ad-fusion Chapter 122 : Chapter 122
Chapter 122 : Chapter 122
Chapter 122. Christine
This was Logaris’s style.
No nonsense—straight to the point.
Over the next half hour, more than half of the students who had thought they could coast through were eliminated. The remaining ones not only did not retreat, but their eyes grew brighter and brighter.
They were all smart.
The harder the interview, the higher the value of the project.
Aaron was bustling around at full speed, collecting contracts while maintaining order. Looking at the increasingly thick stack of contracts in his hands, his grin nearly reached his ears.
These were all excellent seedlings! In the capital’s rigid, seniority-based environment, they would never have had a chance to stand out. Now they had all been tricked—no, attracted—to the Northern Territory.
Just then,
a sarcastic voice suddenly cut in.
“Well, well, isn’t this Professor Logaris? What is it? Has a dignified tenured professor fallen so low that he has to go to some backwater and act like a construction foreman?”
The crowd stirred.
A middle-aged, overweight man in a Violet Chamber of Commerce uniform pushed his way in. He was a senior headhunter of the chamber, someone who usually strutted arrogantly around the academy.
The fat man glanced disdainfully at the contracts on Aaron’s table.
“Students, you had better think carefully. That Northern Territory is nothing but snow and rocks. Professor Logaris may be impressive, but can he conjure gold coins for you? By the time you work there for a year, you might not even have enough money for the journey home.”
Quite a few students in line hesitated. After all, ideals could not fill one’s stomach—everyone needed to make a living.
Logaris stopped writing.
He slowly raised his head and looked at the greasy-faced man, suddenly smiling.
The smile was faint, yet it sent a chill down the fat man’s spine.
“Aaron.”
“Yes!”
“Since someone is worried that we cannot pay salaries…”
Logaris pointed at the two large suitcases beneath the table that had remained unopened the entire time.
“Then let them see the sincerity of the Northern Territory.”
“Got it!”
Aaron had been waiting for this moment.
He flipped open the suitcase with force, even deliberately overturning it.
Clatter—!
The crisp, melodious sound was like the most beautiful music in the world.
Countless golden Golden Lion Coins poured out like a waterfall, piling up into a dazzling mound of gold on the table. Many even rolled onto the ground, producing clear, ringing chimes.
At that moment,
the winter sunlight reflected off the coins, the brilliance nearly blinding everyone present.
The fat headhunter’s mouth hung wide open, his jaw almost dropping to his feet.
“A starting monthly salary of one thousand Golden Lion Coins per person.”
Leaning back in his chair, Logaris adjusted his glasses. His tone remained calm, yet it carried an undeniable arrogance.
“Sign on the spot, and you will receive six months’ salary in advance. There is also a relocation allowance.”
He looked at the visibly embarrassed fat man, the corner of his lips slightly raised.
“The Violet Chamber of Commerce is wealthy, is it not? Why not ask your chairman whether he is willing to spend this much cash to support a group of freshly graduated students?”
The fat man fell silent. He did not dare to speak.
Meanwhile, the students present erupted completely.
If earlier it had been about academic pursuit, now it was about achieving financial freedom.
After all, a two-story villa within the capital’s inner districts only cost around ten thousand Golden Lion Coins!
“Professor! Sign me! I can endure hardship! I have slept on the laboratory floor for a whole month!”
“Professor! I can repair mana furnaces! I am a professional!”
“Professor, pick me! I can even guard the gate for you!”
…
The chaos continued for an entire morning.
Logaris’s table was piled high with resumes. However, he did not accept them all—he was selecting.
Skill was one aspect, but he valued personality even more.
He preferred those who were not bound by the present or by authority—those capable of innovation and development.
“Next.”
Aaron shook his sore wrist as he prepared to stuff the last—and heaviest—contract into the box. At that moment, a slightly timid yet clear voice sounded in front of the table.
“Um… is it still possible to apply now?”
Aaron looked up.
Standing before him was a petite girl. She wore a worn-out mage robe that had been washed to a pale color, the cuffs frayed at the edges. In her arms, she tightly held several thick magitech notebooks, as heavy as bricks.
Though her clothing was shabby, her appearance was pleasant.
She was not a stunning beauty, but her light brown eyes were especially bright, carrying the resilience of someone who had spent countless nights working in the laboratory.
Among the students who had yet to disperse, someone whispered in surprise.
“Is that Christine?”
“The commoner genius from the magitech engineering department who received a full scholarship?”
“I heard that the ‘low-energy mana valve’ she developed recently is quite impressive. Even the Tulip Chamber of Commerce wanted her—why is she here?”
Logaris had originally been resting with his eyes closed. Upon hearing the name, his eyelids lifted slightly.
He reached out and took the resume she handed over.
He glanced at it.
Hm, very clean. Aside from the striking A+ transcript, there was a long list of part-time jobs—librarian, laboratory cleaner, cafeteria assistant…
“Christine.”
Logaris spoke her name, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. “I remember you.”
The girl froze for a moment, and then her tense face suddenly blossomed into an extraordinarily radiant smile.
“You actually remember!”
She became a little incoherent, her hands twisting the hem of her robe.
“Two years ago, my advisor… that dismissed Associate Professor Karl—he wanted to put my project under his own name.”
“If you had not passed by the laboratory, looked at my data, and immediately pointed out the logical flaw in his derivation, scolding him mercilessly…”
Christine sniffed lightly. Her eyes reddened, but her smile remained.
“My results would definitely not have been preserved. Later, when you became the department head, the first thing you did was crack down on academic plagiarism. You may have done it casually, but to me…”
“That is enough.”
Logaris interrupted her. His expression showed no emotional fluctuation, but his tapping on the table stopped.
“I dealt with that fool because his derivation was so flawed it made me sick. It was an insult to magitech. As for helping you, that was merely incidental.”
He picked up his pen and signed his name boldly on the contract, then pushed the sheet—worth a fortune—toward her.
“Since you have a capable mind, do not waste it on those filthy schemes and intrigues.”
Christine nodded vigorously, receiving the contract with both hands as if it were a priceless treasure.
“Thank you, Professor!”
Watching the girl skip away, Aaron sighed as he tidied the table.
“Professor, your personal charm is something else. That girl looks like the type who would devote herself to you completely.”
“Enough nonsense.”
Logaris stood up and adjusted the collar of his coat. “Pack up. This whole day has been more exhausting than calculating data in the laboratory for an entire day.”