Zhou Xi nervously clicked open the pop-up window.
Received a query from [Jiang Wen] Traveler: Why is the Teriyaki Chicken Leg Rice so delicious!!! So yummy! Another billion bites! （+10 points）
"Hiss…" Zhou Xi rubbed her eyes. "Are you sure the name wasn't tagged wrong?"
Jiang Wen, who was so sparing with words, actually had such a rich inner life?
Received a query from [Xuan Ling] Traveler: It's clearly a super comfortable two-story little building, so why are there so few rooms? Is the boss not trying hard enough?! Pointing fingers.JPG （+10 points）
Hiss! Zhou Xi couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth. Can't you all change up your way of praising?
Zhou Xi patted her startled little heart and silently muttered: I'm trying, I'm already trying very hard!
Wait, what are these ten points being added for?
【You have unlocked [Emotional Value]!】
【You have gained 20 points of Emotional Value.】
Zhou Xi remembered that Emotional Value was located on the Management Panel. When she'd seen it back then, it had said "not yet unlocked." She found the spot accurately and clicked the little question mark to bring up the explanation.
【Emotional Value: A special material used to withstand Natural Disasters and repair Time Rifts and Spatial Disorder.
Note: Only travelers with a Mood Value above 60 can generate Emotional Value, with each person generating a maximum of 20 points of Emotional Value per day.】
Current Emotional Value: 1000 points （initial value, not including the 20 points gained; settled daily at midnight）
Zhou Xi understood now. The inn was able to maintain a comfortable temperature because Emotional Value was withstanding the heat, so there was no need to worry about whether the floor-to-ceiling windows were sturdy or not.
"Sister Jiang, do you think the Teriyaki Chicken Leg Rice is tasty?" Xuan Ling's voice drifted over. "I think it's super delicious!"
Zhou Xi looked up and saw Jiang Wen and Xuan Ling walking out of the Convenience Store one after the other.
Jiang Wen replied expressionlessly: "It's alright."
Zhou Xi hurriedly closed the Management Panel and forced down the corners of her mouth. Who could understand the pain of having no one to share this with?
"You don't know—eight days, boiled white meat, fire-roasted chicken legs, no seasoning at all, no salt, no flavor. If my body hadn't been datafied, I'd probably be about to collapse from sodium deficiency!" Xuan Ling lamented.
Jiang Wen suddenly drew out a longsword. "There's a Bear-man outside!"
Xuan Ling instantly tensed up. "It's almost dark. Mutated animals are more active too."
The two of them rushed to the Automatic Door and stared intently at the Bear-man's tracks.
"Bear-men have extremely poor night vision. Once they spot a light source, they'll chase Players down, and their destructive power is immense—everywhere they go, buildings are completely destroyed!" Jiang Wen looked up at the inn with worry, then turned to the Shopkeeper. "Boss, can you turn off the lights first?"
Zhou Xi waved her hand calmly. "It's fine, it won't come over."
Jiang Wen and Xuan Ling exchanged a glance.
Xuan Ling said quietly: "Sister Jiang, my sister is a deity. Trusting her is always the right call."
"…" Jiang Wen was speechless. "It's already come over. I'll go out and deal with it."
Xuan Ling grabbed the ready-to-act Jiang Wen. "Sis, Bear-men have thick hides and tough flesh. With that sword of yours, I'm afraid even three hundred rounds wouldn't be enough to kill it."
The two who had been conspiring suddenly both shut their mouths and looked out the floor-to-ceiling window—the Bear-man had already been hoisted up and "whoosh" was flung a hundred meters away.
Nothing there at all! An invisible force! It had sent the Bear-man flying!
Jiang Wen hurriedly turned back.
Zhou Xi, who had been stretching, froze mid-motion. Jiang Wen's usually unruffled face was full of admiration, while Xuan Ling's eyes were brimming with reverence.
Received a query from [Jiang Wen] Traveler: Is the Shopkeeper really a deity?! （+10 points）
Received praise from [Xuan Ling] Traveler: See, I told you my sister is a deity! Doggy wagging tail.jpg （+10 points）
【Both travelers have reached their daily Emotional Value cap and will not increase further. Keep up the good work, Shopkeeper!】
System, get out here! What did you do? Zhou Xi slowly lowered her stretching arms and after a long pause managed to squeeze out: "The inn's safety rating is maxed out. Please rest assured during your stay."
