I, the Guide to the Omniverse, Usher in Blue Star's Great Ascension! - chapter 5

Pei Qiu’s cries could be heard throughout the entire courtyard.

“Sheng Ai, I have no grudge against you, please don’t take me to get my kidneys harvested!”

In the end, she couldn’t escape Sheng Ai’s clutches.

Sheng Ai was 1.7 meters tall, while Pei Qiu was 1.65 meters and skinny, nowhere near as strong as Sheng Ai.

With a head full of black lines, Sheng Ai covered Pei Qiu’s mouth. “I’ll go with you guys when you set off, I’ll be with you the whole time. Don’t worry, you can even call 110 and livestream the whole thing if you want! And it’s all happening right here in Hu City.”

She had just confirmed with the System, and the System said the departure point was in Hu City.

The fact that it was in Hu City barely put Pei Qiu at ease. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come.”

“Didn’t you say you had a few days off? It’s the perfect time for a trip to clear your mind.”

Pei Qiu worked in another district and it took her half an hour by subway to get here.

She’d managed to arrive so quickly because she was genuinely worried about Sheng Ai.

Best girlfriends for life!

Pei Qiu was forced to give her ID to book a ticket, but she was still curious. “Why do you insist on me going? Are you really opening a Travel Agency?”

“Really, I’m not joking.” Sheng Ai said mysteriously, “After this trip, you’ll be bowing down to thank me when you get back.”

“Pfft!”

Pei Qiu crossed her arms and looked at Sheng Ai with disdain. “Me bow to you? Dream on! Can we really go see the Great Sage on the Journey to the West Route? Even if it’s real, isn’t Journey to the West a made-up story? Where would the real scenes come from? And it only costs 200 yuan to see the Great Sage? Is our Great Sage really that cheap?”

Sheng Ai had asked the System this question too.

The System replied: [With strong enough belief, it’s possible to construct a real world, it’s just not connected to yours.]

Among the Four Great Classical Novels, Sun Wukong, as the main male lead, is undoubtedly the representative hero in the hearts of the Chinese people.

Even though people know his story is fictional, there are even Great Sage temples in China now.

Merchandise, movies, anime, and TV series about the Great Sage are endless; he has long become a cultural symbol.

Not everyone in the country is necessarily interested in the Great Sage.

But the Great Sage’s popularity is absolutely unrivaled!

“Stop asking.” Sheng Ai knew she couldn’t explain. “You’ll understand when you go tomorrow.”

Actually, it was still a bit of a scam, because although they said it was the Journey to the West Route, you might not encounter the Great Sage on the first trip.

But without using the Great Sage as a gimmick, it would be even harder to attract people.

With Pei Qiu’s name added, there were now four tourists.

Sheng Ai counted and said gloomily, “We’re still six short. Can we really get enough people by 3 p.m. tomorrow?”

Just as Pei Qiu was about to speak, she received a message from the Travel Agency on her phone.

[Hello, thank you for purchasing a ticket from The Omniverse Travel Agency…]

Pei Qiu glanced at Sheng Ai in front of her, guessing it was an auto-reply from her Travel Agency.

“You’re so arrogant. Becoming a tourist is actually our honor.”

Sure enough, Pei Qiu also mocked the System’s tone. “If you can’t get enough tourists, won’t your Travel Agency go bankrupt? How can you still be so full of yourself?”

Sheng Ai: “…”

System: [……]

They couldn’t argue, because Pei Qiu was telling the truth.

So Sheng Ai scolded the System: “I think you should at least be a little more polite. After all, these are the first batch of tourists supporting the business. If you act like a customer service rep with a bad attitude, even the most hot-tempered ones could out-argue you.”

The System was noncommittal: [I can auto-spam the screen, they can’t out-argue me, and they can’t report me either. But you’re right, for the first time tricking people in, I should be more polite. I’ll change it next time.]

Sheng Ai: “…”

Sheng Ai patted Pei Qiu’s arm. “Forget it, you’re already here anyway. Just stay over tonight, and tomorrow afternoon I’ll take you all to set off together.”
She still had to figure out a way later to trick-oh no, recruit-six more tourists from somewhere.

Pei Qiu often came to Sheng Ai’s place, so she could only agree.

That night, Sheng Ai took Pei Qiu out for hotpot. Pei Qiu, thinking this trip was truly bizarre, took the opportunity to ruthlessly fleece Sheng Ai.

They also took the chance to complain once again about their company’s greasy boss.

After eating and drinking their fill, sure enough, there was no response from any of the apps they’d posted on.

There were indeed a few replies.

But they were all mocking or dismissive.

There wasn’t even the imagined scenario where, because the story was so outlandish, netizens would question it, causing the video or ad post to get pushed by the algorithm due to arguments.

They simply didn’t get any algorithmic boost at all!

Every day, there are thousands upon thousands of bizarre posts and videos online. Strictly speaking, Sheng Ai’s didn’t even make the cut.

It’s always the family drama and outrageous fights that really get netizens’ blood boiling.

That night, after returning home, Sheng Ai thought she’d be too worried to sleep.

Unexpectedly, the moment she touched her bed, she fell asleep.

Her sleep quality was better than ever before.

You have to know, in the past, coming home from work often meant facing her boss’s relentless calls, and being forced to work overtime at home.

Being able to go to bed on time was a luxury, and her chaotic schedule had naturally ruined her biological clock.

Only at the office could she sleep soundly, as if the company had put sleeping pills in the air.

Early the next morning, as Sheng Ai stretched and marveled at her good night’s sleep, the System suddenly spoke: [All ten people are here.]

Sheng Ai: “What the hell!”

She jumped straight out of bed. “How did that happen? What’s going on?”

System: [Last night, around midnight, five people booked tickets almost simultaneously, and then there was one more single ticket. These five people are all from the same place-they’re together.]

Sheng Ai was almost overjoyed.

She didn’t care where the tourists were from or what problems they might have.

They were all here, all here! Her Journey to the West Route finally had hope.

Excited, Sheng Ai immediately went to drag the still-groggy Pei Qiu out of bed. “Get up, get up! Everyone’s here, we’re setting off!”

Pei Qiu looked painfully at the time. “Didn’t you say it was at three in the afternoon?”

Sheng Ai: “We’re going on the Journey to the West Route, after all. If we really get to meet the Great Sage, I want to bring him a gift.”

As the Chief Guide, she didn’t need to carry a backpack. The System provided her with an extra independent space, but for now, it wasn’t very big and only she could use it.

The System suggested that in the early stages, she should bring food for the tourists, because what kind of tour group doesn’t provide food and lodging?

Pei Qiu: ?

You’re actually taking this seriously?

But what kind of gift would the Great Sage like?

Pei Qiu: “What if the Great Sage mistakes you for a Demon and smashes you with his staff?”

Sheng Ai: “…”

That’s a good point!

But for now, all of this was just talk. Sheng Ai didn’t actually know what was going on-it was all the System painting a rosy picture for her.

Still, that didn’t stop her from excitedly dragging the freshly washed Pei Qiu out for a big shopping spree.

So Sheng Ai rushed to the supermarket, planning to prepare food for the tourists first.

The damned System told her she had to pay for all these extra expenses herself, unless she managed to earn money from the tourists later.

And the System hadn’t told her yet how she was supposed to make money from them.

Considering the three-day itinerary, and not knowing what the situation would be at the destination, plus the limited space, Sheng Ai could only bring some emergency self-heating instant meals.

She also bought some daily necessities, then dragged Pei Qiu home to pick up Aunt He and He Zhou.