That's outrageous.
Chu Jifeng only complained a couple of times while eating, not expecting it to solve anything. Even if the system is powerful, can it really change a person's body? In the interstellar era, there are few myths and legends, and she had always considered the system a product of a more advanced civilization, so naturally she didn't think it could perform such fantastical operations.
As a result, Xiao Suguang, who came to help check the accounts, overheard these words. After thinking for a moment, she said, "If you want to become a young girl, it's not impossible."
Chu Jifeng was startled: "Who are you?"
"This is one of our assistant store managers," Han Yingchen introduced.
That day, Ye Xu felt bad for Xiao Suguang's heavy workload, and since there could be two vice president positions, he also gave Xiao Suguang the honorary title of vice store manager. It had no practical use; it was just for show.
Jiang Yuexuan was happy to have some free time, so she used the excuse of having to create to dump all her work on others. This woman had accumulated dozens of suspense novel ideas but kept putting them off. Even though she was a big procrastinator, she insisted on saying she didn't have time to create. Ye Xu was waiting to see how many words she could write when she finally had some free time.
"The assistant store manager? He must be very capable." Chu Jifeng immediately became obedient; this was a high-ranking official, not someone to be offended.
Xiao Suguang was completely unaware of what was happening. She continued to explain, "The shop has potions that can change your appearance. However, they have a time limit; once the effect wears off, you'll revert to your original form. If you just want to experience it for a short while, you can buy one; the price isn't particularly expensive."
Chu Jifeng was astonished: "What is the scientific principle behind this medicine?"
Instead, Xiao Suguang asked in bewilderment, "What is science?"
Han Yingchen was also confused: "What scientific principles could magic potions possibly have? Aren't these two systems?"
"Uh..." The three looked completely bewildered.
Excellent. For the first time, three completely different worlds—interstellar, ancient, and Western fantasy—have collided and sparked new insights.
Xiao Suguang was an ancient person, very superstitious, and held great reverence for gods and ghosts. Han Yingchen came from a magical plane, and in the teachings he received from childhood, gods were real. He and Xiao Suguang could get along quite well.
Only Chu Jifeng, an interstellar person who had lost her mythological cultural heritage, hadn't heard many fantastical stories and whose mind was filled only with science and technology. The more she listened, the more confused she became, not understanding what the two were talking about.
This commotion made Chu Jifeng lose his appetite, so the three of them decided to go talk to the store manager to see how to resolve the issue.
Ye Xu, who was pulled out again, looked completely blank: "What happened to you guys? Did you fight? Or had a fight?"
The three of them offered their explanations all at once, leaving Ye Xu even more numb.
Perhaps only a modern person like him could simultaneously comprehend the thoughts of three different dimensions, but he really didn't want to explain the issue—it was too troublesome. It was time to pull out Sister Xuan, who was also from the modern dimension, who was using writing as an excuse to hide in her room playing games. Don't think he didn't know.
Jiang Yuexuan remained calm, showing no change in expression from being pulled out to being bombarded with bizarre questions. Just when Ye Xu thought she would patiently explain each point, or simply slap them to shut up these troublemakers, she spoke up.
Sister Xuan said, "Since you don't understand, why not experience it for yourself?"
Everyone: "What do you mean?"
“One of the store opening models for independent store managers is immersive. Since you’re all going to borrow over two billion from me anyway, borrowing an extra billion won’t make a difference.”
Ye Xu countered, "Didn't the system say that the 1 billion for redemption can't be borrowed? It can only be earned by ourselves."
“That’s targeting you.” Jiang Yuexuan raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you realize? The reason we’re keeping you here in two more worlds is to gather more people for you. As for the others, the system doesn’t care about them. They’re not related to us.”
Even becoming a freelance store manager doesn't mean you don't need friends to help each other. The parallel world's "Ye Xu" has already proven that this group of people are reliable, so the system simply copied the answer and let Ye Xu assemble the group. This is the team that the system arranged for Ye Xu to help him overcome difficulties in the future.
As for the other reasons for withholding Ye Xu's points, they were merely incidental and served as a cover for the real intention.
Although Ye Xu had suspected he might be a relative, when Sister Xuan said it so bluntly, he realized, "What did you find out?"
There must be evidence, otherwise she wouldn't have said that directly.
“I recently contacted an old friend and got some interesting news.” Jiang Yuexuan winked at him. “I’ll tell you later. Let’s deal with the problems here first.”
Han Yingchen had wanted to ask for a while: "What is immersive?"
"It means playing the role of a person in the current world, living and running a business as a native of the world. If you think of this world as a novel, then you are the person who transmigrates into the book."
There are two ways to be immersive.
Either they parachute in a non-existent person, like giving an official a legitimate child who didn't actually exist before. Or they play the role of a reincarnated child, growing up with the family and naturally taking over the business and opening a shop when they grow up.
"What's the difference?" Ye Xu pressed.
