Monster Manicure Shop Operation Guide 37

Chapter 37

The Barrenlands sand was being used up faster than expected. Ning Zhixia, while the centaurs were getting their hooves done, proposed a trade: “From now on, you don’t have to pay with other gems for your hooves, just exchange them for Barrenlands sand, one box per visit, how about that?”

“Just that?” Mili looked incredulous.

Harpas patted the human’s soft head and reminded him, “You’re losing out.”

Ning Zhixia wagged his finger: “No, no, no, I have conditions!”

Although the Barrenlands sand was beautiful and translucent, Ning Zhixia had discovered that not every piece was suitable for nail art. Some had pointed or uneven bottoms and needed to be mechanically polished.

“Small chips are fine, any shape will do… but for the larger grains, please find ones with bottoms similar to these specifications…” Ning Zhixia showed them a few Swarovski crystals.

Hecate picked one up, the sparkling light reflecting in his eyes.

These shapes would require careful selection among the irregular grains of sand, but since the human wanted them, it wasn’t a problem.

“Understood.” Hecate gave Ning Zhixia a reassuring smile and left, trotting gracefully on his newly manicured hooves.

His brothers rolled their eyes as he walked past.

Understood

Harpas muttered softly, “Tsk, look at him showing off.”

Since becoming a stable supplier of Barrenlands sand, the centaurs would visit frequently under the guise of delivering goods.

To avoid being interrupted during work, Ning Zhixia would put on My Little Pony for them. Mili enjoyed watching it and even looked at the fox cubs’ trading cards with interest.

The other three centaurs weren’t interested in childish cartoons and played board games with Qu Banqing.

“Sigh, sigh…”

Ning Zhixia slurped his brown sugar jelly and sighed, his chin resting on his hand.

He hadn’t been so free lately. His follower count was increasing daily, and while everyone was shy and reserved in person, online they were like they had taken off their masks, revealing their true selves, showering him with compliments and begging for new press-on nail designs.

Ning Zhixia secretly read the comments and, after considering them, decided to create two new designs.

Taking into account the customers’ varying budgets, he offered both a regular and a premium version for each design, the premium version naturally using Barrenlands sand.

One was “Candy Crush,” with a slightly pinkish pearlescent white base and clear gemstones. The most complex nail featured a butterfly made of a large stone and smaller crystals of different colors, with chains of varying lengths dangling from the base of the nail, adorned with two teardrop-shaped pearls.

The vibrant fingertips were like tickets to summer, the low-saturation, icy texture like fruit covered in crushed ice, perfect for the sweltering weather.

The other design was a gradient effect created with aurora powder and glitter gel. The fingertips shimmered like fireworks in the summer night.

It looked simpler, but the glitter gel was custom-mixed by Ning Zhixia, and the glitter was made from…

Harpas’ hoof-stomped Barrenlands sand!

Clip-clop, clip-clop… the happy red-haired pony stepped on a bag of Barrenlands sand, his tail swaying leisurely.

This crunching sensation was even more satisfying than stepping on lava, and more importantly, the human’s eyes lit up with delight whenever he looked up.

“Harpas, you’re amazing!” Ning Zhixia stopped the stopwatch, squatted down to examine the glittering sand in the bag, and looked up with admiration. “28 seconds faster than Mili!”

“What! Impossible!”

Mili’s eyes were filled with jealousy, and he rudely pushed the smug red-haired pony aside. “Are there any more to crush? Let me try again!”

“Yes!”

Ning Zhixia’s eyes sparkled, and he happily replaced the bag.

He had thought he would have to bargain with the centaurs to do this, but it had gone surprisingly smoothly. As expected, competition fueled motivation.

Popokula stirred the glitter gel, poured it into small, light-proof jars, and asked, scratching its smooth, round head with a pink tentacle, “Ning Ning, why are you crushing the pretty stones?”

“Some glitter gels don’t have good lasting power…”

The simpler the design, the more it tested the materials and technique. Ning Zhixia felt that ordinary glitter gel wasn’t luxurious enough, so he decided to use crushed Barrenlands sand.

There were many ways to crush it, but as soon as the centaurs heard about it, they immediately took over the task, stomping the sand into a fine powder, creating a glitter gel that surpassed even high-end brands.

Ning Zhixia made samples as usual, and considering the different effects on different hand shapes, he asked Su Qiushui and the sirens to take photos for the online listing.

