10: Chapter 1: A Extravagant Spending! I Want All Three Shop Assistants!

Lin Feng looked at the thick stack of forms in his hand, his head throbbing.

Over thirty applicants, each with a resume, piled up like a small mountain.

"How long is this interview going to take..."

He rubbed his temples and began to browse quickly.

Most were ordinary girls with low education and little experience, coming purely for the twenty thousand monthly salary.

Until he saw the seventh form.

[Name: Pan Jingjing]

[Age: 18]

[Education: High School Graduate]

[Work Experience: 2 years]

[Former Positions: Luxury Store Sales Consultant, High-end Equipment Store Receptionist]

[Awakened Talent: C-rank 【Proper Way to Make Money】 (Business-type Talent, increases sales success rate, keen perception of commodity value)]

[Expected Salary: 2,500 Credits]

"A C-rank business Talent!" Lin Feng's eyes lit up.

This was practically tailor-made for opening a shop!

He continued flipping through.

He found two more highlights.

[Name: Su Xiaoyu]

[Age: 16]

[Education: High School Graduate (Just awakened, dropped out)]

[Awakened Talent: D-rank 【Item Appreciation】 (Support-type Talent, can roughly judge item quality and flaws)]

[Expected Salary: 1,800 Credits]

[Name: Li Mengmeng]

[Age: 16]

[Education: High School Graduate]

[Awakened Talent: E-rank 【Affinity Field】 (Passive Talent, makes people around more likely to develop good feelings)]

[Expected Salary: 1,800 Credits]

"One for appraising treasures, one for affinity..." Lin Feng rubbed his chin, "Paired with Pan Jingjing's sales Talent, it's a perfect team!"

He made a snap decision and set the other forms aside.

He kept only these three.

"Pan Jingjing, Su Xiaoyu, Li Mengmeng, please come in."

The crowd waiting outside began to stir.

Three girls stepped out of the line, looked at each other, and entered the shop.

Pan Jingjing walked at the front.

She wore a decent black professional skirt suit, her long hair tied in a bun, looking capable and professional.

Although only 18, the maturity in her eyes far exceeded her peers.

Su Xiaoyu was the lively type, with a ponytail, wearing a T-shirt and jeans, her large eyes filled with curiosity.

Li Mengmeng was a bit shy, her head lowered, but a natural smile lingered at the corners of her mouth, making people feel good at first sight.

"Please sit, you three." Lin Feng pointed to the chairs in front of the counter.

The three sat down.

Lin Feng first looked at Pan Jingjing: "Miss Pan, looking at your resume, you have rich work experience. Why do you want to work here? With your abilities, you should be able to get a good salary at a large mall."

Pan Jingjing sat up straight and answered neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Boss Lin, I saw the recruitment notice you posted on the forum. Offering twenty thousand a month for a clerk means you're either exceptionally wealthy or exceptionally confident."

She paused: "I choose to believe the latter. And... I have confidence in my eye for shops. Your 'Fusion Workshop', though just opened, I've already looked at the equipment on the shelves."

"Oh?" Lin Feng raised an eyebrow, "What did you see?"

"12 pieces of Green equipment, 13 pieces of Blue equipment, all high-quality. Especially those blue weapons; their attributes are about 1% higher than similar items on the market."

Pan Jingjing's gaze swept across the shelves: "What's even rarer is that these items have a unified style, as if they're from the same batch. This means you either have a stable supply channel, or... you are the creator yourself."

Lin Feng nodded inwardly.

This power of observation was indeed impressive.

"What if I told you I made all this equipment myself?"

Pan Jingjing's eyes lit up: "Then I would be even more determined to stay. A creator who can stably produce high-quality items gives the shop immeasurable potential."

"Very good." Lin Feng turned to Su Xiaoyu, "Student Su, your Talent is 【Item Appreciation】. Can you demonstrate it?"

"I... I can." Su Xiaoyu stood up somewhat nervously.

She walked to the shelf and picked up a blue short sword.

Closing her eyes, her palm lightly brushed the blade.

A few seconds later, she opened her eyes: "This blade's attack power should be between 18-22, with a slight armor-piercing effect. But there's a tiny crack at the junction of the hilt and the blade; it might break under long-term high-intensity use."

Lin Feng picked up the short sword to look closely.

Sure enough, at the junction of the hilt and blade, there was a crack as thin as a strand of hair.

It was impossible to notice without looking closely.

"Impressive." He praised sincerely.

For an equipment shop, this Talent was practically a god-tier skill.

It could prevent selling items with hidden flaws, maintaining the shop's reputation.

"Student Li Mengmeng, is your Talent passive?" Lin Feng looked at the last girl.

Li Mengmeng nodded and said softly: "I... I don't know the specific effect. It's just that people around me seem to find it easier to trust me."

As she spoke, she looked at Lin Feng.

Lin Feng suddenly felt that this girl indeed made people feel good.

It wasn't an attraction brought by beauty, but a natural affinity.

Like... a sensible younger sister from next door?

"I understand." Lin Feng sat back in his chair, "You three, I'll be direct. You're all hired."

The three girls were stunned simultaneously.

"Re-really?" Su Xiaoyu said in surprise.

"Mhm." Lin Feng nodded, "Pan Jingjing, you have the most experience and your Talent is best suited for sales. I appoint you as the Shop Manager, monthly salary 2,500, responsible for daily operations and sales. One month probation, with performance bonuses after becoming permanent."

Pan Jingjing's breathing quickened slightly.

But she quickly calmed down: "Thank you for your trust, Boss Lin. I will do my best."

"Su Xiaoyu, you're responsible for stock quality inspection and item maintenance. Monthly salary 2,000. Li Mengmeng, you're responsible for front desk reception and customer service, monthly salary 20,000."