"The parachute landing is quick, and once the store is open, you can erase all traces and leave, or fake your death and leave. Because you are half a person from this plane, the points cap will be relaxed, and you can get up to 2 billion points. However, this operation will also consume more points, and operations such as fabricating identities are not cheap."
Overall, compared to the current business model, this is more profitable and safer. You can choose to invest in influential families, so you don't have to worry about competition or powerful backers. However, you'll need to give them more benefits in return, as a way of repaying their debts. Also, if you choose influential families, fabricating identities is more expensive.
An old friend helped me do the math: if you choose to be related to royalty, the net gain per plane might only be a little over 700 million points. The advantage of this method is its safety; it saves a lot of trouble.
However, buffs can also avoid trouble, and they're cheap. Besides, developing feelings for that family might make one unwilling to leave; ultimately, the choice is up to the individual.
Jiang Yuexuan mainly wanted to talk about rebirth: "Don't you think you can't understand the thoughts of other dimensions? Then start learning from infancy, immerse yourself in a world you've never been to before, and you'll be able to fully understand their thoughts. No matter how much I say, it's not as good as you experiencing it yourselves."
Ye Xu thought for a moment: "Wouldn't it be even harder to leave if I was reborn as a baby?"
"Yes, so those who choose to be reborn usually live to the end of their current body's life before leaving for the next dimension."
"Wouldn't that mean making money is extremely inefficient?" Mo Bei, who had somehow managed to eavesdrop, suddenly interrupted, startling Xiao Suguang. He chuckled, indicating that Xiao Han had called him over, and he hadn't been eavesdropping.
Mo Bei doesn't care about anything else; he's only concerned with making money efficiently. This guy has somehow become obsessed with money, and Ye Xu is too lazy to say anything to him.
Jiang Yuexuan smiled meaningfully: "On the contrary, this is the most efficient way to make money."
Reincarnation means complete integration into this plane and acceptance by it. The shopkeeper has no limit to the emotional energy they can acquire in their original plane; they can earn as much as they can, as the world's will is very tolerant of its own people.
Jiang Yuexuan hadn't researched those strange and unusual business models herself; she relied entirely on her friends' introductions. She had also been harassing the system recently to learn a lot, filling in this gap in her knowledge.
It was at this moment that Jiang Yuexuan realized she had suffered a huge loss: "If I had known about this rule, I should have returned to my original plane sooner."
In that case, she would only need to operate in her original plane for one year to accumulate all the required points, instead of wasting time in hundreds of planes.
"Isn't your original plane my second plane?" Ye Xu remembered. "But back then we only earned one billion and then stopped earning points."
Jiang Yuexuan reminded, "Back then, you were the store manager, the store was yours, and I was just an employee helping out."
If Jiang Yuexuan were the store manager, the situation would be different. Everyone would probably be rolling in money just from the profit sharing, enough to cover their current debt of billions with some left over.
Ye Xu suddenly realized: "So that's how it is... Then let's go back to my original world in the next dimension, help everyone pay off their debts first, and then I'll leave the system?"
"That's a great idea." Mo Bei was delighted when he heard it.
The system wanted to stop it, but for some reason, it ultimately remained silent. Oh well, it's not like it's the one being exploited anyway.
After resolving the dispute between the employees, Ye Xu took Sister Xuan to the private lounge and asked her what the previous customer with connections had to say.
Ye Xu had a premonition that he would be able to resolve this long-standing question before returning to his original plane.
Chapter 53 Setting the Scene
Before answering Ye Xu's question, Jiang Yuexuan first asked to confirm something: "I remember you said you were an orphan, so who gave you your name?"
Ye Xu didn't know why she suddenly asked this, and replied, "It's Dad, the first director of the orphanage. Our orphanage was originally run by him privately, and after he passed away, the state took over the orphanage. During the time Dad was alive, all the children in the orphanage simply took his surname Ye, and he also named them. Is there a problem?"
Jiang Yuexuan did not answer directly, but continued, "Just as I guessed, it was indeed so."
Next, she told Ye Xu something.
During this time, besides her vacation, Jiang Yuexuan was also doing something serious: helping everyone purchase items and unlocking the product list. Ye Xu and the others had already finished theirs in the previous two dimensions, leaving only Xiao Yige's to be completed, with some finishing touches remaining.
Whether it was due to Xiao Yige's unique luck or not, the previously smooth buying and selling activities encountered a slight obstacle. A buyer with whom she had been cooperating smoothly suddenly no longer needed to purchase items, and Jiang Yuexuan needed to find a new partner to take over.
Originally, she had bought enough for everyone at once and planned to sell them all at once. Logically, everyone else's orders should have been sold, so why couldn't Xiao Yige's orders be sold? But things just happened to be so coincidental; she had five orders, while everyone else wanted four.
Left with no other option, Jiang Yuexuan had to find a replacement. But no matter how many people she knew, she couldn't find a suitable person quickly enough. So she went to an information broker to buy information and see who needed it.
