Chapter 54: The Expansion of the Demon Fish Shop
Lin Jiu didn’t know how Si Xu handled the situation with Qiu Yuxi, but the online discussion was dwindling, and Qiu Yuxi had not reappeared.
Once, when Lin Jiu went to the hospital to deliver fish to Jiang Xiwen, she mentioned that Qiu Yuxi had been there. Qiu Yuxi asked Jiang Xiwen to pass on a message: she knew she was wrong, that she shouldn’t have dreamed of instant success, and hoped Lin Jiu could let her go this time for the sake of their acquaintance.
Lin Jiu had no reaction to this, and Jiang Xiwen already knew the answer.
The bar seating was canceled, so from then on, there were still six tables on the first floor, but no more seating at the bar.
Customers who couldn’t get a spot were complaining online, lamenting that there were already so few seats, and now even the bar was gone. Fans felt sorry for Lin Jiu.
Lin Jiu had originally opened up the bar seating to make more money, but who could have guessed that bar customers were so talkative? Even when Lin Jiu didn’t engage with them, they could still go on and on, severely affecting his work efficiency.
Lin Jiu realized that instead of squeezing the first floor, it would be better to encourage the upgrade of the second floor. The second-floor prices were higher, the dishes were more abundant, there were fewer restrictions, and customers had more freedom.
Recently, Lin Jiu’s life had been peaceful. Si Xu visited the Demon Fish shop every day—sometimes in the afternoon, sometimes at dinner. He seemed quite busy and never stayed long.
Each time, Lin Jiu would have the prepared magic meal in a thermos box, ready for Si Xu to eat as soon as he arrived.
In a few days, Lin Jiu brewed all the remaining raw liquid into wine. He made 50 liters of red plum wine and 20 liters of green plum wine, all stored in barrels for future use.
The “Special Power Department” made a big purchase this time, buying all 50 liters of Red Fruit Wine, earning Lin Jiu a quick 3 million yuan.
When the money arrived, Lin Jiu heard a notification from the system.
[Chef God System congratulates the host. The shop’s total revenue has reached 10 million. The host has one chance to draw from the blind box. Would you like to draw now?]
Lin Jiu declined. He wanted to wait for a sunny, lucky day to open the blind box.
[Chef God System reminds the host. The shop’s total revenue has reached 10 million. The shop can now expand by twice its size.]
[Chef God System reminds the host. The shop’s expansion is imminent, and the host can now select one floor manager and two waiters for the shop.
Floor Manager Requirements:
- Must be approved by both the host and the Chef God System.
- Must be loyal to the shop and sincerely devoted to the host.
- Must have some management experience and be able to assist the host in meeting business targets.
Waiter Requirements:
– Must be loyal to the shop and sincerely devoted to the host.
Demon Fish Shop Employee Benefits:
– Floor manager gets a 20% discount on meals; waiters get a 10% discount.]**
[Chef God System Task 1: Achieve a profit of 20 million.]
[Task Time: 30 days (Earth Timespan)]
[Task Reward: 10 magic points]
[Failure Penalty: Deduct 30 magic points]
[Chef God System Task 2: Sell 100 servings of beginner magic meals.]
[Magic Meal Consumers: 10 people]
[Task Time: 30 days (Earth Timespan)]
[Task Reward: 10 magic points and one wooden treasure chest]
[Failure Penalty: Deduct 100 magic points]
[Chef God System reminds you that tasks will begin in 10 days. Please arrange the shop expansion as soon as possible.]
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu suspected he might have accidentally pressed the task button. Otherwise, why would the Chef God System suddenly spring up and release so many tasks all at once?!
The rewards were so little, but the penalties were so high!
Lin Jiu thought the Chef God System might have bugged out, so he urgently contacted the Demon Hunter System.
[Don’t worry, everything is normal. The Chef God System is not a charity. What do you expect? The previous slow pace was due to limited conditions. Now that conditions are ripe, it’s time for normal operations.]
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu had a nagging feeling that something big might have happened in the Earth dimension. Why else would both systems suddenly become so hyperactive?
Cautiously, Lin Jiu asked, “Did something happen?”
[Do you think I’d tell you for free?]
Lin Jiu: …
Fine, if you won’t say, I have someone else I can ask.
