There are only a few days left until they reach one billion points, and Ye Xu should be ready to emerge from seclusion soon after that. Therefore, they should make preparations for their departure before the shopkeeper comes out of seclusion, and also discuss in advance how to release the prepared base recipe.
With plenty of things to do, the group quickly got to work.
The staff's busy schedule didn't affect the shop's operations, but as the shop's seafood and monster meat became increasingly well-known, competitors couldn't sit still. They originally thought Ye Xu posed no threat, but who would have thought he would suddenly change his business model and try to steal their business?
Several shop owners gathered together to discuss coping strategies.
"Why did he suddenly change his mind when he was just selling his cheap skewers?" one person complained.
"We finally managed to squeeze out some competitors, but then an even stronger one comes along." Another person frowned. "Their ingredients are too good; we simply can't compete."
Someone suggested, "If all else fails, why not open a shop in another city where there isn't a hot pot restaurant? There are too many hot pot restaurants in the city, and there's hardly any profit to be made."
"Why didn't you leave sooner? It's too late now. People with foresight have already opened shops in other cities. These days, other cities aren't necessarily much better off than here, and they might even be harder to make a living in."
"There must be cities where hot pot restaurants haven't opened yet, right?" the person asked hesitantly.
“Small towns may not have that yet, but don’t forget, everyone is having a hard time right now. Only large towns have the money to spend on food. If you go to a small town that isn’t big enough, you might make a little money at first, but once someone opens one or two, you won’t be able to make any money.”
There are few adventurers in the small town, and without enough nobles to rely on, those adventurers can't make a living and all go back to farming. Where would they get the spare money to eat hot pot?
"You could drive one of those budget-friendly ones..."
"No, no, that doesn't earn enough. If you ask me, we should find a way to bring down Boss Ye. Without him, the rest of us can still maintain a balance and continue to monopolize the high-end hot pot industry in the city."
"Exactly! I don't want to leave my hometown. Who knows if I'll even come back alive if I go out there!"
“I think it’s great. I can make a quick buck at the beginning and maybe even enough for retirement.” One boss was still very interested in the proposal and disagreed with everyone else, saying, “Then I can come back and sleep all day without having to struggle for a living.”
The group couldn't persuade each other to stop, and the gathering quickly ended on a sour note. Everyone had their own agenda and came up with different strategies to deal with the situation.
Those who thought it would be a good way to make a quick buck quickly packed their things and left, while those unwilling to travel far stayed behind to continue trying to find a solution. At first, they wanted to cut off Ye Xu's supply channels, but they couldn't find any trace of the delivery teams. In desperation, someone finally came up with a terrible idea.
"The quality of the ingredients at that restaurant is so good. I was fortunate enough to attend a banquet at the Duke's mansion last time, and the food there was not as good as what I had at the banquet."
"you mean?"
"I'm sure His Excellency the Duke will be interested in these ingredients, but if Boss Ye doesn't share the acquisition channels..."
"I understand! With the Duke involved, the shops will definitely have to close down!"
The group quickly reached an agreement and decided to find a way to report the matter to the Duke.
As the Duke of the Magic Kingdom, the opponent is not only a powerful archmage himself, but also commands other formidable warriors and mages. Even if the Dimensional Hotpot Restaurant seems to have an archmage as its backer, it probably can't afford to offend the Duke. After all, the Duke has a title and can receive support from the royal family if necessary.
None of them believed that Ye Xu had any particularly powerful backing; otherwise, they would have taught the first copycat skewers shop a lesson as soon as it opened. Moreover, Ye Xu initially sold inexpensive skewers, and they looked down on ordinary people, believing that only those without ability could run a business catering to the common folk.
This group was very confident in their reasoning, and they indeed went to great lengths to persuade the Duke to intervene. However, contacting the Duke was not so easy; even using all their connections, it took them two or three days to succeed.
So on the afternoon of the third day, they followed the Duke's steward to the front of the Dimensional Hot Pot restaurant, shouting that they wanted the owner to explain the source of the ingredients.
The fact that a duke like himself was eating worse food than a commoner greatly displeased the man. Even if he couldn't secure a supply, he would make sure the shop closed down completely; in short, commoners and adventurers shouldn't be allowed to eat better than him, a nobleman.
The Duke had already unleashed a tirade in the manor, suspecting that the so-called "top-grade ingredients cultivated with magic" presented by the steward were nothing more than a scam to swindle money. Of course, he had no idea about the selective breeding practices of the technological age; if the seeds were inferior, no amount of subsequent methods could catch up, and the taste would naturally be vastly different.
Coincidentally, on the very day the Duke's mansion was in turmoil, Ye Xu had just completed his fusion and awakened.
The fusion was completed in just three days, a speed that would be considered top-tier even among Chinese people. Shuangshuang and the others had never imagined that the shopkeeper could emerge from seclusion in three days; they had all calculated it to be at least five days.
After waking up, Ye Xu didn't rush downstairs to tell everyone the good news. He had a strange premonition that urged him to open the gacha interface. Before refreshing the card pool, Ye Xu's hand inexplicably clicked on the salary adjustment section, adding a physical salary item—gems and gold coins—to the UR-level pets.
