Chapter 270 Returning to the Store

Chapter 270 Back at the Store

Though the Misty Store felt like a world apart, Su Bai was still drawn into the Nightmare World whenever he was there. After much thought, he concluded that the Misty Store was likely connected to the Void Sea.

After all, Mr. Jing had once remarked that when one space approaches or intersects with another, fissures are bound to form. The Misty Store, capable of appearing in both the Nightmare World and the real world, seemed to carve out gaps in the very fabric of other dimensions.

His growing understanding of the Void Sea had indeed deepened Su Bai’s perspective on many things.

Having just completed a nightmare game that had caught him somewhat off guard, Su Bai immediately sought the comfortable bed in the lounge, stretching out with a long-awaited sense of ease. Though his strength was depleted, leaving him feeling a bit listless, he had endured the side effects for so long that this current sensation was utterly pleasant.

However, shortly after he lay down, Su Bai noticed that the Misty Store seemed to have undergone an upgrade during his absence. The lounge ceiling was higher, the chandelier had been replaced with a more exquisite design, and even the bed he was on felt larger and softer.

Su Bai wasn't entirely surprised. Before he entered the game, Xiao Wu, the shop assistant, had mentioned that the Misty Store was continuously absorbing and converting the power of the Fog City Lord for its own use.

The Misty Store had previously undergone a minor upgrade as the power within the "jar" increased, even adding a bathroom to Su Bai’s lounge. So, after devouring and digesting the immense power of the Fog City Lord like a colossal beast, further changes in the Misty Store were not just unsurprising but entirely expected.

Su Bai sat up from the bed, observing that the once somewhat cramped lounge had become spacious. Before he entered the game, the lounge had three doors: one leading to the Misty Store’s front, one to the bathroom, and one to the hospital room in the real world.

Now, an additional door had appeared on the wall beside the desk in the lounge.

Su Bai had initially expected the new door to open into a quiet study, but when he pushed it open with curiosity, he found himself in a large, elegantly decorated living room. Besides a very comfortable-looking seating area, there was also a small open-plan kitchen.

What surprised Su Bai most, however, was the floor-to-ceiling window design that spanned an entire wall of the living room. The window was tightly sealed and couldn’t be opened, and beyond it lay… an endless expanse of darkness!

Outside the window was an intensely dark space that felt familiar to Su Bai, like a bottomless abyss that seemed to swallow all light the moment he gazed into it.

"The Void Sea?"

Su Bai walked up to the window and pressed his hand against the cold glass. Though only utter darkness lay before him, he sensed countless entities silently drifting within that boundless void—some small and weak, others like invisible behemoths.

If the darkness beyond the window was indeed the Void Sea, then perhaps, as Mr. Jing had said, it contained countless consciousnesses like his own. Before finding their coordinates, they could do nothing but drift aimlessly.

An intuition prompted Su Bai to step back. Although he now understood more about the Void Sea, it remained an existence beyond his comprehension—something to be observed from afar, not approached for long.

After leaving the lounge, Su Bai noticed that the main area of the Misty Store had also expanded significantly, with more shelves, though they remained as empty as before.

"It’ll get better soon," Su Bai murmured softly, looking at the empty shelves. This time, the string of beads on his wrist had absorbed a nearly overflowing amount of power in the Mirror World. With some effort, he might be able to produce a batch of mass-producible special items.

Then Su Bai saw Xiao Wu, the shop assistant, still lying on the counter in the form of a small Thread-Wrapped Doll, not reverting to human form upon Su Bai’s arrival. Initially, Su Bai had truly believed that Xiao Wu transformed into a doll to sleep and rest, but now he just felt that Xiao Wu was perpetually busy with who-knows-what.

"There’s still so much to do."

Su Bai’s current state of mind was vastly different from when he had permanently resided in the Nightmare World in his previous life. Every time he cleared a game, he unhesitatingly chose to return to the real world. He wanted to be by his mother’s side, to change her future, and to fulfill the wishes he hadn’t achieved in his past life.

Moreover, he had promised Yao in the Mirror World that he would take the puzzle pieces out for an outing after returning to the real world.

There truly was too much to do.

Su Bai glanced once more at the Thread-Wrapped Doll on the counter, then turned and walked toward the shop door. For now, he would set aside some time for his dear puzzle pieces.