Jiang Wen responded affirmatively: "Boss, thank you for your hard work." Then she entered her room with peace of mind.
Xuan Ling cupped her face with a grin. "Big sister, you're amazing! See you tomorrow!"
Why did it feel like the misunderstanding was getting worse? Zhou Xi was utterly baffled.
Being called a big shot was understandable—after all, the system's way of clearing out Monsters was way too flashy.
No, but really—why did they suddenly start calling her a deity? This was the kind of thing that could make her bolt upright in bed at midnight!
After a long while, Zhou Xi set aside her doubts, went into the Convenience Store to grab a portion of the Jiang Wen-certified delicious chicken leg rice, and returned to the Front Desk with some excitement to eat.
The reason Zhou Xi was so excited was that she had never eaten gourmet food before—even food in a game held great appeal for her.
Just as she tore open the packaging, an enticing aroma wafted toward her.
Zhou Xi couldn't wait to take a bite.
The sweet and savory sauce clung tightly to the chicken, the Chicken Skin was charred and crispy, and the moment the sesame seeds were chewed, they inexplicably added a touch of fragrant crispness.
It really was delicious!
In Zhou Xi's Native World, gourmet food existed only in ancient books, so it could only be replicated through technology. The people there subsisted on Nutrient Solution of various flavors and synthesized food.
Zhou Xi had even drunk Aphid-flavored Nutrient Solution—which was really just the taste of protein, like egg white, but a bit bitter.
Her world had advanced technology but a backward society, and the employment environment was terrible—so much so that with a monthly salary of three thousand, she juggled Front Desk, Cashier, HR, administration, and customer service all in one, utterly miserable.
None of that mattered anymore!
Though she was thoroughly disappointed in her Native World, Zhou Xi was starting to adapt to her current life.
She enjoyed the delicious food while admiring the night scenery outside the window.
The people here needed the inn!
Maybe, someday in the future, she really could become a Landlady!
Zhou Xi wore a full-of-motivation smile. After cleaning up the table, it was about seven in the evening. She turned the sign on the table from 【Open】 to 【Closed】.
Below it was a red warning note: Before 10 PM, if you have any needs, please press the button on the left, and the Front Desk will arrive within one minute.
Once she hired employees in the future, she could implement rotating shifts—996, 007, absolutely impossible! But for now, with only Zhou Xi running things alone, she could only be sincere.
Off duty on time, but available on call.
At the same time, once the sign switched to 【Closed】, the Automatic Door would immediately lock.
Zhou Xi turned and entered her own little room.
Beside the bed were three sets of changeable clothes, a washing kit on the Washbasin, and a clothesline. She took a shower, scrubbed her clothes and hung them to dry, then paced back and forth in the little room.
Sure enough, with a reliable career to support her, her little nest felt crude no matter how she looked at it—like how it was missing a washing machine, or short a mirror.
There was plenty of time ahead; she'd have them eventually.
The comfortable temperature soothed her tired eyelids. Zhou Xi had just lain down on the bed when drowsiness crept over her.
The next day, Zhou Xi got up early. After washing up, she went straight to the Convenience Store and grabbed a randomly restocked breakfast—fresh juice meat buns.
Six to a portion, enough to fill her up.
Sitting back at the Front Desk, Zhou Xi ate while checking the daily management report.
【Day 1 of Inn Management!
Income: 1530Q （Single Room*1*60 + Single Room monthly rent 1440 + Teriyaki Chicken Leg Rice*2*15）
Expenses: 3000Q （Small Convenience Store）
Maintenance Fee: 50Q （Standard Apartment Building first floor）
Inn account balance: 4920Q （including Deposit 1440Q）
Emotional Value: 940 points （traveler positive feedback +40 points, withstanding heat below 50℃ -100 points）】
The first day's income easily surpassed Zhou Xi's wages from slaving away like a beast of burden. Although she was currently spending more than she earned, she was content and absolutely refused to spiral into self-doubt.
What was worth noting was that due to the Heat, at least 100 points of Emotional Value would be deducted daily. Once Emotional Value hit zero, the inn would no longer be able to maintain constant temperature or withstand Natural Disasters—and then it would lose its greatest advantage.
