Poaching Talent

Humans have three seas.

Those who open the Spirit Sea cultivate meditation methods, absorb free-floating spirituality, and then study Arcana.

Those who open the Blood Sea cultivate blood refining methods, consume blood food to strengthen their fighting spirit, become Knights, and then meticulously study combat martial skills.

Those who open the Qi Sea cultivate breathing techniques, resonate with plants to sense the power of nature, and can become Spirit Plant Masters, cultivating various kinds of spiritual plants.

Regardless of the Qi Sea, Blood Sea, or Spirit Sea, they are all part of the Spiritual Arcana system. Among them, spiritual plants can sort free-floating spirituality, thereby forming a special energy field, which is more convenient for Arcane Mages to cultivate meditation methods.

Therefore, many Arcane Mages' residences are planted with a large number of spiritual plants, in order to sort the mixed and thin free-floating spirituality into a stable and rich spiritual energy field.

Duke also wanted such a spiritual energy field: "Unfortunately, each spiritual plant costs at least a gold dragon. I've been renovating the Card Repair Shop these past few days, and I've spent money too quickly. I need to save a little... Fortunately, the Card Repair Shop can earn about one gold dragon a month. After a few months of saving, I can buy spiritual plants."

Cluck cluck cluck!

The rooster raised in the backyard alley crowed towards the pale eastern sky.

After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Duke first went to a steamed bun shop in the back alley and bought a few buns for breakfast. Then, he walked through the front yard into the Card Repair Shop, ready to get to work.

However, as soon as he entered the shop, he realized something was wrong.

The door to the Card Repair Shop was not open.

"What's going on, is Bob late?" Duke personally opened the shop door and did a quick tidy-up.

Before long, the new apprentice Levin arrived: "Good morning, Boss."

"Morning, Levin. Did Bob say anything about taking leave yesterday?"

"Uh, I don't know." Levin was seventeen years old, stout, but a bit foolish. He scratched his head and then went to tidy up his workstation on his own.

Duke waited for a while and found that not only Bob was absent, but apprentices Bobby and Thomas were also missing.

"There's a problem!" He narrowed his eyes. "It's normal for one person to be late occasionally, or even for Bob and Bobby, the father and son, to be late together. But for Thomas to be late as well?"

They waited until eight o'clock, but Bob and his son, along with Thomas, still hadn't arrived.

Instead, they were met by the Card Master Dilanke.

"Teacher Dilanke, you're here so early." Duke got up to greet him.

Dilanke, however, said, "Little Boss Duke, you don't know yet, do you? Best has opened a new Card Repair Shop and poached Sane, Bob and his son, and Thomas."

"What!" Duke exclaimed in shock.

"Last night, Best invited us to dinner and poached them all at the table. He also made me an offer, much higher than the salary and commission here."

After speaking, Dilanke looked carefully at Duke.

Having been a small factory owner before his transmigration, Duke immediately understood Dilanke's underlying meaning. He suppressed his anger towards Best and the others, and calmly said, "Teacher Dilanke, I can match Best's offer. No, I will even add another ten percent to your salary share on top of that!"

"Oh, are you sure?" Dilanke smiled upon hearing this. "Actually, I don't care about that much. Otherwise, I would have agreed to Best long ago."

"You may not care, but I must show my appreciation. Teacher Dilanke, thank you for refusing Best and staying at Little Sam's Card Shop."

"Haha, I've worked here for ten years. I'm used to it, and I don't want to change my environment for now. Especially since Best is the boss, it makes me a bit uncomfortable."

He paused, then added, "However, Little Boss Duke, you need to be aware. Best has opened a new Card Repair Shop, which will directly compete with Little Sam's Card Shop. If things go wrong, the business here could be squeezed out."

"I understand, but please rest assured. Little Sam's Card Shop's brand, built over twenty years, won't have its business snatched away so easily. I will recruit new Card Masters as soon as possible and then offer some discounts to retain customers." Duke, having sorted everything out, quickly relaxed. "However, it will be tough on you, Teacher Dilanke, during this period."

"It's fine. The more cards I repair, the more I earn."

External Card Masters didn't receive a fixed salary but a base salary plus piece-rate commission. The more cards they repaired and the higher the grade of the spirit cards, the more commission they earned.

Dilanke went to repair cards, with Levin acting as his apprentice.

Duke personally stood behind the counter, ready to welcome customers needing card repairs, while also silently calculating how to deal with Best's poaching and the upcoming competition.

At this moment, Bob suddenly walked in with a look of shame on his face: "Little Duke..."

Duke looked at him intently and said, "Bob, you should have told me in advance. If you were unhappy with your salary, you could have brought it up. There was no need to surprise me like this."

Bob gave a sheepish smile: "Well, I only found out last night... Sigh, it's happened now. I'm truly sorry. I've come to return the shop key."

Taking the key, Duke did not try to persuade him to stay. Instead, he said, "I respect your choice. I will settle your salary immediately. Also, please pass on a message to the others to come and settle their wages as soon as possible."

"Oh, Little Duke, you're such a good person."

"Heh."

After seeing Bob off.

Duke quickly took out a board and began writing a recruitment notice: "This shop is hiring two Card Masters, with generous benefits, details to be discussed in person; also hiring one counter staff, monthly salary 20-25 silver dragons; one kitchen staff, monthly salary 15-20 silver dragons; two apprentices, monthly salary 6 silver dragons."

After writing it, he hung it on the wall.

After careful consideration, he took the sign down and added another position on the back: "Hiring two delivery personnel, monthly salary 20-25 silver dragons."

He then took another board and wrote on it: "This shop is launching a purchasing assistance service, helping customers purchase scarce spirit cards from Chen Jiao City."

Both signs were hung on the wall.

Tapping his chin, Duke smiled with satisfaction. "High salaries to recruit people, home delivery of cards, plus spirit card purchasing assistance – with these three strategies, I don't believe Best can compete with me!"

As a transmigrator from Earth, he had a plethora of ideas about business and sales.

If not for Best pulling this stunt, he actually hadn't planned on using it. After all, his foundation was still shallow, and everything was focused on low-key cultivation. Once his strength was sufficient for self-preservation, that would be the best time for development.

For now, he'd just test the waters, deal with Best, and stabilize the customer base at Little Sam's Card Shop.

That noon.

At No. 207 Second Vertical Street, not far from Little Sam's Card Shop, Best's Card Repair Shop, which had been secretly renovated, officially opened.

To create a buzz, Best had even hired a band to play the currently popular music.

This attracted many neighbors to stop and watch.

Duke quietly mingled with the crowd and took a look around the entrance of Best's Card Repair Shop. He found that the shop was about the same size as Little Sam's Card Shop.

Besides Best and Sane, they had also hired another Card Master.

Bob, his son, and Thomas were busy with beaming smiles. Best, who had been promoted to boss, was smiling like a chrysanthemum, exuding an air of confidence.

If Old Sam were still around, Best would absolutely not dare to open a shop and steal his business. After all, Old Sam had over twenty years of reputation. Now that it was Little Duke's turn to manage, Best believed that it wouldn't be long before Little Sam's Card Shop's reputation plummeted. Then, the business from the nearby neighbors would all belong to Best's Card Repair Shop.

"Oh, hello, hello! Please come in, please come in! Best's Card Repair Shop hires the most outstanding Card Masters in the industry. We will definitely repair your spirit cards to be like new!"