The strongest anime shop owner

The Strongest Anime Shop Owner (Author: Dust and Tranquility)

The protagonist had just obtained the system and his first mission was to travel to the world of Food Wars. However, he was tricked by the system and ended up staying in the Food Wars world.

In the world of Food Wars, you start from a tiny shop selling all sorts of fantastical dishes, like the Flaming Dumplings and Golden Fried Rice from the world of Cooking Master Boy.

This is a bizarre shop. A single dumpling costs a whopping 20 yuan. They refuse takeout, reservations, opening branches, and any kind of cooperation. They operate for no more than ten hours a day, and the owner occasionally has seizures and can close down at any time. They even livestream their so-called "wildlife survival cuisine," showing everyone what truly natural food looks like.

sequence

Even immortals have desires, and mortals are even more bound to have them. Everyone has their own needs, and sometimes they may find themselves in difficult situations or even in despair.

Some say God is fair, but is He really fair?

Some people say that when God closes a door, he opens a window. Is that true?

Why are some people born into a life of abundance, while others are born without even enough to eat? What are the reasons behind this?

Effort? Struggle? If that's the case, why are so many people still trapped in hardship and despair? Is it because they haven't tried hard enough or haven't given enough?

Fairness? Perhaps only a lucky few have the right to speak on this. Only when the highest and the lowest are placed on the same scale can the difference be seen.

Why is it that even with the same effort, or even more, it can't compare to someone else's effort with just a light touch?

The world won't stop turning just because you're gone or because someone else is there. Cruel? Maybe.

Some were overjoyed, some wept bitterly; the world, filled with emotions and desires, became vibrant and colorful.

Every moment, new life is born in this world, and every moment, people leave.

When you feel like the world has abandoned you, when you're trapped in endless trouble, when you still have even the slightest emotion in your heart, when you still have the desire to live, then take that black business card and come on.

When you reveal your sinister face, wanting to harm others but lacking the ability, when your greedy heart is restless but you have no capital, when you desire unparalleled beauty and only wish to possess the world but have none, then take this black business card and come.

You can get everything you want if you pay the same price; if you can't afford it, it's impossible, because everything you have will come at a price, including yourself.

Perhaps for some, this is Satan's palace, and entering it is like entering the clutches of the devil. But isn't it also a source of hope? At least it won't leave you in despair, numbness, and tears in your predicament, leaving you only a warm corpse. So come, come, here is what you desire and expect.

If you can see this black business card, it means you are qualified. Holding this business card will guide you to your destination.

Store No. 4 awaits your visit.

,,,,,,,,,,,

Southern Tang was a very special city. Unlike other high-rise buildings constructed with reinforced concrete, it was more of an ancient city with a long history than a city.

Most of the houses here have large courtyards and have been preserved since the Tang Dynasty. They are built with wood and amazing craftsmanship, and the ancient wood, reliefs, and openwork are full of historical charm. If it weren't for the parked vehicles and modern household items, you would think you had traveled back to ancient times.

There is not an inch of cement or steel here, and not a trace of the restlessness of the city. Only a strong historical atmosphere comes to the fore, exuding a faint fragrance, like a lotus rising proudly from the mud and standing on the water, or the alluring fragrance of a maiden.

The houses here have remained unchanged since the Tang Dynasty, preserving a complete historical and cultural heritage. Moreover, there's an unwritten rule that these houses can only be traded, not altered. It is precisely because of this that such a complete historical and cultural heritage has been preserved.

It looks old and poor, but that's not the case at all. The people who live in this kind of courtyard are all very important. After all, the housing prices here are ridiculously high. Even if an ordinary person sold their property, they still couldn't afford a toilet.

Although it is an ancient culture, times are progressing, and many modern devices are indispensable. So we installed electricity, the internet, and many electrical appliances. Although they may seem out of place, in today's society, who can truly live without them?