The two young girls' faces turned red with excitement.

"Tha-thank you, Boss!"

"I will definitely work hard!"

Lin Feng looked at the three, thought for a moment, and added: "However, there are a few things I need to make clear first."

The three immediately sat up straight.

"First, shop matters must not be disclosed to the outside. Especially regarding supply sources, pricing, and the like—not a single word."

"Second, treat customers with integrity, but also protect the shop's interests. If you encounter troublemakers, call me directly."

"Third..." Lin Feng paused, "I might often be away from the shop. I'm leaving the shop to you. As long as you do well, bonuses will not be lacking."

"Understood!" the three replied in unison.

"Good." Lin Feng smiled, "Start work today. I'll first familiarize you with the shop."

He stood up and began the introduction.

"These are the shelves; Green equipment goes here, Blue goes there. Every piece of equipment has a tag indicating attributes and price."

"The counter has the ledger, payment codes, and customer registration forms."

"There's a small warehouse in the back for storing inventory."

The three girls listened intently, nodding occasionally.

After the introduction, Lin Feng checked the time.

Ten-thirty in the morning.

"How about this, I'll advance each of you 200 Credits as a relocation allowance." Lin Feng pulled out his phone, "Consider it a meeting gift."

"Ah?" Su Xiaoyu was dumbfounded, "Bo-boss, we haven't even started working yet..."

"Just think of it as a deposit to keep you here with me." Lin Feng laughed, "Transferred. Check it."

Pan Jingjing's phone rang first.

She looked down; account balance +200 Credits.

Immediately after, Su Xiaoyu and Li Mengmeng's phones also rang.

The two young girls stared at their screens, their eyes wide and round.

"Two... two thousand Credits!" Su Xiaoyu's voice trembled, "My parents together only earn eight thousand a month..."

Li Mengmeng's eyes were even redder: "Thank you, Boss... I, my brother's tuition was just two thousand short..."

Pan Jingjing took a deep breath and said solemnly: "Boss Lin, I will keep this money in my heart. You can rest assured about the shop."

Lin Feng waved his hand: "Don't be so serious. Just do a good job. Right, add each other's contact info and create a work group. Pan Jingjing, you be the group leader; communicate promptly if anything comes up."

"Okay."

The three added each other as friends, created the group, and pulled Lin Feng in as well.

Pan Jingjing changed the group name to 'Fusion Workshop Work Group'.

"Boss, is the shop opening today?" Pan Jingjing asked.

"Yes." Lin Feng nodded, "The goods are all set, and price tags are attached. Familiarize yourselves with the items first; customers might come in a bit."

He walked to a shelf and picked up a piece of blue leather armor: "For example, this one: Defense 15, damage reduction. Market price 150-1,800, we're selling for 1,600. If someone haggles, the minimum is 1,550."

"This blue short sword: Attack 15-2, bleeding effect. Market price around 2,500, we're selling for 2,300. Because it has a minor flaw, which Su Xiaoyu just found."

"Green equipment is uniformly 5% lower than market price to drive volume."

Pan Jingjing quickly took notes.

Her 【Proper Way to Make Money】 Talent was already at work, automatically calculating the optimal sales strategy in her mind.

"Boss, I suggest placing the few pieces of Blue equipment with the best attributes in the most prominent positions as shop treasures to attract high-end customers," Pan Jingjing said.

"Sure, you arrange it."

Lin Feng was very satisfied.

Leaving professional matters to professional people was indeed worry-free.

"Then you three get busy, I'm going out for a bit."

"Where is the Boss going?" Su Xiaoyu asked curiously.

"Procurement." Lin Feng smiled, "Our shop can't just sell what's on hand; we need a constant supply of new goods."

He stepped out of the shop and looked back.

Pan Jingjing had already started organizing the shelves, Su Xiaoyu was checking equipment for flaws, and Li Mengmeng was standing at the door, practicing her smile to welcome customers.

"Not bad."

Lin Feng turned and walked toward the depths of the market.

He was going to those small stalls to continue "picking through trash."

White-grade trash equipment was junk in others' eyes.

In his hands, it was a gold mine.

This time, Lin Feng took the initiative to call Chen Lin and tell her he had opened a shop.

"Wow! You're amazing! It's only been a few days..." Chen Lin paused, "But you should be careful. I heard from Zhang Wei that two of Wang Hao's lackeys disappeared recently... I heard it was while they were tailing you. I'm worried..."

Lin Feng's gaze turned cold.

"No need to worry. If he really plans to find trouble with me, I'm not that easy to bully."

"Don't be impulsive!" Chen Lin grew anxious, "Wang Hao is already Level 5 now. I heard a team invested in him and gave him a lot of resources. That B-rank Talent of his is very powerful..."

"I'm almost Level 5 too," Lin Feng said calmly.

"Ah?" Chen Lin was stunned.

"And I'm confident I can beat him," Lin Feng added.

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds.

Chen Lin said softly: "You... you've changed a lot."

"People always have to grow up." Lin Feng smiled, "Alright, I'm going procurement. Drop by the shop when you have time; I'll have a gift ready for you."

Hanging up the phone, Lin Feng's smile vanished.

Wang Hao reached Level 5?

His leveling speed was quite fast.

But... his own Spell Attack was now over 40 points, and one shot of Blasting Light Flame Technique dealt hundreds in damage.

If they really fought, it wasn't certain who would win or lose.

"Ignore him for now."

Lin Feng shook his head and walked into a small alley lined with ground stalls.

This was his battlefield now.

"Boss, how much for these White-grade items?"

He crouched before a stall, pointing at the pile of junk on the ground.

A new procurement had begun.