Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 37 Above the Stars
Yunzhou is about 600 li away from Qingzhou. Liu Shuyue calculated that if she traveled at full speed, she could arrive in about two days. Therefore, she didn't need to rush and could spend a few more days settling things off in Mala Village before setting off.

She and Chen Xuan agreed that once they reached Yunzhou, they would connect to Room 201, so that he could meet her directly at their destination.

Chen Xuan readily agreed.

How many days it takes to travel is the time on the other side, but how long it will take here is completely unknown.

Therefore, the shop still needs to operate as usual.

When Chen Xuan returned to the shop, the internet was still buzzing with discussions about the mirage from two days prior. Many people uploaded videos they had taken of the scene to Douyin and Xiaolvshu, almost all of which garnered hundreds of thousands of views. Mysticism enthusiasts and weather enthusiasts were arguing fiercely, and UFO fans had also joined in, taking the opportunity to promote their alien theories. Everywhere there was a comment section, it was bustling with activity.

Only Chen Xuan knew exactly what had happened back then.

He initially thought that the incredible scene only happened in the vast wilderness of Wanshan. When he learned that all the residents of Lushan City could witness this spectacle, he was completely dumbfounded.

Why could Liu Shuyue's sword strike when she slew the dragon project into this world?
He had absolutely no clue about this problem.

While browsing online chats, Chen Xuan couldn't help but think of the "red-haired witch" he encountered in the world of Joan of Arc.

Isn't it nonsense for her to accuse herself of being an evil person who has brought chaos and sin to the world? Joan of Arc survived, and history was not changed. He thought that everything he had done had nothing to do with this place, but Liu Shuyue's dragon-slaying incident seriously shook this belief.

Fortunately, the past two days have passed peacefully, and the city remained unchanged after the mirage dissipated. He spends four or five hours each day browsing local forums and online communities, searching for any suspicious clues, but luckily he hasn't found anything yet.

This result put his mind at ease a little.

Ding Dong!

An email notification suddenly popped up.

Chen Xuan opened his email and found, as expected, a reply to his rating application. The message was simple, containing only one sentence: Congratulations on passing the review and being promoted to a new level of store manager. We look forward to your continued success.

Navigate to the ability page; the colored icon has changed to LV3. Click on the details as usual—"Grow bigger and stronger, create new glories."

"The third-floor food and beverage section is now open; the Manager's Invitation feature has been unlocked: you can designate one guest to come to the store each day, no matter how far or difficult the journey. The Manager's Return feature has been unlocked: you can return to the store once a day at any time, no matter how far or difficult the journey."

"Ability synchronization limit increased to LV3".

"Not for sale, not for transfer. Store manager's current status: still active."

Chen Xuan silently rolled his eyes.

It actually managed to build a third floor.

But what's the point of a catering department? Is it just to cook for the guests? The problem is, Liu Shuyue is the only tenant on the second floor, and she's often not even in her room. Besides, guests don't necessarily need cooked food from the kitchen; if they're really hungry, instant noodles and sausages from the small supermarket on the first floor will suffice.

The two newly unlocked features are quite convenient. Chen Xuan picked up the barcode scanner and looked at it, finding that he could indeed find the corresponding options on the small screen on the back. This meant that he could use this function wherever there was network coverage.

This means that I won't have to wait until 8:30 to come back when I go on a long trip anymore.

"By the way, we don't lack performance points anymore, so we can apply for the next level of store manager."

Chen Xuan opened the store manager rating page with high expectations, but was stunned after a quick glance. The LV4 store manager not only had his performance points skyrocketed to 100, but also had an additional requirement: recruit a store employee to get the catering department running.

What?
This request put Chen Xuan in a difficult position.

Hiring someone is easy, and hiring a chef who can cook isn't too difficult either, as long as he offers an attractive salary. But how is he going to explain the origins of this shop to his employees?

It looks like a one-story building from the outside, but inside it's piled up to three stories?

The shop's main entrance keeps drifting to another world?

The customers who frequent this shop enjoy swordplay and also know magic?
I can't bring myself to say either of these things!
Even if the other party is willing to believe him, he should never reveal the shop's secrets to a third party for his own safety.

It seems that the requirements for promotion will become increasingly difficult to meet in the future.

Chen Xuan glanced at the sky outside the window. It was only three in the afternoon, and there was still some time before the peak customer season. He planned to make a trip to Lushan Mountain to collect some more herbs for alchemy.

Just as he bent down to pick up the basket, the view at the doorway suddenly changed, and the light shining through the window became much brighter.

Oh, we have a new customer!
Chen Xuan was experienced in this, so he calmly put down the medicine basket, straightened his collar, and waited patiently for the guests to enter.

At the same time, he was also taking in the new scenery outside the curtain—another indoor scene, but the space was quite spacious, and the floor was so clean it could almost be used as a mirror, its sheen resembling that of a sheet of metal.

After waiting for 10 seconds, the guest still did not appear.

