?Ning cooked up a feast in the large and spacious backyard that night, asking folks from all the surrounding houses to come grab a bite.
Lady Laila was more than helpful in everything. She was happier about the entire thing than even Ning or Emma herself.
Hadden sat to the side eating, where the light ended and shadow began. In the shadows, Umbra stayed with her two children, enjoying the feast as well.
People came one by one, slowly causing a festive atmosphere to form around the backyard. When they learned why the feast was, they all came to Emma to congratulate her.
Many talked to Ning as well, trying to discern what their new neighbor was like. Learning that he was a converter made them give sad smiles toward him, almost as if they didn't think he would last very long.
A few kids noticed Umbra at some point, but it was very quickly that Ning managed to tell them that it was safe. With how many beasts there were in Ulharis City, none of the people were particularly afraid afterward.
Emma even led some kids to play with Umbra, and after a while, they were all acclimated to her being there.
Laila introduced him to Juna's parents. Even though they were right next door, Ning hadn't had the opportunity to talk with them. After talking to the general store couple, he moved on to other people.
Some were tailors, and some were butchers. One man even worked in selling fine jewelry.
One girl came to him after a while, belonging to one of the houses on the opposite side of theirs. She hesitated about what she wanted to say for a while before coming out with it.
"Are you hiring?" the girl asked.
She was about the same age as Juna, maybe a few years older. Her sharp blue eyes were visible even in the firelight that mostly lighted up the area around Ning.
"Hiring?" Ning asked in surprise. "Umm… no, not really."
"Are you sure?" the girl asked.
Ning scratched his head a little. "I'm gonna be honest," he said. "I renovated the shop nearly a week ago, and in that time, only 3 people have come, none of whom have bought anything."
"I do plan on hiring a staff or two in due time, but as it is now, I cannot afford to," Ning said.
"I can do whatever you need to. Even if you want me to sweep the floor, talk to customers. I'm an excellent saleswoman too," the girl added.
"I'm sorry, but you'll have to use your skills elsewhere."
"There is nowhere else that will take my skills. The four shops have taken in every good Converter they can get their hands on, and due to that, I'm forced to stay jobless," the girl said.
Ning paused for a moment. He took in the girl with his eyes first, and then his senses. She was someone in the Essence Manifestation realm, which surprised him to find out.
"You're a Converter?" he asked her.
"Yes," the girl nodded. "Was that not obvious?"
"You never mentioned when you asked for a job," Ning said. "How was I supposed to know?"
"Because I'm joining a weapons shop."
"Yes, but there are many things to do in a weapons shop," Ning answered.
"Oh… right, my bad," the girl said, realizing her mistake. "Does that mean you're hiring?"
"Still no," Ning said. "Same reasoning too. Why don't you just join one of the four shops? You don't have to be like me, to work individually."
"I can't," the girl said, shaking her head. "They have tests to see how good your skills are, and I've never passed them. I fear I may never."
"They have tests?" Ning asked, failing to hide his surprise. "They told me to join them without any sort of tests."
"You probably caught their eyes or something," the girl answered. "The rest of us have to take tests, and can only join them once we are successful. I am not exactly bad when it comes to converting, but those people require me to turn the items into shapes that make them look unique and appealing to the eyes. I failed during that."
"I see," Ning said. "I hope you find a job soon enough."
The girl nodded rather sadly and turned to leave. Before she did, however, she looked at Ning once more and said something.
"What if the reason you haven't sold anything is because you don't have a good salesperson? Try paying me for the first month or two, and see if I end up being an investment," the girl said. The girl was trying to sell herself.
To Ning's surprise, he did feel like hiring her. At least, he needed someone to look after the shop while he was away, and Hadden for sure wasn't going to be the one to do so.
He rubbed his bare chin in thought and asked, "How much will you be willing to take for the first month?"
The girl's eyes widened. She slammed her chest with a thump. "I'm confident enough that I will be happy with 5% of all sales during the first month. Is that okay with you?" she asked. "We can renegotiate the salary once the month is over."
Ning was impressed. "Alright, you're hired," he said. "Come to the shop around 7 in the morning tomorrow. I'll show you things then."
The girl's eyes brightened with delight. "Thank you so much, uhh…" she paused. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"Ning," Ning quickly answered. "And I didn't catch yours either"
"Rova," the girl said. "The name is Rova. I live in that house over there."
Ning nodded.
"Thank you for the job," she said excitedly. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ning. Uh, I should call you boss now."
"Call me whatever you find comfortable," Ning said.
"Sure, boss!"
Then she walked away.
The feast lasted for another hour. People danced and sang as everyone was together. And as the night cold came creeping in, they left one by one until the feast was no longer.
