The entire place went mad.
Crowds surged through the streets, pushing and shouting, trying to reach the new shop that had suddenly beco the talk of the entire industrial district.
"Isn’t that the Dragon Peacock Restaurant?" soone gasped, pointing toward the elegant, newly rebranded building.
"Yeah... looks like so big shot bought the place and turned it into a fish shop!" another replied in disbelief.
By dawn, long lines had already ford outside. Factory workers, rchants, tavern owners, and even high-class chefs scrambled to buy as much Firecarp as possible. Within re hours, Mina’s Fish Shop beca the most talked-about na in every connected city.
Inside the shop, chaos reigned in its own way.
"Why am I the poster girl?!" Yumina cried, holding up one of the flyers plastered all over the streets.
"And why am I on the signboard of the shop?!" she pointed at the storefront, where a huge wooden board bore her smiling face holding a shining Firecarp fish.
"Oh... looks like that’s probably the owner of Mina’s Fish Shop!" a bystander shouted from the line.
"Ohhh!"
The crowd erupted with excitent, chanting her na like she was so kind of celebrity.
"Why is the shop’s na my na?!" Yumina wailed, on the verge of tears.
"Calm down," Marco said, scratching his head. "I asked Boss Lady about it, and she said, ’I’m rich. I can do anything.’" He imitated Tyla’s calm, haughty tone perfectly.
"Marco!" Kurt’s voice bood from inside. "Quit standing around and help with these barrels! You too, Miss Yumina!"
Both of them hurried inside. The shop was filled with barrels lined up neatly, each containing preserved Firecarp fish. The air was cool, thanks to the preservation arrays carved into the containers. The forr servers and cooks from the Dragon Peacock Restaurant were now bustling under Tyla’s command preparing to sell the fishes.
"Even if we sell all these... there’s still a huge crowd outside. What is Tyla planning? Does she have enough stock for this madness?" Yumina asked, sweat dripping from her forehead.
"I don’t know," Marco shrugged. "I thought you handled that."
"What do you an? it’s probably Kurt, who handled that, right?!" Yumina shot back at Kurt.
"Don’t look at ," Kurt grumbled. "I thought Marco took care of it."
The three of them pointed fingers at one another in confusion until Marco finally asked, "Wait... where is Lady Boss?"
"She’s in her room," Yumina said. "Told us not to disturb her."
---
Inside her private room — or rather, inside her pocket dinsion — Tyla stood before the copper pot. She reached into it with the copper ladle. Each ti she scooped, many small barrels ca out, which expanded to its full size as the barrels left the ladle and touched the ground.
Dozens beca hundreds, and soon, the entire place was lined with Firecarp barrels, each infused with advanced preservation arrays. The air was filled with the faint, savory scent of the fish — warm, spicy, and oddly comforting.
"Hmm..." Tyla murmured with a satisfied smile. "This should enough for today, I guess."
---
When the shop opened, pandemonium erupted.
Crowds rushed in, but were quickly halted by the sight of several towering Grandmaster-level guards at the entrance. The aura they exuded was enough to keep even rowdy rchants in line.
"Everyone, please form an orderly line!" Kurt shouted. "Each person can only buy 50 kilograms per head!"
"Only 50?! Are you kidding ?!" one person yelled.
"Yeah! We need at least 1000 kilograms." another shouted, waving Lydia Notes in his hand.
"Then Please buy it in another shop," Marco said cheerfully. "But for now, buy it or move aside."
Nobody dared to make a scene in front of the guards. Grumbling under their breath, they complied. Like hell they can find a shop that sells Fishes for 10 Lydia per kilogram.
The line moved like a tide — constant, loud, and endless. Within twenty minutes, the barrels in the shop were nearly emptied. But as soon as one set was gone, Tyla’s employees swiftly replaced them with fresh ones.
At one point, Yumina panicked. "The barrels are running low! What are we going to do?"
As if summoned by her words, Tyla walked out of her room, calm and collected, as though she were taking a morning stroll.
"Oh, you’re already running low?" she said with a light chuckle.
"Running low?! We’re about to run out!" Yumina cried.
Tyla ignored her panic. "Clear out the empty barrels," she ordered the workers. Once they were done, she placed a small storage ring into Yumina’s palm.
"Take these," Tyla said. "Ask for more if you sell out."
Yumina peeked inside — and froze.
