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Chapter 56: Aunt Mei's Doubts

Three days later, at Vientiane Book Cafe.

The sun shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the book cafe, casting warm rays on Lockhart and the three delicate-looking ladies. Today, Lockhart was preparing to interview managers for the book cafe.

Lockhart sat at his desk, looking up at the three ladies standing in front of him. His eyes twitched as he recalled the resume information that came to mind:"Name: Emily Johnson, age 29, master's degree in librarianship""Name: Windsor Nicole, age 28, master's degree in hotel management""Name: May Parker, age 35, MBA"

He had selected these three out of the 56 resumes he felt had good qualifications and asked them to come to his book cafe for the final interview.

Lockhart looked at Natasha, the Black Widow, on the left, with her fiery red hair, dressed very intellectually. Then he looked at Sharon Carter in the middle, who had blond hair, a slim figure, and looked neat and tidy in a formal suit. He couldn't help but want to complain about S.H.I.E.L.D.

He was just recruiting a store manager to manage his cafe, and out of 56 resumes, he had selected three, and two of them were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Tsk tsk tsk! S.H.I.E.L.D. had already thought of a plan to keep monitoring him.

But fortunately, there was still one person who wasn't from S.H.I.E.L.D. However, Lockhart looked at the other person's jet-black hair, tall stature, and somewhat familiar face. The desire to complain arose again. He just wanted to recruit a store manager, so why did he also recruit Spiderman's Aunt May?

But never mind. In short, he just wanted to find some ordinary people to manage the store. After the trial period, the clerk would be asked to leave. The Vientiane Book Cafe in the back, which was his territory, had to be run by a wizard or a sorcerer to be more reliable. Ordinary people were just tools for the transition ahead.

Thinking of this, Lockhart didn't want to bother anymore. Facing the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in front of him who claimed to be Emily Johnson and Windsor Nicole, Lockhart said indifferently, "Miss Emily Johnson, Miss Windsor Nicole, there is no need for interviews anymore. I already have a suitable candidate in mind. Thank you for coming."

Natasha heard what Lockhart said, her expression was a little surprised, and she quickly asked, "Mr. Lockhart, my qualifications should be acceptable. What is the problem?"

Sharon Carter, who was next to her, also quickly said, "Yes, Mr. Lockhart, give me another chance. I will definitely cherish this job and be serious and responsible. I have experience from Kelly's Hotel."

Lockhart listened impatiently as Sharon Carter continued to introduce herself. He reached down and interrupted her, "You two, I know your situation very well. There is no need to introduce yourselves. Please tell Coulson that this is the last time I humor his action."

Hearing this, Aunt May's face next to them was full of doubts, as if she didn't quite understand what her future boss meant. But Sharon Carter and Natasha smiled awkwardly. The two looked at each other without saying anything. They took the resumes in their hands and turned around to leave the Vientiane Book Cafe with somewhat hasty steps.

"Damn it, how can their identities leak so easily? Also, who is the other party? Why didn't the Bureau give them a detailed introduction and just asked them to come over and lurk?" Natasha thought.

Lockhart looked at the two leaving and nodded slightly. He didn't want to continue the act. If these three people were driven away and replaced with others, S.H.I.E.L.D. might keep sending agents. He might as well settle it quickly.

In short, Lockhart knew May's identity, so there wasn't too much trouble. Well, except for the Spiderman. However, he was quite interested in the mutation of Spiderman and wondered if it could be artificially copied.

With his thoughts turning, Lockhart explained to May, who was looking confused next to him, "The two people just now have some special identities, so you are the only candidate. Ms. May, is there anything else you need from this position? If there are no problems, you can go through the hiring procedures."

Hearing this, May was stunned. A look of joy flashed on her face, but she hesitated a little, hesitated for a while, and then spoke, "Mr. Lockhart, I am very satisfied with this job. However, there is one thing I need to tell you in advance."

Hearing this, Lockhart nodded and motioned for May to continue.

"I have a nephew who comes back from school every day. I have to rush home to cook, so I may not be able to work overtime for long periods."

Then, May promised in a somewhat hasty tone, "But don't worry, Mr. Lockhart, I will take this job seriously and responsibly, and I promise not to delay my work."