He had experienced something similar before.

For example, the second time I saw Liu Shuyue, I happened to find her discussing matters with the prefect.

Since I'm just idling around anyway, and no customers are coming, I might as well go look for some.

With that thought in mind, Chen Xuan stepped out of the shop. But in an instant, his foot was welded to the threshold.

Where the hell am I...?

Looking up, he saw a magnificent glass curtain wall overhead, almost covering the entire dome, its area roughly the size of a pedestrian plaza! However, what prevented him from taking a step was not the massive curtain wall, but the vast starry sky beyond it!
Indeed, he saw a beautiful, blue planet, so much so that he instinctively recognized it as Earth.

The Earth only occupies one-third of the dome's field of vision.

Beyond his field of vision, he could see several ring-shaped skeletons extending from where he stood into the unfathomable depths of space, each wider than a highway outside the Third Ring Road. Countless small machines darted back and forth close to the skeletons; he couldn't tell whether they were container ships or some kind of modular transport robots.

The areas that the skeleton cannot cover are filled with stars.

There is no doubt where we are.

He and his shop are now in space.

To be more precise, it appeared inside a gigantic structure located above the Earth. He had wanted to call it a space station, but the large hall with its glass walls alone could fit a football field, so calling it a space station seemed a bit stingy.

At least no one on Earth can build something this extravagant right now.

"Wow...it's such a technologically advanced world."

Chen Xuan couldn't help but sigh.

If human civilization has developed to this level, what kind of abilities can he trade for?
Let's take a picture and post it on WeChat Moments first!
Chen Xuan took out his phone and pointed it at the glass dome above his head. He even noticed that fireworks were still going off on Earth to celebrate, as if welcoming his arrival.

Look, another spark is shooting up. It's like a meteor, only flying backwards, and finally explodes in space, shining as brightly as a small sun.

These dazzling sparks kept coming one after another, and there seemed to be a trend of them becoming more and more frequent.

"Hey...so close."

Chen Xuan suddenly saw a firework flying very close; it was almost touching the ring-shaped frame.

He immediately pointed his camera at the fireworks, wanting to get a clear shot.

The moment the fireworks exploded, the hall became as bright as day! Extremely bright flames burst out in all directions, their edges even engulfing a trajectory.

Chen Xuan witnessed the track break apart, and the machine that was speeding along it suddenly burst into space like a wild horse.

These fireworks are way too wild!

He realized something was wrong.

Just then, the ground beneath my feet suddenly began to shake violently!

Holy crap, earthquakes happen in space?

Chen Xuan subconsciously lowered his center of gravity, bent over, and grabbed the door frame with his other hand.

However, the tremors did not subside; instead, they intensified! He felt as if he were in an old car speeding along a country dirt road, on the verge of falling apart at any moment.

What gave him the creeps was that this worry wasn't unfounded, because the framework of the dome had become even closer than before, expanding from a three-lane, four-lane road to a six-lane highway... According to the theory of relativity, either they were getting closer to the dome, or the dome was getting closer to them, and neither of these was good news!

Oh!

With a piercing sound, Chen Xuan was astonished to see a wall in the hall suddenly shatter! Amidst the flying metal fragments, a majestic and towering six-legged robot charged into the hall with unstoppable force. Its lower body resembled a spider, while its upper body was like a tank turret. The gleaming silver partitions were as fragile as paper in its presence.

Goodness, could this guy be the new customer the shop has chosen?
One of its legs alone is enough to fill the entire store entrance!

"Warning! Air tightness breach, leak has occurred in Block N43!"

"Warning! N43's operating speed has decreased, and simulated gravity may be limited!"

A variety of warnings immediately filled the hall.

But then a burst of intense gunfire drowned out the alarm in the hall. Chen Xuan finally noticed that, besides the giant mech that had broken through the wall, there was also a slender figure wearing a bodysuit. However, that figure was so small, like a mosquito in front of the six- or seven-meter-tall war machine, that he couldn't even distinguish the person from the flying debris at first.

Judging from her silhouette, she appeared to be a young girl, dodging and weaving while simultaneously firing wildly at the robot. Bullets streaked across the steel shell, striking it before scattering and splashing everywhere. This level of attack was not without effect; the steel shell melted and cracked like a cream cake, but almost simultaneously, it was rapidly repairing itself—the metal seemed alive, closing up as it cracked, replenishing the lost parts with components emerging from within, thus achieving a balance with the damage!

The robot continued its charge, crushing all the steel pillars and chairs blocking its path. The girl moved with an extremely uncanny agility, weaving through the flying floorboards as if she were teleporting. The next second, she suddenly appeared in front of Chen Xuan, and their eyes met.

The girl was clearly stunned.

"A lucky...survivor?"

"What survivor? I'm the manager." Chen Xuan grabbed her hand, and she, in her daze, didn't dodge. "Let's talk about it inside the store. Welcome!"

(End of this chapter)