Universe Infinite Canteen

"The novel 'Ancient Emperor Begins with Divorce' by Zheng Qian had already reached 620,000 words, and had a total of 121 fans.

Most were still holding Apprentice Cards, and those who subscribed to the entire series were even rarer.

Therefore, Zheng Qian highly valued the opinions of the full-subscription fans. Although he was currently writing the climax of the battle between Yun Potian and the Shangguan Family, which was very tense, he still took the time to add two casual lines.

With a flick of his pen, he temporarily shifted the scene to Fengming City, about fifty miles away from the Shangguan Family residence.

He depicted two extras in the city, their faces filled with horror at the change in the sky.

"Is this okay, or should I add some more scenes for you later?" Zheng Qian asked enthusiastically.

"No need, I'm already very happy to see my name in the book of a favorite author. Just hurry back to writing about Yun Potian's battle with the Shangguan Family, otherwise, the readers will say you're dragging it out with filler words again."

"That's true," Zheng Qian slapped his forehead, "Thanks to you guys today, I feel inspired. I'll continue writing now, just make yourselves at home."

Having said that, he really ignored Ma Lu and Old Wang, leaned over his computer, and started typing rapidly.

Ma Lu waited for a while, but nothing happened.

He didn't know if his guess was still missing something. The appearance of the Candle Clan in Zheng Qian's novel, as mentioned by the City Manager, was clearly no accident.

Previously, a woman claiming to be Deng Lijun had mentioned that there were evil rituals in the psychiatric hospital, using living people as sacrifices to evil spirits.

If she wasn't lying, or wasn't completely lying, then it was indeed possible that people had disappeared from the psychiatric hospital.

Furthermore, Zheng Qian admitted that he had included the names of his fellow patients in his novel, and combining these clues, it was easy to conclude

—his novel was likely enterable.

And the method of entry probably had something to do with being named by Zheng Qian.

However, Ma Lu was still in the psychiatric hospital, and he didn't know what was wrong.

He tried to focus his thoughts, but he was really too sleepy right then, and his eyelids kept fighting each other.

Eventually, Ma Lu gave up and decided to take a short nap. He told Old Wang, "I'll take a half-hour nap. Make sure to wake me up in half an hour."

"Okay."

After instructing Ma Lu lay on Zheng Qian's hospital bed, and soon, he was in dreamland. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing on a bustling street.

Although it was night, the street was still lively, with lanterns hanging everywhere, and vendors noisily selling their wares—steamed buns, soy milk, sugar figurines...

Some stalls even displayed giant fangs as thick as an arm, scales as big as washbasins, and a mysterious green liquid with a fishy smell.

Their clothes were also fascinating, somewhat like ancient costumes, but made of a lighter material. Everyone carried a sack on their backs, and some had mysterious colored glows around their heads.

Ma Lu's spirits lifted. Had he... entered?

He wondered if it was because it was time, or because he had fallen asleep, which would be more troublesome, as Old Wang, being silicon-based, did not sleep.

This thought only flashed through his mind for a moment, as Ma Lu's attention was completely sucked in by the scene before him.

Including the Abyss, he had been to a total of five planes, but it was his first time experiencing the world inside a book, which felt very fresh. He even momentarily put aside the four-thousand Star Currency business deal and started wandering around the town.

Here, he saw the auction house that appeared in almost every fantasy novel. There was also the Gambling Stone Workshop that had made countless protagonists wealthy, and the small grocery stalls where protagonists often found great deals.

Most of the goods sold at the stalls were ordinary items, mixed with one or two mysterious objects.

Besides, the city had its fair share of young ladies dressed as men, mysterious old men residing in rings, bullies oppressing the townspeople, and disdainful shop assistants.

Ma Lu was watching intently, when someone unexpectedly patted his shoulder.

He turned around and saw a pretty boy carrying two swords on his back.

"Honored guest has arrived; forgive my lack of greeting," the pretty boy said, swinging his sleeves elegantly, "I am Zhu Jiu."

"You know me?" Ma Lu was surprised.

Zhu Jiu nodded, "You're Boss Ma of the Universe Infinite Canteen, right?"

"Oh, you really do know me, but we haven't met before, have we?"

"Indeed, this is because my people have always lived within the pages of the book, never venturing outside. Although I've heard of Boss Ma's great reputation early on, unfortunately, we've never met."

"This time, my clan is hosting a celebration. Taking this opportunity, the clan leader asked the City Manager to invite you and Chef Wang here, and I am here to welcome you."

"Oh, so you're a member of the Candle Clan. But how did you know I would show up here?" Ma Lu was curious.

"Because the current plot involves Yun Potian going to the Shangguan family to propose marriage and being insulted. If you appeared, it should be around this area."

"Not just me, the family sent quite a few people to wait for you within a hundred miles of the Shangguan Family.

"I've actually been observing you for a while. You're a newcomer to Fengming City, and your behavior is different from other locals here, so I came to confirm by talking to you."

"I have entered, but Old Wang, who is responsible for cooking, is still outside. Is there any way to bring him in too?" Ma Lu asked, "He's a robot and can't sleep."

"You don't necessarily have to sleep," Zhu Jiu explained, "As long as your names have been written down by the Big Writer, whether you sleep or not, you can enter his world after midnight."

"Midnight, huh? That's a long wait," Ma Lu stroked his chin, "I came in at just past seven."

"What should we do, should I go back with you first?"

Zhu Jiu shook his head, "No, your part in Fengming City isn't finished yet, you can't leave."

"Our part?"

"Right, since the Big Writer mentioned you in the new chapter, that means you need to wait until your part is over before you can move freely."

"How will we know when our part is over?" Ma Lu continued to ask.

Zhu Jiu pointed towards the sky in the direction of the Shangguan Family, "See that eye? That's the Eye of the Reader. When the Eye of the Reader captures you, you must act according to the plot."

"However, you don't need to worry about the matter of time. Time here is different from the outside; it isn't continuous but calculated by chapters, and there are also flashbacks and reversals, so we don't really have to wait until early morning. Chef Wang should appear soon enough."

"What is with the night sky here having a hole in it?"