Lin Jiu took out his phone to call Si Xu. Si Xu would definitely know what was going on.
His phone screen was still on the social media app, and just as he was about to exit, he saw a news alert:
#The Truth Behind Mysterious Deaths in a Foreign Town!#
Lin Jiu clicked on it casually and read about a coastal town abroad where people had been dying frequently. It started with an old fisherman who returned from a day at sea, only to bleed from his seven orifices and die that night in his bed. Afterward, more people died. The common factor among the deceased was that they had all been out to sea.
Although the country had issued a ban on going to sea, many coastal towns relied on the ocean for survival. Banning fishing was essentially cutting off their livelihood, so many people continued to sneak out to sea.
Once the rumor spread that “going to sea means death,” the townspeople were terrified. No one dared venture out, yet the shadow of death still loomed over the town, and more people fell ill. Authorities had no choice but to organize an evacuation, moving residents away from the coast. However, even after leaving the town, people continued to die.
The local government had been suppressing the news, but angry townspeople exposed the truth through various means. Despite attempts to block and control the information, it eventually leaked out.
People around the world were now panicking, believing that a terrifying disease was spreading, with the ocean as its source. Many were demanding the truth, insisting on their right to know.
Lin Jiu scrolled through social media and saw that many people were already discussing the incident. Although it hadn’t yet spread to his own country, the fear was palpable. The unknown is the root of terror, and the less people know, the more frightened they become.
Without a doubt, some unknown energy radiation had spread to the coastal areas. With about 71% of Earth’s surface covered by oceans, it was unimaginable what the planet would turn into if this radiation spread to all the seas.
There was no good solution to this radiation disaster at the moment. Even with measures in place, humanity couldn’t keep up with the speed of the spread. This calamity in the Earth dimension seemed unavoidable.
Lin Jiu thought about the current state of the Magic Sea dimension. From the few hints dropped by the system, it wasn’t hard to tell that the civilization in the Magic Sea dimension used to be very advanced, but in the end, it still perished. Now, the Magic Sea dimension was almost entirely water, with no visible continents and very few islands.
Lin Jiu wondered if one day, Earth would meet the same fate—where the continents disappeared and the entire planet returned to an era dominated by water, like the Paleozoic era.
He asked the system: “Do you have any way to stop this from happening?”
[If the system had that kind of power, the Magic Sea civilization wouldn’t have been destroyed.]
Since being bound to the Demon Hunter system, Lin Jiu hadn’t given much thought to many things, but now he couldn’t help but think more deeply.
Lin Jiu: “System, what exactly are you? And why did you bind to me? Don’t give me that ‘maintaining the balance of species in the Magic Sea dimension’ line—no one would believe that I alone can maintain some kind of species balance.”
[I’m just a Demon Hunter system from the Magic Sea civilization era. My function is to provide information and guidance to Demon Hunter warriors, helping them complete their demon hunting tasks. That’s all I am.]
[The reason I bound to you is that you met the criteria. Strictly speaking, I didn’t choose you; you awakened me. My purpose is to help Demon Hunters hunt more sea monsters. When the civilization perished, I went into dormancy with it.]
Lin Jiu wasn’t buying it: “What criteria did I meet?”
[The initial settings for the Demon Hunter system had binding requirements: 1) Magic Sea dimension species; 2) intelligent life form; 3) proficient at hunting sea monsters. You are of the Siren race, an intelligent species. Although you come from Earth, your bloodline originates from the Magic Sea dimension. Plus, you’ve earned the ‘Demon Hunting Expert’ medal, proving you’re skilled at hunting sea monsters. So, you met all the conditions.]
Lin Jiu still felt something wasn’t quite right. These conditions weren’t unique—any descendant of the Magic Sea dimension would likely meet them, but the system specifically chose him.
[Are you asking me because you want to hear me say you’re the best? That would be insincere; I can’t say that.]
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: “I’m not the best, yet you want me to maintain the balance of species in the Magic Sea dimension?”
[… That wasn’t the original purpose of the Demon Hunter system, you know. Our factory settings require us to help Demon Hunters strive in that direction.]
Lin Jiu understood. When the system talked about ‘maintaining the balance of species in the Magic Sea dimension’ it didn’t mean him alone, but rather all the Demon Hunters equipped with the system.
