I Start with a Mysterious Island

"Come one, come all! Don’t miss out!"

"Grand opening! For the first seven days, any customer who spends a total of one hundred or more will receive a fifty-percent discount."

"Hello, sir. Would you like to try our specialty, charcoal-grilled oysters? They were all harvested this morning, so they’re incredibly fresh."

Lin Li had just emerged from Willow Lane, planning to wander around Dongwu City for a bit.

As he was walking along the road, he was suddenly stopped by a pretty girl in a colorful dress, who shoved an exquisitely made paper flyer into his hand.

’Charcoal-grilled oysters, five coppers each?’

Lin Li stared at the exquisite paper flyer in his hand. He hadn’t expected that merchants in this world would use promotional tactics so similar to those on Blue Star.

"Yes, sir! Our specialty is charcoal-grilled oysters, and since it’s our grand opening, if you spend one hundred or more, you get a fifty-percent discount! It’s a rare opportunity. Would you like to give it a try?"

The pretty girl handing out flyers enthusiastically explained, pointing to a recently renovated, three-story restaurant not far behind her.

Lin Li followed her gesture and saw that the restaurant was doing excellent business. Even though it wasn’t mealtime yet, many customers were already going in and out.

Of course, it was also possible that the business only seemed so good because of the grand opening sale—the fifty-percent discount for spending over one hundred was such a huge deal.

’Oysters: a gas station for men, a beauty salon for women. Since I’ve stumbled upon them, I might as well see how the oysters in this world differ from the ones on Blue Star!’

Lin Li was feeling a little hungry anyway, so he nodded at the girl and followed her toward the nearby restaurant specializing in charcoal-grilled oysters.

"Welcome."

The moment Lin Li stepped into the restaurant, two girls in short blouses and long skirts, wearing light makeup, immediately greeted him.

Previously, when Lin Li had first arrived in Dongwu City, he’d thought this world would be similar to the feudal societies of ancient Blue Star. But the reality was vastly different from what he had imagined.

Never mind the giant, flying Tower Ship he’d seen in the wilderness, or the special streetlights illuminating the paths for pedestrians, which were everywhere when he first came to Dongwu City.

Just on this trip alone, he had ridden a form of public transport pulled by a Mutant Beast, seen promotional flyers, and was now witnessing this somewhat familiar service model.

All these surprising discoveries indicated that this world was definitely not the ignorant and backward feudal society he had pictured.

After leading Lin Li into the restaurant, the girl who had been handing out flyers passed him off to her colleague.

Then, holding a large stack of flyers, she left the restaurant and went back to soliciting customers on the street.

"Sir, would you like a table in the main hall, or would you prefer a private room?" the waitress asked with a smile.

’The interior design of this restaurant is quite nice...’ Lin Li glanced around at the restaurant’s antique-style decor, then said to the waitress, "A table in the main hall will be fine."

"Very good, sir. Please follow me..." The waitress led Lin Li toward an empty table in the main hall.

Lin Li followed the waitress, passing by tables where customers were eating charcoal-grilled oysters.

’Huh? Why are there pearls on all their tables?!!’

Walking behind the waitress, Lin Li glanced at the tables of the customers eating charcoal-grilled oysters.

He noticed that among the empty oyster shells piled on the tables, there were large, perfectly round pearls of excellent quality.

His mind filled with questions, Lin Li sat down at the empty table the waitress had shown him.

"Sir, here is the menu. Please take a look and see what you’d like. I’ll have the kitchen prepare it for you."

At that moment, Lin Li’s mind was preoccupied with the pearls. The waitress’s question brought him back to his senses. He glanced at the menu, thought for a moment, and said, "I’ll start with twenty charcoal-grilled oysters!"

"Sir, besides charcoal-grilled oysters, we also have scrambled eggs with oysters, scallion and oyster pancakes, oyster rice..."

Seeing that Lin Li had only ordered twenty charcoal-grilled oysters, the waitress immediately began promoting the restaurant’s other dishes.

"I’m not that hungry right now. I’ll just try your signature charcoal-grilled oysters for now," Lin Li said, not ordering anything else.

"Alright, I’ll go place your order with the kitchen... By the way, sir, would you like them plain, with minced garlic, or with chili?" the waitress asked.

"Can I get a bit of each?"

"Certainly."

After the waitress left, Lin Li immediately turned his attention back to the tables of the customers eating charcoal-grilled oysters.

’They all have them! What’s going on? Why are there pearls? And these diners are just casually tossing such high-quality pearls aside with the empty shells, as if they’re just trash.’

Suddenly, a table of customers finished their meal, got up, and left. A waitress immediately came over to clear the table.

"CLATTER..."

The waitress clearing the table swept all the oyster shells, along with the pearls mixed in with them, straight into the trash can.

’Uh... what... She threw them all in the trash. The waitress clearing the table really is treating those pearls like garbage! What an incredible waste!’

Lin Li stared, dumbfounded, at the waitress clearing the table.

Suddenly, a Spiritual Light flashed through his mind, and he thought of a possible explanation for the situation.

’Could it be that in this world, in the eyes of the Indigenous People, pearls are basically just garbage?!!!’

The more Lin Li thought about it, the more he felt his guess might be correct.

’If pearls in this world really are treated like trash, couldn’t I take them to Blue Star to sell? Judging by the quality of the ones I just saw—perfectly round and flawlessly white—if I took them to Blue Star, I wouldn’t have to worry about finding buyers at all. I could definitely make a huge profit.’

Just as Lin Li was fantasizing about getting rich by reselling pearls, the twenty charcoal-grilled oysters he had ordered were ready. The waitress arrived at his table carrying a large iron tray.

...