Then, Ye Xu clicked refresh. When he flipped over the first card, his eyes caught a glimpse of gold—it was a UR card.
“UR Crystal Dragon Scarlet”
Dimension: Western Fantasy;
Salary: 10,000 points, gems, and gold coins;
Category: Mount/Pet;
Skill: [Crystal Body];
This is a purebred Western dragon, completely transparent with a faint red hue, like a work of art carved from light red crystal. Its skill, [Crystal Body], describes how it falls into a deep sleep and becomes completely crystallized when attacked, transforming into a highly defensive ornament until it recovers through its self-healing abilities, at which point it awakens and returns to its normal form.
So it's basically an unkillable boulder, incredibly unfair. However, this skill probably won't be useful in the future, as the employees of the dimensional shop have invincible shields and won't give it a chance to crystallize.
"Why are there so many mounts in the Western Fantasy World..." Ye Xu muttered to himself, but still obediently hired it. It was a free UR mount; he had been refreshing the page for a month, and this was the first time he had seen one, so he definitely couldn't miss it.
There was another thing Ye Xu cared about very much: why he had such strong emotions just now, and how to accurately capture the dragon cub.
—Yes, precise capture. It's obvious that gold coins and gems were added for the dragon cub to be successfully drawn. It seems the dragon race's love for sparkly things is true.
"Could it be that the bloodline of the Eastern Divine Dragon knows how to lure the Western Evil Dragon?" Ye Xu wondered.
However, when the baby dragon appeared before him, Ye Xu's mind instantly went blank. He stared intently at the jewel-like dragon cub, wanting nothing more than to grab it and hold it tightly, to assert his dominance.
Great, so even Eastern dragons like sparkly things. That makes sense; when I was a kid watching Journey to the West, the Dragon Palace of the East Sea was incredibly magnificent, filled with all sorts of gemstones.
It turned out that his sudden premonition of knowing how to capture the Western dragon wasn't due to a tacit understanding among dragons, but rather driven by the dragon's inherent fondness for sparkly things, leading him to use gems and gold coins to entice the crystal dragon into selling itself. Ye Longlong was no longer satisfied with ordinary gems; he wanted a dragon that looked like a gem.
"Uh..." Ye Xu silently covered his face, trying hard to restrain the urge to hang Fei Fei in the nest as a decoration.
So why was it such a coincidence that I managed to draw the Crystal Dragon? Ye Xu remembered that all dragons liked sparkly things, so why wasn't he afraid of drawing other dragons? Or was it that if he drew the wrong one, he could just refresh and draw again, and eventually trick someone into giving him a Crystal Dragon?
Unexpectedly, Ye Xu thought of Tong's father's usual insincere doting, so could it be that it had given him special treatment?
Just as Ye Xu was about to ask the system for confirmation, a commotion suddenly arose downstairs. He paused, then listened intently.
After merging with the dragon's body, Ye Xu's five senses were enhanced many times over. Without deliberate use, they were only slightly more powerful than those of a normal person, but if he wanted to hear distant sounds, he could selectively block out surrounding noise and hear what he wanted to hear clearly.
Ye Xu heard someone shouting at the entrance on the first floor, demanding that the store manager come out and give a reply, and he immediately felt offended and displeased.
The Eastern Dragon God is high above, always holding a transcendent status. No fool has ever dared to be arrogant in front of the Dragon God. Ye Xu has unknowingly been assimilated by the dragon's nature, and now all he wants to do is go down and swat those grasshoppers to death with his tail.
Ye Xu didn't even want to walk up the stairs anymore. He grabbed the little dragon cub Fei Fei, opened the window, and jumped down.
Dragons are born with the ability to ride the clouds; it's an innate instinct that they don't need to learn. The instant Ye Xu jumped out, clouds appeared beneath his feet, supporting him and propelling him to the first floor at incredible speed, where he landed steadily.
Ye Xu's sudden appearance startled many people, but the majority of those around him were adventurers who had experienced countless thrills and dangers, and remained completely unmoved. They looked at Ye Xu with great interest, wanting to see who this person who had suddenly appeared was.
Then, they saw the little dragon cub that had just struggled out of Ye Xu's hands.
Even a young dragon is still a dragon, and though it may only be the size of a palm, it is still incredibly intimidating to the natives. The adventurers are well aware of the ferocity of dragons; a newly hatched dragon is already as powerful as a great mage and could easily defeat most of the people present.
Moreover, dragons are notoriously protective of their own. What does a lone dragon cub here mean? It means that it must be accompanied and protected by an adult dragon. It also means that the one who brought it here definitely has a close relationship with the dragon race. He might even be a dragon in human form!
Thinking of this, everyone took a step back and looked at Ye Xu in horror.
Is this... is it an adult dragon? Even if it isn't, a dragon that can transform into human form must at least be a sub-adult, right?
“Um,” one of the greatswordsmen who had come with them spoke up first, “I suddenly remembered that my family back home sent me a message not long ago, asking me to go back and that I can’t serve His Excellency the Duke for the time being. We’ll have the opportunity to cooperate again in the future!”
