"Are you sure you want to buy this?" the realtor asked incredulously, looking at the dilapidated shack. "There are a few more apartments for sale in Bo. They'll be a little more expensive, but..."
"That's unnecessary," interrupted a young man named Shu Bao, smiling broadly. "I'm sure this house will be my best investment."
The realtor choked, but with a tremendous effort of will, he held back his sarcastic comment. He wouldn't earn much commission here, but a client is a client, and making fun of him would be unprofessional.
The world has gone mad.
Or has Alexander gone crazy?
Something of this definitely happened, because when he woke up one morning, he didn't recognize the world around him.
Science as he remembered it was gone; in its place, people used magic! Planes, trains, even refrigerators—all the technology now ran on magical energy.
People no longer kill each other in endless wars. The dream of billions from the past has come true! Now they helplessly hide from monsters behind city barriers, but these are minor details.
The new reality was painfully reminiscent of a novella he had read a long time ago.
Magic? Other worlds? Transmigration?
"Okay," thought Alexander after a short (several days) hysteria.
His father always said that one should accept the world exactly as it is. Getting angry because reality contradicts one's expectations is a waste of time and energy.
(If Alexander's father, a businessman from a criminal town, were here, he would say: "What the hell, magic? I meant corruption!" But whose fault is it that children sometimes take lessons too literally?)
Shu Bao, 16, an orphan, easily accepted his new identity, as if he had changed his clothes.
The next step, as befits a hereditary entrepreneur, Shu Bao began to think about start-up capital.
The city of Bo, early June, early morning.
"Investments sometimes don't go as planned. You realize this especially well when you have to look for a job," Shu Bao came to this wise thought on his way to the local library.
And how well it all started...
Having moved into the body of a Chinese boy shortly after the death of his "parents," he inherited 150,000 yuan, a decent sum by non-magician standards, and even an apartment in Qingsheng, an ordinary, medium-sized town like Bo.
The apartment was sold for two hundred thousand, bringing the sum to an incredible 350,000 for his age.
But the money went away as quickly as it came.
The young man sighed sadly.
"For a better future."
Except for the broken shack in Bo and the associated moving expenses, all of Shu Bao's funds were invested in magic.
"Invested in magic" is putting it mildly. In fact, he handed them over to some official, and A's and A+'s in all subjects appeared on his report card.
All because he moved there at an unfortunate time—just a week before an important exam that determines which schoolchildren will receive state funding for magical development. Awakening, three years at a magical school, and several years at the institute cost him many times more than he invested.
Lost in his thoughts, Shu Bao soon reached his destination.
The library was unimpressive. An old two-story building with peeling paint and a flowerbed of withered flowers—the typical appearance of a public institution.
In smaller cities, when the administration suddenly has some cash, local authorities open these buildings every month with great fanfare. Then the money runs out, and the buildings sit unmaintained for decades, gradually losing their former beauty.
"Knock, knock, knock," the young man knocked on the locked door.
"Good morning."
Nobody answered.
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Is anyone alive?"
Silence again.
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Please open up."
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Knock, knock, knock."
The guy was already thinking about giving it a good kick when a muffled growl was heard from the second floor, followed by slow, heavy steps.
The lock creaked, and a sleepy old man with an extremely dissatisfied face appeared before Shu Bao.
"The library opens at nine, kid," he said rudely, but didn't close the door, gesturing for the young man to come inside.
Shu Bao followed the old man inside. Looking around the building, he confirmed his earlier conclusions: large sums of money hadn't been seen here for a long time.
Old books, worn floors, dim lamps...
"Perfect," thought Shu Bao. No one would want to work in a place like this for such a paltry salary. He only needed money for food until his magic started paying off.
There were vacancies with more attractive numbers, but the library had a very significant advantage.
Shu Bao glanced toward the far corner. There, on some cheap school desks, sat four bulky boxes, reminiscent of old televisions.
"How may I address you?" he asked the old man politely.
"My last name is Luo. Your library card?"
The young man smiled awkwardly:
"Mr. Luo, I'm here about a job. I know the advert required a higher education, but I didn't notice the line of applicants. I can assure you I'll do just as well."
Old Man Luo frowned. He was silent for a moment, thinking about something, then asked:
"Do you know anything about computers?"
"I got an A+ in Information and Magical Technologies," Shu Bao responded instantly. "I'm on first-name terms with computers."
"Very good," the old man rejoiced, "can you make it so that I can tell by the title of the book whether I have it or not?"
The young man secretly rejoiced: "An extremely easy task that almost anyone from the world of technology can handle!"
But he didn't show it and, frowning, said:
"It's not an easy task. Forgive my bluntness, but the offered salary doesn't match it by a factor of forty. Luckily, I've done something similar before and will take it on for just twenty thousand yuan."
"Twenty thousand!" the librarian said indignantly. "Why don't you rob me right away?"
"You won't find it cheaper. You literally have to take every book here and enter it into the system one by one. Can you imagine what a hassle that is? Not to mention the technical side of things."
The old man fell silent.
There was logic in the guy's words. Even simple actions like picking up a stack of books from a shelf, carrying them to a computer, and then returning them would wear anyone out if repeated over and over again. But the price still didn't seem fair.
Having roughly guessed his interlocutor's thoughts, Shu Bao added:
"Do you have living quarters upstairs? I'll take fourteen if you give me a room before the school year starts. I'll get there faster, and I won't have to waste time on commuting."
The librarian brightened. Fourteen was still too much, but the young man had shown a willingness to be flexible, meaning they could come to an agreement.
"The city administration is unlikely to allocate more than five. But I can offer free meals, what do you say?" he asked cautiously.
"Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Healthy food, but high enough for a young man like me. Five thousand, two of which in advance. Deal?"
"Shake on it," the librarian readily agreed.
Shu Bao mentally congratulated himself on his successful employment. Although, come to think of it, it seemed more like a service contract? Oh, never mind.
"By the way, can I use the computer for personal needs?"
"Of course, young man. Take the books too."