I opened a shop on the Astral Train-Chapter 40

Zhongli saw Hu Tao enter Silver Wolf's private room with the vase in her arms and immediately felt something was off.

What was going on?

Suspicious, Zhongli moved to the side of the private room and discreetly eavesdropped on the conversation inside.

A conversation emerged from the inside.

"Silver Wolf, have you listed it?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's up. It might not sell immediately, though."

"No rush, no rush. As long as it sells. How much did you list it for?"

"I put it up for 6 million first. Maybe some rich fool will buy it."

Suddenly, Hu Tao's excited voice rang out.

"Wha—?! Someone bought it already?! 6 million credit points!"

"Oh wow, we actually found a sucker. Let me check... Ah, it's 'Gold Dust,' one of the Ten Lords of Shi Xin. This guy's loaded."

Hearing that his vase was being sold, Zhongli knocked on the door.

Hu Tao opened it and poked her head out.

"Oh? Do you need more tea?" Hu Tao smiled sheepishly.

Zhongli sighed. "I saw you take my vase."

Hu Tao didn't even try to deny it. "Yep, I took it. I sold it to buy more computers."

"Y-You...Sold it?-"

Alright, alright, go do your thing. I need to discuss the machines with Silver Wolf."

With that, she shut the door in his face in a hurry.

Zhongli stood there, stunned. His precious vase! He had loved that vase, often tending to it and carefully dusting it when he had free time.

Feeling dejected, Zhongli walked over to the tea break area.

Venti, who was also in the break room waved at Zhongli upon entering, but noticed his gloomy posture as he sat down.

Seeing this, Venti raised an eyebrow.

"Old man, what's up with you?"

Zhongli muttered under his breath, an eerie whisper. "Vase... Vase... Vase... Hehehe... It's gone."

Venti immediately thought of the vase Hu Tao had been holding earlier and put two and two together. Patting Zhongli's shoulder, he sighed.

"Old man...my condolences."

Meanwhile, Silver Wolf received the payment.

She immediately transferred 4 million credit points to the supplier, leaving the remaining 2 million deposited into Hu Tao's account.

The two agreed to set up the new computers tomorrow. Silver Wolf even offered after-sales service, promising to install them personally.

At the tea break area, Bronya was chatting with Jean when Ningguang and Keqing approached.

Ningguang greeted Jean with a smile. "Hello Jean! Is this our first official meeting?"

Jean immediately recognized her. "Ningguang? It's a pleasure to finally meet you!"

Ningguang chuckled. "What were you two discussing?"

Jean replied, "We were talking about experiences in governance."

Ningguang's interest piqued. "Oh? Mind if we join? Let me introduce myself—this is Keqing, Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing."

Keqing nodded. "Hello, I am Yuheng of Liyue. Very Pleased to meet you."

Bronya and Jean introduced themselves in turn, and the four women sat down to talk.

Jean turned to Bronya. "Bronya, you may not know this, but Ningguang is the ruler of Liyue. She has far more experience than us."

Ningguang smiled modestly. "Oh, it's just a few tricks."

The conversation quickly evolved into an exchange of governance strategies. With Ningguang and Keqing joining in, the discussion became even more engaging. Before long, Bronya and Jean found themselves taking notes while Ningguang and Keqing shared their insights.

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Later...

Yuri had finished preparing the food, and everyone gathered around.

Welt, Kevin, and March 7th made it back just in time for dinner. As soon as they returned, Kevin and March 7th rushed to the bar to exchange their hoard of Stellar Jade.

This time, they had hit the jackpot. Last time in Belobog, Bronya had led a team to loot treasure chests. But now? Kevin and March 7th had swept through nearly every chest in Luofu, raiding Stellar Jade from the Xianzhou Luofu, The Astral Sea, Changlian Sky, Huixing Port, and Jinren Lane.

There were barely any chests left standing.