Each design was limited to 200 sets, the premium version 150 yuan more expensive than the regular version, leaving the choice to the customers. The waiting fans were ecstatic.

It was the Sweet Potato platform’s shopping festival, and also summer vacation, so various strategy guides were popping up like mushrooms—

“How to conquer the shopping festival without a VIP membership!”

“How to get the best deals, I finally figured it out!”

“Years of shopping festival experience summarized, follow my steps for maximum savings!”

“Monster Manicure press-on nails, foolproof guide to snatching them!”

Netizens browsing the guides: “???”

Wait, something strange seemed to have snuck in.

Curious people, seeing the high engagement, were puzzled.

Wait, who needs a guide to buy press-on nails?

Countless people clicked on the post out of curiosity, and upon seeing the product page, they were instantly hooked—

Oh my god, only 200 sets! How can the shop owner sleep at night?!

Ning Zhixia not only slept well, but also very soundly. At midnight, when the new press-on nails went on sale, tens of thousands of people were waiting on the product page.

Internet boosters activated, excessive animations disabled, express payment enabled…

“Click, click, click, click…”

As the countdown ended, countless fingers attacked the screen like machine guns!

Ning Zhixia smacked his lips, his eyelids drooping, and casually tapped the screen—

“Beep.”

The air conditioner displayed 26 degrees Celsius. He pulled the blanket tighter, rolled over, and continued his sweet dreams.

“Did you get it?”

“Wuwuwu, no!”

The next day, the Bureau was filled with wails of despair. They had tried to participate in this plane’s shopping festival for the first time, but their accounts had been blocked by Lu Huai. They glared resentfully at Audrow, hoping he could get them a few sets as employee benefits.

Audrow, uncomfortable under their gazes, quickened his pace whenever he passed the administrators’ office, even reducing his trips to the break room for snacks.

The administrators, having failed to pull any strings, could only go to the Yokai plane’s office to watch the fox cubs sunbathe.

“Shoo, shoo, what are you all doing here?” the administrator of the 103rd plane waved his hand dismissively. “Is the Barrenlands that idle?”

“Barrenlands? Is it very chaotic?”

“Duh.”

An administrator read out the recent chaos records, “Last quarter, Harpas and Mili’s fight caused six volcanic eruptions, Hecate slaughtered a rebel demon palace, and Mohui broke the Lord of the Barrenlands’ staff, causing plane-wide magical turbulence for half a month…”

Despite these glorious achievements, the administrator of the Barrenlands scoffed, “That’s all in the past!”

The others exclaimed in shock, “How is that possible! Have you finally been driven mad by the centaurs?”

The administrator of the Barrenlands finally straightened his back and said proudly, “There are no more fights, no more rebellions, and no more volcanic eruptions!”

The administrators gasped: “Where are those troublesome ponies?”

The administrator of the Barrenlands shrugged and shook his head, watching the fox cubs chasing their tails in the flower fields on the screen.

The current peace was unimaginable. As for those troublemakers, who knew where they were showing off…

“Three of a kind!”

“I’ll see you.”

“Four sevens!”

Three centaurs lay around the coffee table, each holding a hand of cards.

Mili craned his neck to peek at his brother’s hand and was mercilessly pushed away by Hecate.

“We’re on the same team! We’re all peasant ponies, why can’t I look?” Mili protested.

Hecate glanced at him, his disdain obvious.

Mohui, toying with a card, said casually, “Show your hand.”

Mili immediately exploded: “Impossible! You must have cheated with magic!”

“Cheating?” Mohui casually stuck a joker on his forehead and said haughtily, “I don’t need such tricks against you.”

Mili angrily blew the joker, making it flutter: “Again!”

To accommodate these large guests, Ning Zhixia had moved the small sofa upstairs. He hadn’t expected them to stay long in this small house they had initially disdained, but somehow, Qu Banqing had taught them how to play games, and they were now coming over every few days.

Harpas, having lost every card game, declared himself a hardworking pony and escaped the humiliating game, trotting over to help Ning Zhixia crush stones.

The kittens squatted nearby, curiously watching the giant creature work, and over time, they started imitating him, their little paws rhythmically tapping the ground, like they were performing a dressage routine.

Ning Zhixia also wanted to play cards, but it was time to make more press-on nails, so he and Qu Banqing divided the work, staying up late every night.

