Li Wei watched as the other three sales associates vanished from the floor as if they'd been granted a reprieve.
Besides him, the other three sales associates, Emma included, were all somewhat afraid of Mrs. Dolores.
She was mysterious and elegant, and spoke fluent English with an Eastern European accent.
Most importantly, she seemed like an unfathomably deep pool: she never showed any emotion and never lost control.
"How do you feel about the salary I'm paying you?"
Once everyone else had left, she asked calmly.
"It's very high," Li Wei answered honestly. "The benefits are good, too. I really like it here."
"Mm. If you want to keep your job," Mrs. Dolores said calmly, "don't get too curious. Be careful at work while I'm away for the next few days."
Li Wei didn't understand why Mrs. Dolores had gone out of her way to say something so strange, but he could tell it was a warning, so he nodded and agreed.
"That's all. You can go," Mrs. Dolores said. "Thanks for your help moving things today. Emma will give you a little extra bonus."
Li Wei had been about to say that helping was a knight's duty and no trouble at all. But when he heard there would be a bonus, he conveniently forgot he was a knight. He thanked Mrs. Dolores and turned to leave.
But why did she say that to me? Li Wei wondered as he walked. Was it because I'm new? Or is there some secret behind this boutique?
After finishing his part-time shift that morning, Li Wei sold a bracelet and politely turned down the advances of a still-charming female designer, which cut his potential tip from $300 to $20.
Thanks to Mrs. Dolores's $100 bonus, after spending three hours in the air conditioning, Li Wei had earned a total of $384 after taxes. He'd also scored a free, luxurious lunch from Emma.
As he got off at the subway station on Eighth Avenue, Li Wei's gaze suddenly landed on a sign outside a real estate rental agency.
He still had seven gold coins, and he only needed another 0.1 agility to earn ten more.
Although he'd given Don Quixote $3,500 to help him out, he still had nearly $7,000, including what he'd had before. Along with the money from selling his seventeen gold coins, it was enough to rent a somewhat decent apartment, at least one with a proper private room of his own.
Unfortunately, renting in America required tenants to have stable taxable income, a credit score, an SSN (Social Security number), and more.
Li Wei didn't have any of the three.
As for using Don Quixote's credit score and taxable income to rent a place—forget it. His credit score might be even less useful than Li Wei's nonexistent one.
At least Li Wei had a handsome face, and Asians looked kind and trustworthy.
But the little storefronts along Eighth Avenue were different. Real estate rental agencies with Chinese signs were everywhere, their windows plastered with densely packed A4 printouts listing available properties. There were plenty of undocumented immigrants and people who'd fled China in search of a better life around here, and some rentals only required enough money.
First listing: two bedrooms and two bathrooms in Midtown Manhattan, $7,200, one month's rent plus three months' deposit.
Li Wei skipped it immediately. Too expensive.
Second listing: a brand-new building on Long Island, two bedrooms and two bathrooms, $5,800 a month, with one month's rent plus six months' deposit.
Li Wei shook his head. Long Island was full of international students, and landlords there were strict about credit checks. Neither he nor Don Quixote could pass one, and requiring six months' rent upfront was ridiculous.
Third listing: a second-floor apartment in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, on 14th Avenue. Two bedrooms and two bathrooms for only $2,850 a month, with one month's rent plus three months' deposit, and no credit check. The landlord was a Chinese expatriate who lived on the third floor.
Li Wei glanced over the photos posted on the listing. It was a little farther south, but at least it was better than the basement he was living in now. Living with the landlord might be a little inconvenient, but the price was good, and not having to undergo a credit check made it much better than the other options.
Li Wei took out his phone and snapped a photo of the apartment listing. He planned to ask about it once he'd sold all his gold coins, then move in with Don Quixote.
That afternoon, Don Quixote came back a little later than usual. As soon as he entered the basement, he hurried into his cubicle to catch up on sleep, looking utterly exhausted.
When Li Wei woke him for dinner that evening, Don Quixote still didn't seem fully awake.
He sleepily picked up his chopsticks, pushed a few bites around, then hurried off again to wash dishes at the restaurant, not returning until late at night.
"Squire! Squire!" Don Quixote, sleepwalking, woke Li Wei again. "Wake up!"
Li Wei opened his eyes and saw the knight Don Quixote standing in his cubicle, fully dressed.
"Are we going to hunt the witch today?" He sat up and looked at Don Quixote, whose face seemed a little pale. "Sir Knight, you don't look too well."
"It's nothing to worry about. I may have picked up a minor injury while slaying the dragon," Don Quixote said, waving it off. "But after the dragon-slaying, I sensed your potential, Squire!"
At the thought that a new quest might be coming, Li Wei perked up at once.
"Yes! Give me another mission, Sir Knight!" he said. "I'm ready!"
"Excellent! You've got plenty of spirit!" Don Quixote said. "Follow me, Squire!"
The two left the basement, one after the other. This time, Don Quixote didn't try to drive. Instead, he took Li Wei to a stone bollard by the roadside and pointed at it without a word.
Li Wei looked at Don Quixote, silent beneath the streetlight, then at the stone bollard beside him. He racked his brain, trying to follow Don Quixote's train of thought.
"Is this my test to advance as a knight?" Li Wei asked. "Is this... um... some kind of training stone?"
"Ha! Foolish squire!" Don Quixote said, shaking his head. "This is called the Seal Boundary Stone. Every knight must face this trial. If you can move the boundary stone, it means you're qualified to become a knight."
As soon as he finished speaking, a quest notification appeared before Li Wei's eyes:
[Knight Squire Li Wei, you have received a quest: Move the Boundary Stone]
[The boundary stone is the final obstacle before a knight's advancement trial. Move it to prove you're qualified to become a knight.]
[Quest reward: Agility +0.1]
It seemed this was the final quest on his Path of the Knight.
Li Wei stepped forward, took a deep breath, and moved the stone bollard aside without much effort.
Almost instantly, a series of notifications appeared before his eyes:
[Quest: Move the Boundary Stone completed]
[Quest reward issued: Agility +0.1]
[Agility 1.1]--[Agility 1.2]
[Path of the Knight: First stage, Apprentice Knight quests completed!]
[Gold coins +10]
[Advancement triggered!!!]
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