Negotiating for a Job

Aren made himself comfortable while Poltas brought refreshments for him.

"So why were you looking for me?"

"Oh that. I'm sure you met Lorun yesterday."

"I did. Are you here to apologise for her?"

"Not at all. Actually a lot of workers were unhappy with the reforms, but I don't care much about it. What I do care about is improving the standard of my warehouse."

"And?"

"I know you do your job well from my experience of working with you, but my workers cannot produce similar results."

'Of course they can't. I had to go through several training sessions for all the odd jobs I did on Earth.' These thoughts could not be said out loud.

"I tried directing them but it wasn't very effective, so as a last resort I've come to ask you for help on this matter."

"Hmmm."

The situation was quite simple, a few days of training the workers should be good. But maybe Aren was not suited for teaching people. Poltas excused himself to go check the weblet for his quest details before he signed up for extra work. Luckily Aren didn't comment on his strange behaviour.

The quest description was similar to the previous task. 'The one who seeks perfection beyond measure will never be satisfied. Only you can appease him with your knowledge and expertise. Earn his approval to gain recognition for your skills.'

"If you need someone to guide the workers, I can train them provided that you tell me what you need to teach them."

"I expected you to ask this, so I wrote down all the different tasks and procedures which are handled by the workers."

The list was quite long, with many unnecessary headings such as 'Mark Attendance', 'Watercooler Breaks' and 'Thinking about the future'.

But other than these, the list was well-made.

"Can I edit the content in this list?"

"If you think changes are needed, go ahead."

Using a pen Poltas rewrote the list minus all the useless content.

"This should be it. You can read through it and we can divide the lessons between us."

"Is it possible for you to conduct all of them?"

"Am I getting paid for this job?"

"Of course, I will give you a manager's worth of salary for this."

"And that's it?"

Aren was stumped by this question. A manager's salary was already the highest pay grade after being the owner. What more could Poltas want?

On the other hand the man hiding in a woman's body had his own thoughts. So far this world had been full of trickery, and surely the pay he was being promised was a scam. He was done falling for traps. This time he was going to make sure he got the payment he deserved.

"You should also give me worker benefits other than the pay. Just paying is not enough to appeal to someone like me."

"What kind of benefits do you have in mind?"

Greedy as he may have appeared, Poltas was not familiar with the benefits he spoke of.

'Let's just ask for something random. If he can't provide it I will pretend to let it go and he can owe me a favour forever.' Such thoughts were definitely unfitting for a person being viewed as a hero, but not for Poltas.

"Benefits such as 50% discount for future business with the warehouse, or free meals at a good restaurant, or buying me a carriage. Something like that, yea."

Aren had never heard of the term worker benefits, much less such extravagant benefits. If he offered this to any of his managers, he would be broke within a month. The woman in front of him must surely be a seasoned master in this business, otherwise how could she come up with these.

"Are these benefits offered in the place you came from?"

Poltas was not prepared for questions like this. He could only clench his hands under the sleeves and pretend to think.

"Not all of them to the same person, and not to every person. Benefits vary depending on the positions and contributions of the workers. I was just giving examples to you."

"I'm sorry but 50% discount is too much. How about a 15% discount on future transactions and I will provide people for your meals and transport during your work duration."

Where on Earth were people offered such things? Poltas was shocked that his bluffing actually worked. He was even more confused on how Aren, who was known for being troublesome, was being so easy to handle.

There must be a problem in the fineprint of this agreement, Poltas had to ensure that he doesn't dig a hole for himself.

"That seems appropriate. You should have brought a contract so we could sign it."

"Ah yes. For now we can discuss the work hours and schedule, and we can request the Keeper to write a contract for us when she returns."

"Okay."

Brandial came home to find two people quietly working in the living room. The scene was quite pleasant to look at, but it made Brandial feel like an outsider in her own home. She added house hunting for Poltas to her mental list of tasks.

They sorted out the contract over dinner. Poltas was excited for this quest. He knew what the tasks entailed, and even his reward was decided. There was no way this could go wrong.