The Strongest Talent Tree

As a seasoned veteran of the business world, Qian Sanduo had seen it all, but this situation made him feel like he was being played. If it weren’t for Xiong Tianfang’s dead-serious expression, he would have started cursing.

"Are you sure *he’s* the master?" Qian Sanduo said, smacking his lips, his eyes filled with doubt.

Xiong Tianfang nodded grimly. "That’s right. He drew all the previous designs."

"But..." Qian Sanduo still couldn’t believe it. After a moment of deep thought, he turned and said, "There are too many people and prying eyes in the main hall. Let’s find somewhere more secure to talk."

With a look of resignation, Feng Hao followed the two men into an office. After Qian Sanduo closed the door, he turned back to Feng Hao.

"Did you really draw those designs?" Qian Sanduo asked pensively.

"Yes," Feng Hao admitted with a nod, curiously sizing up the refined, middle-aged man before him. ’Honestly, this is the first time since joining the Thief God Hall that I’ve seen an ordinary person who’s also an Elite Thief.’

Qian Sanduo opened his mouth, unable to believe it. It wasn’t that he looked down on Feng Hao; it was just that in his mind, master designers were all old men and women. After all, achieving artistic greatness required years of experience.

Feng Hao’s appearance, however, was impossible to associate with a master designer. At best, he was just a young thief with a unique air about him.

"Do you have any idea what the consequences are for deceiving me?" Qian Sanduo said gravely.

Feng Hao pursed his lips. "I don’t know, and I don’t need to. I’m the one who drew those designs."

Seeing Feng Hao’s confidence, Qian Sanduo was somewhat swayed but remained skeptical. "If that’s the case, then let’s see some proof. I have paper and a pen right here. Design a set of clothes for me."

"No problem." Feng Hao casually picked up the paper and pen, gave Qian Sanduo a quick once-over, and immediately started to draw.

It couldn’t be helped. With countless clothing designs from Earth to back him up, designing was just that easy.

Qian Sanduo was astonished to see Feng Hao start drawing so quickly. He had dealt with many designers over the years but had never seen one work so spontaneously. ’Doesn’t he need to think? To find inspiration?’

Xiong Tianfang stood to the side, quietly watching Feng Hao show off. A slight smile touched his grimy face.

Feng Hao’s pen flew across the paper. In just over ten minutes, he had sketched out two simple outfits. To match Qian Sanduo’s refined air, Feng Hao had specially drawn two ensembles for him: a Western-style suit and a Zhongshan suit.

Both outfits were simple and elegant, making them perfect choices for formal wear.

"All done. What do you think of these two outfits?" Feng Hao asked with a light laugh, handing the designs to Qian Sanduo.

Qian Sanduo took the designs, his expression a mixture of shock and doubt. Upon closer inspection, he was utterly astounded. It was as if these two outfits had been tailor-made just for him. "Incredible! Incredible! Incredible! I’ve lived for half my life, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen a design that’s moved my heart."

"So, does this prove who I am?" Feng Hao asked with a smile.

Qian Sanduo snapped out of his admiration and burst into laughter. "Yes, yes, of course! I never imagined our Thief God Hall could produce a design talent, and one of a master’s caliber at that!"

"Young thief, tell me your name," Qian Sanduo said, his eyes filled with appreciation.

"Feng Hao, Fourth-level Thief," Feng Hao answered truthfully.

"A Fourth-level Thief?" Qian Sanduo’s brow furrowed slightly. Then, with a wave of his hand, he declared, "From now on, you and Xiong Xiaozei are Seventh-level Thieves. Furthermore, on behalf of the Commercial Department, I officially invite you to be our chief designer."

At these words, Feng Hao and Xiong Tianfang’s faces lit up with delight. Jumping from the fourth to the seventh level saved them a full 12,000 points. A privilege like this was a rare opportunity indeed.

Despite his delight, Feng Hao still had some concerns. "I have no problem being the chief designer, but what are the specifics of our collaboration?"