Zhou Xi did the math: the remaining Emotional Value could last about nine more days. She had to ensure the inn had at least five daily active travelers to barely keep things going.
Worrying over nothing wouldn't solve any problems. The Small-Range Rental Advertisement had less than six days left, and Zhou Xi had confidence in the system's promotion.
The sun was high in the sky when Xuan Ling walked toward the Front Desk glowing with health. "Good morning, big sister! Do you notice anything special about me today?"
Zhou Xi greeted her and looked her over carefully. "Hey, your face…"
"That's right! It's amazing—my face was all red and cracked before, but after one night's rest at our inn, it's actually rosy and glowing. Now this is what you call a real beauty sleep!"
Zhou Xi silently checked the effects of the guest room Facilities. It didn't seem as exaggerated as Xuan Ling described—restoring health was real, but could it really beautify? Wasn't that a bit of an overstatement?
"By the way, where's Sister Jiang?" Xuan Ling looked around.
Zhou Xi gestured toward the floor-to-ceiling window with her chin. "She headed out as soon as the sun rose."
"Ah, Sister Jiang really just opens her eyes and gets straight to work."
"Are you and Ms. Jiang close?" Zhou Xi asked curiously.
Xuan Ling leaned casually on the Front Desk. "We just met yesterday."
"!" Zhou Xi had truly met a social butterfly.
"Big sister, yesterday I asked Sister Jiang about how renting at the inn works. I wanted to ask—can I keep a pet?" Xuan Ling looked over pleadingly.
Zhou Xi nodded naturally. "Of course. If the pet damages the furniture, it'll be deducted from the Deposit. When you Check Out, you'll need to buy Strong Deodorizer from me to clean up the smell."
"That's wonderful!" Xuan Ling was overjoyed. "When I get back to Yinxing, I'll make sure everyone in Yinxing knows the Doomsday Inn exists!"
Zhou Xi was flattered. "Thank you so much. How big is Yinxing? Maybe you could be the inn's chief publicity officer?"
Xuan Ling deflated slightly. "To be honest, Yinxing is just a place name that Players came up with after building homes in the early days of Doomsday. It might not even count as a village, and there are very few people."
"Ah… sorry about that."
"It's fine, big sister," Xuan Ling tilted her head playfully. "I'll be setting off soon. Let me stock up at the Convenience Store first—it'll be more convincing when I bring things back to promote."
Watching Xuan Ling's skipping figure, Zhou Xi genuinely envied her optimism.
【Your Map has been updated!】
【Unlocked the [Yinxing] location.】
Zhou Xi opened the Map. In the previously pitch-black upper right corner—the northeast position—the name [Yinxing] appeared, and the surrounding darkness abruptly receded.
Yinxing's terrain was mostly forest, unlike the area around the inn which had grassland, forest, sand, and everything in between—a mixed terrain.
However, no operations could currently be performed on the Yinxing location, and there was no further related information.
But at least Zhou Xi knew clearly that Humans had tenaciously survived.
"Big sister! Big sister!" Xuan Ling's little head poked out from the Convenience Store.
Zhou Xi looked up, puzzled.
Xuan Ling grinned. "Big sister, sold out!"
Zhou Xi immediately opened the Small Convenience Store's management panel. Sure enough, it showed sold out. She promptly clicked One-Click Restock.
Xuan Ling's head hastily ducked back in.
In less than a few seconds, Xuan Ling's head popped out again. "Big sister, sold out again!"
That fast? Zhou Xi restocked once more.
A moment later, Xuan Ling didn't poke her head out but instead called out skillfully: "Big sister—"
"Restocked!"
【The Small Convenience Store sold out three times in one day!】
【Inn Prosperity +5】
Zhou Xi was shocked. Was this the spending power of the Little God of Wealth in an excited state?
Having bought her fill in one go, Xuan Ling was finally ready to set off. "Big sister, see you in a week!"
"Alright, see you next time. Safe travels." Zhou Xi watched Xuan Ling leave.
Xuan Ling's youthful, radiant smile was kissed by the blazing sun—dazzling and passionate.
Zhou Xi basked in the beauty of youth for several seconds before her unfocused gaze finally converged again.
【Detected that the maximum temperature has exceeded 45℃. The Shop has opened the Summer Sale Zone!】
【Please Build a Facility with the [Cool] tag!】