The ring contained what looked like an entire warehouse of Firecarp barrels — hundreds, if not thousands, all glowing faintly with preservation runes.
Her jaw dropped. "How... how did you even—?"
"Trade secret," Tyla said with a wink, and disappeared back into her room.
The sales continued until sunset.
By the end of the day, Mina’s Fish Shop had made history. The most sold Firecarp Fishes in a day.
When the last batch of Firecarp sold out, Yumina stepped outside, hands on her hips. "We’re closing for today!" she announced. "But don’t worry! The sale continues tomorrow — and for the rest of the week!"
The crowd erupted into cheers.
"Long live Lady Mina!" they shouted. "Queen of Firecarp!"
Yumina mouth twitched.
---
anwhile, across the city, chaos brewed in a very different atmosphere.
Inside a lavish private lounge, three of the wealthiest Firecarp rchants sat around a crystal table, their expressions twisted with fury.
"What the hell is happening?!" one roared, slamming his fist on the table. "The price just dropped from 600 Lydia to 10! Ten! They are just selling for TEN?!"
"That’s lower than the transportation cost!" another shouted.
The third rchant clenched his jaw. "This can’t be real. Who’s behind this insanity?!"
The first one threw down a flyer on the table. The smiling face of Yumina stared back at them.
"It’s her," he said darkly. "That girl... Yumina."
They fell silent.
"We have to stop her," one finally muttered.
"How? Lower our prices?" another scoffed. "We’d go bankrupt before we sold a tenth of our stock."
"Then we’ll buy out all her supplies. Flood her shop with fake custors. We’ll choke her stock dry."
"And if that doesn’t work?"
"Then..." The leader’s eyes glinted coldly. "We find out who’s supplying her... and make them disappear."
The others nodded grimly.
But even as they plotted, they didn’t realize one simple truth — every single Firecarp fish in Mina’s Fish Shop ca from a source no one could reach.
A source hidden deep within a pocket dinsion, owned by a girl who smiled like an angel... and sched like a devil. Even though she lost her mories, she is still a rchant.
---
Back in Tyla’s room, the quiet hum of the flying lanterns filled the space as Yumina’s trembling fingers gripped the latest sales report. Her eyes widened at the numbers before her. "Tyla... are you sure this isn’t going to bankrupt us? You’re selling them at a loss!"
Tyla, seated cross-legged on the edge of the bed, calmly sipped her tea with a faint smile. The golden light of the lamp caught the edges of her snow-white hair, giving her an almost ethereal glow. "Loss?" she said, her tone light and teasing. "Who said anything about loss?"
"B-But the numbers—" Yumina tried to reply, her voice laced with worry. Before she could finish, Tyla gently set down her teacup, the soft clink of porcelain echoing through the quiet room. Then, with one fluid motion, she reached out, taking Yumina’s hand and pulling her closer— straight onto the bed.
"T-Tyla!" Yumina gasped, her cheeks blooming scarlet. "W-what are you doing?"
Tyla leaned in, her smile curving mischievously. "Hehehe... those aphrodisiac flowers still have an effect, don’t they? You get restless when night falls, right? Let’s focus on that instead of boring numbers..." Her silvery strands brushed against Yumina’s warm skin, their cool touch sending shivers down her neck.
Yumina could hardly breathe as Tyla’s hand brushed through her orange hair, tucking it behind her ear. The world seed to slow — the flicker of the floating lantern, the faint scent of tea, the beating of two hearts syncing. Then Tyla’s lips pressed softly against hers.
For a mont, Yumina didn’t resist. The warmth of the kiss, the gentle insistence, and the lingering influence of the aphrodisiac made it impossible to pull away. When their lips parted, Yumina’s breath trembled against Tyla’s cheek.
"Your mouth tastes like tea," Yumina whispered, her breath warm against Tyla’s lips as they parted. A faint smile curved her lips as she teased softly, "You’re the one who looks affected by the aphrodisiac."
Tyla looked at her with a straight face and said, "I’m just helping you, that’s all. You’re only getting a little treatnt— nothing more."
Her calm voice lingered in the quiet room as her hand moved gently, the faint rustle of fabric following.
Soon, the night was filled with warmth and whispers, a sleepless beauty that lingered until dawn.
Outside Mina’s Fish Shop, people were already lining up, eager for the next day’s sale.
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