Chapter 12

"A witch?" The bearded dwarf halted at the sight of Rao Ke, his bristling beard softening as his anger faded.

"Sorry, I've only been in Daylight Town a few days and don't know the rules yet. I apologize for the interruption." Rao Ke looked at the small figure gripping the massive iron hammer.

The dwarf, Antuoke, snorted. "Fine, since you didn't know, I'll let it slide."

"What do you want?" Antuoke eyed Rao Ke.

Rao Ke was simply curious about the contraptions of this other world. "Mind if I look around?"

"Sure, come in." Antuoke led the way.

Rao Ke wandered through the shop, finding it filled with all sorts of weapons and bizarre mechanical devices.

"What's this?" She picked up a small metal ball with wings, intrigued.

"That's a sound-shadow orb. It can emit sound and project images." Antuoke casually inserted something like a chip into it.

The metal ball lit up and floated upward a short distance.

A short clip of Antuoke forging a weapon appeared before Rao Ke, the sound and picture surprisingly clear and smooth.

"Can I buy this?" Rao Ke asked.

Antuoke glanced at it. "I'll give it to you. But it needs a shadow stone to work, and those are nearly impossible to find nowadays."

"Thank you. Then this is a token of my gratitude."

Sesame Paste had just told Rao Ke that dwarves, besides forging weapons, loved nothing more than fine liquor.

So Rao Ke promptly purchased two bottles of brandy and some snacks—melon seeds, chicken feet, and braised beef—from the system store.

"The chicken feet spoil easily, so eat them within a couple of days. The melon seeds will keep longer." Rao Ke set the items down and left.

Antuoke watched her retreating figure and let out a short laugh.

Rao Ke wandered around Daylight Town, Sesame Paste lounging on her shoulder playing games. Suddenly, he warned, "Two female beastwomen have been following us since we got here."

"That's normal. They probably see us as suspicious characters." Rao Ke was picking out fruit at a stall.

She noticed common berries like apples and oranges existed in this other world too, but some were unique to it.

Rao Ke bought a selection of unfamiliar berries, planning to taste the flavors of this world back at the RV.

With her purchases in hand, she strolled leisurely back to the RV, started it up, and left Daylight Town.

Back where they'd parked before, Rao Ke pulled out the sound-shadow orb. "Can you solve the chip problem?"

She intended to turn it into a small machine that could explain product functions and show customers demonstration videos.

"Yes. After the upgrade, the shop will have six machines inside to explain products and answer questions. We'll also print relevant info on the packaging or include a manual," Sesame Paste explained.

"By the way, will you sell electrical appliances here? They wouldn't work here, right?"

"We will. R&D and production are modifying them for local use."

Satisfied with the explanation, Rao Ke picked up the bag of berries she'd bought, washed and processed them, and came out with a large plate of fruit.

"Try it." She popped a piece into her mouth—a berry called fluffy fruit. It tasted like soft cake, but the flesh was tangy-sweet and cool. Quite remarkable.

She also popped a piece into the mouths of Sesame Paste and Xue Qiu.

After locking his door, Antuoke activated a time-space stone and teleported to the teleportation array at the Dwarf Underground City.

A few dwarves had just arrived via teleportation as well.

"Hey, Antuoke, what's that in your hands?" A burly dwarf named Xike spotted his friend carrying two unfamiliar bottles and sauntered over.

Antuoke was generous. "A gift. Call Katherine and Lisi over later."

"Will do!"

Back home, Antuoke washed up first, then laid everything out on the table.

Feeling it wasn't enough, he went to the kitchen and sliced a plate of meat.

For dwarves, gathering to drink was a daily ritual.

Antuoke picked up one of the bottles to test it first—if it wasn't strong or tasty enough, he'd look foolish.

"!" As soon as he pulled the cork, a rich aroma burst forth—a blend of fresh, sweet grape, oak, and floral notes.

Antuoke's eyes lit up. The wines of the Kaqisha Continent were mostly rough, low-alcohol blends.

Dwarves loved drinking, but even their best couldn't compare to the fiery spirits from the system.

He took a sip and felt his mouth ignite, the liquid burning down to his stomach, warming him from the inside. His face flushed instantly.

"Good stuff!" He was enamored, reluctant to share, but he'd already invited guests.

Gritting his teeth, he held back the opened bottle and hid the unopened one in a very secret spot.

