Welcome to ██ Inn

Zhu opened an inn in the heart of the mist. She had lost all her memories and could think of nothing but playing an inn-management game.

Her guests were a little strange, though. They kept saying weird things like “dungeon” and “boss.” Her response was always:

“I don’t know what you mean. We have Heavenly, Earthly, and special-rate dormitory rooms. Would you like to stay?”

It was the tenth year since Blue Star had been swept into the infinite game Mist. Hunger, fear, and the pressure to survive wore down every player.

Just as humanity was on the brink of extinction

A light appeared in the deepest part of the mist.

From that day on, a few rumors spread among the players:

1. When you’re out of options, try heading into the deepest part of the mist. You’ll find an inn there.

2. The inn offers meals, lodging, baths, daily necessities, and more. It has everything you need for everyday life, and each offering comes with special effects.

3. The beings working there look like dungeon bosses because they are dungeon bosses. They’re the innkeeper’s employees here. Don’t be afraid, don’t ask, and don’t touch.

4. Under no circumstances should you ask who the innkeeper is. (Don’t ask why.)

And the inn could be upgraded, too:

From offering only dormitory beds at first, it eventually opened deluxe private rooms.

Its simple meals grew into a dazzling variety of delicious dishes.

It also added all kinds of facilities, each staffed by a boss: the blacksmith personally repaired equipment in the forge, the Spider Woman made custom casual wear in the tailor shop, and there was also a hospital, a school, a plaza…

Color returned to the players’ faces, and light returned to their eyes.

Instead of asking, “How much longer can we survive?” they started talking about whether to have hot pot or barbecue that night.

They even had time to decorate their rooms, filling them with plush toys, fresh flowers, and the shattered remnants of the old world.

“We owe it all to Innkeeper Zhu!”

The grateful players presented Zhu with carefully prepared gifts.

Countless tentacles gently coiled around the presents.

Above the mist, the god who had regained her memories lowered her eyes. A lamp glimmered and shone upon her brow.

Pollution and divinity echoed together in a whisper:

“Welcome home.”

This is humanity’s last refuge, and the only one that still breathes.

Inn Rules:

1. Eldritch goddess heroine vs. former-human System hero.

2. No matter how humanlike they seem, nonhumans are not human. This is an unconventional romance.

3. Romance is just a side dish. The main plot is still an “inn-management game.”

Here’s the next story I’m planning to write. If you’re interested, please add it to your favorites:

Disaster Strikes! Choose Your AI Challenge!

Xia Shihe kept coming across all kinds of AI challenge videos lately.

“If you ask me which one I like best?”

“Obviously the one I’m watching right now: ‘Eat the food you choose within one day and win one hundred million!’”

“Free food and money? What a steal!”

She casually liked the video.

The next second, she found herself sitting at a dining table.

A chef with a fake-human smile showed her the options:

1. A washbasin full of egg fried rice

2. Eighty-one coffee-topped egg tarts

3. A whole roast lamb, glistening with oil

4. A three-tier, twelve-inch fruit-and-cream cake

5. Thirty double-patty beef and cheese burgers

6. A pot of boiling spicy malatang

“Please make your choice,” the chef said with a smile, folding his hands in front of him.

Xia Shihe looked at all the food on the table and swallowed.

“You can look at pictures like this for a laugh, but who could eat all that in real life?”

“One hundred million.”

“…All right.”

She took a deep breath and picked up a spoon.

“I choose!”

[Story preview]:

1. Heatwave warning: The twelve zodiac signs choose your shelter.

2. Zombie outbreak: Reinforce your safe house within one week!

3. Torrential rains trap the city: You’re stuck in an abandoned city for a month. Choose your meal supplies.

4. Extreme-cold train: The towns are frozen for thousands of miles. Which carriage will you choose to take you south?

5. Drought-stricken restricted zone: Lost in the desert, what drink would you like to get from a cactus?

6. On the eve of a tsunami: Which temporary shelter will you choose?

7. …

Theme: No matter how difficult the road ahead may be, don’t lose the ability to appreciate happiness.