novelnext Chapter 222: Putting on a Show
Chapter 222: Putting on a Show
Chapter 222: Putting on a Show
I watched as everyone in the club froze for a split second after I introduced myself. It wasn’t the exact reaction I had been expecting, but I waited until they caught their breath before I continued.
“Some of you may be wondering, but yes, I am from the Halls Corporation that most of you should be here for tonight.”
At my declaration, a few people instantly shouted with various questions or cries of disbelief.
“A rich scion of some corp is here? You sure you’re not fucking with us?”
“Don’t be so easily fooled, guys! No way someone so high up on the ladder would come here.”
“Hey, are the rumors about your salaries and benefits true?”
Seeing the chaos, I quickly had my vocal cybernetic amplify my voice.
“Everyone!” I silenced the crowd with overwhelming volume. “I understand that you all have a lot of questions and you’re eager for answers, but I can only answer them one at a time. Please raise your hands and only speak when I call on you.”
The chatter from the surroundings quickly became soft whispers with several people raising their hands. It was likely as quiet as it could get, so I proceeded to pick one from within the audience.
“You there in the navy overalls and the red beard,” I said, pointing at a random gentleman.
“I am Randall, sir. I wanted to ask what’s been on everyone’s mind. Are the rumors true? Will your company really pay us the same amount but for less work?”
As I expected, they immediately questioned if our six-day work week with a comparable salary was true. It was our major selling point and something we had crafted after many trials and errors.
We couldn’t afford to offer significantly higher pay out of the blue. Blatantly increasing our costs in the employee salary department would be like yelling at our competitors to take advantage of it. It would encourage predatory pricing strategies, trying to force us out of their market. It was something they wouldn’t hesitate to do, because, in their viewpoint, we would be shooting ourselves in the foot and presenting ourselves on a silver platter.
That was why we had to move the benefits from just monetary salaries into our other benefits. Benefits that were a lot harder for our competitors to gauge the costs, as the details weren’t out to the public. Even if a former employee did leak them, they still wouldn’t get precise numbers, either.
For example, it was quite difficult to estimate how much the medical coverage cost when prices varied so wildly depending on connections and the capabilities of companies that could provide those services in-house.
“While I am not sure what you’ve heard, but yes, our salaries are comparable to the market rate, and we require only six workdays each week. In fact, if you take into account our other benefits, such as our comprehensive medical coverage, employee meals, and housing subsidies, you will be earning a quarter more than what most company offers!”
Excited murmurs could be heard throughout the venue as I continued on to the next person.
“Sir, my name is Cody. I am very interested in your company and have many new rumors about it. I wanted to know if it’s true that you guys have established a new deal with Astro Forge?”
“That’s correct. Despite being so new, we’re quite connected and excited to expand into Aegis and beyond. That’s why we’re so eager to hire all of you here. Our analysts forecast exponential growth within the next few years.”
This time, I tried to play up my company as much as I could. While the questions seem to stem from a curiosity about the direction our company was taking, it could also be considered a question of our strength. They wanted to know if we really did come across Astro Forge and settle our conflict in such a short time. I had to give them confidence that our company wouldn’t go under as quickly as we appeared.
The next few questions were more specific to the role of the asker, regarding if their roles would be the same, the possibility of promotions, and how we handle resettling their family into our dorms.
All those questions let me settle in, which contributed to me getting off guard when a seemingly normal middle-aged man went next.
“My name is Zackery, and my question is a two-parter. First, you said your name was Rollo Halls, and from what I’ve read, that’s the name of the CEO of the Halls Corporation. Is that you?”
“Umm, yes. There’s only one Rollo Halls in our company and it’s me.”
“I see. Then why did you decide to come here in person?”
“Yes, my superiors are very happy with the friendship we’ve established. We have your two ships prepared already, and our trainers on standby to help your men learn how to operate them.”
“Thank you for your consideration. I believe my men wanted to get started on it right away.”
“Of course. May I ask if you will be joining them?”
I ruefully smiled and shook my head.
“No, there’s another reason I’m dropping by this time. Do you think you can get me a meeting with your executives?”
He stilled for a few seconds before slowly nodding my way.
“Yes, the president of our branch can set aside some time for you today. If it’s a matter that needs the attention of someone higher, however, you’ll need to wait at least a day for a reply.”
“That’s fine. Thank Ms. Fuda for me,” I quickly replied, reading off the names from the records on my SAID.
I had met the president of the Aegis branch, Emma Fuda, during my previous visit as an ambassador of my alliance. A lot has changed since then, and our position as well. Back then, we were so insignificant that they didn’t even need to pay attention to us if not for bringing up their rival, Virtue Corporation.
Now, for some reason, their higher-ups wanted to curry favors with me. It was likely due to the presence of my guardian angel but still. I believed we had bridged a good portion of the huge gap I previously witnessed between us.
Back then, their guards like Kai seemed so out of reach in how powerful they were. Now, as he led me toward their inner sanctum, I couldn’t help but discover that I had a decent chance of taking him on after assessing his cybernetics. Nevertheless, I wasn’t stupid enough to do so, especially at close range.
Ferrumus Corp’s famed swords weren’t a joke, and one of the things I had my eyes for in the upcoming discussion.
Reining in my anticipation, we were soon led into one of the many buildings in their station. I could immediately spot the cherry blossom tree out at the center. They had built their structures centering around this pink tree, with ample windows on every floor to gaze down on its beauty.
We rode to the top floor on the elevator while I glanced down at the tree. It reminded me of the attack that I witnessed the last time I was here.
We were seated in a grand meeting room with a table so large that it could fit a hundred people around it. We only had to wait an hour before some familiar faces started showing up.
“Nice to see you again, Mr. Halls,” the woman at the lead greeted.
“Thank you for inviting me over, Ms. Fuda, Mr. Bi, and Mr. Jo,” I called out the names of the president and vice presidents of this branch.
They were all smiles as we exchanged pleasantries, except for one of them. It was Bi Sun, the man who I had previously approached with the help of the QG, Amos. He had chatted with me a bit more than anyone else here, and it appeared he was carefully appraising me the moment he came in.
That was why I wasn’t surprised when he was the first one to break away from the pleasantries, asking me a very direct question.
“So, Mr. Halls, do you mind sharing exactly why you have called for this meeting today? I don’t believe it is anything about the rental of our mining vessels, right?”
I smiled as I nodded.
“You’re correct. I wanted to speak with you all because I wanted to explore further opportunities where we can work closely together.”
“Oh, didn’t we just sign this rental agreement along with technology sharing? Is that insufficient?” Bi Sun immediately retorted.
“We did, and we got to learn how great of a partner your company is. I want to deepen our relationship further. Instead of just mining technologies, how about we work together in defense technologies as well?”
All three heads of Ferrumus Corporation’s Aegis branch immediately widened their eyes at my proposal.