The two women returned to the boat, their hands laden with several steamed buns and bottles of water.
When the items were handed over to the woman who came to meet them, they vanished instantly. Their expressions remained unchanged, clearly understanding the reason behind it. They sat down on the sofa in the cabin’s living area and began to recount what had happened at the inn.
“So, you just decided to stay there?”
The woman who had remained on the boat listened to their description with a face full of doubt. Did an unremarkable inn that only sold steamed buns and water really warrant Luo Shaoran giving up on heading to a Grade-A maritime base for help?
One had to understand that for people who had always lived in Grade-A maritime bases, they had seen all kinds of inns and hotels. They had even stayed at a base resort once. The vast, competing gardens and the central fountain made one feel as if they had returned to the time before the world was submerged by the sea.
They had been on the run for nearly a month. The ships sent by Xu Qiliang to pursue them were drawing closer; by this time tomorrow, his fleet would likely arrive. Luo Shaoran’s decision was undoubtedly like testing their lives on the edge of a blade. However, as Luo Shaoran was the leader of the boat, she could only follow orders.
There were four people on the boat in total. Half an hour later, the boat was secured with iron chains, and the group disembarked.
With the arrival of these four people, they requested two single rooms and the newly renovated double room, paying a full week’s worth of room fees in advance. However, upon seeing the massive difference in quality between the rooms, the two staying in the single rooms strongly requested renovations as well.
There was no helping it—they were wealthy.
Su Su immediately spent another 1,000 points she had just received to renovate the two single rooms in the same style as the luxury double room. The single rooms not only increased in size and gained wardrobes but also received private bathrooms and showers. Consequently, the room rate for the renovated “Standard” single rooms increased to 30 points per night.
Due to the increase in room types, Su Su specifically spent 20 points in the mall to purchase an adjustable backlit price board. The background of the price board was blue, with the products and prices displayed in black text on white backgrounds.
At this moment, Su Su had filled in seven entries on the price board:
Standard Double Room: 50 points/night
Standard Single Room: 30 points/night
Double Room: 18 points/night
Single Room: 10 points/night
Communal Dormitory: 3 points/night
Steamed Bun: 5 points/item
Drinking Water: 5 points/bottle
Because of the background lighting, the information on the price board was very prominent. Su Su hung the board directly on the blank wall behind the cashier counter. This way, she wouldn’t have to repeatedly introduce the prices to guests.
“Sister, where exactly is this place? And that boss…?”
Luo Shaoran, the woman around thirty whom Su Su had spoken with earlier, was staying in the double room with her younger sister, Luo Shaoxing. Luo Shaoxing was seven years younger than Luo Shaoran and had always listened to her sister since they were children. Therefore, she had raised no objections to the decision to stop their journey and stay at the inn. She assumed this was part of her sister’s plan. Besides, the continuous flight and constant fear had already left them physically and mentally exhausted.
However, all these thoughts were limited to before she saw the innkeeper renovate the rooms with her bare hands. Just a few minutes ago, the door had opened to reveal a crude and dilapidated room. With a casual opening and closing of the door by the boss, it had completely transformed upon the next opening. Not only was the room larger and equipped with a bathroom, but the furniture, decoration style, and everything else had undergone a world-shaking change in a very short time.
If this was the boss’s special ability, it could only be described as terrifying.
Unlike Luo Shaoxing’s shocked worry, Luo Shaoran already held a very high opinion of the innkeeper’s abilities after witnessing her own powers being neutralized. Seeing the boss display such a skill now only elevated her assessment. She felt increasingly confident in her bet that the inn could protect them from being captured by Xu Qiliang.
“This is just an inn built on a lighthouse. As for the boss, her abilities are very strong. You just need to stay here with peace of mind; don’t worry about anything else.”
Hearing her sister say this, Luo Shaoxing said no more despite her lingering confusion. Her sister was always right.
In the single room on the other side, Tian Wen, the spatial ability user, was nearly going crazy. She clutched her hair and sat on the bed with a shocked expression.
“Who is this boss? I’ve never heard of an ability like hers.”
Being a spatial ability user herself, Tian Wen’s level of shock was greater than the others. She knew that simply putting away old furniture and replacing it with new furniture wasn’t that difficult, but could someone please tell her how the room size had increased? Where did the bathroom come from? If the innkeeper also possessed a spatial ability, she could only say that this completely subverted her understanding of spatial powers.
Of the four people, only Yu You, who was dressed in a white tracksuit, acted as if nothing was wrong and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
Su Su slept just as well that night. Finally, she didn’t have to sleep in the hard, slightly musty-smelling staff quarters. After washing up, Su Su changed into a new set of pajamas that came with her wardrobe. With only a bedside lamp on, she buried herself in the soft, delicate quilt. If she smelled closely, the bed had a faint, pleasant scent, like the smell of things dried in the sun.
At this time, the sea outside the window had lost its daytime calm. Massive, tumbling waves looked like speeding cars with their accelerators floored, crashing directly into the walls. Su Su could faintly see the giant marine creatures churning beneath the surface. It was hard to imagine that humans had to defeat such monsters to obtain core hearts.
After watching for who knows how long, Su Su’s eyelids grew heavy, and she gradually closed her eyes and fell asleep.
When she left her room after breakfast the next morning, there were already many people in the lobby. Having gained experience from the day before, they no longer needed to bother Su Su. They used their membership cards to top up points or buy items as needed. Seeing Su Su emerge, they all greeted her enthusiastically. It seemed everyone had slept well last night.
Because this group of people had purchased new items, Su Su’s points finally accumulated to 500 once more. Without hesitation, she spent the 500 points to upgrade the incubator into an insulated display cabinet. She hadn’t expected the incubator to be upgradable.
The upgraded insulated cabinet was about one meter high, sixty centimeters long, and forty centimeters wide, featuring a transparent glass door so customers could see the products for sale. The interior was divided into four shelves, with two display positions on each shelf.
Su Su could now put all seven of her available food and drink items inside. Based on the price, she placed the cheapest items at the bottom and the most expensive item—the tomato and egg rice bowl—separately on the top shelf. Once organized, she placed the insulated cabinet in front of the cashier counter, on the other side of the automatic vending machine.