Kael let out a short breath.
"Interesting."
It felt like stepping back into his old life. Employment contracts. Administration. A system that was cold, orderly, and precise.
But the bottom of the document made his brows knit together.
There was no signature line.
Instead, space reserved for blood essence.
Kael handed the paper to Xue Ying.
"Place a drop of your blood here," he said, pointing to the marked section.
Xue Ying accepted the paper hesitantly.
Her fingertips brushed against the white surface. It felt warm, not like ordinary paper. She lowered her head and read carefully, line by line, as if afraid of missing something.
"An employment invitation…" she murmured.
Her eyes moved downward until they reached the end. No place to sign. Only an empty space etched with an unfamiliar symbol that somehow felt… important.
Xue Ying looked up.
She glanced at her parents.
Her father and mother exchanged a brief look. No lengthy discussion. No words. Just a small nod... slow, but firm.
Trust.
Xue Ying took a breath and looked back at Kael.
"Boss," she asked cautiously. Her hand hovered near her mouth, ready to bite her fingertip. "Is this safe?"
Kael nodded casually.
"One hundred percent."
Short. Certain.
That was enough.
Xue Ying bit down on her fingertip.
A sharp sting spread through her finger, making her wince. A strained smile crossed her face before a drop of blood fell onto the paper.
The moment the blood touched the invitation...
Light exploded.
The paper flared brightly, slipping from Xue Ying's hand and floating in midair between them. The air trembled faintly. The sheet rolled itself up neatly, then bound itself with a deep crimson ribbon.
In an instant...
It vanished.
Without leaving a trace.
Xue Ying's family froze.
Their eyes widened, breaths caught in their throats. Her mother reflexively pulled Xue Ying into a tight embrace, while her father stood rigid, unsure whether what he had just seen was real or an illusion.
Kael fell silent as well.
But not because he was impressed.
System notifications began flashing rapidly in front of him.
[ New Employee Recruited: Xue Ying ]
[ Talent Classification: S ]
[ Achievement Unlocked: First Employee ]
Reward: Canteen Facility
[ Achievement Unlocked: First S-Rank Employee ]
Reward: Factory Blueprint
[ Please proceed to the interview room ]
"What…?"
Kael suppressed the urge to speak out loud.
"A factory blueprint?"
That meant he could build more than one.
And the canteen...
He nearly laughed.
That was no small reward. In the long run, a facility like that meant efficiency, loyalty, and workforce stability.
It took considerable effort to keep the satisfaction from showing on his face.
All rewards were automatically stored in the system inventory, neatly locked away in the system warehouse.
"Boss?" Xue Ying's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "What was that just now?"
Kael looked at her, brows slightly furrowed.
"It means you're hired," he replied casually.
Achievements like that only triggered once.
Only for first-time conditions.
Which meant he would need to use them carefully in the future.
As for the final notification, the interview... Kael glanced toward the glass-walled room to the right.
"Already an employee, but still needs an interview?" he muttered.
Strange.
Still, Kael had no intention of challenging the system right now.
He turned to Xue Ying's father.
"You're next," he said, pointing at the chair. "Please, have a seat."
Xue Ying stepped aside to make room for her father.
The process was quick.
Simple questions. Short answers. No confusion. No rejection.
When the blood essence touched the invitation, light flared again... softer, calmer this time.
The final notification appeared.
[ New Employee Recruited: Xue Liang ]
[ Talent Classification: C ]
[ Achievement Unlocked: First C-Rank Employee ]
Reward: Food Processing Unit
The corner of Kael's lips lifted.
Not a wide smile, more like the reflex of someone who had just seen profits spike in a financial report.
A hundred coins?
He almost scoffed.
Even a thousand wouldn't have been a problem.
His gaze drifted as he imagined a stable bread production line. Flour in. Even heat. Consistent output. Food... the most fundamental commodity. The safest. And the most profitable.
He turned back to Xue Ying's father.
"Welcome," he said simply, his tone light, almost too light for the situation.
The middle-aged man straightened at once. He bowed slightly, his movements tidy and respectful.
"I'm the one who should be grateful, Boss," he said sincerely.
Then he stepped aside and pulled out a chair for his wife.
Kael repeated the same procedure.
Brief questions.
No small talk.
The machine printed the invitation with a soft mechanical hum.
Xue Ying's mother stared at the paper for a moment before signing it, her hand trembling slightly, but without hesitation.
A notification appeared.
[ New Employee Recruited: Xue Lan ]
[ Talent Classification: C ]
[ Please proceed to the interview room ]
Kael opened his mouth to say thank you...
But another panel appeared, cutting him off.
[ Sub Mission: Recruit 3 Workers – Completed ]
[ Reward Acquired: Item – Standard Factory Uniform (x5) ]
Kael let out a soft chuckle.
He stared at the panel a few seconds longer than necessary, as if confirming the system wasn't joking.
Not just a factory, he thought.
This… is an organization.
Only after the panel vanished did he look back at Xue Lan.
"Thank you," he said simply.
The reward left an odd sensation in his chest. At first, he had thought this system was merely a production tool... cold, mechanical, quantifiable. But the further he went, the clearer it became that this factory was designed to grow. To form structure. Hierarchy. Loyalty.
An old question resurfaced.
What is the factory's true purpose?
And why was I chosen?
The curiosity lingered, but Kael didn't rush. Waiting was nothing new to him. Information, sooner or later, always came with a price.
In a noticeably improved mood, he headed toward the glass-walled room nearby.
He gave a short gesture.
"One at a time."
Inside the interview room, the atmosphere contrasted sharply with the factory floor.
A white table stood at the center. Two chairs faced each other. On the table, a flat monitor glowed faintly. Beside it, a small box-shaped machine, silent yet unmistakably… active.
An explanation panel appeared.
[ Monitor: Job Assignment ]
[ Machine: Identity Card Printer ]
Kael understood their functions at a glance.
He sat down.
"Please," he said, pointing to the chair across from him.
Xue Ying stepped forward and sat. Her back was straight, hands resting neatly on her lap... tense, but ready.
Kael turned his attention to the monitor.
[ Job Assignment ]
Interview in Progress: Xue Ying – S
Position: Staff I
Departments:
– Resource Division
– Production Division
– Sales Division (in progress)
Available Positions:
– Farmland Operator
– Bread Processing Operator