"It’s simple. You just need to produce designs on a regular basis. Leave everything else to me," Qian Sanduo said with a confident smile.

Feng Hao nodded thoughtfully and pressed on, "How many designs per month?"

Qian Sanduo frowned in thought. "To capture the market as quickly as possible, more is obviously better. Let’s do this: start with ten designs per month. Can you manage that?"

"That will be difficult." Feng Hao’s brow tightened. ’To be honest, the number of designs I remember is limited. At a rate of ten per month, I won’t be able to keep it up for long.’

Hearing this, Qian Sanduo couldn’t help but frown as well. He asked thoughtfully, "What if you lowered the quality a little? Would that work?"

Feng Hao was speechless. ’Dammit, these designs are just copies. I wouldn’t even know how to lower the quality if I tried!’

’After all, I’m not a professional designer. My only artistic skills came from an after-school art class I took as a kid. Asking me to cut corners? What kind of joke is that?’

"How about this," Feng Hao said, his eyes lighting up after a moment of hard thinking. "We adjust our product positioning. We go for a low-volume, high-quality boutique model and gradually build a high-end brand."

Qian Sanduo was taken aback. With a strange expression, he said, "Plenty of designers are already doing the low-volume boutique thing. The results are mediocre. It’s very difficult to capture market share that way."

"That’s because they don’t know what they’re doing," Feng Hao said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "If we’re going to do this, we’re going to go big. First, we establish a chain of exclusive stores in major cities. We’ll release limited-edition styles every month and gradually build up a high-end brand image. It would also be best to come up with a simple, catchy name."

Feng Hao spoke with the eloquence of a rushing river, rattling off a long list of concepts—from scarcity marketing to brand effect—all common business strategies on Earth.

Qian Sanduo and Xiong Tianfang listened, dumbfounded. This was especially true for Qian Sanduo. As the head of the Commercial Department, he naturally understood the core of what Feng Hao was saying. Even though some of the terms were unfamiliar, it didn’t lessen the profound shock he felt.

It was no exaggeration to say that Feng Hao’s words had opened the door to a new world for him. The more he listened, the more feasible it all sounded.

"Young thief, where did you learn all these theories?" Qian Sanduo asked, his voice a mix of awe and suspicion.

"Uh, I was just spitballing," Feng Hao said, scratching his head awkwardly. The main reason he’d gone on for so long was to reduce his design quota.

"What do you mean ’spitballing’? That was a complete and viable business plan!" Qian Sanduo’s expression was a whirlwind of emotions. "Young thief, why don’t you come join our Commercial Department? I promise the compensation will be excellent."

"I’ll pass," Feng Hao quickly refused.

Qian Sanduo looked slightly disappointed, but his expression quickly turned serious. "Tell me more about these ’exclusive stores’ you just mentioned."

"Does that mean you agree?" Feng Hao asked, delighted.

"Yes. I believe your method has great potential," Qian Sanduo said with a solemn nod.

And so, the plan for the exclusive stores that would one day sweep across the universe was settled...

By the time Feng Hao left Qian Sanduo’s office, it was already evening. Xiong Tianfang had taken his leave long ago, since the rest of the discussion didn’t concern him.

Feng Hao went straight to the main hall. Under the envious gaze of Sister Ling at the front desk, he was promoted to a Seventh-level Thief. Then, he asked cheerfully, "By the way, Sister Ling, is there any news about the commission I posted?"

"Let me check." Sister Ling looked down to search for a moment, then said with a frown, "There’s news, but the party brought the Shadow Beast’s corpse here directly."

"Huh? That’s... thoughtful," Feng Hao said, stunned.

"You’re overthinking it. A service like this will definitely cost you extra points." Sister Ling shot him an annoyed look. "If you don’t have any objections, I’ll contact them to come over now."

Feng Hao couldn’t help but laugh. ’So much for a free lunch,’ he thought. Still, this was for the best. It saved him a lot of trouble, so spending a few extra points was worth it.

"Alright, then. Go ahead and contact them to make the exchange," Feng Hao said with a light laugh and a nod.