He grabbed a glass, poured himself a full serving, and intended to drink as much as possible before the others arrived.

As luck would have it, he'd barely finished one glass, still savoring the taste, when a knock came at the door.

"Knock, knock!"

"We're here! Open up, Antuoke! We can smell it from outside!"

Reluctantly, Antuoke opened the door for his three friends—the male dwarf from the teleportation array, plus two sturdy female dwarves.

"What are you drinking?! It smells amazing—I caught it from outside!" Katherine said excitedly.

"Better than the Dusk Tavern's brew!" Lisi and Xike chimed in.

"Hah! The Dusk Tavern's swill can't hold a candle to this!" Antuoke snorted, his tone firm.

The other three dwarves piled in and sat down immediately.

Antuoke carefully poured a glass for each.

The others downed theirs in one gulp, making Antuoke wince.

"Strong stuff! Where'd you get it?" Katherine demanded, instantly won over after a single glass.

"From a witch. There's not much left, so go easy!" Antuoke pushed a few other bottles from his stash forward.

Those were the favorites they'd always enjoyed, but now no one spared them a glance. All eyes were on the brandy cradled in Antuoke's arms.

"A witch showed up?" Lisi was taken aback. "Can we go trade with her for some liquor?"

"Not sure."

"Then we'll go with you to Daylight Town tomorrow." Katherine was resolute. For liquor-addled dwarves, nothing mattered more than new drink—except, perhaps, new machinery they'd never seen.

"What's this?" Xike curiously popped open the box with the chicken feet and braised beef.

"The witch said these go with the drinks."

Xike picked up a slice of braised beef, paired it with a sip, and found it excellent. He gestured for the others to join.

If Rao Ke were there, she'd have suggested a board game to go with it.

The four dwarves drank deeply, cup after cup, until their faces were red and they soon passed out snoring.

Time flew by, and Rao Ke had been running her business in Daylight Town for five days now.

She'd made many friends here—beastmen like Ke Enli and Peilin, and dwarves like Antuoke and Katherine.

"Royal flush! Only one card left!" Sesame Paste gloated at Jin and Antuoke across the table, then laid down a king.

"Ha, I win again." Sesame Paste took a sip of cola and accepted a jelly from each of his opponents.

Antuoke's beard bristled with frustration. "Again! Rematch!"

Jin was equally stubborn, demanding another round.

Rao Ke sat nearby, casually handling the accounting. With Baitang and Heitang around, she had more free time.

Since she'd introduced them to Dou Dizhu, playing cards had become surprisingly popular. Some even played outside the RV.

Sesame Paste was itching to join, and everyone took it in stride that the witch's black cat could talk.

But Rao Ke didn't allow him to gamble for money, so he just played for fun—stakes were small snacks.

"You're leaving in two days?" Peilin asked, sipping lemon tea.

Rao Ke nodded. "My shop should be ready soon. You can still come by to shop and hang out."

Peilin nodded. Keke Shop was situated between the human town and the beastman town, but being closer to the human town—and with humans frequenting the area—the beastmen rarely bothered.

But now that Keke Shop was a factor, they couldn't let humans hog all the resources and connections, whatever the reason.

"We'll come visit when we have time." Beilika smiled faintly.

Rao Ke returned the smile. "You're always welcome!"

Meanwhile, back in No. 7 Wandering Town, though Keke Shop hadn't been open long, its closure left everyone feeling a bit lost.

"Hey, anyone fancy a game of cards?" Katherine held up a deck.

"Where'd you get that?!" Laiensi spotted the familiar Keke Shop logo on the back and perked up.

"Bought it from a witch in Daylight Town. Why?" Katherine blinked.

Laiensi let out a mournful sigh and immediately began spamming messages to Rao Ke via the Astrolabe.

Rao Ke, still in her leisurely chat, was baffled by her tablet vibrating nonstop.

She opened it to find dozens of messages from Laiensi. Skimming them, the gist was a rant about how Rao Ke had disappeared for a week just to run off to the beastman town.

The sheer misery in his tone came through even from a distance, and Rao Ke couldn't help but feel like a cad.

After all, while the shop was being renovated, Mo Duoya and Laiensi had been genuinely concerned, even offering her a place to stay. Rao Ke had politely declined.

She replied with a few messages explaining she'd return in two days and would treat them to a meal then.