Chapter 5: Officially Open for Business
by LhaoziYan Cizhou felt guilty about what had happened, so he had been keeping a close eye on Xie Yushan. He was the first to notice when she went offline.
Yan Cizhou (Cultivation Bookstore): “The little girl logged off without saying a word! That’s not like her at all. Do you think something happened to her? She’s never cried out in pain like that before.”
He was starting to panic.
Xia Houlan was infected by his anxiety and began to worry as well.
Xia Houlan (Western Fantasy Nail Salon): “Stop making things up.”
Ge Jiangfang (Interstellar Restaurant): “I’m sure she’s fine. Don’t underestimate that girl. If something had really happened to her, the group would have shown some kind of reaction. Relax.”
The number (6) after the group name remained unchanged.
It was enough to reassure everyone.
After what had happened, many of them were worried about Xie Yushan. No one felt like chatting, let alone trading.
One by one, the profile pictures in the Shopkeepers’ Group dimmed as their owners went offline.
After chatting for so long, Lu Weiran had formed a rough impression of each group member.
She closed the group chat and logged off as well.
…
The desert was pitch-black at night. Stars glittered overhead, casting a faint, sickly light. The only thing still glowing was the sign of Hope Inn, its soft, milky-white light shining in the darkness.
Beyond the window lay territory that no longer belonged to Hope Inn. Lu Weiran wanted to find out whether the desert remained as hot at night as it was during the day.
There was no thermometer inside the inn.
Left with no other choice, she pushed the window open just enough to leave a gap about the width of her palm.
Then, cautiously, she stuck half her hand outside.
After holding it there for ten seconds, Lu Weiran quickly pulled it back as if something had bitten her. Her heart was still pounding from the shock.
Her skin could still feel the heat, though it was nowhere near as scorching as it had been during the day.
The desert at night was just as unnaturally hot as it was under the sun. It was as if this entire world had been trapped in a state of perpetual high temperatures.
What kind of world was this?
It was practically a living hell—a scorching apocalypse.
Lu Weiran spent her first night in this strange world feeling deeply unsettled.
The next morning marked the first day of her inn’s business.
Lu Weiran opened the holographic interface and clicked the Now Open button beneath the front desk section.
Since it was opening day, there had to be a ribbon-cutting ceremony!
A little sense of occasion never hurt. Even if she had to cheer herself on, she needed some kind of ritual to boost her morale.
It was her first time running a business, and she had no idea how things were supposed to be done.
The only thing she could find in the inn was a red ribbon. With supplies in short supply, she held one end while Mushroom gripped the other in its mouth.
“Wishing us a prosperous opening!”
With that, Lu Weiran snipped the ribbon in half with a pair of scissors.
And just like that, Hope Inn was officially open for business.
On the first day, Lu Weiran sat confidently behind the front desk, waiting for customers.
Not a single one showed up.
On the second day, she played fetch with Mushroom in the lobby while keeping a close eye on the entrance, eagerly waiting for customers.
Still, no one came.
On the third day, she dragged a little stool outside and sat within the inn’s territory, gazing into the distance.
She couldn’t even catch a glimpse of a potential customer.
Lu Weiran was starting to lose heart.
Of course no one would come! This godforsaken desert was in the middle of nowhere. There wasn’t a village or shop in sight!
Over the past three days, Lu Weiran had managed to get a basic understanding of the area surrounding the inn.
First: The temperature in this nameless desert reached 50–60°C. Although it dropped somewhat at night, it was still far beyond what the human body could comfortably tolerate. It was like being trapped inside a giant steamer.
Second: Aside from the extreme heat, there didn’t seem to be any other dangers in the desert outside the inn. At least, she hadn’t discovered any so far.
Third: She couldn’t stay away from Hope Inn for too long. The heat was unbearable, and if she remained outside long enough, she would literally die from the high temperatures.
Fourth: She seriously suspected that there wasn’t another human being in this entire desert besides herself!
No humans! No humans! No humans!
Based on these observations, Lu Weiran made up her mind.
She couldn’t just sit around waiting for customers. She had to leave the inn and find them herself.
And naturally, she would start with the place she knew best.
Lu Weiran decided to return to the quicksand pit and see if there were any other unfortunate souls trapped there, just like she had been.
So, under the cover of a dark and windy night, Lu Weiran grabbed a flashlight and studied the map on her holographic screen. After carefully checking her location and making sure the tracking function was switched on, she turned to Mushroom.
“Mushroom, are you ready?”
Mushroom gave an obedient bark.
It placed one paw on a wooden stick and nodded, looking so serious that it seemed to be saying:
Sir, ready for duty.
Lu Weiran was a little surprised. She felt that Mushroom’s intelligence had improved quite a bit. It seemed to understand her better than ever.
She wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, but she didn’t have the time to dwell on it right now.
“Let’s go!”
“Time to find some customers!”
Lu Weiran took a deep breath and stepped out of Hope Inn, leading with her long legs. She had barely walked three meters before she started sweating.
Mushroom followed closely behind, carrying a long wooden stick in its mouth.
Lu Weiran remembered that the quicksand pit hadn’t been very far away. She had only crossed one sand dune to reach it.
She took every step cautiously, afraid of falling into another quicksand pit.
“Woof! Woof, woof, woof!”
Mushroom, which had been following obediently behind her, suddenly started barking loudly.
Worried, Lu Weiran spun around—and her eyes widened in shock.
Behind her was nothing but endless darkness.
The footprints they had left in the sand on their way out had already been buried beneath the swirling sand and completely erased.
Getting lost in the desert could be fatal.
Fortunately, Hope Inn’s location was fixed, the inn had a location-tracking function, and the quicksand pit wasn’t far away.
There was no turning back now. Lu Weiran could only press on.
While she was distracted, Mushroom had already dashed past her and rushed ahead, as if it had spotted something.
Afraid that something might happen if she lost sight of it, Lu Weiran hurried after the dog.
“Mushroom, don’t run off!”
“Come back here!”
As she ran, the flashlight beam wobbled wildly. Suddenly, it swept across a round, dark shape in the distance. It was too far away for her to make out clearly; all she caught was a blurry glimpse.
“Who’s there? Is that a person?”
Lu Weiran stopped and pointed the flashlight directly at the shadow.
This time, she saw it clearly.
A man was almost entirely swallowed by the quicksand. Only one arm and his head remained above the surface. The round, dark shape she’d glimpsed earlier was his head of glossy black hair.
Mushroom, which had been the first to spot the figure, now had one front leg stuck in the quicksand pit. Its hind legs were kicking frantically.
Lu Weiran rushed over and pulled it free.
Once rescued, Mushroom sat down and barked excitedly at her, its tail wagging so enthusiastically that it was clearly demanding praise for its discovery.
Lu Weiran was just as excited.
Oh my God! She had finally found another person in this desert!
“Hey! Are you okay? Can you hear me?”
She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.
The man’s eyes were tightly shut. She couldn’t tell whether he had passed out or was already dead.
If it was the latter, they would have a serious problem.
“Wake up! Don’t sleep! If you keep sleeping, you’re going to die…”
Lu Weiran tried shining her flashlight directly into the man’s eyes.
The blinding beam pierced through his eyelids.
His eyelids twitched faintly. He slowly woke up and turned his face to the side, trying to avoid the harsh light.
Lu Weiran’s eyes lit up.
He was alive!
She had her first customer! Hope Inn was finally going to have its first guest!
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