"Hey hey hey, anyone running this shop?" Shortly after opening, to Chen Luo's surprise, the first visitor wasn't Venti but a stranger—or rather, a strange snake.
A lazy voice paired with a trashy expression, completely naked except for golden hair strategically covering her chest—so artfully arranged that no indecent exposure occurred. Her lower body took the form of a serpent's tail.
"Welcome." Chen Luo set down his copy of the Simplified Spiritual Energy Extraction Manual and stood up.
At first glance, Chen Luo knew—this was no human!
Indeed, she wasn't.
The upper body of a cute girl, the lower body of a cobra, with two light blue ribbon hair accessories.
It's you, Jashin!
"What does this shop sell?" Without ceremony, she picked up the apple cider Chen Luo had prepared for Venti.
Having expected Venti to arrive immediately at opening, Chen Luo had prepared in advance—only to get intercepted.
Frankly, this Jashin had zero sense of boundaries and shame—rivaling even Venti.
"We serve drinks and meals here. Everything from appetizers to full-course banquets."
"Do you have Tsuchinoko here?" The Jashin tilted her head.
"Yes." Chen Luo answered instantly.
Tsuchinoko—a legendary Japanese creature dubbed the "earth dragon." Its scientific name was Pisodonophis boro, a rare marine delicacy.
Chen Luo had always assumed it was mythical since he'd never seen one, but the cooking shop actually carried it.
"Where? Can I have it for free?" The shameless Jashin asked.
[Ding! New commission received!]
[Tsuchinoko]: The Jashin wants a Tsuchinoko collectible.
Reward: 50 Primogems
Difficulty: 1-star
"You don't want a real Tsuchinoko, but a toy version?" Chen Luo found the request tricky.
A real Tsuchinoko would cost far more than a toy—yet she wanted the latter.
But fitting for an Jashin—the reward was surprisingly generous.
"Duh, of course the toy! Who'd want the real thing? So do you have it or not?"
"I do! I really do!" Chen Luo slapped his thigh.
He actually possessed one—a capsule toy his father had spent tens of thousands of yen on during a trip to Japan.
Three complete sets existed.
His father's philosophy: collect three sets—one for preservation, one for display, one for actual use.
The Tsuchinoko was among them.
Might as well borrow the display set for now and order a replacement online later—it's not like Dad would notice one missing from three identical sets.
"Customer, have you noticed this bar connects to other worlds? And I'm from another world." Chen Luo didn't immediately accept the commission, first setting the stage.
"Otherworlder? So what?" The Jashin remained unimpressed.
"At home, I have a complete set of limited-edition capsule collectibles from another world! Extremely rare—once they're gone, they're gone forever. After all, they're from another dimension. Even with terrible luck, you might eventually get local collectibles, but otherworldly ones? Impossible! They're effectively discontinued!"
If I'm giving one, might as well offer the whole set—no real difference.
"Not only that, I'll include a massive snack package—pudding, ice cream, cola, you name it..."
"I want! I want! I want it!" The previously lethargic Jashin now sparkled with excitement.
[Ding! New commission received!]
[Otherworld Collectibles]: The Jashin desires a complete set of discontinued otherworldly collectibles as her most prized, unique collection (plus the mega snack pack).
Reward: 100 Primogems + Jashin Dropkick (skill)
Difficulty: 2-star
"Of course I can give them to you... but they're my most treasured collection." Chen Luo suddenly looked pained.
"How much? I'll buy them! Here's 100,000 yen!" The Jashin produced a wallet from nowhere, slapping ten 10,000-yen bills on the counter.
"Isn't this your household grocery money?" Chen Luo vaguely recalled her being responsible for family shopping.
"If this money disappears... will that really be okay?"
"..." The Jashin froze.
"I hope your family or friends aren't too hot-tempered. They'd probably be furious seeing months' worth of living expenses vanish overnight."
"!!!"
When the Jashin imagined herself possibly being fed into a meat grinder, the Jashin-Chan trembled.
That Yurine would absolutely do it...
"I-I don't want it anymore... Damn it, but I still want it so bad..."
"Customer, don't refuse so hastily. How about this—I won't take your money, but could you give me something else instead?" Chen Luo's eyes gleamed peculiarly.
"Like what?"
"A section of your tail." Chen Luo stated calmly.
"No way!"
"Plus an extra-large snack pack!"
"Still no! That hurts..."
"We offer painless extraction."
The cooking shop's ingredient collection feature ensured zero discomfort.
"Well..."
"And from now on, all food and drinks here are free for you."
Not like I ever charge anyone anyway.
"Deal!" With terms this favorable, refusal was impossible.
How many times has that demon Yurine chopped my tail anyway? Sometimes a dozen times a day.
One painless tail segment for unlimited free food and drinks? Total win!
Trading bar items that cost nothing for an Jashin tail? Absolute profit!
Although I don't knows what uses Jashin flesh has—but it's definitely valuable!
At that moment, in that very place, both parties walked away convinced they'd scammed the other.
"Wait here—I'll be right back." After leaving a massive snack pack and jumbo cola on the counter, Chen Luo exited through the bar's door. The reason why he left something behind was because Chen Luo knew the unreliable Jashin might bolt within five seconds if he didn't leave some bait.
Never expect honor from this trash snake—she's as despicable as it can get.