Poaching Talent

A daily wage of fifteen Copper Nil!

A weekly wage would be one Four Nalang and five Copper Nil, and in a month, he could earn a high income of four Four Nalang and twenty Copper Nil.

Gallo only needed to work at the other party's shop for one month to pay off the four Four Nalang tuition fee he owed to his secondary school.

For an ordinary person, this was absolutely a tempting salary, more than double the monthly wage of a factory worker, and it could almost immediately resolve all of Gallo's family's financial difficulties.

Furthermore, besides receiving a daily wage of fifteen Copper Nil, his position would be that of an acting manager; he wouldn't need to perform any menial tasks himself, only provide answers whenever a customer entered the shop and raised a question.

But... if this had been last week, the position offered by the owner of Aofan Bookstore would have definitely made the destitute and struggling Gallo agree immediately, but now he was more satisfied with his status as a freelancer.

Just as Gallo was about to politely decline the invitation, several other bookstore owners nearby, who had been pricking up their ears to eavesdrop on their conversation, immediately crowded around.

"Old Aofan, what is the meaning of this? Trying to hog him all to yourself?"

"Mr. Gallo does business along our entire Lubo Lane, why should he go to just your shop?"

"You are breaking the rules!"

"Heh, why don't you just squeeze out all the other bookstores on this street and open a library here instead? Since you have Mr. Gallo helping you, that certainly wouldn't be a difficult task."

These bookstore owners spoke all at once, accusing Moron Aofan of such poaching behavior as being highly unethical. Although Gallo was not affiliated with any of their bookstores, his presence in Lubo Lane over this recent period had already brought huge benefits to most of the shops.

What Moron Aofan was doing was equivalent to encroaching on the interests of all the other bookstore owners. They knew deep down that Gallo's presence had caused a surge in book sales across the entire street; tying him to a single shop was equivalent to cutting off the financial path of the others.

The scene became somewhat chaotic for a moment.

Gallo watched this farce calmly, understanding the situation in his heart.

But he did not want to be bound by any bookstore; what he needed were channels to freely acquire knowledge and income that could improve his current living situation.

"Gentlemen, please be quiet for a moment."

Gallo raised his voice. It wasn't loud, but it carried a presence that made people feel calm. He said, "I am very grateful for Mr. Aofan's kindness, and I also appreciate the regard you all have for me."

"But I currently have no intention of becoming a permanent clerk or manager for any bookstore."

He looked around the circle, seeing the expressions of relief on the faces of almost all the bookstore owners, though a few still felt they could continue to try and persuade him.

For instance, the owner of Aofan Bookstore, who was looking at Gallo with burning eyes as if he were a rare treasure.

Gallo steadied his expression and continued, "However, if you are all willing, we can change our method of cooperation."

"If you can provide me with the daily inventory lists of books entering and leaving your shops, as well as the records of changes in the shelf location numbers for every book in your stores, I will be able to recommend books to my clients more accurately and quickly."

"This is good for my clients and good for your business, isn't it?"

The bookstore owners quieted down and looked at each other.

This proposal sounded very fair; it was equivalent to making Gallo a mobile, super-efficient, living book index.

Soon, the shrewd owners realized that this cost less than hiring him as a clerk, yet the benefits could be even higher, and it wouldn't offend the other bookstore owners.

Perhaps, as long as they were willing to spend money to privately give Gallo a portion of the profits or other benefits, they could lead the main channel of clients Gallo recommended to purchase books toward their own shops.

"Good! Mr. Gallo's idea is excellent!"

"I agree! I will send the new book list to you immediately!"

"And the catalog of shelf numbers for the new books, I will bring that to you as well!"

"It's just too much hard work for Mr. Gallo. Please, when you have time to rest, you must come to our shop. I will definitely treat you well and ensure you get plenty of rest."

"Yes, to reward Mr. Gallo, I have specially prepared a gift, and I will send it over in a while..."

Gallo smiled and shook his head. He said, "Please do not send me gifts. Even if they are sent privately, I will not accept them."

"I will impartially introduce clients with needs to every bookstore. After all, to satisfy a client's needs, it also depends on whether the books are in stock at your respective shops, right?"

"Mr. Gallo, you truly are a good man with noble character..."

A battle for his services instantly turned into a situation of win-win cooperation.

From that day on, Gallo's workstation was often piled high with inventory lists and samples of newly purchased books sent by various bookstores.

He didn't even need to shuttle between each bookstore in person to grasp the dynamics of most of the books in the entire Lubo Lane in near real-time.

The bookstore owners used this method to "curry favor" with this young prodigy. Even if someone really did send gifts to Gallo privately, they were firmly and directly rejected by him.

He even warned them quite bluntly that if they did it again, he would never introduce a single client to their shop.

And this behavior of Gallo's also earned him immense popularity and prestige in Lubo Lane.

This teenager, who had arrived in this lane less than a week ago, relied on his extraordinary abilities and admirable character to build a reputation that even surpassed that of the owners who had been running shops here the longest.

Evening.

Professor Vanason, carrying an increasingly heavy sense of unease, followed the address he had inquired about from a colleague in the school's administrative office and stood before an elegant, high-end apartment building located in the West District of Tin City.

If the address found by his school colleague was correct, then this was the home of Professor Jeffrey.

The doors and windows were tightly shut, and the interior seemed quiet, with no sound to be heard.

Vanason pressed the doorbell several times and knocked hard on the door panel. After waiting for a long time, there was no answer from within.

He wanted to shout a few words inside, but such behavior would be far too ungentlemanly in the silent corridor.

Just as he was about to give up and go find the apartment manager to ask if they had seen Professor Jeffrey return or leave, he inadvertently nudged the heavy oak door with his elbow.

The door, surprisingly, slid inward silently, revealing a narrow gap.

The door had been left ajar!

"It wasn't locked?"

Looking at the gap in the doorway, Professor Vanason hesitated, his mind flashing back to how Gallo had used coin divination to deduce that Jeffrey was in a dangerous situation.

Although Vanason did not believe in so-called divination or mysticism, the worry and unease in his heart at this moment left him no room for hesitation; he pushed the door open and stepped into the dim room.

The apartment's living room appeared elegant and tasteful.

Perhaps because no one had lived here for a long time, a layer of dust had settled on the floor and some of the furniture, and Professor Vanason knew that Jeffrey had spent a full four months on an expedition in the Southern Continent.

However, the air in the living room now seemed to be permeated with a strange odor—a mixture of burnt, smoky, and something indescribable, as if something had been completely "burned dry"—wafting out from the gap of a door leading to the room next to the living room and drilling into Vanason's nostrils.