Of course, there aren't just these large courtyards here; there are also many smaller houses. In fact, the layout here is no different from that of ancient times. Besides the large courtyards, there are some shops. Naturally, the size of the shops cannot be compared with those courtyards. The shops vary in size, with some having three or four floors and the smaller ones being mostly two floors.

Besides the houses that were built during the Tang Dynasty, there are also some houses that were built after the Tang Dynasty. To avoid any sense of conflict, even those that were built are all in the ancient style.

The Southern Tang Dynasty was a vast place. As with large areas, there were naturally smaller ones, bustling places, and quiet places. This was unavoidable. Some places were so remote that cars couldn't drive in and you had to walk, which was part of the charm of the place.

To the north, at the very end, lies a rather deserted street, where the last few dozen houses appear somewhat dilapidated.

The ground is paved with thick, large bluestones. Even after a thousand years of wind and frost, they are still so new, but they have gained a sense of vicissitude and the weight of history.

On either side of the front door of the house, there is a stone lamp sculpture, supported by stone pillars. The sculpture is shaped like a small house, with openwork on all four sides. Candles are placed inside, and at night it becomes an ancient street lamp. This stone lamp is not very tall, about waist height.

Every night, when the stone lanterns are lit, the remote location and dilapidated houses, coupled with the fact that even a slight breeze can make people shiver involuntarily, make it a place almost deserted at night.

It is said that this place is very eerie, which is why not many people come here, and therefore the house prices are not particularly expensive.

In the very back, at the very end of the road, stands a house that forms a loop with the houses on both sides of the road. This house is very large and stands out among the other houses.

The black tiles and the slightly dislocated red gate looked somewhat dilapidated, exuding a sense of history about the wood. There were no stone lanterns in front of the gate, making it appear even darker than the surrounding area when there was no moonlight, even somewhat eerie.

Some say this place is unlucky, others say that people have seen ghosts here and many have died here, and people have died in this house.

No, you could say many have died. Almost everyone who has lived in this house for a long time has been caught in the Grim Reaper's scythe. And just recently, a whole family died. They weren't sick, and there was no assassination or poisoning. They just died mysteriously. The matter was eventually forgotten because it was too strange, and people had gotten used to it.

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Chapter One Su Luo

However, perhaps because of the special environment here, many of the shops here are related to this kind of thing, such as fortune telling, feng shui consultation, and even things like the 18th disciple of Maoshan and the Sima Demon-Slaying Family have emerged.

Many people don't believe in these things, but some people do. These things exist if you believe in them, and don't exist if you don't.

Inside the house standing in the middle, a man who looked to be at least 30 years old sat on a worn-out chair. His mature face was weathered and worn, and set in this mature face were a pair of bright eyes that looked piercing, filled with vicissitudes and helplessness, like the heavy sigh of an old man in his sixties or seventies.

"Hey!" Despite his mature appearance, he uttered a childish voice that was completely inconsistent with his 30-year-old appearance. It was clearly the voice of a teenager, and the sound of that voice coming from his mouth seemed somewhat eerie.

This person is named Su Luo. He is only 17 years old, but he looks like a man in his 30s. He is holding his phone tightly in his hand, with his head down, seemingly lost in thought. He is slumped over and looks very dejected.

Speaking of Su Luo, he is an absolute genius. He comes from a relatively remote mountain village. Although he looks frighteningly mature, he has been given unparalleled talent by heaven. He can remember anything he has seen once, which is what people call photographic memory.

Su Luo's home is located in a mountain village, surrounded by mountains on all sides. Even going out takes several hours. Many young people go out to work without much education because, for them, studying is too much of a luxury. Moreover, some people in the countryside are rather self-deprecating, so for them, it's better to go to work and earn some money to help support their families than to study.

Su Luo is a rather special case. Because of his extraordinary talent, his family was willing to sell everything they owned to send him to school so that he could have a bright future.

