Stellar Train: I Open a Small Shop on the Train-Chapter 182

At the Spirit Tournament venue—

A thousand Spirit Trainers were battling simultaneously.

The match locations were entirely determined by drawing lots—wherever you drew, that's where you went.

Different terrains naturally had varying effects on the performance of Spirit. For instance, fire-type Spirit would have their fire-based moves greatly weakened if fighting in wetlands. Conversely, water-type and grass-type elves would gain a boost in such an environment.

Kiana was relatively lucky. Her Spirit was fire-type, and she got assigned to a desert zone, where fire-type moves would be enhanced.

Himeko and Akxia weren't as fortunate—they also drew the desert region.In this terrain, all of Akxia's ice-type moves would be weakened.

Luckily, Himeko's opponent wasn't very strong, so Akxia won the battle easily.

After securing the win, Himeko exited the arena and walked along the competitor's passageway toward the exit.

Along the way, she saw many people with dejected expressions. These were all the losers—especially the ones who looked most bitter—likely thinking that if they had drawn a better battlefield, they would've won.

As they reached the exit, all of the eliminated contestants couldn't help but turn around and glance once more at the divine ascent behind the central stage, and the throne at its summit.

Many silently vowed: Next year, I'll be back. I'll climb to the top. I'll become the strongest trainer.

As for the winners, they looked relaxed and cheerful.They left the arena, planning to grab some food and rest nearby—there would be a second elimination match that afternoon.

Almost everyone was participating today—even Xiangling had entered the competition.

That meant lunch today had to be settled by everyone individually.

Fortunately, a commercial street had already been developed near the venue.

Kiana, Amber, Firefly, Stelle, Hutao, Cecilia, Himeko, Kafka, and others strolled along the commercial street.

There were over a thousand brand-name shops lining the entire street—restaurants, entertainment venues, cosmetics, clothing, shoes—you name it.

Stelle walked proudly in the center. Her appearance on the throne earlier had instantly made her famous. She hadn't even been on the street for long when fans began showing up asking for autographs.

Stelle satisfied each fan's request for autographs or selfies.

Though she looked calm on the surface, she was practically bursting with joy inside.

Seeing this, Hutao clicked her tongue.

"Stelle's totally famous now. How many people have asked for her autograph already?"

Sparkle smiled and said, "The biggest forum on the company's site has her entrance clip as the hottest topic right now."

Kiana, holding Cecilia's arm, had just won her match with overwhelming strength.

"Mom, wasn't I awesome just now?"

Cecilia smiled gently. "You were amazing—Kiana is the best."

As they walked, the group arrived at the food street.

Amber spotted a BBQ restaurant and made a suggestion. "How about barbecue? Sounds good?"

Hutao shook her head. "Barbecue? I'm not really feeling it."

Amber looked around again and locked eyes on a hot pot place. "What about hot pot? That one over there looks pretty popular."

Eula said, "With the weather so hot, eating hot pot might be a bit much."

Amber kept looking until she saw something she hadn't tried before. "What about that? Wild mushroom hot pot. Judging by the photos, it looks light and healthy. Besides, I don't think any of us have tried it before."

Stelle glanced at it and nodded. "I think it's worth a try. What about the rest of you?"

Himeko spoke up. "You guys go try the mushroom hot pot. Kafka and I are going to have pasta. Haven't had it in a while."

With that, Himeko and Kafka walked off into the distance.

The remaining group—Stelle, Kiana, and the others—entered the wild mushroom hot pot restaurant.

Since it was crowded, the staff gave them a private room.

After placing their order, the waiter brought in a large pot filled with wild mushrooms.

The waiter specifically reminded them,

"You must boil it for at least 20 minutes before eating!"

After the waiter left, Stelle eyed the tempting mushrooms in the broth, and once it started to boil, she immediately scooped a bowl for herself.

The broth of this hot pot was drinkable.

Seeing this, Firefly quickly stopped her. "Stelle, the waiter said you have to cook it for at least 20 minutes!"

Stelle brushed it off casually. "Pfft~ why listen to him? The water's boiling—what's the harm? Eat! Big bites!"

Saying that, Stelle picked up a green mushroom slice and chewed it. Her eyes lit up instantly."Mmm~ This mushroom is delicious! So fresh! You all have to try it!"