Kevin dropped a massive bag of Stellar Jade onto the bar and placed it onto the exchange scale.

Kevin handled the exchange, while March 7th sorted the converted Star Coins.

With the two working efficiently, the exchange was completed quickly.

Everyone watched in shock as the final tally was revealed.

Hiss! 300,000 Star Coins!

Kevin and March 7th split it evenly—150,000 each.

Kevin grinned as he pocketed his half. "I am the richest man alive!'"

March pouted in response. "Hey! What about me!"

"You can get...uh...um...extra barbeque skewers from me!" Kevin sheepishly remarked.

Yuri glanced at the exaggerated display and smirked. "Kevin, enough gloating. It's time to eat."

Kevin immediately stopped showing off and dashed to his seat, eager for food.

March sighed and muttered "Troublesome" to herself.

—

Tonight's dinner was hotpot. Yuri set up five large pots along the long table in front of the small bar.

The table could only seat 20 people, so Yuri, Zhongli, Welt, Kevin, and the other men stood while the girls and four little ones took the seats.

The children were delighted. For them, the more people gathered to eat, the tastier the food seemed.

Bailu was the happiest of all, her little tail wagging non-stop as she excitedly chatted with Klee, Hook, and Diona.

"Klee's gonna eat lots of meat later~"

"Hook too!"

Diona, however, had her eyes set on fish. "You guys eat meat, I'll have fish! I saw Yuri cut up so much fresh fish fillet, hehe~"

Bailu, ever the little doctor, spoke like an adult. "You can't just eat meat—you need vegetables too for a balanced diet."

Hook blinked. "What's 'balanced diet' mean?"

Bailu thought for a moment and then explained simply. "Basically, if you only eat meat, your body won't be healthy."

Hook nodded in understanding. "Got it! Hook will eat some veggies later!"

Klee raised her hand. "Klee too!"

Diona added, "Yeah, I'll have some as well."

Himeko and Yuri took charge of looking after the children.

Yuri had prepared an impressive spread tonight—more than 50 different ingredients, enough to feed 30 adults.

Each guest received a small basket. All the ingredients and seasonings were set up in the kitchen, allowing everyone to choose what they wanted.

"Alright, go grab your ingredients!" Yuri called out.

Excited, everyone stood up and headed toward the kitchen like shoppers at a bustling market.

Kevin took the basket and looked around. There were more than 50 kinds of ingredients, and he had to examine each one carefully.

"These chicken wings look nice and plump! I'll take two.

Oh, this squid is still moving—super fresh! Definitely taking that.

This pork belly looks great, and so does this beef..."

Kevin continued selecting ingredients, filling his entire basket with meat and completely ignoring the vegetables.

Once satisfied, she seasoned her selections and returned to her seat, eagerly watching the pot as she waited for it to boil.

At that moment, March 7th and Amber returned with their own baskets.

March 7th was speechless when she saw Kevin's basket overflowing with meat. "Kevin, can't you take at least some vegetables?"

Kevin shook his head firmly. "No way. Vegetables aren't for me. Meat is what I need."

Amber sighed. "Kevin, you should really eat more vegetables—they're good for you."

Kevin remained steadfast in her decision. Just then, Seele and Ying walked past her table.

Kevin called out, "Seele, Ying, what did you two grab? Did you take any vegetables?"

Seele looked at Kevin like he had just said something ridiculous. "Vegetables? Why bother when there's so much meat?"

Ying waved a finger. "Hot pot is all about meat. How can you have the strength to fight without it?"

At that moment, Paimon flew over, struggling to carry a basket full of meat. "Exactly! You can fill up on meat—why waste space on veggies?"

March 7th and Amber were at a loss for words. This entire group was hopeless.

Even Klee had taken vegetables!

—

After a while, everyone returned to the dining table.

Yuri brought two full baskets of vegetables specifically for the four little ones—enough to make sure they had a balanced meal.