Su Luo did not disappoint. With her extraordinary talent, she skipped grades one after another, and at the age of twelve, she received an invitation from the prestigious Shanghai University, where she went to study. Actually, this is not an exaggeration at all; among geniuses, she might only be considered above average. Yes, that's all.

At that time, Shangqing proposed that as long as Su Luo could guarantee that he would be in the top three in every exam, his tuition and fees would be waived, and of course, he would also receive a bonus.

However, I still had to pay for all the expenses when school started because my family was quite poor. In the end, it was only through the collective efforts of my fellow villagers that we were able to make enough money.

And so, Su Luo went to university. University can be said to be a stepping stone into society. Often, outstanding students are favored by many companies, and some even sign contracts early on.

Su Luo studied foreign languages ​​and, with his terrifying talent, learned more than a dozen foreign languages ​​in just three years. He was practically a prodigy. It's something that most people could never accomplish in a lifetime. Perhaps that's the difference between an ordinary person and a genius. Most importantly, whatever he said was exactly what he meant, which was quite impressive.

Su Luo might seem out of place among the crowd due to her age, appearance, or other reasons. She always keeps to herself. Everyone says that geniuses always have some strange quirks.

Actually, that's not the case at all. It's just that Su Luo was a little unaccustomed to the various situations and felt out of place with them, so she rarely spoke. Over time, this became her personality. Even with her roommates, she didn't have much communication, and she didn't have many friends. If you were to count them, she probably wouldn't even have two fingers' width.

Originally, everything might have been happy and fulfilling for Su Luo. She thought that this would give her a good job, allow her to earn money, and enable her to take good care of her parents and repay her fellow villagers. However, reality dealt Su Luo a heavy blow.

At the beginning, things were going very well. With her mastery of more than a dozen foreign languages, she was highly sought after wherever she went, and indeed, her monthly salary reached a staggering several hundred thousand, which seemed terrifying. For some poor people, they might not be able to earn that much money even in a lifetime. However, for someone with such abilities, this salary was really nothing.

However, no matter how mature Su Luo was, she still lacked understanding of some social etiquette. Because of this, she offended a rich second-generation heir and was fired without even knowing what had happened.

Left with no other choice, I went out to look for work again, but I kept running into walls. I used to tell my parents how much income I had each month, but now everything has turned to ashes, and I can't tell them anymore. I can only bear it all alone.

Jobs became harder to find, and even when she did find one, she couldn't hold it for long. At first, Su Luo didn't understand why, but later she learned the truth: she had offended someone. Even if she didn't work as a translator and went to work on a construction site carrying bricks, she wouldn't last long. So, she changed jobs one after another, learning what she didn't know before moving on to another.

And so, a long time passed. I was physically exhausted, and even more so mentally, my whole being bearing the marks of time.

Later, I used almost all of my savings to buy this house. It's a good business no matter what you do, and not many people come here. I figured that since things are like this, it shouldn't affect me anymore.

However, the result was quite lucky. No thugs or gangsters came to cause trouble. In fact, what Su Luo didn't know was that in the Southern Tang Dynasty, no one dared to cause trouble. There was no way that such bad things as gangsters or clubs existed. She didn't know who most of the people living here were. Perhaps an ordinary person passing by might be a wealthy man. If you offended someone in power, you wouldn't even know how you died.

However, there aren't many people who actually do it. If it's fortune telling or something like that, even though they might not earn a single penny every day, once they do make money, they can live off it for three years without ever opening a shop.

Opening other shops offers virtually no future.

Su Luo opened a general store here, but not many people patronized it. There might be traces of other people inside, and it seems she'll have to close down soon. Actually, the bad luck associated with the house before is largely to blame, but Su Luo was completely unaware of this at the time; it was practically a trap.

In fact, it could be said that things had already come to this, so Su Luo was very unwilling. She held her phone tightly in her hand. This business was no longer sustainable. If things continued like this, then she could only sell this place and go back to her hometown.

However, going back like this would always leave her feeling somewhat unwilling. Even if her family could accept it, Su Luo still couldn't rest easy and felt too ashamed to go back.

