The Special Incident Response Bureau.
Or the Special Affairs Bureau for short.
It was an organization established by the government in the early days of Supernatural Revival. Five years later, the Special Affairs Bureau had grown into a behemoth, standing above all other government agencies in every city.
Around noon, Song Yu received a phone call.
“Hello, Mr. Song. I’m calling from the Liangcheng Special Affairs Bureau. We’ve reviewed and approved the compensation claim reported by Captain Liu Feng. After our assessment, we determined that the damage to your shop was quite serious. Including compensation for emotional distress and the five hundred yuan each that Liu Feng and Li Xinxin paid out of pocket, the total comes to twenty-two thousand yuan. The money has already been deposited into your communications account. Please check it.”
“Oh, okay.” Song Yu replied, a little dazed.
After hanging up, Song Yu saw the deposit notification. They hadn’t wasted any time.
Balance: 22,374.69
Every account in this world was linked to a communications number, which was pretty convenient.
Liu Feng was quite the expert at getting expenses reimbursed.
Not only had he gotten the expenses for both of them reimbursed, he’d also claimed that Song Yu’s shop had suffered serious damage?
Then, with the unexpected addition of compensation for emotional distress, he’d managed to get Song Yu a full twenty-two thousand yuan.
What was he getting at?
Song Yu pondered for a moment, and thought he might have an idea.
But he soon gave up on straining his brain over it.
Whatever. Why think so much? I’m just a laid-back cook. I can stay in my shop and avoid all the scheming and backstabbing of the martial world.
That was because one of the rules for Shopkeepers put Song Yu especially at ease.
『The entire shop is a single entity. The Shopkeeper has absolute control over it, and the shop cannot be damaged.』
If anyone came looking for trouble, all he had to do was stand at the entrance with a pot lid in his left hand and a Cleaver in his right. Then he’d be invincible.
That morning, Song Yu had moved the Small Menu Board outside and propped it against the wall by the entrance, where passersby could see it at a glance.
So far, not a single customer had shown up.
Now that he had money, naturally he had to treat himself.
He bought two bags of rice and flour at the grain and oil shop not far away, picked up some vegetables from the shop next door, then leisurely returned to his own shop.
Before long, a fragrant aroma wafted out. Song Yu brought a plate of braised pork and a plate of Spicy and Sour Shredded Potatoes out of the kitchen.
He served himself a bowl of rice and took a deep breath.
“That’s the taste! At last, I don’t have to eat so crudely.”
Just as he was sprawled in his chair, looking satisfied and rubbing his almost-round belly, a middle-aged woman passing by stopped at the entrance.
“Xiao Song, what’s with the food you’re offering today? And what are these points?”
Song Yu got up and went outside. Seeing a few curious onlookers nearby, he explained:
“I actually made it quite clear. If you catch a Vengeful Soul, Auntie Liu, you can exchange it here for a Tea Egg. If you sign up for a membership, you get half off, so you can get two.”
“You want me to catch ghosts?”
Auntie Liu shook her head repeatedly, gave Song Yu a look as if he were insane, and left.
Song Yu didn’t mind. He glanced at the neighbors peeking out nearby. They weren’t his target customers.
He was just about to go back inside.
But then the uncle who ran the vegetable shop next door came out.
“Xiao Song, you’re not planning to sell Steamed Buns and Youtiao anymore? Why are you buying ghosts and monsters? Things are so dangerous now. We should just run small businesses and make enough to get by. Who knows, we could be gone any day.”
Song Yu smiled. “Uncle Li, I’m not selling ordinary food for now. I must have a use for the ghosts and monsters I’m buying. When you have time, could you help spread the word? My Tea Eggs and soy milk aren’t ordinary. Only Ghost Tamers can consume them.”
Since Liu Feng had said they contained Yin Power, ordinary people probably couldn’t drink them.
And Uncle Li had mentioned having relatives in the Special Affairs Bureau. With a little luck, he might be able to bring in one or two members.
He did the math. If he could recruit ten Basic Members, he’d earn five thousand a month without having to risk working outside. That would be quite a comfortable life.
“All right, I’ll help spread the word when I can. It’s just that Ghost Tamers are hard to come by,” Uncle Li said with a sigh.
Song Yu said, “If you really manage to introduce someone, Uncle Li, I’ll treat you to a meal and a pack of Huazi.”
