As Furen approached the counter, one of the employees walked around the long, narrow table that could just as easily have been called a desk to pull out a chair, place it in front of him, and then returned to his seat, ready to greet the new customer.
Another employee, after looking up at Furen, lowered his head and went back to his work. From a distance, Furen couldn't make out what he was doing, but he guessed it was accounting or keeping the company's records.
Furen pulled the chair to the position he felt was most comfortable, then sat down. Seeing that the customer had settled down, the two employees sat down as well and, in perfectly synchronized voices, said:
"Welcome to the Kinhanston Neighborhood Life Improvement Company. What can I do for you, sir?"
This well-coordinated response made Furen smile and couldn't help asking:
"Good evening, tell me, did you learn this choral greeting in training? And... are you still open at this hour? It's after eight o'clock, after all."
The two employees exchanged a knowing look, then one of them replied with a smile:
"Ah, that's what you were talking about! Our boss is a young nobleman, a great admirer of Governor Roselle. According to him, all these... training courses, or rather, should we say "manners courses," come from the writings of the gentleman in question. As for our schedules, we work two alternating shifts: ours starts at four o'clock in the afternoon and ends at nine o'clock in the evening. This is, once again, a rule dictated by Mr. Roselle himself, whom our boss venerates."
Furen was hardly surprised. This "son of steam," as Roselle was called, had definitely imported a number of modern habits into this world, reproducing step by step the ways of life of his former era, then writing them down for others to imitate.
This new lifestyle, so different from that of millennia past, nevertheless seemed coherent. Furen thought that this "son of steam" already met almost the most difficult conditions to become the "Black Emperor." There were barely ten years left before the fall of Roselle; no doubt he had already reached Sequence 2, or even Sequence 1.
Thinking about this, Furen felt that Roselle was no longer the ridiculous figure he once seemed. In this world, he appeared to be a man who was wise, powerful, and witty, an accomplished leader. And the more he thought about it, the more Furen felt jealousy creeping up on him, to the point where he had to scold himself:
"The taste of demons isn't so pungent after all."
The two employees, seeing their customer suddenly silent and thoughtful, wondered if they had said something inappropriate. After reassuring themselves, the one who had spoken first continued politely:
"Sir, you probably didn't come to discuss this, did you? What can I do for you, then?"
Furen came to and realized he had been thinking a little too long. He quickly replied, "Ah, excuse me, I was distracted. Yes, I am looking to hire one or two servants to clean my house and wash my clothes."
The employee immediately replied:
"Very well, sir. Do you have any special requirements? We will show you some files now."
With that, he exchanged a look with his colleague, who walked over to the cabinet behind him to pull out several rolls of ledgers.
Furen leaned back in his chair, thought for a moment, then explained:
"I'm not looking for live-in servants. On the contrary, I prefer them not to live in my house. I would like them to come at specific times to do the cleaning and laundry."
He paused briefly, then added:
"I want honest servants who don't do anything suspicious for their employer. Above all, no priors. If one of them were to cause problems, I wouldn't hesitate to have them arrested and take action against your company. And I'll make it clear which rooms in the house are off-limits to them."
The receptionist replied with a confident smile:
"Rest assured, sir. Our employer would never allow people of questionable moral character to register here. Our servants are among the most respectable in the Kinghanston district. What you describe corresponds to the temporary workers: they work in two or three homes a day. We will faithfully convey your requirements to them."
As she spoke, her colleague brought in three large ledgers, sat down at the counter, pulled out some forms, and began to prepare them. The receptionist added:
"Sir, we have many servants who meet your criteria. Could you elaborate on your preferences?"
Furen, who had noticed that one of them dealt mainly with clients while the other handled the paperwork, replied: "I want serious and honest young women, without a troubled past, incapable of theft or misconduct."
"Very well, sir, I understand. Your criteria are reasonable, and several servants fit them. Let me show you... here are some of these profiles."
She turned several pages and showed Furen the corresponding cards. What surprised him was that each one contained two photographs: one full-length and one of her face without makeup. Furen could easily guess each candidate's social background.
He understood the advantages of such a procedure, but could not help but murmur to himself:
"Typical of Intis... even more "open" than Earth! Even to recruit a maid, we have realistic photos taken, with a full-frontal portrait, no less!"
However, he had to admit that "the eyes are the window to the soul," and these images were invaluable in judging a person's sincerity. The owner of this company must have been someone of means; cameras cost a fortune, and many people hated being photographed. This agency in the Kinghanston district was definitely of a higher standard.
Furen carefully examined the files and sorted them out.
He crossed out candidates who seemed too poor, fearing that prolonged poverty would lead them to steal. He didn't yet know his own villa well; if something went missing, he might not even notice.
He also excluded women who were too pretty or too ugly: the former, he thought, might not be serious, and the latter, well... he hardly saw any, to tell the truth. The tasks to be performed were simple, no need for beauty or notorious disgrace.
So, after a careful selection, Furen selected three young women who met his criteria.
(End of chapter)