Lin Jiu mused: “The race that created your system… Could it be the Spirit Demon race?”
To prevent the sea monsters from overrunning the continents, they might have created the Demon Hunter system to hunt sea monsters and weaken the Magic Sea’s threat to the land. The system had mentioned that the Spirt Demon race and the Seaga race were mortal enemies. The land-dwelling Spirt Demons and the ocean-dominating Seagas were bound to clash. The Spirit Dmon race would naturally look for ways to curb the spread of sea monsters, and given the system’s odd attitude toward Si Xu, Lin Jiu couldn’t help but guess.
The system suddenly became bashful.
[Yes, the Spirit Demon race is our creator, our ‘father.’ They made us, so we’re all their children.]
Lin Jiu: …
Case solved. No wonder the system started squealing like a child when it saw Si Xu—it was really calling him “father!”
Lin Jiu: “So, does binding with me feel like an injustice to you? You’d rather have been bound to Si Xu, right?”
The system almost shook its head in a full 360-degree rotation.
[No, no, no! We systems aren’t worthy! Spirit Demon fathers are the leaders—you’ve never seen a leader personally carry a gun and rush to the front lines, have you?]
Lin Jiu: …
So, all the dirty, front-line work was left to foot soldiers like them.
After a long silence, Lin Jiu asked: “Do you think your current strength is still that of a simple Demon Hunter system?”
[You might not believe this, but even I find it hard to believe—I’m no longer just a simple system. I’ve evolved from a small Demon Hunter system into a ‘boss-level’ system. I’m now the ‘system father’!]
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: “Could you say something I can understand?”
[I’m really a system father now. I have many system children… You might not understand the Magic Sea civilization, but back in the day, systems were everywhere, across all industries, kind of like how cars are everywhere on Earth. If you had some money, you could get one. But, just like cars, systems had their high-end and low-end versions. The Demon Hunter system was only average at best.]
[After I woke up and bound to you, I realized I had become the combined form of all systems. I evolved into the system father. The systems that used to be better or more expensive than me are now my system children—well, my subsystems. In short, I’m really powerful now.]
Lin Jiu: “I think you’re getting a bit too carried away.”
[Shouldn’t I be?]
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: “Alright, you can indulge yourself for a bit.”
After a pause, Lin Jiu added: “But I have another question. If the spirit demon race’s technology was so advanced, couldn’t they have detected the impending disaster?”
The system sounded a bit downcast.
[For a disaster on that scale, even detecting it wouldn’t have helped. Unless they could leave the Magic Sea dimension, no one could have survived.]
Lin Jiu: “But you can open dimensional gates. Didn’t the spirit demon race have this technology?”
[None of my subsystems have that technology. I couldn’t open gates before either. I only gained that ability after awakening, and it’s mainly because of you. Your dual-bloodline status created an invisible link, allowing me to open a gateway between the Magic Sea dimension and the Earth dimension.]
Lin Jiu had many more questions. For example, where did the rewards from opening treasure chests and blind boxes come from? Where did the items purchased with magic points come from? How did the system gather energy? Surely, it couldn’t rely solely on collecting tiny amounts of energy from leftover scraps?
The system’s standard reply: As long as you have enough magic points, everything will be available.
Lin Jiu understood that the system had its limitations. These could have been set during its creation, or perhaps developed later through its evolution. Either way, even as a “boss-level system,” it couldn’t do whatever it wanted.
Lin Jiu took a moment to post a job advertisement on his social media.
He only had ten days to prepare. Next door, Lao Xu’s tailor shop was already undergoing renovations to match the style of the Demon Fish Shop. Customers who came to eat already knew the Demon Fish Shop was expanding. With more seating in the future, there would be a greater chance of getting a table, so they no longer clung to the bar seats as tightly.
The renovation was just a cover; the real magic lay in the design plans. Now, it was up to the Culinary God system to perfectly merge the two shops.
Lin Jiu figured that during this time, he could perhaps take on a task and earn some magic points. Accumulating points by collecting scraps was too slow. If the shop stayed open until the renovation was done, it would be hard to explain how the two stores seamlessly merged into one.
Lin Jiu: “System, give me a task. I need to make some money.”
