Plan

Chen Miemie fell into the groove quickly.

It took him only an hour to go from finding the shop to settling into the role of the shopkeeper.

Back in Sixiang City, he had always felt that being a Mystic was just an identity, not a profession.

Professions were things like being a painter or a fire brigade consultant, just like Xi.

Chen Miemie also wanted to find a career in this world that matched his interests.

Taking on this cross-city mission was partly about wanting to see a new city, and partly because working as a shopkeeper for three months seemed like a great experience. The guild alliance’s requirement for becoming her leader was actually the least important part.

Yi Zhu sat across from Chen Miemie. In the quiet atmosphere, he began to feel a growing pressure.

He opened his lips twice but ultimately didn’t speak his mind.

“I don’t really have any troubles. For now, the only thing I want to do is help my sister regain her sight.”

Chen Miemie clapped his hands lightly.

Having a need made things easier—he couldn’t let this first deal slip away.

“If you want your sister to regain her sight, what kind of price can you pay?”

“All the savings my sister and I have—780 years of time. And from now on, if you ever need us, we’ll answer the call.”

Chen Miemie shook his head.

“I don’t need time. And what you mentioned about answering calls doesn’t fit the category of a one-time payment.”

“But I have nothing else left.”

“No, you do.”

Twenty minutes later,

Yi Zhu squeezed through a gap and returned to the Fairy Tale Road.

Pedestrians walked by, completely oblivious to him suddenly emerging from the wall crevice.

He walked with heavy steps into the coffee shop at 16 Fairy Tale Road.

Yi Xian was familiar with her brother’s footsteps: “You were gone a long time. Did you find him?”

“Found him. He also found the shop. Let’s go. We’ll talk when we get home.”

After the two left, Qiu Tian came out from behind the counter, walked to the table where Yi Xian had been sitting, and cleared away the cups.

“So he actually found it? That mysterious shop is going to open for business again, huh.”

Back at the shop, Chen Miemie started a discussion meeting.

A circle of anomalies filled the two sofas.

They all had fun trying to use the [Heartless Pot] to pour water, but because they were all thinking, “I want water to come out,” the pot refused to yield a single drop.

“Alright, we’ve temporarily settled in a new city. We’ve just arrived, and there’s plenty to do. Let’s take things one at a time. First up: assigning rooms. Pick your spots yourselves.”

Loop covered her mouth and chuckled: “I can be the shop assistant and handle greeting customers.”

Qinghua looked at the empty space beside the sofa: “We could put two large vases here.”

Pure Water eyed an empty fish tank: “I want that tank. We can put some little fish in it later.”

Origami said, “I’ll turn into a paper wind chime and hang by the door. It’ll alert us when a customer comes in.”

Daidai said, “Just give me a small basket.”

Red said, “The ceiling is mine.”

Faced with everyone’s requests, Chen Miemie reviewed them one by one.

Loop, Qinghua, and Pure Water’s requests were fine.

“Daidai, starting today, you’re very important.”

“Huh?” Daidai looked confused.

“When I’m negotiating a price with a customer, you need to watch carefully. If I ask for too little and the deal isn’t fair to me, you have to remind me right away. So I’ll give you a spot on the table. When someone comes, pretend you’re a fake doll.”

“Oh, alright.”

Daidai had been with Chen Miemie for a while and clearly knew that if the deal were unfair to the other side, it wouldn’t need to give any reminder.

“And Red, don’t let spiderwebs hang in the gaps outside the door. People already don’t come in—if there are webs, they’ll be even less likely to squeeze through.”

Road Rage had already attached itself to the Fairy Tale Road outside, and the sedan chair had gone to the nearest parking lot.

The first task was done.

“Next, we need to get familiar with this city quickly and understand this shop. During the day, aside from sleeping, let’s all explore and walk around.”

After Chen Miemie laid out the big picture, Qinghua took charge of the actual work.

With a wave of her hand,

a large porcelain blackboard appeared on the nearby wall.

This was a replica of the evidence wall structure from Room 1803—everyone was used to this form of information display.

“Our first customer’s request is to help his sister regain her sight.

From what we know, his sister Yi Xian had a problem during her graduation exam. We need to find the anomaly that caused it.”

Loop raised a question: “After a lot of anomalies’ abilities take effect, over time they become set in stone and irreversible. It’s been over a year for Yi Xian. Even if we find the anomaly, it might not help.”

Qinghua nodded in agreement. Her own porcelainization and Bobo’s chickenization were both like that.

“True, but we can’t give up trying just yet. We’ll only consider other options after we confirm this path is impossible. Besides, we’ve seen Yi Xian—her eyes themselves weren’t corrupted.”

A new problem emerged.

“The challenge now is that even Yi Xian herself doesn’t know what that anomaly is called, what it looks like, or even if it exists. So how do we find it?”

“We start by going to the scene. Miemie already got the exact location from Yi Zhu. We need to take a look at that small woods where the incident happened.”

With the discussion concluded, Chen Miemie felt like something was missing today.

He thought carefully.

“Bobo?”

“Here!” Bobo, lying on the table, raised a chicken wing.

“Why were you so quiet today? And it seems like you were the only one who didn’t say where you’d sleep.”

“I, I’ll sleep here.”

“This is a meeting table, not a dining table.”

“That’s perfect! Customers come in, enjoy some fine tea, and eat some amazing roast chicken. It’ll show off our hospitality.”

Chen Miemie’s face was covered in black lines. “Who invites someone to eat roast chicken the moment they walk in? We’re a consultation agency, not a midnight diner. Qinghua, take Bobo away.”

Qinghua covered her mouth with a smile: “Bobo actually did something useful. It reminded us—shouldn’t we give the shop a name?”

Chen Miemie thought for a few minutes but shook his head.

“This is a shop with a long history. There’s no sign hanging outside the door. We’re just temporary passersby for three months. I don’t plan to change any of the shop’s rules or its name.

If we absolutely have to call it something, let’s just keep it straightforward and call it ‘The Mysterious Shop.’”