First Guest

After rummaging through the shop, Chen Xuan found a bright red notebook in the middle drawer of the counter. The words "Shopkeeper's Rules" were written prominently on its cover.

This cover... it was practically written for him to see.

He eagerly opened it and found that the first page contained only three sentences.

"Treat every guest with enthusiasm."

"Handle every ability with care."

"L-l-let the w-w-world fall into m-m-madness, hehehehehe, kekekekeke!"

At first, Chen Xuan thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Only after checking three times did he realize he had read it correctly.

What the hell was this? Had whoever wrote these rules been eating Yunnan mushrooms while writing them?

Frowning, he flipped directly to the next page.

From this page onward, the contents became relatively normal.

[Store Manager's Notes]

"Guests are the most precious wealth. Every request and every wish they have should be considered carefully. Not every guest knows what they want, but you must understand that better than they do."

"It is recommended that you speak with guests in detail."

"If the guest is unwilling to talk in detail, then create an opportunity to do so."

"Enthusiasm and sincerity will always be your ultimate weapons."

Chen Xuan could tell that the notes were a further explanation of the rules. This page was clearly referring to the first rule.

He continued flipping down. "Abilities are this shop's primary business."

"They are the means of creating value. Put them in the right place, and you can earn greater returns."

"Evaluating abilities, collecting abilities, trading abilities—these are the key factors that determine your performance."

"Keep an eye on inventory at all times. Avoid both operating at a loss and letting abilities pile up."

"You can view more details on the computer."

Uh... why did this part seem a little strange?

Chen Xuan scratched his head. At first, he had assumed the second rule meant that a shopkeeper should make the best possible use of every employee and their respective abilities, but the explanation in the notes clearly differed from his understanding.

Trading abilities...

Could it mean exactly what it said?

Still, no matter what, he now understood why this shop had been established—it might have a coffee machine and display shelves, but it was definitely not some boutique coffee bar or small convenience store.

With that question in mind, Chen Xuan turned to the fourth page.

There was none of the mad scribbling he had expected. On the contrary, the contents were unexpectedly serious.

"The shopkeeper's salary consists of a fixed wage plus performance bonuses, and all expenses incurred during shop operations shall be borne by the shopkeeper."

"Under no circumstances may the shop close down. The shopkeeper must arrive before 8:30 p.m. The minimum working time is eight hours, with no upper limit. If an operational accident results in injury or disability that prevents the shop from being run, the shopkeeper shall bear full responsibility."

Chen Xuan's mouth twitched. Wasn't this a goddamn sweatshop?

Look at that last sentence. Was that even something a human could say?

And why would running a normal shop lead to injury or disability? Did that make any sense?

Yet the mention of arriving at the shop by 8:30 p.m. made him think of what had happened over the past two days—had he been forcibly dragged into the shop after falling asleep simply because he had failed to clock in on time?

Further on, there was actually a whole series of illustrated examples demonstrating the trading process, as though the manual had not written all this for shock value but because such transactions really existed.

Half-believing, half-doubting, Chen Xuan followed the diagram and turned on the computer on the desk. Sure enough, there was software on the desktop called Ability Butler.

When he opened it, he found that the software was divided into three sections. On the left was Shop Management, in the middle were Transaction Records, and on the right was Shop Inventory.

He had to admit, the software's design was rather user-friendly. It even used a graphical interface. Back when he worked at the fast-food restaurant, all they used were databases, and they were incredibly cumbersome to operate.

When he opened the inventory, there was only one selectable entry on the list.

Ability Inventory: [0], Available Ability Providers: [1]. The 1 was followed by a name: Chen Xuan.

Was he the product!?

Chen Xuan almost burst out laughing.

He had lived for twenty-six years, yet he had never known he was a superpowered person.

Speechless though he was, he still opened the entry, wanting to see what was really going on.

A draggable dialog box popped up on the screen.

"Can Eat a Lot" LV1.

—"Has a better appetite than ordinary people."

"Can Sleep a Lot" LV1.

—"Sleeps more soundly than ordinary people."

"Free Will" LV2.

