The Three Realms' Top Restaurant - chapter 19
Just like the System said, after the plot changed, the only person who could stop the Blood Moon was me.
The cracks in the sky were already about to spread over the air above Gray Street.
Bracing a numb knee, I gritted my teeth and forced myself to stand.
The first to step in front of me was Nan Puyue.
The Black Snake that had only been as long as my forearm sprouted a pair of dragon horns from the top of its head.
It nuzzled my palm affectionately, then slowly stretched longer.
In the glow, a pitch-black longsword-faintly emanating pressure-dropped into my hand.
Nan Puyue’s voice sounded in my head: “Sister, in a bit we’re gonna beat the hell out of him! Leave it to me-just hide behind me!”
Yu Qing took a few steps forward. From behind me, she reached out and wrapped her arms around me, drawing me into her embrace.
I’d thought it was just a simple hug, but suddenly a warmth flared at my waist.
I was about to look down when Song Changshan, standing in front of me, pinched my chin and stopped me from lowering my gaze.
I was sandwiched in the middle like the filling in a cookie, and I was just about to ask whether this pose was a little… unharmonious.
Then I saw Song Changshan hook down the silver-white ribbon I’d always tied into my hair.
The eerie young man blindfolded me with it, winding it around and around, like he was wrapping up the gift he treasured most.
My sight was covered by the ribbon, and reality vanished from before my eyes.
But at that moment, the Fate Tracks of the world appeared in front of me.
That Blood Moon, too, became its most real form in my “eyes.”
Song Changshan gently touched the ribbon over my eyes, his voice so soft it felt like a dream.
“Go end this game. Yu Qing’s Sword Bone will protect you. When you wake up, everything will be over.”
The longsword Nan Puyue had become carried me straight to the enemy’s face.
Song Changshan’s Heavenly Eye let me see the Blood Moon’s weak point.
And Yu Qing’s Sword Bone made me immune to all harm and corruption from the Blood Moon.
The first strike fell.
Thousands upon thousands of red threads-stretching out from the Blood Moon and linking all living beings across the Three Realms-snapped apart with a thunderous crash.
The second strike.
The heart at the center of the Blood Moon was pierced through. Along with a shrill, wailing scream, the trend of heaven and earth melting away slowed sharply.
The third strike.
At the same moment the formless pressure of the Heavenly Dao smashed down on me, the longsword in my hand transformed into a vicious Black Dragon and bit down, shattering the heart that was trying to knit itself back together.
One second. Two seconds.
The world seemed to freeze in place.
“Bang.”
Everyone in the world heard it-a faint sound, like a heartbeat, or like a tiny explosion.
The cracks in the sky stopped spreading. Then, after an overwhelming surge of energy erupted, the sky began to slowly absorb it, mending the fractured places.
That “heart” of the Heavenly Dao exploded.
Within ten thousand miles, every living creature was knocked unconscious.
Centered on Gray Street-whether fleeing, fighting, doing good or doing evil-everyone raised their heads to the sky in that same instant.
The invisible shackles locking this small world in place suddenly dissolved.
That night, all beings fell into slumber.
The moment the Heavenly Dao’s flesh was destroyed, the shockwave was the first to knock me out.
Thankfully, the System was still useful for one last thing. The instant that “heart” shattered, it settled my task-otherwise, if I’d fallen from that height, I’d be dead even if I wasn’t crippled.
“Congratulations, host Xie E, for successfully completing the task!”
“Now calculating your settlement. Please wait…”
Under the huge word loading, my eyes rolled back and I sank into sleep.
When I opened my eyes again, I was standing in front of a familiar stove.
In front of me was the Kitchen God print I’d taped up myself. The gas was on, and in the pan was an egg I’d just finished frying on one side.
I looked down and found I was wearing the most familiar thing in the world-my pink Tigger pajamas.
…What the hell?
“System?”
No response.
“Song Changshan? Yu Qing? Big Hei?”
No response.
The early morning sun shone through the kitchen window onto my face. The slightly blinding brightness seemed to be reminding me that this-this was reality.
I stared blankly at the kitchen I’d set up with my own hands, then pinched my cheek like I’d just woken from a dream.
Not a dream.
So I was back?
No-hold on. I finished the task and it just kicked me back without even asking what I wanted?!
I couldn’t stop the scream in my head, but my chest felt so tight I couldn’t even get a word out.
Only when the egg in the pan started to smell burnt did I fumble in a panic, remembering I hadn’t turned off the heat.
The egg was ruined. I had no appetite to eat breakfast on a morning like this anyway, so I changed clothes and went to the shop for work in a daze.
In the real world, the small restaurant I run is also called E Le Me.
It isn’t big, but it earns enough to support me renting a little storefront like this in the Magic City, where every inch of land costs a fortune-proof enough that my cooking is damn good.
So every time before opening, I’d proudly plant my hands on my hips at the entrance and strike a pose for a bit.
Today, I didn’t have the mood.
I silently pulled up the rolling shutter, hung up the wooden “Open for Business” sign, then pushed the door and walked in.
Inside was the antique-style decor I’d specially put together back when I was obsessed with wuxia novels.
I reached to turn on the lights.
And then I saw, at the counter, a familiar eerie young man fiddling with the computer, muttering under his breath, “This thing is truly strange.”
I froze where I stood.
“Settlement complete. According to the Main System’s calculations, rewards are now being issued to the host.”
Fine. Great. The familiar System was still acting like the same cross-dimensional human trafficker.
I wanted to curse it out, but my heart suddenly felt like it was stuffed full of lemon-flavored candy-sour and sweet, with a slight swelling ache.
Maybe he heard the door. The person behind the counter looked up. The two who’d been arguing in the back kitchen also came out to the front.
“Shopkeeper, good morning. Are we starting business now?”
Devi Shapfitri
That’s it? I want to curse the system as “human trafficker” too. 🥲😭🥲😂😂😂
Thank you for the translation. Otsukaresama. 😄