Chapter Twenty-Eight: Shop Portal

Stelle looked at the Bulbasaur playing with March 7th, fished 40 Stellar Jades earned from Silver Wolf out of her bag, and fell into deep thought for a long while.

Finally, as if having made up her mind, she took out her phone and dialed a number.

Soon, a voice came from the other end.

"Stelle, why are you calling me?"

Stelle replied, "Ye Yun, where are you? I want to buy something."

Ye Yun felt a bit speechless; he had been on the verge of falling asleep. "Let's do it tomorrow. I’m on the Astral Express. I’ll head to the Robot Settlement tomorrow; Svarog wants to trade some supplies."

With that, Ye Yun hung up directly.

Seeing this, Stelle could only put away her Stellar Jades with a sigh. It seemed she would have to wait until tomorrow to buy her own Pokémon.

...

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was the next morning.

After Ye Yun, Hook, and Clara finished their meal, they took a landing craft toward Belobog. This time, Ye Yun didn't choose the same landing site as before, but instead arrived at an icy plain.

As the craft touched down, Ye Yun could see a tunnel leading directly underground in the distance. At the entrance, Svarog was waiting with a squad of automatons. That’s right—Svarog had ordered the machines to work through the night to clear this passage, all to make it easier for Ye Yun to enter the Underworld directly. With this route, Ye Yun no longer needed to take the secret path used by Sampo.

Clara stepped off the landing craft and, seeing Svarog, ran toward him in delight. Svarog crouched down to catch her.

"Welcome home, Clara."

Ye Yun walked over carrying Hook and teased, "Oh? Svarog, you came out to pick us up yourself?"

A red light flashed on Svarog’s head. "You are a distinguished guest; according to human etiquette, it is appropriate to welcome you. Furthermore, Clara is returning home today."

Ye Yun smiled. "I suspect that last part is what you were really thinking about, isn't it?"

Svarog tried to offer a justification, but Ye Yun waved him off. "Alright, alright, let's not waste time chatting. You’re a robot and can't feel the cold, but the rest of us are freezing. Let’s go somewhere else to talk."

Ye Yun walked into the tunnel with Hook without looking back. The tunnel had been constructed in a rush, so the facilities were incomplete—there wasn't even any lighting. Fortunately, once the automatons entered, they activated their internal illumination systems, lighting the path ahead.

After walking for about ten minutes, Ye Yun and the others emerged from the tunnel. Upon stepping out, Ye Yun found himself right in front of Clara’s house.

Just as Ye Yun pushed the door open, he saw several familiar faces.

"March? Dan Heng? Stelle? Natasha? Seele? Why are you all here?"

Svarog replied, "They claimed they wanted to trade supplies with you, so I allowed them entry."

Stelle suddenly rushed in front of Ye Yun. "Ye Yun, I want to buy something!" She immediately handed 10 Stellar Jades to him.

Ye Yun put them in his bag. "What do you want to buy?"

Stelle pointed at the Bulbasaur in March 7th’s arms. "A Pokémon!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Yun helped Stelle purchase a low-level Spirit Essence from the shop for 1,000 Credits. "Here, take it. This is a Spirit Essence; you know how to use it, right?"

Stelle grinned. "Got it, got it! You guys keep talking, I’m off!" She then rushed out the door, eager to use the item.

March 7th felt a bit speechless. "Is there really a need to be that impatient? Don't you think so, Bulbasaur?" As she spoke, she nuzzled the creature in her arms. The Bulbasaur’s skin was incredibly soft, like a marshmallow, and March 7th loved cuddling it.

Dan Heng took a deep breath and glanced at March 7th. *You’re the same way; you were just as anxious waiting for the Bulbasaur yesterday.*

Ye Yun turned to Natasha. "Natasha, are you looking to buy something?"

Natasha nodded. "Yes, I’m looking for some mining equipment. Do you happen to have any?"

Ye Yun nodded and, after a moment's thought, pulled out his phone to temporarily copy the information for over a dozen types of mining equipment from the system into the device. "Take a look and see if there’s anything you like."

Natasha took the phone and began to browse. Watching her shop, Ye Yun suddenly felt that this wasn't an efficient way to do business, having to introduce every single item one by one. The best approach would be for them to visit the shop, where buyers could see detailed product information themselves.

Ye Yun communicated with the system in his mind. "System, is there a way for me to quickly bring these people back to the shop?"

[Notification: The host can purchase a Shop Portal. Once placed, this portal remains fixed at a point. Anyone entering the portal can only access the shop with the host's approval.]

Ye Yun checked the system store and found the item.

[Item: Shop Portal]
[Function: Allows travel to the host's shop upon approval.]
[Price: 1,000 Credits.]

Seeing the price, Ye Yun bought it without hesitation. The Astral Express crew would be leaving Belobog soon, and this portal would be useful for future business. Natasha and the others could use it to shop at his store whenever they liked.

Ye Yun placed the portal in Clara’s room—it was the safest place in the entire Underworld; Svarog’s reputation as the Underworld’s number one powerhouse wasn't just for show.

March 7th looked curiously at the door Ye Yun had placed on the floor. "Ye Yun, what is this door for?"

Ye Yun said, "This door leads directly to my shop. Try it."

March 7th pushed the door open, only to see darkness inside. "Ye Yun, did you mess up? It's pitch black in here; this isn't your shop."

A prompt sounded in Ye Yun's mind: [March 7th is requesting entry to the shop. Approve?]

Ye Yun silently confirmed.

In the next second, the scene before March 7th shifted, and Ye Yun’s shop appeared on the other side of the door. March 7th rubbed her eyes in disbelief. "It really is your shop!"

She even saw Himeko sitting in a booth, drinking coffee and reading a book. March 7th waved her hand. "Himeko! Himeko!"

Himeko turned around, unable to believe her eyes. "Little March?"

Overjoyed to see Himeko, March 7th rushed through the door. Once she had entered, the inside of the door became pitch black again.

Seeing this, Dan Heng cast a puzzled look at Ye Yun.

Ye Yun explained, "To enter my shop, you need my permission. Without it, the interior remains dark and inaccessible."

Dan Heng nodded in realization. He then walked over to the portal. After Ye Yun approved the request in his mind, Dan Heng also returned to the shop.

Ye Yun suddenly thought of a problem: if he had to approve everyone individually, it would be incredibly annoying.

[Notification: The host can set up authorized personnel. Authorized individuals can use the Shop Portal without needing to submit a request.]