolutely couldn’t let the shopkeeper see this mess, so he hurried to clean everything up.
Once he had finished, he went to draw a bucket of water and wash his face.
Wang Er lowered the bucket into the well.
But when he pulled it back up, the weight suddenly became much lighter. He hauled up the well rope…and something hanging from the hook glimmered with an eerie light.
It was… a string of silver coins.
The coins looked strangely familiar…
They were clearly the very same coins he had hidden in the stove!
Wang Er’s pupils contracted sharply.
He remembered! He remembered everything!
Last night, he had been planning to flee when he encountered a black clump of aquatic weeds that could bark like a dog in the kitchen!!!
The bucket hit the ground with a bang, spilling water everywhere. Wang Er was just about to run for his life when the shopkeeper suddenly flung open the second-floor window with a loud clatter and cheerfully greeted him.
“Wang Er! Good morning! Did you sleep well last night?”
Wang Er: “…………”
Wang Er: “………………”
Suddenly, Wang Er burst into tears and wailed, “Shopkeeper, I swear I’ll never do it again! Shopkeeper!!!”
Wu Guanyue: “?”
***
At that moment, Wu Guanyue was sitting solemnly on a small stool in the inn. Kneeling before her was Wang Er, who kept begging for mercy.
Hmm… A new storyline had been triggered.
Wang Er had suddenly dropped to his knees and confessed everything.
It turned out that the debt had never existed in the first place! The whole thing had been a lie fabricated by Qian Shi’an to seize the inn! Even yesterday’s trip to Red Pine Forest had been a trap set by them to surround and kill her!
How outrageous! Simply outrageous!
At the same time, Wu Guanyue’s main quest was updated as well—
【Main Quest: Pay Your Debts! (Updated)】
【Quest Details: Qian Shi'an drove your grandfather to his death, then went a step further and tried to kill you as well… Behind him stands the mysterious great tree demon. Having slain the tree demon’s minions and descendants, how will you protect the inn your grandfather left behind—and how will you protect your own life?】
So… was a BOSS going to come knocking next?
The mysterious great tree demon was information Wang Er had provided. Apparently, quite a few people had been spreading rumors about it… Though there was no proof, the people nearby were all deeply wary of it and thus afraid to offend Qian Shi'an.
If there was no proof, then it had to be true. How could a game include useless information?
Wu Guanyue opened her character panel again.
【Inn Details】
【Name: Ah Ah Ah Oh Oh Oh Uh Uh Uh Let Me See What This Game’s Longest Name Is—Filler Filler Filler As If I Were the Emperor—Inn】
【Inn Level: LV.1 (Your little shop is completely unknown)】
【Inn Popularity: 5/100 (Selling nothing but baked flatbread has caused your inn’s popularity to plummet)】
【Inn Revenue: 355/10,000 (Selling nothing but baked flatbread has left your inn’s revenue pitifully low)】
【Owner Details】
【Owner: Wu Guanyue】
【Level: LV.1 (Your strength is inseparably linked to the inn’s fate)】
【Skill: [Stealing · Beginner]】
Hmm… So, for players, there was only one path to development after all: upgrade the inn!
As long as the inn’s level increased, the player’s level would naturally increase along with it. There was no reason for the first fixed BOSS to be especially difficult. As long as the player was willing to grind, there shouldn’t be any real problem!
Excellent. How does one dispel one’s worries? Through innkeeping, of course!
As for Wang Er…
Wu Guanyue stared at Wang Er with a stern expression.
Wuyun hissed at him.
Wu Guanyue: “What about the things from my grandfather’s inn? Don’t just tell me about other people’s crimes and ignore your own!”
Wang Er said nothing. He merely kept kowtowing.
【How will you deal with Wang Er?】
【A. (Dark Souls) I’ll chop off your hands and feet, then throw you into the river to feed the fish!】
【B. (Because I’m a good person) What’s past is past. From now on, you’d better work honestly… Oh, right. How about becoming my nuclear-powered donkey?】
Naturally, she chose B!
At a time when the player was about to start grinding like mad, a living nuclear-powered donkey was obviously more useful than a dead traitor!
Wu Guanyue sighed. “Sigh… Who can blame me for being such a good person…”
Wang Er raised his head hopefully.
Wu Guanyue: “You! Right now, clean the entire front hall and rear courtyard, then brush Wuyun’s fur. After that, bake a hundred batches of flatbread and sell them, fry up two dishes, and finally hand over every last coin on you to me!!!”
Wang Er: “…………”
Wang Er: “Huh?!”
Wu Guanyue: “What! Are! You! Waiting! For?!”
Wuyun the cat: “Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!”
Wang Er managed to survive. He rolled and scrambled to hand Wu Guanyue the twenty taels of silver he had made by selling off the inn’s belongings, then slunk away to become a nuclear-powered donkey.
Wu Guanyue, meanwhile, prepared to study some new recipes. She had gotten a huge haul from fighting monsters yesterday, so today she would use those ingredients to experiment with different combinations!
Moreover, early that morning, Eldest Brother Li had brought over some free ingredients as a token of his gratitude.
【Obtained: [Donkey Meat] ×9!】
【Obtained: [Large Intestines] ×8!】
【Obtained: [Green Plum Dew] ×8】
【Obtained: [Limeng Fruit] ×28】
Then, first things first: she would freely combine all the ingredients on hand!
Wu Guanyue pondered for a moment, then suddenly pulled out the large intestines!
【[Wu Guanyue] has created [Large Intestine Sashimi]. Congratulations!】
【Large Intestine Sashimi: Something only a small number of people could possibly enjoy.】
Uh… What a nonsensical dish.
Next attempt.
【[Wu Guanyue] has created [Salt-Grilled Matsutake]. Congratulations!】
【Salt-Grilled Matsutake: The finest ingredients need only the simplest preparation…】
In the game’s item rarity system, it was a purple-quality dish, which meant it was incredibly delicious… But it didn’t have the [Frostcool] attribute, and there weren’t many matsutake mushrooms available, so it couldn’t be sold as a signature dish.
Next.
【[Wu Guanyue] has created [Limeng Fruit Sparkling Water]. Congratulations!】
【Seasonal · Limeng Fruit Sparkling Water: Place living pine needles in water to fill otherwise flavorless water with carbon dioxide bubbles, then add fresh Limeng peel… The True Fire of the Sun sweeps everything away!】
!!!!!!
Isn’t this just Sprite?!
When summer came, what could be more satisfying than a glass of ice-cold, sparkling, refreshing soda? Coca-Cola’s flavoring formula was extremely complicated, but Sprite really was just lemon-flavored sparkling water!
Excellent. This would be the inn’s seasonal summer specialty. The decision was made!
Sprite would conquer the world of immortal cultivation!
There you have it—using pine needles to make sparkling water really does work! Of course, there’s an even simpler way to make carbonated drinks: ginger ale.
