Chapter 68
The discussions in the room continued. President Liu stood at the door for a while, but he couldn't hear anything clearly through the heavy door, so he had to grit his teeth and leave.
As soon as he walked out of the small building, the subordinates waiting outside immediately came forward and said, "President, I just saw the leader of the pioneering team go in."
"Well, I have seen him."
President Liu put away his smile, and that hint of kindness suddenly disappeared.
He secretly pondered the captain's last words.
I never thought that there was such a mysterious master hiding near Guangming Town.
Where on earth did he come from?
The association's recent business performance has been unsatisfactory, and President Liu has been looking for a way out. The sudden appearance of such a master may be a good thing for him. If he offers enough benefits, maybe he can get the other party to help him make connections and enter the mining industry...
Find an opportunity to get some information from the team leader and meet him.
He made up his mind in an instant. He noticed from the corner of his eye that his subordinate seemed to have something to say. He glanced at him and asked, "Anything else?"
The man mustered up his courage and handed over a list.
"President, this week's income report is out."
President Liu took it, glanced at it, and his face changed drastically.
"Why has it dropped so much again?" He angrily threw the paper at his subordinate's face. "What happened in the past few weeks? Why has the association's income been decreasing?!"
The decline in revenue for the Senior Pastors Association actually began a few weeks ago. However, the changes were not obvious at first, so they did not attract much attention.
After all, no one thinks that anything can threaten the association's status.
"Arctic Cold" is a game where you cannot reload the save file and all players have only one life. As a person who can save lives at critical moments, the importance of the priest far exceeds that of other professions.
——The Association was thus established.
Over the years, they have earned huge and continuous profits by poaching outstanding priest talents from various teams and forcing players to pay high points to hire priests from them.
With these points, they lived in the most advantageous locations, enjoyed the respect of countless people, and lived a luxurious life in the doomsday. They even became the town's major taxpayers, and even the mayor had to greet them with a smile and call Chairman Liu his brother.
They were so confident that they didn't care about the fluctuation in income.
As long as the game continues, players will always need priests.
Nothing can shake this.
President Liu and his senior executives have always believed this.
But unfortunately, such a "thing" appeared so quietly.
By the time they noticed, the association's income had already begun to decline drastically like a landslide in an irreversible trend.
When the new week's report was presented, the dismal earnings made President Liu's heart ache.
"It's impossible that the players have given up on killing monsters en masse. Check it out for me. There must be someone behind this." He gritted his teeth and said, "Once we find out who it is, I'm going to make him disappear from this town."
…
While President Liu was furious, in the building behind him, the head of the group left the reception room and carefully closed the door.
The corridor was silent. When he turned around, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him. "Hi."
"What is that?" The captain was so scared that he almost screamed.
The other party came over with a shameless face, "It's me, it's me, don't be afraid."
The leader calmed down, and the next second he saw the man's appearance clearly, and his heart skipped a beat, "Why are you here?"
Could it be that he just thought of that particularly outstanding "someone" in his heart and summoned this guy out?
The young man standing in front of the captain was thin, with medium-length hair that was quite stylish, but with the faint dark circles under his eyes, he looked like a decadent otaku.
His eyes were blazing, and the heat in them seemed to be able to burn a hole in the captain, "Where is my demon sparrow stone!"
"We haven't dug yet. Didn't you see that I just came back with the team?" The team leader was not in a good mood.
The young man's shoulders slumped in disappointment, and he lost interest in greeting. He waved his hand perfunctorily, "Oh, bye then."
After saying that, he prepared to leave.
Leader: “…”
Am I just a mining tool to you?
"Wait a minute."
He called the young man over, and thinking of his identity, he decided to reveal some information in advance, "Although the ore has not been mined yet, I have good news for you. You will probably be able to study a few more kinds of ores in the future."
The team leader said this, a little proudly.
youth:"?"
*
"This is the first batch of Demonic Sparrow Stones that we agreed on. There are 56 pieces in total."
A few days later at the hot spring, the team leader respectfully handed over the bag in his hand.
Seeing that Mo Bai had no intention of taking it, he immediately understood and handed the bag to Shu Mo beside him, "Boss, please order."
