I'm just an internet cafe owner

Natsuki Subaru took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and ran out. Watching his retreating figure, Kisara couldn't help but remark, "See? This is what it feels like to be with your sweetheart."

"That makes sense, but guess what his sweetheart is like?"

How am I supposed to guess?

Liu Yuan asked in astonishment, "Aren't you a demon? You can eat people's memories, so why can't I see you?"

"Hey, hey, hey, it's true that I have those abilities, but I can't use them here! Why don't you guess?"

"I?"

Liu Yuan leaned on his head and thought seriously, "If it were me, it would definitely be a silver-haired, red-eyed little loli."

"?"

In that instant, Kisara revealed a dangerous expression. But before Kisara could even act insubordination, she froze when she saw the people Natsuki Subaru had brought.

A silver-haired beauty? A blue-haired maid? Wait a minute? Is this guy really that lucky with women?

"Looks like I guessed right."

Liu Yuan looked into Natsuki Subaru's eyes, and Natsuki Subaru nodded as if he had seen a kindred spirit.

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Opening the Player Shop

In Liu Yuan's view, Natsuki Subaru's recruitment of people signified the beginning of a positive cycle. Since Emilia was visiting for the first time, Natsuki Subaru didn't introduce her to overly difficult games, but instead...

She played Minecraft with me.

She herself didn't understand what was going on with her behavior, but everyone in the internet cafe saw it clearly.

No one would point this out, because everyone could see that Emilia also had feelings for Subaru Natsuki.

"Tsk, what a pity."

Once everyone started playing the game, Liu Yuan made sure no one could hear the outside noise before he whispered his complaints to Mu Xiao.

"What's a pity?"

Kisara wiped the cup and asked with some doubt, "Do you also think it's a pity that such a beautiful girl is good enough for him? Hmm! I agree with you. I feel that she is a perfect match for you."

Liu Yuan clenched his right fist and smashed it into Mu Geng's head with moderate force.

"It hurts!"

"There's no such thing as being suitable or unsuitable when it comes to feelings. What I'm saying is that it's a pity because of that blue-haired guy. Natsuki Subaru's heart is entirely with Emilia, while this blue-haired guy seems to be completely devoted to Natsuki Subaru. Tsk tsk, we can enjoy the gossip from now on."

"Boss, any gossip?"

"Watermelons are plentiful."

Liu Yuan took out a large watermelon, and the two of them ate while watching.

The increasing number of new players prompted Liu Yuan to start researching new games. The Red Alert series was perfect for casual play, and judging from the purchasing desires of internet cafe members, this game was practically a must-buy for any new player.

Firstly, it doesn't waste time; secondly, it offers a certain level of competitiveness; and thirdly, it's relaxing. In a small area, no matter how skilled or adept you are, if we know you're good, we'll target you, and you're bound to lose. This leads to a great deal of uncertainty in the game.

The problem is that, currently, apart from the Elden Ring which offers in-app purchases for resurrection oak, other games don't have in-app purchases for oak. In games like Minecraft, in-app purchases are possible, but unnecessary. This is an absolutely free game, and since it's absolutely free, players should be allowed to create their own content.

etc?"

Liu Yuan suddenly realized that since it was created by the players themselves, he could add a shop to it.

"System, could you add a shop inside the internet cafe so they can trade the items they've acquired?"

After a long silence, the system gave an affirmative reply: "Except for some bound items, a marketplace can be built to provide trading for players. The transaction fee can be adjusted by the owner."

“Sure, there are now more ways to make money.”

As for the transaction fee, Liu Yuan thought for a moment and decided to set it at the average level for most games, around 3%. According to the system description, this trading platform used a system template with minimal overhead, so as long as Liu Yuan guaranteed he wasn't running a charity, it would be fine.

Charity? That's out of the question. Liu Yuan's principle is to earn less money, but to secure his clients. If a client is in mortal danger, he'll definitely help, because only surviving clients can spend more money.

However, Liu Yuan also learned that the player shop sells two types of items: in-game items, which can only be used within the game, and real-world clothing and items.

Players set all prices themselves; the system only takes a 3% commission. As for malicious price suppression, price gouging, or hoarding? No problem, the system will ensure that any hoarding will result in total loss. Furthermore, the store specifically warns that if malicious hoarding disrupts the normal gaming experience for other players, Liu Yuan will blacklist them permanently.

Having settled all that, Liu Yuan went online without a second thought.

With the addition of the player store and TT, a cross-world chat software, we can easily handle any increase in the number of people in an internet cafe, even if it's ten times that.

"Shopping mall?"

"A 3% commission? You can sell things with that? Can I sell these large runes?"

Fujimaru Kaori tried to trade away the useless items she had, but the system clearly stated that bound items could not be traded. This gave her a headache, but soon her eyes lit up, and she directly threw up some food and materials she had obtained in the singularity.

Now it's time to trade.

Not only Fujimaru Kaori, but everyone who saw the new shop showed curiosity. Those who could pause the game paused the game, and those who couldn't find a safe place to hide and check how to use this thing.

At the same time, everyone started communicating on the TT in the store.

"Boss! How do I use this?"

Liu Yuan: "Except for things that can't be sold, you can sell everything else through this."

"... "

"... "

"... "

The crowd fell silent; when it came to talking nonsense, they were truly impressed by Liu Yuan's ability to do so.

Liu Yuan added, "If you have any needs, you can also post tasks here, and after detailed communication, you can trade directly through the mall. Tangible and intangible things, as long as they belong to you and can be used by everyone, can be traded."