Hearing this, Lockhart nodded slightly and said gently, "As for overtime, I don't require it. Later, you will be responsible for recruiting store clerks to jointly operate the book cafe. As for your own issues, you should make arrangements in advance. As long as there are no major mistakes, I will agree to it."

A qualified boss focuses on three things: developing a strategy, building a team, and finding resources. He had planned the future development of the book cafe, found May, the store manager for the transitional period, and had the final resources at hand. Therefore, the rest must be left to employees to understand, think, solve, and implement by themselves.

Don't take too much care or interfere too much, which may lead to unnecessary problems. When an employee's problems arise, they should solve them themselves if they can. If it doesn't work, lay off employees and replace them with better and more suitable ones. As long as there are no mistakes in the strategy set by the boss and there is an efficient supervision mechanism, everything will run smoothly.

Although it may seem a bit cold, it can undoubtedly ensure the good operation of a company. Lockhart understood this truth in his previous life.

Meanwhile, at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, in Coulson's office...

"Coulson, the book cafe owner named Lockhart refused my employment. I'm a little curious now, who is he, and why did you give me such little information?" Natasha complained.

Regarding Natasha's complaint, Coulson expressed his helplessness. "The director ordered Lockhart's identity to be kept secret for the time being. If you want to know, you need to ask the director for authorization."

Hearing this, Natasha had a bright smile on her face, took out her mobile phone, found a chair, and sat down, waiting quietly.

After a while, her phone rang. Natasha picked up the phone, showed it to Coulson, and said slowly, "Can you tell me now?"

Coulson looked at the text message on her phone, thought about it, and spoke, "Natasha, the following information is not allowed to be leaked. It is a Level 10 secret of S.H.I.E.L.D. and needs to be kept strictly confidential."

Watching Natasha nod, Coulson continued, "The target person this time is Gilderoy Lockhart, title: Wizard Professor."

"First appeared in..."

Chapter 57: May is Ready to Show Off Her Skills

Vientiane Book Cafe.

Inside the book cafe, a woman in formal clothes was supervising the work of the clerks. From time to time, she pointed to certain places and corners, speaking loudly and with authority.

"Chris, clean up carefully. I just saw a paper ball in the corner. Pay attention. Don't miss those blind corners. Today is the first day of the book cafe's new opening. We can't make any mistakes."

"Okay, May, I'll check again."

"Irina, please check the supply of coffee, milk, water, tea, etc."

"May, don't worry, everything is fine."

"Alice, you must smile more. The first thing customers see when they enter the store is you. You have a cold face, which is not good."

"Okay, May, do you think it looks good when I smile like this?" Alice, who had a delicate face, deliberately smiled charmingly at May, who was supervising the work of the clerks.

After seeing it, May pretended to be serious and said, "It looks good, but it's working time now. Give me a good laugh after you get off work."

May Parker, also known as Spider-Man's Aunt May, had been on the job for five days. Since the book cafe was originally well-decorated and had not been damaged, it could be put into use directly. In addition, the salary offered by its boss, Mr. Lockhart, was not low. In just two or three days, three clerks were hired.

Today was the first day of operation of Vientiane Book Cafe. Although she knew that the operation of the book cafe required word of mouth and there might not be any customers on the first day, May still came to the store early to supervise the cleaning of the store and the supply of coffee, tea, and other beverages. She ensured that guests who came to the book cafe could enjoy the best quality service.

However, what May didn't understand was that on her first day as store manager, she communicated with her boss Lockhart. In order to ensure a sufficient customer base in the early stages of the new store's operation, she planned to promote the book cafe through the Internet. She thought that when she put this publicity plan in front of Lockhart, she would get full support. But she found that Lockhart refused directly and told her that she does not need to be responsible for the marketing. All she needs to do is manage the store well.

The reason, Lockhart told her, was that the book cafe only needed word-of-mouth to attract customers, and there was nothing else to worry about. After hearing her boss's explanation, May, who had a somewhat strong personality, immediately wanted to complain that Lockhart was a business idiot. According to her experience, it is true that word-of-mouth attracts customers, but they need at least people to promote word-of-mouth. Initial publicity is indispensable. They must quickly get through the cold start stage before word-of-mouth ferments. Otherwise, this book cafe will just wait for losses.

