Princess Workshop

Making money, let alone a fortune, is no easy task, especially given the sluggish economy of Darkmoon City. Chen Rui didn't have a detailed plan yet, but the ultimate goal of making money was to acquire aura, and the purpose of aura was to enhance his strength. Although the special training at Blue Wave Lake was grueling, the results were obvious. Pagliu was essentially a high-level personal coach, and a free one at that, so he absolutely had to keep at it.

However, Blue Wave Lake was quite far away. Riding a Triangle Rhino was too conspicuous, and going there frequently would arouse suspicion from certain people.

Chen Rui thought of Mengda and Kegu, and suddenly an idea struck him: weren't there two helicopters that had delivered themselves to his doorstep? What if he switched to nighttime and rode the Wyverns instead?

He considered it carefully and found it increasingly feasible. Moreover, the speed in the air was much faster than on land, which would significantly save time on the commute.

"Kegu, Mengda, this meat is delicious, right? Are you willing to be my mounts?"

"Kegu doesn't like being a mount!"

"Mengda doesn't like it either!"

Chen Rui frowned, suddenly recalling a joke.

A father asked his child what his pursuit in life was. The child answered money and beautiful women, and the father fiercely slapped the child's face; when the answer was career and love, the father approvingly patted the child's head.

"Kegu, Mengda, are you willing to become my flying partners? We can soar freely in the sky together, and in the future, we can even go to the Gloomy Night Wetland together."

"Kegu is willing!"

"Mengda is willing!"

"..."

Compared to the cunning Poison Dragon, these simple-minded Wyverns were truly adorable.

Just as Chen Rui had successfully coaxed the Wyverns, Alice arrived with Athena in tow.

The little loli apologized to Chen Rui for the first time ever, explaining that the fifty Vine Stones she had promised couldn't be delivered because her sister had confiscated them, leaving only six. The little loli promised that as soon as she got those six, she would give them to him immediately.

Chen Rui was just starting to feel touched when the little loli spotted the two unrestrained Wyverns, and her beautiful purple eyes widened instantly.

Since it was only Athena and Alice, Chen Rui naturally didn't hide anything and explained his Beast Taming Technique, though he deliberately emphasized that he had only just awakened the ability and found it difficult to control.

Athena recalled how quickly Chen Rui had established a rapport with the Horned Wing Beast during yesterday's special training, and her expression turned to one of realization. A wave of displeasure suddenly surged in her heart: "Why didn't you tell me sooner during the special training?"

Chen Rui thought for a moment and gave a wry smile: "At that time, my beast taming ability had just awakened... as for later, did you give me a chance to explain?"

Athena thought of the "revenge" scenario, her face flushed, and she pointed at Alice, who was excitedly watching the Wyverns, making a threatening gesture to indicate that this matter must absolutely not be told to Alice. Chen Rui nodded hurriedly.

"Chen Rui, can I try riding a Wyvern into the sky?" Alice tossed a piece of fresh meat to Kegu. Seeing that Kegu didn't seem as violent as she had imagined, her little mind started racing.

"That won't do! The skin and breath of a Wyvern are highly toxic. Little Princess, you're so pretty, you wouldn't want to end up with rotting flesh, would you?" Chen Rui quickly sealed off the little loli's delusions. Alice plus a Wyvern would have a destructive power far greater than one plus one equals two; if things went wrong, there was a risk of even the royal palace being destroyed.

"Can't you develop an antidote? Otherwise, how do those Dragon Riders control them?" Alice pouted in dissatisfaction, then suddenly shrieked: "Athena, why is your face so red? Are you sick?"

"That... maybe it's because I just reached the rank of High-Rank Demon, and I haven't fully mastered the fire power in my body yet." Athena hurriedly changed the subject, "Alice, Wyverns aren't toys. Ordinary antidotes can only last for a very short time; that's what happened to Allen last time. I've heard about the training methods for Dragon Riders. It seems they deal with toxins for a long time to build up a certain resistance in their bodies, and then gradually get used to the toxicity of the Wyverns. Because of the constant contact with toxins, Dragon Riders usually look quite hideous."

"Forget it then, I don't want to be disfigured," Alice said with a fearful look, her eyes rolling as she added: "Chen Rui, that 'promotional' method of yours is quite good. There are a lot more people in the shop now, and the income has increased a bit. Can you come to my shop to help every day?"

"I'm sorry, Little Princess, I really don't have the time. Now that the Princess has appointed me as a scribe, I have to work every day," Chen Rui hurriedly refused, "After I get back, I not only have to practice the Beast Taming Technique but also study pharmacology with Master Aldas. I'm so busy and exhausted that I can barely move; how would I have the strength to help?"

"Practicing beast taming?" Alice's big eyes brightened, but then she thought of the Wyverns' toxicity and said unwillingly: "When you develop a long-lasting antidote in the future, remember to take me along for secret training, okay? I really want to play with a Wyvern!"

Chen Rui agreed offhandedly. Alice thought for a moment and added: "Chen Rui, I know you have a lot of ideas. Tell me... if I find a way to start a chamber of commerce, could I compete with that sinister guy Joseph?"

Chen Rui was stunned. Alice's train of thought was very clear; she actually had the idea of starting a chamber of commerce. It seemed she really wanted to help Shea resolve Darkmoon's biggest economic crisis. She was truly a little loli with a hidden "sensible" attribute. However, no matter how smart the little loli was, she was still too young and thought many things were too simple.

"As for a chamber of commerce, Little Princess, don't think about it for now. If you really want to develop in this direction, start by running one shop well first."

Alice frowned her cute brows and wondered: "But I think that shop is already doing very well."

"It's far from enough!"

The little loli wanted to retort defiantly, but seeing the confident light in Chen Rui's eyes, she changed her tone: "Then what should I do?"

