Chapter 82: Fang Fang Pets’ Grand Opening
During these six weeks, Lin Fang continued to avoid the training grounds, skipped Beast World explorations, and didn’t even bother putting monster eggs on NovaMart. Whatever remaining stock was there was also removed, kept for the opening sale.
His entire energy is either spent in training his body to improve his physique or in the store: arranging products, finalizing employment contracts, printing promotional flyers, paying influencers for shout-outs, and even overseeing the shelves himself.
By now, the store was nearly alive—each section brimming with supplies, except for the still-vacant boarding zone. Tomorrow was the big day: Fang Fang Pets’ grand opening.
Around midnight, everyone slept in the apartment. Even Nebula, in her usual naked form, slept soundly on the bed with her body curled like a ball. However,
Lin Fang sat at his desk, exhaustion tugging at his eyes. Yet, his attention wasn’t on the movie playing on the laptop buy fixed on a glowing notification hovering in the air:
[Do you wish to change the store’s location binding?]
The choice stared back at him like a gamble:
Online (NovaMart): continue with virtual sales.
Offline (Physical Store): commit to real-world business.
He knew the stakes. The exchange rate was clear—store earnings at 100:1, other earnings at 200:1. If tomorrow turned out to be a success, not binding the store would mean bleeding profits. On the other hand, switching now meant locking in this choice for thirty days.
"What to do..." he muttered, rubbing his temples.
He weighed the numbers again. Shang Wei’s spree was the only real boon from NovaMart, and that was likely a one-off. "That guy already hoarded so much. He’s not coming back for more anytime soon. Apart from bringing one big whale, the online business practically didn’t do anything. It is best to use the offline business as the main way to promote the online store. We can wait for a few months and see which works the best and bind the system to that."
He took a deep breath and pressed the option, making the decision.
"Alright. Offline it is. Let’s focus on the real business."
However, when he did...
Ding! The Summoner’s System is bound to Fang Fang Pets (Offline).
Almost instantly, a cascade of notifications followed:
Ding! The Summoner’s System is bound to a physical store.
[Legitimacy check: Passed. The building’s temporary ownership lies with the host.]
[Ultimate Defense applied to the store premises.]
[Mana Restriction is applied to the store premises.]
[Blacklist is applied to the store premises.]
Lin Fang blinked in disbelief as new descriptions scrolled into view, "wait, what..."
Ultimate Defense: The store and its properties are immune to damage.
Mana Restriction: Inside the store, all external mana is nullified, except for recognized employees. (This feature can be toggled on/off by the host.)
Blacklist: Any person marked on the blacklist cannot step foot inside the premises.
He froze, the implications washing over him. The store wasn’t just protected—it had become an untouchable fortress. A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Now... this changes everything."
Ultimate Defense? Mana Restriction? Blacklist?
Lin Fang stared at the notifications, excitement running through his veins. The shop was now a fortress. But one thing bothered him.
"Legitimacy check? What does the system mean by that?" He frowned, leaning back in his chair. "I don’t own the building... only leasing it. Does the system recognize a lease as temporary ownership?"
The question nagged at him, but answers didn’t come from the system. However, it didn’t matter. What matters are those three skills, which the system didn’t give him when he was bound to the digital store. In that case, it wouldn’t matter whether an Online business gives him higher profits. Unless the difference is huge, his choice would remain right.
With a sigh, he shut the laptop. "Anyway, Tomorrow’s the big day. Let’s just sleep."
As soon as he lay down, Nebula stirred. Continuing to be in a sleep state, she nudged him and hugged him to her body. "Ugh... I don’t think I could get used to it... She has a killer body, after all. Maybe, it is better to separate her from me and keep her at the store at night rather than sleep here with me, or else, one of these days, I might really give in to the temptaton of sleeping with a demon..." The heat rose up in Lin Fang’s body instantly, but he gently pushed her away while suppressing his lust and covered her with a blanket.
The next morning, at exactly 9 a.m., the grand opening began.
Banners stretched across the storefront, balloons bobbed in the breeze, and a cheerful mascot waved at the gathering crowd. Several photographers were already clicking away, while influencers with cameras and drones captured every angle for their vlogs.
The staff stood in uniform, and Zhi Yan, dressed sharply, handled the small press and explained to vloggers what Fang Fang Pets had to offer.
Notably absent, however, were two people Lin Fang had invited personally—landlady Xuenyi and Shang Wei. Neither had shown up.
Amidst the expectant murmurs, Lin Fang stepped forward, holding the ceremonial scissors. His staff lined up inside, waiting.
He snipped the red ribbon cleanly, then turned to the small crowd, spreading his arms with a confident smile. "Welcome to Fang Fang Pets," he announced with a bright smile. "Please, come in."
The crowd cheered lightly, flowing into the store.
Three hours later, across the district at Immortal Pet World, the atmosphere looked quite icy.
Despite giant LED screens flashing "50% OFF on All Products Today" inside and outside the store, customers were sparse. The manager paced back and forth in his office, his face twisted with frustration. The so-called surprise he planned to destroy the competitor in the neighborhood didn’t succeed even a bit. Instead, it was their store that suffered losses with barely any customers coming to buy.
The assistant hurried in, nervous. The manager immediately grabbed him by the collar, clenching his teeth. "What the hell is going on at that Fang Fang Pets? What did you find out?"
The assistant stammered but reported, "Sir... they’re selling a King Tier potential eggs. And not just that, these eggs come in all variants, and the prices—only 30,000 credits each, as part of their opening specials."
The manager froze. "King Tier potential? All variants? Explain properly." His eyes narrowed.
The assistant nodded quickly. "The main item of the attraction was a Direwolf, just registered recently in Peking. The same one that went viral in Peking after Hello Pet World promoted it. King-Tier potential that comes with six of the seven variants from Fire to Dark, except for Wind, priced at just 30,000 credits. People were just buying them crazily."
"30k?" The manager slammed his hand against the desk. "Is he crazy? Why would he sell them at such a low price?"
The assistant swallowed hard. "Sir... it isn’t just that. Fang Fang Pets is also selling two other things that have already gone viral online."
The manager’s brow furrowed deeper. "What things?"
The assistant fumbled with his phone, then showed a video. "The Jade Spirit Tonic and the Blood Coagulation Pill. This video was uploaded an hour ago by a Yuber with a verification badge named Po—the Silly Tester, who had 2.6 million subscribers. It already has... 380,000 views in just an hour."
The video played on the phone. The manager furrowed his brows as he watched it without blinking his eyes.