9: Chapter 9: A monthly salary of 20,000 yuan is offered to recruit shop assistants, and a long line forms at the door!

Lin Feng typed the last character on his computer.

【Job Posting】

Due to business expansion, our shop is currently recruiting two clerks.

Requirements:

1. Age 18-25, good appearance and temperament, friendly and approachable.

2. High school education or above, strong communication skills.

3. Priority given to those with basic knowledge of equipment, items, and Materials.

4. Hardworking, honest, and trustworthy.

Benefits: Monthly salary of 2000 points + commission, lunch provided, four days off per month.

Work Location: Explorer Market, Area A, No. 3, "Fusion Workshop"

Contact: Mr. Lin

Contact Number: 135****7749

"Twenty thousand points a month... is that too high?"

Looking at the job posting, Lin Feng stroked his chin.

The monthly salary for an ordinary clerk was only about five or six thousand points.

His offer of twenty thousand was absolutely the industry ceiling.

But then he thought again: "Anyway, I have money now. Might as well hire two capable ones. Good looks can also attract customers."

He posted the job listing on the local forum and several job websites.

Then he opened another webpage.

"Custom sign..."

Lin Feng typed "custom signboard" into the search bar, and a ton of results popped up.

He chose the shop with the highest rating.

"Boss, I want to order a custom signboard, the kind that lights up."

The customer service replied instantly: "Dear customer, what size and style would you like?"

Lin Feng sent over the shop's dimensions: "Two meters long, forty centimeters wide. I want LED illuminated letters, with a dark brown wood grain background and golden letters."

"Okay, dear. Any requirements for the font?"

"Something grand and imposing. The shop name is 'Fusion Workshop'."

"Received. The price is 888 points, including installation. Delivery before 10 AM tomorrow."

Lin Feng paid promptly.

Next, he placed an order for a cleaning service on the platform.

"Deep cleaning, forty-five square meter shop, must be spotless. Time: After 8 PM tonight."

"Price is 30 points. Confirm order?"

"Confirm."

With these tasks done, Lin Feng stood up and stretched.

He walked to the living room and looked at the small mountain of white equipment piled on the floor.

The fifty pieces of junk he bought online last night had already been delivered.

"Time to get to work!"

Rubbing his hands together, Lin Feng squatted down and began sorting.

Longswords, shortswords, daggers, leather armor, cloth armor, boots, bracers...

"Let's try weapon Fusion first."

He picked up two 【Damaged Longswords (White)】.

Activate Talent!

【Detected fusible objects: Damaged Longswords ×2】

【Same type of equipment】

【Minimum consumption: 2 mana】

【Maximum consumption: 20 mana】

This time, Lin Feng chose 10 mana.

Light shimmered.

The two broken swords fused into one 【Fine Longsword (Green)】.

Attack power increased from the original 3-5 to 8-12.

"Not bad."

Lin Feng continued.

This time, he tried fusing three white shortswords together.

Consumed 15 mana.

Obtained one 【Sharp Shortsword (Blue)】, Attack Power 15-22, with an additional bleeding effect.

"It's blue! Cost: three white shortswords, 18 points. Market price is at least 2500!"

Profit over tenfold!

Lin Feng worked with increasing enthusiasm.

Like playing a synthesis game, he fused white equipment together in sets of two, three, or five.

When his mana ran out, he rested.

After resting, he continued fusing.

From 2 PM until 7 PM.

All fifty pieces of white equipment were fused.

Results as follows:

【Green Weapons ×12】: Average price 80 points

【Blue Weapons ×8】: Average price 2500 points

【Green Armor ×10】: Average price 600 points

【Blue Armor ×5】: Average price 1500 points

Total cost: less than 400 points.

Total value: approximately 30,000 points.

Net profit: 26,000 points!

And it only took half a day.

"This business... is simply a goldmine."

Looking at the finished equipment covering the floor, Lin Feng felt pleased.

But he quickly calmed down.

"Can't get complacent. Although this equipment can be sold for money, it has limited effect on improving my own strength."

What did he lack most right now?

Rank, skills, Advanced equipment.

"Wang Hao has already entered the academy. He has professional instructors and preferential access to resources."

"Although I have money now, my combat strength isn't necessarily stronger than his."

Lin Feng remembered Wang Hao's B-Rank Talent 【Water Manipulation】.

Combat-type Talents held a huge advantage in the early stages.

Coupled with academy training...

"Need to speed up."

Lin Feng stood up and walked to the window.

Night was deepening.

Streetlights were turning on.

Looking at his reflection in the glass, he suddenly thought of a question:

"My Talent... can it really only fuse physical objects?"

The description clearly stated: "Rules, consciousness, objects..."

"Rules and consciousness... how do you fuse those?"

Lin Feng tried to recall the feeling when using his Talent.

It was always directed at specific items.

He had never tried anything abstract.

"Maybe... my strength isn't sufficient?"

He remembered that fusing blue equipment required a minimum consumption of 30 mana.

Fusing things on a higher level might require more mana, or... other conditions?

"Forget it, no point thinking about it now."

Lin Feng shook his head.

He was already struggling with fusing blue equipment. Thinking about those things was too far off.

"First, get the shop running, make stable money. Then use the money to buy resources and level up quickly."

"When I'm stronger, I can slowly research the deeper capabilities of my Talent."

At that moment, his phone rang.

It was the cleaning company: "Mr. Lin, we've arrived at the door of your shop."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Lin Feng went downstairs and rode his bike to the market.

The market at 8 PM was still lively, with many night-shift Explorers just setting out.

