Chapter 101: The Gift Hidden in the Stadium

“I’ve got so many people lining up to hand me money, it’s becoming a real burden!”

That was William’s genuine thought at that moment. Even though he had made it clear that there were absolutely no barriers to becoming a sales representative for Interstellar Trading Company, anyone who wanted a seat at the table at the Consignment Auction still had to pay an additional five dollars. Yet the public’s enthusiasm showed no sign of cooling.

The situation was perfectly normal, really. Every person is the unquestioned protagonist of their own world. Whether their lives are filled with joy or sorrow, poverty or wealth, everything feels like the most reasonable script imaginable to them.

Nothing seems out of place. Their life story unfolds with perfect clarity, and they are the lead character in it.

And in a sense, that isn’t wrong. Everyone is the protagonist of their own story. Because of that, some people inevitably believe they are different from everyone else. That sense of identification has existed ever since their consciousness first formed, convincing them that they are special.

They do not believe themselves inferior to those who seem to make money without effort. They believe they will work harder, push farther, and eventually reach the pinnacle of success.

Five dollars for a seat at the table?

Not a problem at all.

Some people even asked whether they could reserve the entire event for themselves.

In their eyes, even buying out the whole auction would produce enormous profits. A few thousand dollars at minimum, ten or twenty thousand at the high end. There was simply no reason not to do it.

Truthfully, William would have loved to let someone buy out the entire thing.

Unfortunately, he still had other people to consider, and more importantly, it wasn’t in his own interests.

“So we need to expand operations into other cities as quickly as possible. Before long, City Hall will begin helping us promote our Second-Hand Goods Auction. Under the slogan ‘Revitalize Idle Goods, Create Second-Hand Value,’ the campaign will be advertised throughout the entire state.”

Inside the office, William stood before a group of young people who had finally recovered from their earlier excitement and began discussing the company’s short-term development plans.

“You are my first group of partners. You’re also the people I trust most. Once we’ve laid the groundwork, some of you will be sent to other cities to become managers there.”

“At that point, you won’t just be collecting your own commissions. You’ll be earning a share of an entire branch’s performance. And I hope you’ll take that responsibility seriously, because from then on your work won’t just affect yourselves. There will be many more people depending on you to continue making a living in this society...”