At this moment, Fujimaru Kaori replied in surprise, "All my apples have been bought?"

Tina: "I bought it...it was very cheap...Fujimaru Kaori-neechan, if you don't have enough money, I can make up the difference."

Fujimaru Kaori: "That's enough. Anyway, I stole it without spending a penny. This is convenient. I can grab more of this stuff and use the shop as system space in the future, hehe!"

Fujimaru immediately thought of ways to make good use of the system shop. For example, during this period, although they hadn't found the second singularity yet, Fujimaru had managed to snag quite a few good items from some pseudo-singularities. It's just a pity that the system determined some items weren't worth it.

She didn't bring any money. But now that she knows Tina is short of food, she can easily steal food and clothes and sell them off in bulk for a dollar each.

Thinking back to that fruit orchard I encountered, if there had been a system that could directly grab fruit and put it on the shelves, I could have earned several thousand more yuan.

Fujimaru Kaori is now truly experiencing the joy of robbing Heroic Spirits' treasures. In one go, she can earn several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars. She can start making money on her own after encountering a pseudo-singularity once a month.

Now she lives a life of luxury, and TT can even chat with everyone by sending emojis now and then. Surfing the internet is a luxury for her. She drinks Coke every day, eats sushi, and enjoys sashimi.

Even though her world was on the verge of ending, she was enjoying herself immensely.

Everyone started researching the shop, admitting that many people had specific needs. Not only did Tina need food, but Rick did too. However, compared to Tina, he was in a worse situation; besides Shubi and the clothes he was wearing, he had nothing.

In a world covered in ashes, Rick looked at the same items uploaded by everyone in the system shop, and he made up his mind.

"Shubi..."

"exist!"

"Your promise."

“I will obey Rick’s orders forever…”

Looking down at the tearful Shubi, Riku's heart raced. He knew this was a simulated personality from the Machine Race, but even so, he couldn't help himself!

"Shubi, let's make money! Then..."

Rick unconsciously smiled. Through the system he obtained at the internet cafe, he knew that he could give Liu Yuan many materials and minerals, and even sell the worthless ones to someone in need through the trading mall.

In this way, all I need to do is find items worth around 13,000 yuan, and I can send someone to the internet cafe to study and improve their skills without worry.

Gods? Or something else? He couldn't understand it, but he knew that this was their chance to survive in this chaotic world, and perhaps even a chance to change the course of the racial war.

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Getting Rich by Collecting Scraps

In Rick's world, humanity has lost everything, but the power emanating from internet cafes is undeniable. Given this...

Rick looked at Shubi. Although Shubi verbally 'obeyed' him, he couldn't be sure if the Machine Gundam had other intentions. Besides, this Machine Gundam had also entered the internet cafe.

A machine that has broken free from its bond—this is the power Riku needs, and more importantly, the power he is confident he can control.

“Okay, Shubi knows where the partially damaged machine is; hopefully that will help Rick…”

"Take me there!"

"Ok."

Now, in the ruins of the Elf race, it took Riku several months to reach, but when Shubi held her and simply used the power of the Machine race, he completed the journey that had taken him months in just one hour.

A certain battle resulted in the annihilation of the entire Linked Array. Furthermore, this area has long been occupied by a particular race, and the Machine Race, seeking to maximize efficiency, would abandon these scrap metals and rebuild them by producing new resources.

Later, the local people moved away due to the war, leaving only ruins.

Even though he had never played Fallout 4, Rick and Schwie made everyone in the internet cafe play Fallout 4 before.

It must be acknowledged that the legacy of the Machine Race and other races is truly abundant. Leaving aside the ruins that Shubi was taking him to, the remains left by other intelligent races encountered along the way could be exchanged for a considerable amount of money.

“Richard, these are the fruits of the long vine flower.”

"This is Lycoris radiata."

"This is... there is no record of this seed in the Shubi memory bank. New seed record complete."

Very little remained at the ruins, but piecing it together, some useful items were found. These included the magic of the forest elves, strange parts from the machine armored race, eggs left by large cold-blooded animals, and knowledge and culture left by various other races.

Rick calculated that the total would amount to over 700 yuan. 700 yuan is only enough for a day's internet fee, but for someone like Rick who trades his lifespan for internet time, it's an astronomical price.

In particular, the discovery of the ruins of the Jikai species.

This is a huge pit containing the remains of hundreds of Machine Gundams. These Machine Gundams are completely destroyed and there is no point in even trying to salvage them.

"This is... the ruins..."

Shubi felt no emotion as she looked at her 'kin' in the pit. There was no such thing as scrapping for the Machine Race; they were only abandoned after dying in battle or, like her, due to a programming bug. This pit was created by another race; the parts on the Machine Race were useless to any race other than the Machine Race itself.

Their sturdiness made them not worth destroying. Destroying them would require a large number of Pokémon, and in this chaotic world, recklessly using a large number of Pokémon could easily be seen as a provocation by some powerful individuals. To avoid trouble, they simply blasted a large crater, threw the Mechs into it, and then went about their business.

"here…"

Looking at the humanoid machine-type creature in the pit, Rick had a feeling he couldn't quite explain. He couldn't understand why so many races had to wage war. Didn't the various races have ways to resolve their conflicts without war?

Does such a war have any meaning?

Rick looked up at the sky. His memories of growing up were filled with these ashes. He wondered what the sky would be like after the ashes disappeared. Would it be like in my world, where the sky is blue, the sea is blue, the air is fresh, and the sun is warm?