Shu Mo took the cloth bag. It felt heavy in his hand, and from time to time there was a sound of objects colliding.
——It’s the voice of money!
Thinking of the price of this bag of ore, Shu Mo couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
She had no doubt that if she showed this bag to ordinary players, everyone would scramble for it like crazy.
But now, it fell into her hands so easily.
That’s not all.
"We also know that 56 pieces are far from the agreed quantity." The team leader even apologized, "But this is only a temporary amount. The miners have just settled in the base. In a few days, the output will be more stable. Then we will arrange a team to regularly deliver the excavated ore to the hot spring until the agreed quantity is met."
Shu Mo nodded repeatedly after hearing this, "That's great, thank you for your hard work."
"It's not hard. It's my duty. By the way." The leader suddenly changed the subject and said, "Regarding the number we agreed on before..."
Does the town want to go back on its word?
Shu Mo just had this thought when he heard the team leader say sincerely, "After I told the mayor about the deal, he was very happy. He felt that 10% of the Monster Sparrow Stone was not enough to express our sincerity, so he added another 10% on top of that. I hope you will accept it."
It was almost as if "Boss, look, we are such a good partner. Can you come to us again next time if you have such good things?" was written on his face.
Shu Mo: “…”
Good job.
"Thank you very much." She put the Monster Sparrow Stone into her backpack and said gratefully, "Would you like to stay and eat something before leaving?"
Seeing that she had a good attitude, the team leader felt relieved.
"No, we..."
The waist was suddenly poked, and the leader smoothly changed the subject, "We are here for another matter."
Shu Mo tilted his head.
She had noticed the young man following the leader.
The other person's gaze was so hot that it was hard not to notice.
Perhaps because the leader was taking too long to prepare for the event, the young man kept poking him in the waist, silently urging him, causing him to twist and turn. His speech became much faster. "I heard that you were short of staff, so I brought someone here. Take a look and take him if you think he's suitable. He doesn't want any money."
The young man showed a satisfied expression.
Shu Mo was stunned for a moment and subconsciously refused, "I'm afraid this is not a good idea."
She understood that the town valued this transaction very much, and even specially added 10% of the ore to express sincerity, but giving away ore is fine, and giving away people... and free people...
A lot of dark things flashed through Shu Mo's mind in an instant.
What slave market, human trade...
She took a half step back and looked at the captain with a strange look in her eyes.
Leader: “?”
Wait, boss, did you misunderstand something?
"It's not what you think!" He spoke urgently, glanced at the young man, and introduced reluctantly, "He asked to come here after hearing about the hot springs. He's very rich, and he doesn't mind paying for his work."
Shu Mo relaxed a little and said embarrassedly: "Is that so? I misunderstood."
This is the case for all those who come to Wenquan to apply for jobs. As long as they can eat and stay in the hotel, salary is not that important to them. Shu Mo was no longer surprised by this.
However...looking at the familiarity between the team leader and the young man when they were communicating, could the other party be a relative of some high-ranking official in the small town?
Shu Mo was somewhat worried about putting such a person with unknown background in the hot spring.
As if he could see her embarrassment, the team leader explained, "Don't worry, he did work in the town before, but he resigned two days ago and now has nothing to do with the town officials."
After all, the two parties had a business relationship, so Shu Mo couldn't refuse too bluntly, so he could only ask: "What did he do before?"
Hearing this question, the captain's mouth twitched.
"He is our...chief forger."
Shu Mo: “?”
The team leader was so sad that he could not even cry.
Chief Blacksmith! chief!
What does that mean? The chief blacksmith’s craftsmanship is second to none, even among all the forging talents in the entire Guangming Town, and even in all the nearby towns combined!
Although he is young, the name Xie Qingyun is well-known throughout the industry.
But this guy has a quirky personality and is not interested in wealth, fame or status. He is devoted to forging - as long as he is given enough materials, he can make the most ingenious equipment, with not only overwhelming attributes but also extremely delicate shape, which can be regarded as a work of art.
God knows how much precious materials the town paid to keep such a treasure.