This was standard procedure; Jiang Yuexuan and the information broker were old friends, and he often came to patronize her business. Soon, she obtained information on another buyer. As a seasoned client, the information included basic details about the buyer, allowing her to assess whether the other party was suitable for a transaction.
Jiang Yuexuan pulled up the information and showed it to Ye Xu.
Name: Ye Wen;
Integrity rating: 83;
Shop type: Magic scroll sales;
Original plane: Blue Star;
Additional information: Excellent business acumen, skilled at negotiating prices, adept at adjusting business strategies based on local policy trends, and rarely makes mistakes.
At first glance, he did seem like a formidable figure, but when Ye Xu saw the name, the original plane, and the familiar description in the supplementary introduction, he instantly stood up.
"Ye Wen?!" He exclaimed, his surprise tinged with immense joy. "Ye Wen is still alive?!"
Jiang Yuexuan thought to herself, "As expected," and said with certainty, "You know him. He and you came from the same orphanage."
Ye Xu suppressed his emotions, nodded, and unconsciously smiled: "Mm!"
Then, he briefly introduced Ye Wen's situation. Ye Wen was his best friend in the orphanage, but unfortunately, he had a congenital disease and passed away four years ago.
Ye Xu and his friend had just finished the college entrance examination. Perhaps because he had exhausted too much energy studying in his senior year of high school, his illness took advantage of the situation and flared up suddenly. He passed away before the summer vacation was over. Ye Xu was heartbroken for a long time. He spent his entire freshman year in a daze, taking on many part-time jobs to numb himself with the remaining time. It wasn't until his sophomore year that he was able to pull himself together again.
"He became a freelance store manager, why doesn't he come back to find me?" Ye Xu was a little sad. "Sister Xuan, didn't you say that if I went back, I could buy items and adjust my return time myself?"
Jiang Yuexuan gently tapped his head: "That would require him to have enough points to buy the props."
Ye Wen did become a freelance store manager as soon as possible, but he didn't have enough points.
Not everyone can traverse hundreds of worlds in one go and accumulate a large number of points like Jiang Yuexuan. Ye Wen is taking a more steady approach and is currently in the stage of saving up money. Moreover, he probably can't afford the items to return to the time when he was sick, so he can only return with a different identity later.
Ye Xu then cheered up again: "Wouldn't you be able to make more money in the original plane? Is he unaware of this news yet, which is why he hasn't gone back to open a shop?"
"Maybe? But what he's selling isn't suitable for your world. You should contact him later and remind him to change the merchandise." Since he's a freelance shopkeeper, he can decide what to sell.
After discussing Ye Wen's situation, Ye Xu belatedly realized his mistake: "Wait a minute, could it be that all the children who died in the orphanage became shop managers? What's Dad's background?!"
Jiang Yuexuan slowly pulled up a few other files: "After discovering that Ye Wen and you are from the same plane and share the same surname Ye, I felt it was a bit of a coincidence, so I had someone investigate him. However, due to the restrictions of the plane's privacy law, I couldn't find his specific information, I only know that he is also an orphan."
So Jiang Yuexuan later took a different approach, using the Ye family orphanage on Blue Star as a condition to ask information brokers to help her find other shopkeepers who met the criteria. The result? Five or six were found.
One or two might be a coincidence, but five or six can't be a coincidence, right? Other planes don't have that many. Even if all URs are qualified to be shop managers, at most, like Xiao Suguang and Xiao Yige, there are two from each family.
Ye Xu looked through the documents one by one and confirmed that they were all acquaintances. However, he didn't have much of a relationship with most of these people; they were just ordinary orphanage companions. Ye Xu had been a bit withdrawn when he was young.
“We’ve had more than just these children die from illness in our facility over the years,” Ye Xu said sadly. “Were those other children simply not destined for this?”
Jiang Yuexuan expressed her helplessness: "At least you need to reach the top SSR card level to be exceptionally bound to become a store manager, but most of them are just mediocre ordinary SSRs. It's already very difficult for your orphanage to produce five or six."
She paused, then added, "But not being a store manager doesn't mean you can't be a store employee. Some of them might be working in other stores. There are too many and too varied employees, making it difficult to collect information. If you have any good connections, I'll ask someone to check."
"Never mind then, I'm not that close to the rest of the people." Ye Xu shook his head.
Over the years, he had long since accepted the fact that the other party was dead. Whether they were alive or reincarnated, it didn't matter to Ye Xu. If Dean Ye Xu was really an insider of the dimensional system, even if he hadn't brought these children to be shop assistants, he would have helped them reincarnate well. There was no need for him to worry.
So, does Dad really have a questionable background? Or is it...?
"You said that after your father passed away, the orphanage was taken over by the state, and he 'died' too, just like Ye Wen. I guess he might be the first person in your orphanage to be bound to the system."