Seeing her reaction, Hutao and the others also started serving themselves bowls.

Firefly, wanting to be cautious, decided to wait a bit longer.

Stelle drank some of the soup, savoring it."This broth is amazing~ Feels like we wasted our money ordering anything else. Just this pot is enough."

Hutao took a sip too."This Hall Master agrees—should've just ordered mushrooms, right?"

Amber happily munched on her mushrooms."Yeah yeah~ Let's order another plate of mushrooms, how about it?"

Eula, holding her empty bowl, got ready for another serving."Sounds good, especially these green mushrooms—they taste the best. Let's get more of those."

Kiana put down her chopsticks."I'll place the order—one more portion for everyone, okay?"

Everyone agreed.

After ordering, they continued enjoying the food.

About ten minutes later, a server opened the door and saw Stelle, Hutao, and the others swaying and giggling deliriously.

He glanced at the now-empty pot and immediately panicked."Oh no! Didn't I tell you to boil it for 20 minutes?! You can't eat it before that!"

The only one who hadn't eaten—Firefly—immediately called Ye Yun and asked him to bring Bailu over.

Stelle looked at Firefly."Firefly~ why are you wearing a banana costume? You look like a giant banana~"

Hutao shook her head."What are you talking about? That's clearly a roast chicken!Firefly, your outfit looks really tasty~ slurp~"

Amber and Eula were in the same state—both mistook the waiter for a hilichurl and were about to attack him with weapons, if not for Firefly stopping them.

Kiana and Cecilia were in the worst condition, having eaten the most.The mother and daughter kept urging each other to eat more, piling food and soup into each other's bowls.

Soon, Ye Yun arrived with the seven little ones.

He clicked his tongue in disbelief at the chaotic scene of Stelle, Hutao, and the others."Yikes... Red caps, white stems—eat 'em and you're flat on a board.

Good thing you all have strong bodies. If it had been regular folks, we'd be planning two funerals today."

***

Bailu found the waiter and, after confirming the mushroom species, looked at Stelle and the others and sighed.

"Sigh~ I really give up on you guys. You actually dared to eat King-level 'Green See-and-Die' mushrooms raw? Do you seriously have no common sense?"

This particular type of "Green See-and-Die" mushroom, ranked at the king level, was something Bailu had seen before—there had been patients who ate it raw too.

And let's just say... even among the Xianzhou people, who were blessed by the power of abundance, those folks had dropped dead on the spot.

Bailu pulled out a medicinal gourd and handed it to Firefly.

"Give this to them—one mouthful each, no more. They'll be fine after taking it."

Firefly quickly took it and fed it to Stelle and the others.

Stelle, Amber, Hutao, and the rest soon returned to normal after drinking the medicine.

Seeing the amused look on Ye Yun's face, everyone suddenly felt utterly humiliated.Especially Cecilia—she was an adult! How could she fall for it too?!

They hurriedly paid the bill and left the wild mushroom hot pot restaurant.

Only Lumine glanced back at the place, eyes flickering with a devious idea.

The afternoon matches quickly began, and within just over half an hour, the top 250 contestants were decided.

Aventurine stepped up to the stage and began announcing the rules for the next day.

"Ladies and gentlemen, contestants—First off, congratulations to the 250 players still standing in the arena!

You've made it through the first elimination round!

Now, I'll explain the rules for the second elimination round.

Tomorrow! The format changes to a full-scale free-for-all!

Except for the central battlefield, all other arenas will be connected! Contestants may move freely between them!

Only the last 64 players remaining on the battlefield will advance to round three!

Good luck to you all! See you tomorrow!"

The moment Aventurine finished, the new rules sent waves of shock through the audience and players alike.

Tomorrow's free-for-all... was going to be brutal.

All four zones opened up into one battlefield.

"Whoa! For real? Round two's a straight-up battle royale?!"

"Kinda expected, though. The first round already weeded out the lucky ones who made it to the top 1000 by chance.What's left are the elites—makes sense to go all-in now to find the real contenders."

"Tomorrow's fight is gonna be insane. Thank goodness I bought a full pass—I can enter as many times as I want during the tournament."

"Bro, you're rich rich! Even back when the passes first dropped, the cheapest one was like a million credits per person!"