After saying this, the man turned and ran, fearing that if he was a step too slow, he would be torn to pieces by the dragon.
He wasn't the only one to react so strongly; soon, several other powerful adventurers employed by the Duke's mansion also chose to sever ties with the Duke.
Offending a duke might only result in retaliation; they are powerful enough to escape if they wish. But offending the dragons will certainly lead to a terrible death, without exception.
Watching the adventurers vanish in a flash, the only remaining butler stood there, his legs trembling. Feifei tilted her head blankly and let out a cute roar: "Awoo?"
"Ah!! Don't eat me!!" The butler was so frightened that he fell to the ground, screaming and crawling backward on his hands and feet. After crawling a distance, he disappeared around the street corner without looking back.
A note from the author:
Xiao Han doesn't have any standalone stories. Only Zhenzhen, Xuanjie, and Qin Ling have their own stories. Zhenzhen's story is a long quick transmigration novel, while the other two are free short stories. (You might not remember Qin Ling. She's Xuanjie's older sister in Summoner. She's a twin, and she also has an older brother named Qin Yi.)
The other characters mainly have significant roles in the Summoner and Escape games, while they don't appear much in the other books.
Chapter 28 Departure
Feifei turned its head away pitifully and let out another "woof" at Ye Xu. Ye Xu's heart melted at the sight, and he immediately reached out to grab it, then stroked it up and down with satisfaction.
Such a beautiful crystal—no, such a beautiful crystal dragon—who could resist? It's a bit of a shame not to hang it in its nest, but it can be worn as an ornament.
Ye Xu happily placed Fei Fei on his shoulder, but then felt it was a bit asymmetrical. It would be even better if there was another Crystal Dragon.
Having inexplicably chased away the troublemakers, Ye Xu returned to the shop and finally had time to ask what had happened. He had only been in seclusion for a few days; how did a group of people suddenly appear to cause trouble?
"They seemed to be asking me to come forward and explain something?" Ye Xu asked, puzzled. "I didn't get a chance to listen carefully. What did they want to know?"
These troublemakers are really weak; they ran away as soon as they met. To be honest, Ye Xu was a little confused, not knowing what these people were afraid of or why they suddenly said "Don't eat me."
The three employees looked at each other, unsure how to answer. Finally, Luna explained, "We don't know what's gotten into these people. They suddenly came and demanded that we hand over our supply channels. They probably have their eyes on the high-quality ingredients in the store."
As for why she was scared away again, Luna didn't know. She was a little elf from another Western fantasy world. Customs differed between different worlds. In her world, there was no such thing as dragons being ferocious. On the contrary, dragons had an excellent reputation and were beings with a very transcendent status.
Only Han Yingchen knew the answer to this question. He said, "There are many legends about evil dragons on the continent of Transi, and everyone is afraid of the dragon race."
Ye Xu looked at the little dragon cub perched on his shoulder, his confusion deepening: "Even the dragon cub is afraid?"
Han Yingchen: "..." You'll have to ask the people involved; he hasn't quite figured out their thought processes yet.
"Let's not talk about that." Ye Xu put aside the unexpected situations and happily announced to everyone that he had successfully fused.
The ever-skilled straight man, Shuangshuang, promptly offered words of praise: "The shop manager is amazing! He actually finished his training in just three days!"
That's too exaggerated. Ye Xu shuddered, getting goosebumps, and decided to skip that topic as well. Having skipped two topics in a row, only one remained to discuss.
Ye Xu pointed to the little dragon cub that had already started to doze off: "This is Fei Fei, the little dragon cub I just made a contract with. She is a crystal dragon."
"It's so beautiful." Shuangshuang flew over and took a closer look, noticing that the dragon cub was slightly larger than herself. "Shopkeeper, it should be a UR, right?"
Ye Xu nodded, then recounted how he had drawn the dragon cub. Everyone was surprised that Fei Fei could so easily lure it in with just a promise of gems and gold coins; she was too gullible.
"Manager, how many gems are you planning to give it?" Shuangshuang pressed.
This put Ye Xu in a difficult position: "The price of gemstones depends on their quality. Different quality gemstones have different prices. If ordinary gemstones are enough, I can give them one every month, but I'm afraid their demands are too high."
While the dragon cub was asleep and couldn't hear, Luna gave a very practical suggestion: "Dragons just like sparkly things, the brighter the gem, the better. But I remember that some gems are less valuable the brighter they are, so you can just buy those."
"I read in the information that there seem to be artificial diamonds in the modern world?" Luna pondered. "They're even more perfect than natural diamonds, without any flaws."
Dragons don't really care about the value of gemstones; they only care about how sparkly they are. So, compared to gemstones, artificial diamonds are definitely more appealing to dragon cubs.
"If all else fails, we can just give you gold coins."
Ye Xu glanced at his balance and said with a hint of helplessness, "After deducting costs, wages, and the funds for purchasing goods in the next dimension, the copper coins I have can only be exchanged for 10,000 gold coins."
I wonder if the dragon cub will be satisfied with this amount of gold coins.
"It's alright, the little dragon cub is naive and easily fooled," Luna said without blinking. "If you give it one every now and then, it will stay happy."
"How so?"