Looking at the three names on the roster; Ashley Luna, Connie Hull, and Newmay LS... Florent couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted.
However, he quickly thought of a solution: let the staff member who was more familiar with the three candidates make the choice for him.
Florent felt a smug sense of satisfaction, 'Heh, I'm such a clever one. My indecisiveness is cured today!ʼ
In truth, he had always struggled with making choices, especially when it came to selecting someone he had never met before. Blindly picking one always left him feeling uneasy.
After seeing the three names Florent had pointed out, The staff member thought for a moment and said:
"How about this? I'll have each of them come to your villa for a day of cleaning. If you're satisfied, you can choose one to be your regular servant. How does that sound?"
Florent considered the suggestion but ultimately declined, "I don't have that much time to evaluate a part-time worker. Spending three days to make a choice is too time-consuming. The work I need is very simple, and I shouldn't have to spend so much time vetting candidates. I'd rather hear your recommendation."
The staff member sighed slightly and thought for a moment, "To be honest sir, the three maids you've selected are quite similar in quality. None of them stands out as significantly better than the others. If you truly don't have the time, you could come back tomorrow, meet all three of them, and make your choice then. After that, we can formalize the contract."
Florent thought it over and didn't object, "Alright, thank you. What time should I come tomorrow?"
But then it occurred to him that he would be meeting this staff member again and didn't even know her name...
He quickly added, "By the way, may I know your name? Will you be the one assisting me tomorrow as well?"
The staff member relaxed and smiled, "Virginia Bush. That's my name. To be honest sir, you don't seem like a typical Trier native. In all my time working here, I've never met anyone quite like you... Unfortunately, I'll be working at the same time tomorrow. As for meeting the servants, it's best to do so in the morning or afternoon. Evening isn't ideal for anyone."
Hearing Virginia's words, Florent realized that the front desk staff all wore some makeup, something he hadn't paid attention to before.
From what Virginia said, it seemed the boldness of Trier's people wasn't limited to Roselle's infamous bedroom escapades, it extended to their everyday interactions as well.
Florent didn't respond immediately. Instead, he said, "Let me think about it for a moment. I've been quite busy these past few days."
He tilted his head slightly, gazing at the decorations on the walls of the company's lobby. Though he didn't speak aloud, he appeared deep in thought...
'My sleep schedule hasn't been adjusted yet, so I might not wake up early. But work hours in this world probably don't start too early, right? This matter is a bit urgent, so perhaps I should schedule it for noon or early afternoon... ʼ
'...I'll definitely be up by then. I'll skip the library tomorrow and spend some time at home reading mysticism books instead.ʼ
Having settled on a plan, Florent lowered his head and said, "In that case, Miss, let's schedule it for noon or early afternoon. I have some matters to attend to in the afternoon. Will the servants be available at that time?"
Virginia nodded, "No need to worry sir. The time you've chosen works perfectly for all three ladies. However, if possible, let's set it for around 1 p.m. Ashley and Newmay have cleaning appointments at another gentleman's house around 2 p.m..."
Florent was curious about how these maids managed their schedules and asked, "From what you're saying, it seems their time is almost entirely booked. Four hours in the morning, four hours in the afternoon, and then they work again from 6 to 9 p.m.? Don't they get any rest?"
Virginia gave Florent a slightly surprised look. Clearly, few people asked such detailed questions...
But she restrained her curiosity and answered honestly, "No, sir. They usually work from around 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., then from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., and again from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. They don't fill their entire day with work."
Florent fell silent for a moment. It seemed that even in this era of underdeveloped productivity, manual laborers had long working hours...
But he didn't comment further, simply saying, "Alright, thank you for clarifying. I'll be here tomorrow at 1 p.m. sharp for this… uh, recruitment meeting?"
Virginia couldn't help but chuckle at his phrasing, though she tried to suppress her laughter, "It seems you're also an avid reader of Mr. Roselle's works. If you ever meet Mr. Sidi, I'm sure you'll have a lot to talk about. Please take care, and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow."
With that, Virginia stood up and bowed slightly, watching as Florent turned to leave before sitting back down to continue her work.
Florent didn't linger. He quickly returned home, planning to take advantage of the remaining daylight to roughly map out the rooms and items in his villa.
Pushing open the front door, he first counted the floors...
The villa was a three-story building with a rooftop terrace. The terrace was home to some hardy plants, and during his last visit, Florent had noticed that none of them showed signs of dying, something he had previously overlooked.
He didn't bother going up to the terrace to inspect the plants in detail. Instead, he started by checking how many rooms were on each floor, beginning with the first floor and working his way up to the third.
As he went, Florent opened each room to see its function. After all, simply counting rooms without understanding their purpose would be like skimming the surface.
Finally, Florent sat down in a candlelit room on the third floor, summarizing his findings from the brief inspection...
The villa had two bathrooms on the first floor, and one each on the second and third floors. The first floor featured a living room, a lounge, and several rooms that could serve as meeting spaces... one even had a billiards table.
The second floor had a large study and six guest bedrooms. The third floor contained four master bedrooms, a study with a balcony, a smaller study, and a communal activity room for the villa's residents.
Florent also recalled that the villa had a hidden basement. The staircase leading to it was concealed under a carpet in the billiards room on the first floor.
The mystical materials he had received as a gift the previous day were stored in the basement, along with some test tubes, alcohol lamps, and other precision instruments...
However, there were no other mystical materials to be found...