Chapter 273 Looking for the Store Manager

"The Dust Island where I was born is very remote, and I haven't found a way back home yet. I have a fellow countryman who might also be wandering in the Shendong Realm, but I can't find any clues, so I'd like to use the bookstore's channels."

He had come up with this idea long before he told Fander about going to Jingsha City-State. The Shendong Realm was vast, with countless islands, and searching for them all was impossible. Throughout history, finding someone always relied on efficient information dissemination channels. In the Shendong Realm, where there was no internet, a widely circulated newspaper was a good choice.

Especially since the boss has no interest in video games, but loves reading, if she also goes to medium or large dust islands, the possibility of coming into contact with her will be greater.

"That's no problem." Bang Bang Crucian Carp agreed immediately, "It's no big deal. I'll add an extra page for you in the next issue—"

The otter stretched out its claws to pat it, and the crucian carp manager covered his mouth and rolled his eyes.

Dudu Otter took a sip of tea, narrowed his eyes and smiled. "I can see you're eager to find someone, so we're happy to help. However, this involves the export of information outside of Dust Island. Each Dust Island has different cultures, and there's a lot of sensitive information, so we have to conduct an internal review first. Furthermore, the bookstore's publications are written by the store manager, so how to publish the missing person notice and what form the content should take must be discussed with the store manager before we can decide."

The Otter editor didn't mince words, and Chu Hengkong understood his concerns. Reputation was paramount in the arts; if one's good intentions led to a bad outcome, it would be disastrous for both the author and the audience.

"I understand. Can I speak to the store manager directly?"

"I think the store manager would be happy to chat with you, but he's currently on a business trip..."

Dudu Otter gave Gulibo a look. Gulibo ran to a corner of the room, picked up the conch, and muttered, "Found it, Bo? Uh..."

Gulibo shook his head slightly, and Dudu Otter's smile became a little stiff. "Its business trip, how should I put it, may take some time to end..."

Ji Huaisu tried hard to suppress his laughter: "Is the manager's schedule so full?"

The crucian carp straightened its already stick-like body even more, and its face showed the expression of an honest man who would never lie: "Manager, it's indeed a bit busy at work, and it is responsible for its own work. It often needs to travel to various, uh, uh, mysterious places to collect materials..."

"Like a dessert shop and a cafe?"

Fander took out the leopard-peeping tube and shook it. The place of origin of this relic was the Aquatic Book House in Jingsha City. The notes clearly stated that its main purpose was:

Looking for the store manager who is slacking off.

The venomous otter editor slapped his head with his claws.

"Ah, yes," said Otter sadly, "that fat boy's been off work again."

The owner of the Aquatic Products Bookstore is known for two things: his large size and his prolific appetite. While his animal isn't exactly lazy, it's a true foodie. While most gourmets crave fine food, the owner differs somewhat: he not only eats carefully but also eats profusely. He forages for a wide range of foods, consuming both delicious and less-than-palatable items. He eats fresh food and even revisits what he's already eaten.

Its second characteristic led to the first, so when the weight rose to a certain critical point, the animals in the bookstore could no longer tolerate it and decided to implement strict weight management for the store manager. Specifically, they could only go out to restaurants once a week, strictly control the intake of high-calorie foods, and eat diet meals at least three days a week.

However, every policy has its own countermeasures. The store manager readily agreed, and within a few days, he began sneaking out to forage for extra meals. While doing so, he was surprised to discover that he could even use this opportunity to escape work, giving him a perfect excuse to eat more. This continued with more and more attempts at extra meals, and the store manager's weight continued to rise. Finally, while everyone at the bookstore had given up on their weight-loss plans, the store manager had developed a habit of skipping work to eat, a habit that persists to this day.

"This must be a version from about a hundred years ago." Dudu Otter observed with Finder's leopard-peeping tube, "The store manager didn't weigh more than 300 kilograms at that time."

"Fuck, what about now?"

"Don't ask. Symmetry is not good."

The venomous otter took out a small wooden knife and carved some wavy patterns on the leopard-peeping tube. It took out a map of the third genus from the bookcase, stood the leopard-peeping tube on the table, stretched out its claws, and shouted, "Look for the seal!"

The leopard-peeping tube rolled around, and the lens projected a paw print, imprinted in a bustling northern urban area. Dudu Otter observed it for a moment, then found a special edition of Restaurant Week magazine released at the end of last month and flipped through it. He declared, "It's probably enjoying a restaurant."

"Why?" asked Gulibo.

Dudu Otter opened the magazine and pointed to a page with a photo of a tempting fig dessert. "Because Changxiang released a new dessert at the end of last month that received good reviews."

"But it didn't tell us." Bang Bang Crucian Carp said, "It just shouts out what it wants to eat."

"Yeah, why didn't it tell us?" The otter made a gesture of holding up its belly.

"Fuck, this fat guy!"

Gulibo looked at the door, which was as wide as a bridge hole, and said worriedly, "Is it possible for the store manager to climb in?"

"I think we should expand before the end of the year. I really don't want to see it stuck in front of the bookstore anymore," Dudu Otter sighed. Meanwhile, its conch started to beep again—it had been beeping throughout the conversation, but this time it was especially loud. After listening for a while, it arched its paw apologetically, "I'm so sorry, I have something urgent to do..."