Even now, Su Luo still wants to know where she offended which rich second-generation heir. As the saying goes, even if she dies, she wants to die knowing the truth.

But even so, what can be done? Many things are always filled with helplessness. There are always some people who have the ability to do whatever they want, to act as they please.

Right now, Su Luo is holding her phone tightly, making a difficult decision.

Time is a cruel mistress, and experience is a weathered monument. Though only a teenager, I already exude the weariness of an old person. I deeply feel the vast gap between society and school. Without connections, experience, or social skills, I am like a lamb that has left the sheepfold alone, without any protection.

"Forget it, I'll wait and see. If it really doesn't work out, then I'll just have to go back." Su Luo kept pressing the buttons on her phone, the screen flashing intermittently, clearly feeling very frustrated, and muttered to herself.

Call ~

Just as Su Luo was lost in her thoughts, a small gust of cold wind suddenly rose in the room, chilling and biting. But the doors and windows were clearly closed, making everything seem rather eerie. If it weren't for the fact that it was still daytime, it would have seemed even more terrifying and sinister.

hiss~

A sudden gust of cold wind jolted Su Luo awake, and she immediately realized that something was wrong.

"Could there really be a ghost?" This was the first thing that came to Su Luo's mind. It was only after buying the house a long time ago that she understood why the previous owner had sold it so readily. However, even so, she didn't care much afterward. After all, she had lived here for so long and hadn't seen anything bad happen.

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Chapter Two: The System of Unknown Origin

The wind grew stronger and stronger, making Su Luo feel as if sharp knives were cutting her cheeks, her hair was flying everywhere, and her ears were ringing.

After realizing what had happened, Su Luo at least appeared calm on her face. Without thinking, she rushed straight to the door.

But when Su Luo's hand landed on the doorknob, she found that no matter how she turned it, or even kicked it, the door seemed to have turned into an iron block, remaining motionless, as solid as a rock.

After realizing she couldn't open the door, Su Luo decisively abandoned that exit and ran towards the window.

However, just as Su Luo turned her head, she saw that the gust of cold wind was actually black, exuding a chilling aura that sent shivers down her spine. The gust of wind continued to swirl, gathering more and more, growing darker and darker, as black as bright ink, and finally transforming into a strange black monster.

"Humanoid creature detected, meets the system's first requirement, target confirmed." After uttering these strange words, the unidentified creature pounced on Su Luo without giving him any time to react.

"Ah~" Seeing the things rushing towards her, Su Luo had no chance to dodge at all. Almost instinctively, she reached out and covered her head, trying to block them.

Ignoring Su Luo's situation, the black monster pounced without hesitation. Surprisingly, instead of attacking directly, the monster swiftly and cleanly flew its massive body into Su Luo's mind, where it began to intertwine with her consciousness.

The spirit and consciousness are equivalent to what people often call the seven souls and six spirits. If the spirit and consciousness are extinguished, it means that the person will die.

The black monster transformed into black mist, which slowly began to intertwine with the white spiritual consciousness. Soon, signs of fusion appeared.

As the two clouds of mist began to merge, Su Luo outside had a ferocious expression, her hands tightly gripping her head, her whole body curled up on the ground, struggling incessantly.

The feeling was as if her brain was about to explode at any moment. Waves of pain seemed to pierce deep into her bones. On Su Luo's ferocious face, her bright eyes were already covered with blood vessels, one after another, like a constantly woven spider web.

His thin arms and forehead were covered with bulging veins, making him look as if he was about to explode at any moment, which was breathtaking.

"Ah~" Sweat began to drip continuously, and screams of agony escaped from his clenched teeth, sounding like the roars of a wild beast.

Just as Su Luo was about to collapse, that mysterious voice finally rang in her mind again: "Strong spirit, successful fusion, meeting the second requirement."

After those words were spoken, the two wisps of mist in my mind finally merged together.