“Really?”
Song Yu nodded. “Of course. You know my cooking, Uncle Li. If my business does well, more people will come by your shop too. And I’ll be buying supplies from you in the future, so you’ll make a pretty penny as well.”
Uncle Li laughed. “Sure, sure. I’ll help spread the word if I get the chance. But be careful. I’ve heard that not all Ghost Tamers work for the government. There are plenty of them among the public now, too.”
As he got to the end, he lowered his voice.
Song Yu nodded silently. This was surely some rumor Uncle Li had picked up somewhere.
“I’ll be careful. You get back to work, Uncle Li. I still have to clean up the kitchen.”
Uncle Li said, “All right. From the moment you first arrived, I could tell you were going places. You’re the first person I’ve ever met who dares to buy ghosts and demon creatures.”
Most of their conversation had been overheard by the neighbors nearby.
Some were surprised, some scoffed, and others watched with interest.
Song Yu paid them no mind. He was only thinking about how to let more Ghost Tamers know that his food could benefit them, though he felt a little conflicted.
What if he became famous and attracted Ghost Tamers looking for trouble?
Their combat strength was enough to overwhelm ordinary people.
Although their abilities were mostly related to the ghost creatures fused with them, and kitchen utensils could counter ghost creatures, he couldn’t spend all day standing at the entrance with a pot on his head, greeting customers.
Ding-dong…
A new-message alert suddenly sounded from the computer, making Song Yu pause. The Stone Mill Mark on his arm also grew slightly warm.
He had only heard that sound once before, the night before last, when the Membership System had appeared.
Song Yu went to the counter and opened the software, his eyes on the red dot in the Membership System.
A system message?
Song Yu opened the new message and read it carefully.
『Shopkeeper points can be used to purchase food from the shop. Each food will enhance the body, one’s own Origin Power, and other attributes according to its characteristics.』
『When the Shopkeeper’s accumulated points reach a certain amount, the corresponding permissions will be unlocked.』
『More shop permissions await unlocking.』
After reading it, Song Yu raised an eyebrow. Was it trying to tell him something?
It was unlikely that he could become a Ghost Tamer.
Song Yu strongly suspected that Li Xinxin had become so close to death because the ghost creature fused with her was draining her life force.
And Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism all existed in this world. They had played a major role in exorcising demons and vanquishing evil.
According to information available publicly, they had led the formation of the Special Affairs Bureau in the beginning.
Nowadays, it took Ghost Tamers, Demon Tamers, and experts from the Three Teachings working together to barely keep human society stable and prevent it from being completely overrun by ghost creatures, monsters, and demons.
Perhaps he’d have a chance to learn a cultivation technique from the Daoist Sect or the Confucian Sect to protect himself.
As for becoming a buddhist monk?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
While he was lost in thought, footsteps sounded outside, jolting Song Yu back to his senses.
He looked over. There were three people in all, two men and one woman. After studying the Small Menu Board outside for a few seconds, they walked straight into the shop.
“Welcome! What would you like?”
Song Yu greeted them with a broad smile.
The three of them looked like potential members. He didn’t need to think twice to know Liu Feng had spread the word.
The leader was a middle-aged man with a deep voice. “Sign each of us up for a membership first. How much will it cost?”
Song Yu patiently explained, “A Basic Membership costs five hundred yuan. For now, our shop only has Basic foods.”
“All right. Sign us up for Basic Memberships.”
The three of them simultaneously brought up the verification pages for their respective communications accounts.
Their real names and identity numbers were displayed.
They didn’t seem at all worried that Song Yu might use their information for anything illegal.
Soon, all three memberships were set up.
Song Yu also memorized their names.
Chen Tianhua, Xia Tian, and Xia Ling.
“Here are six Vengeful Souls, two for each of us.”
Chen Tianhua, the middle-aged man, took out a Gourd and handed it to Song Yu.
Song Yu carried the Gourd back to the kitchen, pulled out its stopper, and began pouring them out one by one.
They filled two bags and four spice bottles. Six in total, just as promised.
Song Yu brought the Gourd back into the shop and returned it to the middle-aged man.
“That’s six. I’ll credit each of you with 20 points.”
“What would you three like? At the moment, we only offer Tea Eggs and soy milk.”
Xia Tian raised a hand, looking excited. “One of each for everyone.”