...But how did this baby get here?
That’s a long story.
Thinking back to the conversation between T and T outside the reception room that day, the team leader regretted it so much that his intestines turned green.
He shouldn't have said so much! Why mention the hot spring matter to Xie Qingyun!
Although there are a lot of ores in the town, they are ultimately to be supplied to all players. There are thousands of people waiting to be fed, so it is impossible to give out too much to Xie Qingyun to refine his top-level equipment.
Especially in the past few months, no new mineral veins have been found and the output has decreased. Xie Qingyun has been complaining about the lack of materials on hand. The mayor was worried that he might be poached by other towns. The team leader thought of this matter that day and in order to relieve the mayor's worries, he mentioned the three newly discovered mineral veins.
His original intention was to appease Xie Qingyun and tell him not to be tempted by other towns - once these four types of minerals were obtained, which other town nearby could compare with Guangming Town in terms of mineral reserves?
But who could have thought that this guy would be so quick-witted that he actually came directly to the hot spring to apply for a job!
The team leader said directly: “???”
Is there such an operation? ?
What is this called? Refuse to let middlemen make a profit from the price difference?
In short, Xie Qingyun quickly submitted a letter of resignation on the same day after talking with him, and then secretly followed the captain's team out of the city like a runaway princess.
He even specifically asked someone to delay the delivery of the letter, so when the mayor learned about this half a day later, his beloved chief blacksmith had already left him and went to the arms of the hot spring.
"That's what happened, so he really has nothing to do with the town anymore."
The captain covered his face with his hands in despair, not wanting to imagine what expression the mayor would have when he returned to the city.
Shu Mo: “…”
The team leader's explanation didn't sound false, and she now basically believed that there was nothing wrong with Xie Qingyun. But if I just leave him here, I feel a little sorry for the leader...
What's more, the hot spring doesn't need blacksmithing talents that much. This is not a territory. Players come here to relax and vacation. It would be out of place to set up a weapon shop in the scenic area.
She coughed lightly and wanted to decline. "It's okay to hire one more person, but Mr. Xie may not be as professional as us. How about..."
"It's impossible that I don't have the right job. I can do anything." Xie Qingyun couldn't sit still any longer. "Do you need a repairman here? I can also repair air conditioners and make benches."
"???"
The team leader and deputy team leader turned their heads at the same time, their pupils trembling.
If the mayor knew that his (former) chief blacksmith, whom he treated like a treasure, came to Wenquan to apply for the position of air-conditioning repairman, he would be so sad.
You must never tell him.
But the person involved is still a little embarrassed.
Shu Mo said tactfully: "The equipment here is all systematically maintained."
Xie Qingyun's mind raced. When one way didn't work, he tried the next one. "Then let's go back to forging. In the end times, it's impossible for people to not need weapons and equipment. After staying in the hot spring for a long time, you will definitely want to go out for a walk. Then won't you need a guard team?"
"With just a little bit of ore, I can help you arm them to the teeth." He persuaded, "I guarantee that they can crush the surrounding teams!"
The captain's eyelids twitched.
The deputy head of the group coughed violently nearby.
Crush the surrounding teams?
Are there any other teams around here besides the team from Guangming Town?
Would you mind speaking more clearly?
The two of them were simply impressed by this traitor.
After hearing last month that a vein of demon sparrow stone was discovered in the town, he vowed to be loyal to the town. Now, he can cling to the hot spring owner in order to get more abundant mineral resources. If this happened in the past before the advent of the game, we would have to check the ancestry of this guy.
But Shu Mo remained unmoved - if it were someone else, they would probably agree, but she really didn't need it.
The strongest bodyguard is standing next to you. What other guard team can compare with the dragon clan?
Especially since Mo Bai silently revealed a shocked expression of "You actually want to steal my job?", it was even more impossible for Shu Mo to agree.
It would be awkward to keep someone but not have a suitable job for him to do. It would be better to reject him from the beginning.
"I'm so sorry..."
"In addition to weapons and equipment, I can also make accessories, whether they have game attributes or ordinary accessories. There should be no one in the nearby towns who has better craftsmanship than me."