Outside Shop No. 3 in Area A stood two uncles wearing cleaning company uniforms.

"Are you Mr. Lin? We're here to clean."

"Please come in."

Lin Feng opened the shop door.

The two uncles got to work efficiently.

Vacuuming, mopping, wiping windows, cleaning corners...

Lin Feng wasn't idle either. He sorted the fused equipment and placed them on the shelves.

Greens on one side, blues on the other.

The empty shop gradually took shape.

An hour later.

"Mr. Lin, we're finished cleaning. Please inspect."

Lin Feng looked around.

The floor was gleaming, the windows transparent, the shelves spotless.

"Very good, thank you for your hard work."

He paid the remaining balance.

After the two uncles left, Lin Feng stayed alone in the shop for a while longer.

He imagined the scene of tomorrow's opening.

Shelves filled with equipment.

Customers coming and going.

Himself sitting behind the counter, counting money until his hands went soft...

"Wait, now it's all electronic payments, no need to count cash."

Lin Feng smiled.

He locked the shop door and rode his bike home.

Passing by a 24-hour convenience store, he went in and bought a drink.

The cashier was a young girl with a ponytail, looking about his age.

"8 points."

Lin Feng scanned the code to pay.

The girl looked at the Explorer badge on his chest and asked curiously, "Are you an Explorer?"

"Yeah, a newbie."

"So impressive... I Awakened an F-Rank Talent last year, so I can only work here." The girl's tone was envious.

Lin Feng paused.

"F-Rank Talent... doesn't necessarily mean weak."

He left those words and turned to leave.

The girl stood there, stunned.

...

The next morning at 6 AM, as the sky was just beginning to lighten.

Lin Feng was already up.

He deliberately wore new clothes today—a white casual shirt and black trousers, looking neat and tidy.

"Auspicious opening."

He smiled at the mirror and left.

At 6:30, Lin Feng arrived at the shop.

The signboard hadn't been delivered yet, so he opened the door to air the place out.

Then he organized the equipment prepared last night once more.

7 AM.

He made a cup of tea and sat behind the counter to wait.

Exactly 8 AM.

Footsteps sounded outside the door.

Lin Feng looked up and froze.

Outside the shop door stood a dense crowd of people.

All young girls!

Tall, short, plump, slim, long hair, short hair, each with their own characteristics.

A rough glance showed at least thirty!

"Excuse me... is this where the 'Fusion Workshop' is recruiting?" a bespectacled girl asked timidly.

"Yes." Lin Feng stood up.

"We're here to apply!"

"Me too!"

"And me!"

The crowd suddenly surged towards the door.

Lin Feng quickly raised his hand: "Don't push, everyone! Line up! One at a time!"

The girls quieted down a bit and began forming a line.

The queue stretched from the shop entrance all the way to the end of the street.

Passersby looked on curiously.

"What's going on here?"

"Seems like they're hiring clerks, monthly salary twenty thousand!"

"Holy crap, twenty thousand? I want to apply too!"

Looking at the long line outside, Lin Feng didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He hadn't expected the attraction of a twenty-thousand monthly salary to be this big.

And they were all girls.

"It seems the requirement about appearance... they all automatically assumed they fit the bill."

Lin Feng took a deep breath.

"Let the interviews begin."

He sat back down at the counter and took out the prepared forms.

"First applicant, please come in."

A girl in a pink dress walked in and smiled sweetly:

"Hello, boss. My name is Xiao Yu. I'm 18 years old, a high school graduate, with half a year of sales experience..."

Listening to her self-introduction, Lin Feng was thinking:

"With so many people, how long will these interviews take..."

"And how do I know which one is suitable?"

This was his first time being a boss; he had no experience at all.

But looking at the girl's expectant eyes, he had to brace himself and proceed.

"Please fill out this form and wait over there."

"Next!"

One after another.

Lin Feng asked the same questions: age, education, experience, why do you want to work here...

The girls' answers were varied.

"Because the salary is high!"

"I'm very interested in equipment!"

"I want to save up to buy a skill book!"

"Boss, you're handsome..."

Lin Feng's mouth twitched.

By the tenth interview, the signboard company people arrived.

"Mr. Lin, your signboard is here!"

Two workers carried the signboard in and began installing it.

Ten minutes later.

The four golden characters "Fusion Workshop" lit up above the shop.

The LED lights were soft yet not glaring, particularly eye-catching in the morning mist.

The girls waiting in line exclaimed in admiration.

"What a beautiful signboard!"

"This shop looks so legitimate!"

Lin Feng also felt a bit proud.

Looking at the signboard, a sense of accomplishment welled up in his heart.

This was his shop.

His enterprise.

His starting point.

"Continue the interviews!"

Lin Feng was full of drive.

He wanted to hire the best clerks.

Then, turn this shop into the most popular equipment store in the market!

Across the street.

A man in a black trench coat leaned against a corner wall, silently observing everything.

He took out a communicator and lowered his voice:

"Brother Hao, that kid opened for business today. He's hiring clerks."

"The line is all girls, over thirty of them."

"Should we... plant one of our people inside?"

On the other end of the communicator, Wang Hao sneered:

"No need."

"Let him hire."

"I want to see what tricks he can pull off with this 'Fusion Workshop'."

"Wait until he gets his business going..."

"Then we'll snuff it out in one go. That feeling is the most satisfying..."

The trench coat man nodded: "Understood."

He put away the communicator and took one last look at the bustling shop.

He turned and disappeared around the street corner.

Lin Feng was completely unaware of this.

He was focused on the interviews before him.

The wheels of fate began to turn faster.