"Did you wash your hands?" Himeko asked as she set down some seasonings. "If not, go wash them before eating."

The four little ones shook their heads before slipping off their chairs and running to the kitchen.

Upon reaching the sink, they realized a problem—it was too high for them to reach.

Bailu's eyes lit up as she spotted the small step stool Pom usually used while cooking.

She quickly dragged it over. "Come on, this should be high enough!"

Klee, Hook, and Diona lined up and took turns washing their hands.

Once done, Klee ran back to the table. "Da-da-da~ La-la-la~ Klee wants to eat hot pot~"

She giggled as she climbed into her chair.

Himeko glanced around, realizing someone was missing—Clara.

Remembering that Clara usually studied in the library at this time, she walked over to check.

Sure enough, Clara was deeply engrossed in a model.

"Clara, it's time to eat."

Clara looked up, startled. She had been so absorbed in her research that she had completely lost track of time. "Oh! I'll be right there!"

She carefully placed the model down and trotted after Himeko to the kitchen, where she picked out ingredients, washed her hands, and returned to the table.

Yuri smiled as he saw Clara sit down. "How's your research going? That model?"

The model Clara had been working on was a gift from Yuri, something he had purchased from the system shop.

[Item: Realistic Mini Gundam Model]

Description: A fully detailed replica of a mecha known as Gundam.

Value: 500 Stellar Jade.

Clara beamed. "I've got some ideas!"

Yuri pondered for a moment, considering whether to build a small research lab for her.

There was an unused storage room on the second floor of the train. With a little effort, it could be renovated into a functional lab.

After a few seconds of thought, he made up his mind—he'd start working on it tomorrow.

—

Soon, the hot pot broth came to a boil.

"Let's eat!" Yuri called out.

Immediately, everyone began placing ingredients into their respective pots.

Kevin, in true fashion, dumped an entire basket of meat into the red pot in front of him, nearly causing the broth to overflow.

March 7th quickly fished some pieces out to prevent a mess. "Kevin! Take it easy! If it overflows, someone's going to get burned!"

Kevin chuckled. "Oops, my bad."

Meanwhile, Yuri and Himeko took care of the four little ones, handling two each.

Yuri rubbed Klee and Hook's heads. "What do you two want to eat first?"

Klee eagerly raised her hand. "Yuri~, I want fish!"

"Hook wants meat!"

Yuri smiled. "Alright, Yuri will cook some for you."

He placed fresh fish and thinly sliced meat into the pot for them.

Meanwhile, Zhongli, Welt, and Kaeya sat at the far end of the table. Unlike the others, they weren't eating much—just a few dishes here and there.

"So...uh...how are you two doing with all the food eh?" Kaeya asked sheepishly.

Zhongli and Welt both glanced at Kaeya briefly before simply closing their eyes.

Kaeya suddenly regretted his seating choice.

Still, Kaeya found one silver lining...

There was plenty of food to enjoy!

—

As the meal continued, Venti made his way over to the bar, turned on the speakers, and cheerful music filled the room.

Hot pot was meant to be lively, after all.

Everyone ate, chatted, and played, making for a joyful atmosphere.

Paimon stuffed her mouth with meat, her eyes shining with delight. This was her first time having hot pot, and the taste completely won her over.

"This hot pot stuff is amazing! So good!!!"

Kevin, Seele, and Paimon shared a similar eating style—they all devoured their food with unmatched enthusiasm, competing to see who could eat the most.

March 7th had long since given up trying to stop them. There was simply no reasoning with these three.

Eventually, they finished their first round and stood up simultaneously to grab more ingredients.

In the end, Paimon emerged victorious.

Standing on her chair with her hands on her hips, she looked down at Kevin and Seele in triumph.

Kevin had finished two baskets, Seele managed two and a half, but Paimon had conquered three.

March 7th and the others were completely dumbfounded by their sheer appetites.

"Incredible."

Yuri could only stare in awe.