But since she had just joined the job, she couldn't directly contradict her boss, or she would be fired immediately! Silently watching her boss make such a mind-numbing decision, she prepared to wait for Lockhart to suffer a loss. Then she would show off her skills to save the book cafe from danger and prove her worth.

May had studied business administration, and with many years of work experience, she had quite a lot of experience in business operations. If she knew Lockhart was going to fire her in a few months, she might have thought differently.

At this moment, May was sitting at the desk, a little bored, holding a book on cafe management and reading slowly. She actually wanted to get moving, even if a guest came. Unfortunately, no one came to the book cafe all morning. Even if they came in, they only glanced around and then left. She was speechless and could only sit down at a random table, read slowly, kill time, or recharge her energies.

At this time, suddenly, she saw a familiar figure through the glass and walked in quickly. "Boss, you're here, please come in."

With that said, May hurriedly faced Lockhart while looking at the two men in regular clothes behind him. "Are these two friends of yours? Do you and your friends need something to drink? Tea or coffee?"

After Lockhart brought Kaecilius and Master Morin into the bookstore, faced with May's question, Lockhart thought for a moment and replied, "Make us a pot of tea. Take it to study room 101 at the back later."

With that, Lockhart took the two sorcerers behind him and entered the independent study room inside the book cafe. The independent study room deep in the book cafe was Lockhart's most satisfying place. Not only was it very quiet, but it was also very private. It was simply the best choice for meeting.

At this moment, Lockhart led the two sorcerers into the study and sat on the chairs on both sides of the middle desk. "Lockhart, this is a good place. The peaceful atmosphere, I like it," Kaecilius and Master Morin began to praise as soon as they sat down.

In response, Lockhart naturally had a hint of complacency on his face, but he quickly spoke humbly. "I specially searched for this place, and the design of the book cafe was only slightly modified. All I can say is that my taste is the same as that of the original shop owner, who was a book lover."

Then Lockhart asked impatiently, "Kaecilius, Morin, do you have any clues about the material I wanted last time?"

The two mages, Kaecilius and Morin, looked at the eager Lockhart, with a smile on their faces and said, "We found some clues about the magical metal called Gold Galleons that you wanted last time. But it may take some time, we need to verify it."

Hearing the replies from the two mages, Lockhart nodded slowly, pondered for a moment, then reached out and took out two bottles of Dream Soul Potion and placed them on the table. "Sorry to bother you two, this matter is very important to me. These two bottles of Dream Soul Potion are my gift. If you find it, I will be grateful."

For the raw materials of gold galleons, Lockhart couldn't rely only on S.H.I.E.L.D. While sending S.H.I.E.L.D., he also contacted sorcerers with whom he had a good relationship and asked them to find relevant materials. After all, the world is different, and the same metal may have different names. The more people search for it, the higher the possibility it can be found.

"Then you're welcome. Once confirmed, we'll discuss it later," Morin and Kaecilius looked at the Dream Soul Potion in front of them, their eyes lit up. They replied and then each put away a bottle. Both of them had used Dream Soul Potion before and naturally knew its effect. It was still a good help for their sorcerer practice. Although the effect is best the first time they use it, the subsequent effects are not bad. At least it's much better than practicing alone. The most important thing is that they have not completely developed resistance and can continue to take it until they do.

After seeing the two put away the potion, a smile flashed across Lockhart's face, and then he asked in a deep voice, "So, how is our business going now?"

Chapter 58: Kaecilius's Pride!

Vientiane Book Cafe, tea room.

The pantry was a place where employees prepared drinks and also a space for them to take a rest. At this moment, May was sitting on a chair in the tea room, leaning on the handle, holding her chin with her right hand, and looking at the short but beautiful Irina with interest.

She watched as Irina rinsed all the tea sets with boiling water, then very carefully placed the tea leaves in the teapot, and poured hot water evenly over the tea leaves. Irina proceeded with the next steps of raising the tea, washing the tea, brewing, and so on. Watching Irina's smooth tea-making process, May couldn't help but sigh, "Irina, your tea-making skills look really good. You are indeed a professional tea-maker. No wonder the boss insists on keeping you."