"I've already delayed half of your work. It would be embarrassing to continue wasting time." Chu Hengkong smiled. "This is my personal matter. Do you mind if I help arrest the store manager?"

"Be careful not to tire your hands." said Bangbangji.

·

Changxiang Restaurant opened about three years ago. With its ingenious dish design and generous portions, it has carved out a niche in the high-end restaurant-lined Fubao Avenue.

The restaurant's exterior resembled a piano without legs. The "keyboard" served as a small coffee table outside, the first and second floors housed indoor tables, and the open "piano lid" opened onto the third-floor open-air garden. When Chu Hengkong reached the restaurant's entrance, he noticed a number of men dressed as workers milling around, seemingly evaluating whether the restaurant's set dinner menu was worth purchasing.

"Dinner set for four, 100 cui zhi..."

Cuizhi (emerald branches) are the currency of the Jingsha city-state, shaped like emerald green leaves. Fander calculated: "That's about 550 Liuzhu. Pretty good value."

“It’s not cost-effective for workers.”

"This is Jingsha. The income from manual labor is just as good as sitting in an office. Look at how dirty they are, but their actual income is probably not much less than yours, Chief Inspector." Vander sniffed with his skin. "I'm a little greedy after two weeks of eating canned food. Let's go for a meal."

"Okay, pack one for Huaisu."

Captain Ji wasn't interested in catching the fat boy, claiming she was going to read some books in the bookstore. Chu Hengkong suspected she was just taking the opportunity to get rubbed against all sorts of small animals. He walked into the restaurant and said to the waiter, "Hello, we have a table."

The waiter was a cat with deer antlers, a typical descendant of interspecies marriage. He jumped up and down as he spoke. "Excuse me, which table is this?"

"The table with the largest area." Vander showed his leopard-peek tube.

The deer-horned cat couldn't help but laugh. Judging from its expression, this was clearly a common occurrence in the area. It led Chu Hengkong toward the stairs. "It's table 8 on the second floor. Do you want to take away or eat here?"

To take away means you just carry the store manager away, and to eat here means you eat with the store manager until the end.

"Let's eat something together."

"Great! I'm sure you'll be satisfied with our food," said the antler cat. "The manager is having dinner with friends today, so I figured we might as well let him finish it—he'll definitely enjoy this meal."

"Manager Crucian Carp doubted I could lift it," Chu Hengkong said. "Do you think it's that serious?"

The deer-horned cat glanced at Huowan and said politely, "The workmanship of your prosthesis is absolutely top-notch, but the number is a little small..."

Chu Hengkong laughed. The city-state was quite interesting. Everyone's face was filled with a delightful warmth. The citizens seemed to have no fear of strangers; they could chat with anyone as if they were acquaintances. No one questioned the impact on work efficiency; everyone was less anxious about time and embraced a relaxed and carefree attitude towards life.

On the first floor, some small animals were adjusting their equipment, as if preparing to film a food show. Chu Hengkong walked up to the second floor and knew he didn't need to look for his target. The target's features were so obvious that anyone with eyes would definitely recognize it.

How to describe it...

If I were to describe it in one word, it would be "round".

Very round.

Very round.

This rotund creature has gray-black fur speckled with irregular light gray spots, and its belly is a beautiful creamy white. It has short limbs, a round head, and large eyes. Crouching down in front of the table, it resembles a springy gray spindle. Roughly the height of a full-grown adult and the width of three people standing side by side, it takes up more floor space than a large table, forcing the restaurant to raise the table to accommodate the food.

This beast is a famous animal of the third order, the owner of the aquatic bookstore, known as the big seal.

"It's really big!" Vander exclaimed.

"Mmm?"

The seal, munching away on something, looked up at the words, its round body tilted up like a giant banana. Through the curved shape of the banana, Chu Hengkong saw a very distinctive black face. The profile of that face was extremely handsome. He was playing guitar and singing across the table:

"The tide is strong, fate is treacherous, and we all head to the border to search for the sacred tree.

You finish your performance and I come on stage, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the sparrow behind.

The abandoned disciple of Longxiang showed off his power, but misfortune led to his imprisonment.

The heroic spirit testifies to the truth and spreads the righteous path, while the starlight purifies the fire and extinguishes the evil spirits~"

After the song, everyone in the restaurant applauded. The poet took a sip of wine, plucked the strings quickly, and continued:

"Who knows whether fortune or disaster can happen at any moment? Bats scream and fog gathers.

Leaving the battlefield and entering the prison world, ghosts appeared in the wilderness!

Natural disasters are evil, monsters are poisonous, and two-headed fierce dogs take your life.

Fortunately, an expert showed me the way and I was able to make a desperate effort to realize my old dream.

Enemies join hands to become comrades, and demons convert to defend the righteous path.

Kill ghosts and demons, fight against heretics, break the nightmare of sleeping in the heavenly prison!"

The diners in the restaurant applauded, and the waiters put down their plates and cheered without even bothering to serve the dishes. The bard put down his guitar and raised his glass to Chu Hengkong from a distance.

"Has the Chief Inspector ever heard of this famous new legend?" said Sirell with a smile.

(End of this chapter)