Chen Rui thought of his own money-making plan, and his heart stirred. Wasn't there a shop right here?

"That depends on whether you are truly committed to running this shop well, Little Princess. If you just want to play around, the current level is fine. But if you are serious, and even want to further help the Princess, then you must truly put your heart and soul into it. We humans have a saying: in this world, there is nothing you can't do, only things you don't want to do."

The little loli showed a rare, serious expression and replied: "Alice really wants to do it well! I really want to defeat that big bad guy Joseph!"

Chen Rui nodded and stated his purpose: "Little Princess, to tell you the truth, because practicing the Beast Taming Technique requires long-term consumption of various magic materials—Vine Stone is one of them—it requires a large amount of Magic Crystal Coins. How about this: we open a shop together. You provide the storefront and the capital, and I provide the ideas and planning. We split the money we earn fifty-fifty. How about that?"

"No wonder you suggested taking half of the Vine Stones today," the little loli realized, then shook her head: "But you're too cunning. The storefront and capital are mine, you just provide some ideas, and you want half the money? Isn't that too much of a loss for me? This sounds like what you called... empty-handed wolf-catching!"

Sure enough, whenever money was involved, Alice's little abacus became very shrewd. Chen Rui chuckled and said: "Little Princess, that's not how you calculate it. For example, if you originally earned four Black Crystal Coins a day, and after using my ideas, you earn forty a day, even if you give me half, your income is still five times what it was before. Think about it, are you still losing out?"

"You can really make my shop's income double?" Alice became serious all of a sudden.

"It shouldn't be a problem," Chen Rui continued to lure the money-loving little loli: "We can open the shop while accumulating experience. When the time is ripe, we can open branches. Not only can we help the Princess increase her income, but we can also suppress Joseph. If we have enough strength in the future, it's not impossible to establish a chamber of commerce and defeat Joseph."

"Really?" Alice's beautiful big eyes flashed with a bright light, and she made a decision in an instant: "It's decided! I know you have the ability; you've already created several miracles, so I believe in you! Alice's future... is handed over to you, Brother Chen Rui."

The last sentence was completely unnecessary! Chen Rui instinctively shivered, barely managed to steady himself, and said: "Don't be too ambitious. For now, let's just run this shop well. That simple promotion from last time only increased the shop's popularity; more people coming naturally increases the chance of buying things. To run a shop well, that alone is far from enough. Your shop's items are all very expensive, but there is a way to handle high prices, and that is to take the high-end route. Since you are the Princess of Darkmoon, you can use this to create a brand effect and make everyone proud to own products from your shop. Of course, this is just a general idea. To really make the business good, you have to pay attention to many aspects. For example, the attitude of the staff towards customers, communication issues—you want them to feel respected and comfortable while they spend their Magic Crystal Coins, and they will come back to buy again next time. You also need to change how you select and utilize staff; take Kaguli, for example, she can be security personnel to maintain order, but she is not suitable for receiving customers. Then there's the classification of goods, display, and pricing issues..."

Chen Rui spoke at length. Athena was one thing, but Alice's eyes grew brighter and brighter, occasionally asking questions, which Chen Rui patiently answered one by one. The little loli was actually taking notes seriously.

Watching the two of them planning to open a shop together and talking so congenially, while she couldn't get a word in, Athena felt an inexplicable wave of unhappiness in her heart.

"Decided, my shop will be called Princess Workshop!" Alice struck a pose with one finger pointing to the sky, looking ambitious: "I want to make Princess Workshop the most famous and high-end shop in all of Darkmoon! Then I will open more... chain stores. In the future, I will also establish a chamber of commerce and drive those guys from Chiyou out of the Darkmoon Territory!"

Alice indeed had a talent for business; she understood many things at once. However, Chen Rui himself was limited to some experience in running a shop; it was still too early to talk about starting a chamber of commerce.

"No, I'm going to the shop now." Alice looked full of ambition: "I'll rearrange the goods and facilities in the shop first, and after it's ready, we'll have a grand reopening just like you said! Athena, are you coming with me?"

Athena shook her head: "You go ahead. I don't understand these shop things, and I want to take another look at these two Wyverns."

"Your face is still flushed. Take this for reference, and remember to be gentle." Alice winked mischievously, handed Athena a small booklet with a mysterious air, and skipped out of the laboratory.

Athena took the booklet without looking at it, instead gazing at the Wyvern with envy. "I've wanted to be a Dragon Rider since I was a child. Is there any way you could let me try riding the Wyvern?"

Chen Rui knew that Athena's Beast Taming Technique was superb and that she wouldn't mess around like Alice, so he nodded. "Once the master develops an effective antidote, I will notify you first. I'll need to ask for your advice on some beast taming matters then, but don't tell Alice. If she gets on a Wyvern, who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause."

"Really?" Hearing that this was a secret between the two of them, Athena felt a surge of secret joy, and the slight displeasure from earlier vanished without a trace.

"Yes, definitely!" Chen Rui asked curiously, "By the way, what did Alice give you just now?"

Athena held up the booklet in her hand. Chen Rui leaned in to take a curious look, and on the cover of the booklet were two lines of large text: — <Stay Away From Blushing! Teaching You How to Keep a Male in the Palm of Your Hand>.

Athena's face flushed instantly, the redness that had just faded spreading across her cheeks once more. Unable to stay any longer, she hurried away, leaving behind a certain "male" standing there, dumbfounded.

As expected, no matter how dazzling her hidden attributes might be, the little demoness is still a little demoness. ps: I'm pushing for the rankings during the new book period. Please cast your precious recommendation votes after 12 o'clock tonight. If you haven't added it to your library, please do so. All comments in the discussion area will be marked as featured to show my appreciation. Please, spammers, do not post duplicate threads, haha.