Irina, who was making tea, smiled and said with some emotion, "I originally thought that the tea-making skills I learned before would no longer be useful, but I didn't expect that the boss would take a fancy to it."

Then, she added, "May, this pot of tea is expected to be delivered to the private room in 5 minutes. Do you need my help?"

After hearing this, May shook her head and said quickly, "No, I'll take care of this."

Time passed bit by bit. Soon, May saw Irina put all the tea in the pot, place three cups on the tea tray, and hand it to her. "May, it's ready and can be sent over."

After taking it, May looked at the exquisite teacup and teapot in front of her with great interest. She glanced at Irina again, a trace of pity flashing in her eyes. May had never drunk tea before; she usually drank coffee. She had previously hired a reserve clerk who was a very good barista and loved the coffee she made very much. But who knew that her boss's preferences were completely opposite to hers? He had no interest in coffee and liked to drink tea, so he chose the clerk who was good at making tea.

She was a little surprised that her boss liked drinking tea. In her impression, people in the East seemed to have these hobbies, but she didn't expect that her boss also had this interest. But she didn't think too much about it; after all, everyone's hobbies are different. Her nephew was very fond of Spiderman and Ironman and liked to collect related items. Although she had no love for Spiderman, since it was her nephew's interest, she didn't mind.

Without thinking deeply, May approached Study Room 101 with the tea tray in front of her. To be honest, she was quite curious about her boss's two friends. On the first day of business, not a single customer came. The first customer was a friend of her boss. Judging from this, it must be a treat from her boss. So, today's turnover might be zero, May thought helplessly.

After approaching Study Room 101, May vaguely heard some sounds coming from the study room. However, due to the strong privacy of the study room, the content was basically inaudible. Despite this, with her always sensitive hearing, she could vaguely hear words like "breakthrough," "runes," and "spirit." Although she didn't quite understand, it completely ignited her curiosity, and she was about to eavesdrop at the door.

Suddenly, click! The study door opened quietly, revealing May holding a tea tray and ready to eavesdrop, to the three people in the study. May didn't have time to think too much and looked awkwardly at the boss and two guests who were watching her.

Then a voice quietly floated into May's ears, "May, come in, please bring the tea in." Lockhart's words completely brought the embarrassed May back to her senses. She quickly took the tea tray and placed it on the desk. Then she placed three teacups in front of the three of them, picked up the teapot, and filled the teacups with tea. Then, Lockhart spoke in a gentle tone, "May, that's fine. You can go about your business now."

After hearing this, May nodded quickly and turned around to leave. Then Lockhart added, making her face heat up, "May, do me a favor and don't let anyone else near the study. I'm talking to my friends about something private." After hearing what her boss said, May realized what she had just done and was afraid that her boss would notice. So she nodded quickly, left the study, and closed the door tightly.

Lockhart looked at the tightly closed door and felt that there was no one outside, so he nodded with satisfaction. At this time, Kaecilius next to him said jokingly, "Lockhart, it seems your manager has a wide range of interests."

After hearing this, Lockhart smiled and said calmly, "Kaecilius, don't worry about her. She is just the store manager during the transition period. In a few months, some reliable people will replace her." Immediately, Lockhart brought the topic back to business and said, "Kaecilius, why didn't you recommend selling magic recovery potions just now?"

Hearing Lockhart's question, Kaecilius smiled and said slowly, "Lockhart, do you remember the bottle of recovery potion you gave me before? I tried the potion you gave me and found that it can indeed restore magic power. But," Kaecilius changed his tone and said with some pride, "perhaps you don't know that we, the sorcerer of Kamar Taj, use the power of Vishanti to practice. Our normal magic recovery speed is much faster than ordinary people. During battles, we have special magic recovery techniques that can completely restore magic power quickly. So the potion you provided is not used in normal times, and it can't match our recovery speed during battle. So I think it's a bit useless. I don't recommend continuing to sell the recovery potions, because no one will buy them."

After hearing Kaecilius' explanation, Master Morin next to him nodded in agreement. He also wanted to convey the sa