—"The extent of life's understanding of the mysteries of the universe. The broader the understanding, the freer the will. Note: forbidden knowledge is not included. It will only shorten your life."

"Broadly Read Through the Ages" LV2.

—"Local historical knowledge and anecdotes. You think you can learn lessons from them, but you actually can't. Its greatest use is enriching your story library."

The first two abilities were gray, while the latter two were white.

Chen Xuan immediately sensed the malice of the software's designer. Did they dare say gray and white did not represent rarity? Forget golden legends—gray was basically classified as trash-tier miscellaneous junk in any game, yet he had been given two of them? And judging from the literal descriptions, those two abilities really were no different from trash.

Was this all made up?

But when he thought carefully about it, he realized that he really had rarely needed to worry about sleeping or eating. Even when he worked overtime for days on end, he could drop off to sleep in the cramped staff break room. Even his boss had praised him for having a body made for overtime.

Chen Xuan had thought it was because he had grown accustomed to hardship as a child, making him seem more resilient than others. He had never expected that it could actually count as an ability.

Fortunately, there was one colorful ability at the very bottom of the page.

That was right... its border shimmered with multicolored light. By conventional standards, this ability's rarity had to be top-tier!

Full of anticipation, Chen Xuan moved the mouse over it.

"The ???th Shopkeeper" LV1.

—"Most of the time, it is the only legendary ability you can obtain. Be grateful to fate. Even an unknown nobody can become famous throughout the world with it, provided you live long enough."

"Non-tradeable, non-transferable. Current shopkeeper status: still alive."

Thanks my ass!

He slammed the mouse onto the desk.

So this shopkeeper position was a consumable?

Ding-dong-dong~~

At that very moment, the wind chime rang.

Someone pushed aside the curtain over the shop entrance.

"Welcome!" Chen Xuan instantly slipped into customer-service mode, a sincere smile appearing on his face.

It was a habit he had developed from working odd jobs.

A fresh scent of osmanthus drifted in on the breeze.

The guest was a young woman in white, her skirt nearly brushing her ankles. She moved almost soundlessly, as though she were floating above the ground.

The moment he saw her, a single word leaped into Chen Xuan's mind.

Immortal.

Not only was she dressed like some celestial maiden, she looked like one too. He did not know how else to describe it. Even the immortal characters commonly seen in television dramas seemed somewhat inferior when compared to her. Her features looked as though they had been crafted by heaven itself, and her waist-length black hair was smooth as silk. Aside from the wooden hairpin in her coiffure, she wore no other adornments. She perfectly embodied the phrase that clothes made the person.

Though she wore ancient-style clothing, she walked with graceful confidence. In just a few strides, she reached the counter and stared at Chen Xuan with clear eyes, as if examining something. For some reason, Chen Xuan felt that her attitude was not very friendly. There was a trace of chilliness in her gaze, which made her seem a little more worldly.

Still, a visitor was a guest.

"Is there something you'd like to buy?" He straightened the mouse he had just knocked over and asked casually.

"What kind of shop is this, opening in the middle of nowhere?" Her voice was crisp, but there seemed to be a hint of accusation in her tone.

Was something wrong with this woman's head?

He had just been admiring her appearance, but those words instantly ruined his mood. He even took a moment to glance outside the shop. "What middle of nowhere? This is Tianlu Residential Area—"

He abruptly froze halfway through the sentence.

When had it become pitch-black outside?

Even if there were no streetlights outside the shop, he should still have been able to see the lights from the residential buildings in the distance!

"Wait here."

Chen Xuan hurried out of the shop.

The scenery outside had completely changed. The rows upon rows of buildings from before had vanished without a trace, leaving only rolling mountain ridges faintly visible beneath the moonlight. Under his feet was not concrete, but soft grass. Some unknown insects chirped in the woods, making the desolation of this place feel even more pronounced.

"What residential area did you say?" the young woman asked faintly from behind him.

Chen Xuan turned around, his gaze sharpening. Only then did he notice that a longsword was hanging behind her back. Its blade was dark red... and that red dripped from the tip, leaving tiny spots beside her feet.

He realized that the red was blood.

And it was fresh, still warm blood!