Xie Qingyun spoke almost at the same time as Shu Mo.
Shu Mo's ears moved and he took back what he was about to say, "Really?"
"Absolutely true!" Seeing hope, Xie Qingyun frantically took out a pile of blueprints from his backpack and said, "Take a look."
He handed it to Shu Mo, then waited eagerly.
Shu Mo took it, lowered his head and flipped through it, and Mo Bai beside him also leaned over quietly.
This was probably the draft paper Xie Qingyun usually used. Over time, it had accumulated into a thick stack, with traces of his handwriting all over it. The lines are smooth and the work is completed in one go. Several of the pendant designs are ingeniously made into monster shapes, with fine details outlined to capture both the form and spirit.
Shu Mo: “…”
Mo Bai: “…”
The worldview of two children's stick figure artists was challenged.
Of course, to be able to become the chief blacksmith, Xie Qingyun's solid painting and design skills are only the most insignificant advantages. Next to each design draft, he marked the required raw materials and the expected game benefits after the forging is completed.
Shu Mo made a simple comparison between the equipment he bought from the mall and his own, and found that the equipment made by Xie Qingyun not only had greatly improved attributes, but some of them also came with extremely eye-catching special effects.
For example, among the accessories that a level 60 player can equip, the one sold in the mall may only have one that increases basic intelligence by +12. However, the one designed by Xie Qingyun can increase basic intelligence by +15 and increase electric attack damage by 10%, which immediately raises the upper limit of strength at the same level.
More importantly, it looks so beautiful.
With such a huge hot spring, where everything can provide stunning gaming effects, Shu Mo actually has no idea about the attribute bonuses that ordinary players are frantically pursuing.
What attracted her most about these designs was their exquisite shapes.
Shu Mo was shaken.
In fact, she has always wanted to open a small handicraft shop.
...Speaking of scenic spots, how can we miss this kind of shop?
If Xie Qingyun's business scope was so wide, she could really consider keeping him.
Shu Mo looked at Xie Qingyun thoughtfully.
Under such gazes, Xie Qingyun tried to straighten his chest and felt even more nervous than when he met the mayor.
She finally made the decision, "Okay, let's discuss the salary, but the specific work content will depend on my arrangement. Of course, it must be work related to forging, and I will also provide the ore raw materials you need."
"!!" Xie Qingyun was overjoyed and agreed immediately, "No problem!"
【Player "Xie Qingyun" has become your employee! 】
【Salary: To be determined】
[Detection: You have recruited [Forging] professional talents, and the series of related buildings have been unlocked! 】
【The mall has been updated.】 】
[Congratulations on recruiting a "master" level professional talent and receiving facility rewards! 】
[Rewards: Blacksmith Shop, Armor Shop, Handicraft Shop (choose one of the three)]
Shu Mo was surprised to find that there was such an extra reward.
She looked at them carefully and chose the last one without hesitation.
[Obtain: [Handicraft Shop]*1]
[Put in backpack]
The main building is already large enough and cannot be expanded any further. The annex is mainly engaged in hot spring business, and it would not be very suitable to put a handicraft shop there.
What's more, forging requires space. If Xie Qingyun is only given a small shop, it may not be enough.
After much deliberation, Shu Mo decided to move the handicraft shop out and build a separate building.
But in this case, it would be a bit awkward to have only one store standing alone between the main building and the annex.
How to solve it?
——Of course, that is to recruit staff, bring in businesses, and take this opportunity to develop the commercial street next to the hot springs!
Food must be eaten bite by bite, and the road must be taken step by step. Although it is still early to reach the final goal of Nuannuan Hot Spring Village, being able to build a hot spring street first can be regarded as a milestone step.
Shu Mo rubbed his hands excitedly.
The excitement lasted only two seconds before I was brought back to reality.
If you want to build a commercial street, it is not enough to rely on Xie Qingyun alone, you also need a large number of shop assistants and merchants with special skills. But where will the manpower come from? Where do merchants come from?
Doesn't she have to look for people one by one?
Shu Mo, who had been interviewing for several days in a row, suddenly became depressed, "..."
When will she be able to hire an HR?
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