Chapter 159: The First Club Member (Additional Chapter)

Andy sensed that this person had harbored unclear motives from the very beginning, and moreover, those motives were somehow tied to Catherine. Consequently, he maintained a deep sense of caution toward this so-called Nicole.

However, he realized that simply rejecting Nicole's application might lead to complications; who knew what new schemes she might cook up if she failed to join the club? Andy concluded that it would be best to keep her close at hand, monitoring her every move while probing for her true intentions.

With this thought in mind, Andy's expression did not soften; instead, it grew even colder. He figured that abruptly changing his tune and readily approving her application might arouse suspicion. It would be much better to let her feel that gaining admission was the result of her own hard work, which would make the entire affair proceed much more naturally.

He invited the girl to take a seat, poured a cup of tea for both of them, and then—imitating the human resources interviewers from his past life—began questioning her while taking sips of tea.

He started by asking about her special skills, emphasizing that his club had extremely high standards for recruitment.

The girl solemnly introduced herself, stating that she had received a formal aristocratic education since childhood, attaining considerable proficiency in poetry, painting, music, and literature. Furthermore, she had been intensively cultivated by the Barov family and was currently an elite student in the inner circle of Grimm Academy, having already crossed the threshold of bronze to become a full-fledged wizard, with a particular specialization in medical sorcery. As for secondary occupations, she specialized in runology and was already capable of crafting rune equipment usable by silver-rank wizards, though she also dabbled in magic arrays, potions, and alchemy...

"Alright, alright, you don't need to say anymore!" Andy hurriedly interrupted her recitation, suspecting that the girl was indulging in a thinly veiled display of superiority just to show off. Nonetheless, assuming a faux-profound demeanor, he said, "Well, your qualifications seem decent enough, but are these just ordinary skills? Do you have anything special, like some sort of cheat system?"

Andy asked this out of sheer frustration from feeling overshadowed. Such a question was actually rather impolite, as it touched upon a wizard's core privacy. He regretted asking the moment the words left his mouth, and thus he hadn't expected any answer at all.

Upon hearing Andy's words, the girl's expression dimmed momentarily, but she quickly rallied. With a somewhat hurried tone, she declared, "Although I don't have a cheat system, I know how to give massages, I can warm the bed, and I am proficient in all kinds of cat food..."

"Cough, cough, cough..." Andy suddenly broke into a violent fit of coughing as a mouthful of tea went down his windpipe.

Once he finally recovered, he glossed over the first half of her sentence and instead questioned her about her proficiency in cat food. Mentioning that he had previously heard she liked keeping cats, he asked why she held such an affection for felines.

Having said that, Andy fixed his gaze intently on the girl's expression.

The girl's eyes darted about evasively, blinking incessantly. Finally, just as Andy's patience was wearing thin, she spoke.

She said she believed cats were the cutest creatures in the world, possessing an innate elegance, a soothing demeanor, and extraordinary spirituality. More importantly, they showed a deep reliance and closeness to humans. In the process of raising cats, she found immense joy because feline personalities alternated between aloof, goofy, and endrably dazed...

As the girl spoke, Andy broke into an understanding smile, but suddenly catching himself, he straightened his expression and continued listening to her rambling pitch.

The girl launched into another lengthy discourse, the core theme of which was that she had adored cats since childhood and possessed extensive experience in caring for them. If anyone happened to own cats they couldn't manage, handing them over to her was a foolproof choice, and those cats would enjoy princess-level treatment under her care.

Andy felt he had finally caught a glimpse of her true colors. He resolved to keep a tight leash on her hereafter and ensure under no circumstances that she came into contact with Catherine.

Waving his hand to cut her off, he stated that he had a fairly good understanding of her now and that she could return and wait for news.

He had already decided to send word via the courier club tomorrow instructing her to report for duty. The only reason he wasn't accepting her on the spot was because Andy wanted to play hardball for a bit longer, preventing the girl from seeing through his genuine intentions.

To his surprise, upon hearing this, the girl grew rather anxious. She hurriedly told Andy that accepting her into the club came with numerous benefits. For instance, a club like the Azure Phoenix Society, which had been established for over a century, was eligible to apply for national intangible cultural heritage status. Once approved, it would secure a substantial national funding subsidy. If this matter were entrusted to her, she could get it sorted out within three days.

Andy thought to himself, "I never expected a club with a pedigree of traitors to be eligible for national subsidies!"

Nevertheless, he remained extremely curious about the exact sum of the subsidy and inquired about it.

The girl held up a slender, fair finger.

Andy guessed, "Ten thousand magic stones? Well, that's not bad either!"

The girl shook her head, telling Andy it wasn't ten thousand, but one thousand—and the unit wasn't magic stones, but magic crystals!

Andy had indeed heard that magic crystals were higher-grade magical polymers condensed through magic arrays from magic stones. The utility of a single magic crystal was nearly a thousand times that of a magic stone. The market exchange rate between magic stones and magic crystals was one thousand to one. Calculated this way, one thousand magic crystals were equivalent to a million magic stones. This was a staggering fortune Andy had never laid eyes on before!

Hearing this, Andy dropped his pretense immediately, approved the girl's club membership on the spot, and promised that if she successfully secured this national subsidy, she would receive a thirty percent cut once the funds were collected.

Noticing that the girl seemed utterly unimpressed by the offered share, he remembered her background and understood her indifference. Still, Andy considered himself a principled person; since someone was working for him, he couldn't leave her unrewarded. In fact, Andy felt thirty percent was still a bit too low, and had he not suspected her of harboring ulterior motives, he would have offered her fifty percent. After all, without the girl's connections, Andy reckoned he wouldn't be able to secure a single magic stone on his own.

After completing the membership formalities for the girl, Andy gathered a stack of documents regarding the Azure Phoenix Society and handed them to her. He personally filled out an application form and gave it to her so she could initiate the subsidy process.

When the girl headed out, Andy walked her all the way to the door. Just as he turned around, preparing to head back into the club headquarters, he suddenly heard a clear, sharp shout from behind him:

"Bill William!"

Puzzled, Andy turned his head around. With a bewildered expression, he asked the girl why she was shouting such a name.

With a desolate look, the girl said it was nothing. Recently, she had been searching for a long-lost relative, and upon seeing the club president's back from behind, she thought it looked similar and couldn't help but cry out. She then asked if Andy knew anyone by that name.

As soon as she mentioned it, Andy recalled that she indeed had been searching for someone named Bill William recently, even going so far as to post an astronomical reward.

Though Andy desperately wanted to claim that bounty, he truly didn't know the person. After conveying this fact to the girl, Andy clearly sensed her profound disappointment.

After sending the girl off, Andy muttered to himself, "I don't know any Bill William, but I do happen to know a Bill Armstrong..."