"Shhh, low profile. My family just owns a few small businesses."

The first day's elimination rounds ended perfectly. Stelle and the others returned to Ye Yun's shop.

But tonight, instead of eating at the shop, they were sneakily summoned by Lumine to the treehouse.

Stelle, Hutao, Kiana, Amber, and Eula were all confused.

"Lumine, why'd you call us here? It's almost dinnertime," asked Amber.

Lumine grinned mischievously and pulled a big pot out of her storage ring, placing it on an induction cooker.

Then she brought out a whole tub full of King-level Green See-and-Die mushrooms.

She poured water into the pot, dumped in a seasoning pack, and happily waited for the water to boil.

Amber instantly understood what was going on.

"Wait, are you serious?! You wanna eat those again? I'm not ready to embarrass myself again!"

Eula looked like she'd seen a ghost."I'm out. I've already made a big enough fool of myself at lunch."

Firefly hesitated."Uh... Lumine? Why don't we just go eat at the shop? Sandwich Sauce told me tonight's special is my favorite—Mapo Tofu."

Only Stelle seemed interested—she'd already run into the kitchen to grab a bowl.(The treehouse had a full kitchen, though they'd never actually used it. Stelle had fully equipped it when she did the renovations.)

With a flourish, Lumine slammed a few blue drinks onto the table, stored in old mineral water bottles.

"Relax! I've got everything prepared. I asked Bailu for this medicine just now.If things start feeling weird, we just take a sip! Hehehe~"

Hutao, Amber, and Eula were stunned."Damn, Lumine... you're wild."

Lumine took a deep whiff of the bubbling broth and grinned."I even went back to that mushroom hot pot place this afternoon—the soup base and mushrooms are all takeout from there!"

At that, Hutao, Amber, and the others all ran to the kitchen to grab bowls in unison.

This wild mushroom hot pot... was seriously addictive.Its whole appeal was how fresh and savory it tasted—absolutely mouthwatering.

Now that Bailu's medicine was ready and waiting, they were all fully prepped and confident—no accidents would happen this time.

Meanwhile, in the Rose Castle inside the realm—

As Klee returned to her room, her magical kitty flew over and nuzzled her affectionately.

Klee beamed as she hugged it tight.

"Mimi~ Did you miss Klee?"

The magical cat meowed in response and rubbed against her cheek.

"Meow~ Meow~"

Klee was overjoyed, hugging it tighter.

"Mimi, I'm going to the amusement park! Want to come?"

The magical kitty thought about it, then nodded.

Klee, holding Mimi, happily rushed downstairs.

Right next to the Rose Castle where they lived was the amusement park Stelle had built earlier.

The power switch was right by the entrance gate, and Stelle had said anyone who wanted to play could just flip the switch themselves.

Every night, Klee and her friends would head there to play.

Tonight, three extra guests joined them—Tribbie, Trianne, and Trinnon.

They had the evening free and came over to play.

Tribbie flew up and flipped the main switch.

"Wahoo~ Tribbie's on the move! Amusement park, here we come!"

She led the charge into the park, hopping onto the roller coaster and calling for Trinnon, Klee, Hook, and the others to join her.

It was still early, and everyone had just finished dinner, so there was no concern about disturbing anyone.

All ten of the little ones got on the roller coaster.The bravest—Trianne and Bailu—sat in the front row.

The coaster climbed to the top and plunged down suddenly.

Trianne and Bailu weren't scared at all—in fact, they cheered like crazy.

"Wahoo~ So fun! So fun! Super fun!"

Trinnon, on the other hand, curled up like a little bird, too scared to open her eyes.

The coaster zoomed ahead. When the ride was over, the magical kitty collapsed on the ground, dizzy eyes spinning.

Too intense!I, the Great Cat, have never experienced anything like this!Never coming back here again! If I do, I'm a dog!

Just as the cat stood up... she suddenly felt herself being picked up again.

Opening her eyes, she found herself back on the coaster.

Klee stood beside her, kindly helping her fasten the safety harness. She even gave it a tug to make sure it was snug.

The magical cat's eyes filled with terror.No... not again! You girls aren't afraid at all?!

Seconds later, the roller coaster echoed with mournful cat howls once more—

Accompanied by the joyful cheers of Klee, Bailu, Trianne, and the others.