“Tsk, tsk…”

Ning Zhixia finished a set, slumped onto the sofa, and sighed, “If only there were more octopus sea monsters like Popo…”

Mili asked curiously, “Why?”

Ning Zhixia grinned mischievously: “Then I could hire a bunch of them to make press-on nails, and take unlimited orders, and never have to worry about deadlines!”

The centaurs, hearing this, looked at the human with approval, nodding as they played cards: “Brilliant, you’ll definitely go to hell after you die!”

Ning Zhixia: “…”

Thank you, your compliments are so unique.

The kittens jumped and played among the flickering shadows, climbing over the mountain-like bodies of the centaurs, trying to reach the sofa.

The door to the storage room opened and closed. The seat beside Ning Zhixia dipped slightly, and a figure leaned against him from the other side of the sofa, slowly sipping his iced milk tea.

He was probably the only resident in this house who indulged in sweets at night without restraint, his eyes half-closed as he licked the ice cream from his lips.

Ning Zhixia asked sincerely, “Eating sweets every day… have you gained weight?”

“Probably not.” Audrow tilted his head and thought for a moment, then lifted the hem of his shirt, revealing his toned abdomen under the light.

“Ah, this—”

Ning Zhixia’s heart skipped a beat, and before he could finish, he heard the other man ask softly, “Want to touch?”

Under the light, his pale skin shimmered slightly, his abdomen lean and flat, his defined abs leading downwards.

Ning Zhixia looked up, and Audrow’s light-colored eyes were calm, as if he was simply offering a dessert.

Audrow tilted his head: “?”

Ning Zhixia, as if possessed, touched it, then quickly retracted his hand. After Audrow lowered his shirt, only a lingering coolness remained on his fingertips.

“Indeed, not fat…” Ning Zhixia muttered, his eyes downcast, a hint of envy in his heart, and subconsciously touched his own belly.

Hmm, still okay, a reassuringly soft touch.

“What are they playing?” Audrow’s calm voice sounded beside him. He had finished his milk tea and glanced at the cards in the centaurs’ hands.

Ning Zhixia quickly replied: “Dou Dizhu, it’s fun.”

Audrow: “I don’t know how to play.”

“It’s okay, I’ll teach you!” Ning Zhixia immediately patted his chest, proudly declaring, “I’m very good at card games!”

Audrow blinked: “Yes, you’re very smart.”

“Hey, human… want to play a game with us?”

Mili, having finally managed to stick a small piece of paper on Mohui’s forehead, turned his head and called out excitedly.

Ning Zhixia was sipping water, his throat dry. He thought Audrow was too slow. He usually seemed so smart, but he had explained the rules several times, and Audrow still looked confused.

He waved at the centaurs, took out a new deck of cards, and gestured to Audrow.

“Human?”

“Ning Zhixia?”

“Ning Ning?”

“Meow Meow! Meow Meow!”

The centaurs tried different names, but received no response.

“Stop calling him.”

Qu Banqing impatiently took out two cards—

“Slap!” “Slap!”

Harpas and Mili each had a playing card stuck to their foreheads.

Qu Banqing said impassively, “Here are your IDs.”

The two centaurs, with the comical cards on their foreheads, angrily stomped their hooves.

In their anger, their gazes met Audrow’s light-colored eyes.

Audrow narrowed his eyes: “Tsk.”

The sarcastic sound ignited the centaurs’ fury.

“Damn powerful one…” Harpas muttered, a wicked smile appearing on his face, and a red light gathered in his palm. Hecate, sensing something was wrong, stood up to stop him—

“Wait a minute… ouch!”

“Idiot, why did you kick me?!”

“Ahh, I missed, I missed!”

“Ning Zhixia!”

“Meow?”

Several shouts rang out almost simultaneously. Ning Zhixia, holding his fan of cards, turned his head.

A blinding white light pierced through the ice wall, like a falling star, growing larger and larger in Ning Zhixia’s bewildered eyes—

“Crash!”

The cards scattered in the air like snowflakes, falling onto the pile of clothes on the sofa.

A small lump bulged in the center of a large T-shirt, moving awkwardly like a hamster trapped in a maze, then stopping at the edge of the sleeve.

A moment later, a timid figure slowly emerged under everyone’s gaze.

The centaurs and Qu Banqing gasped.

“At least it’s cute.”

Before the figure could break down, Audrow, lowering his eyelashes, offered a soft consolation.