Oliver stepped into the principal's office.
Inside, Principal Zhang and the eight recruitment directors were all staring at him intently.
"…This is?" Oliver asked, pretending not to recognize them.
Principal Zhang cleared his throat.
"Oliver, let me introduce them. These are recruitment representatives from the nation's top universities. They've come to discuss your intentions."
Oliver glanced over them.
All eight smiled warmly and nodded.
"Good morning, professors," Oliver greeted politely.
The directors exchanged subtle looks.
Impressive.
Despite his astonishing achievements, he remained humble and composed. No arrogance. No visible vanity.
Principal Zhang chuckled as he stood up.
"Well then, I'll leave you to it. Oliver, these people are practically drooling over you. If they want you that badly, they'd better pay a serious price."
With that, he walked out.
The eight directors froze for a second.
That old fox…
He had just raised Oliver's leverage at the last possible moment.
Oliver, maintaining the image of a model student, nodded earnestly.
"I understand, Principal."
The Bidding Begins
"Oliver, I'm from Qingmu University. We—"
He was immediately cut off.
"Don't listen to him, Oliver. I'm from Magic University. Our academic reputation—"
"Excuse me, Capital University—"
"Xia Research Institute—"
In seconds, the room descended into chaos again.
Voices overlapped.
Promises collided.
No one could hear anyone clearly.
Oliver simply smiled gently, nodding occasionally as if he understood every word.
After a while, even they realized how ridiculous it looked.
The room gradually fell silent.
Eight pairs of eyes focused on him.
Oliver finally spoke.
"Have all of you finished?"
His tone was mild.
"But if we continue like that, we'll never reach a conclusion."
He paused slightly.
"Let's go one by one. Starting from… the professor on the far left."
The man seated at the far left froze—then nearly leapt with joy.
His university was prestigious nationwide, but among these eight, it was considered middle-tier.
And yet—
He was going first.
The others glanced at each other but did not object.
This was Oliver's proposal.
None of them wanted to appear disagreeable.
Magic City Jiaotong University
"Oliver," the man began, adjusting his posture, "I represent Magic City Jiaotong University. Your research talent is extraordinary, and our Pokémon Research Department ranks among the nation's best."
He continued smoothly:
"If you enroll with us, the university will grant you an annual scholarship of one million credits."
"We will also nominate you for every world-class Pokémon research conference. You may participate freely."
"What do you think?"
Oliver nodded faintly, still smiling.
Impossible to read.
"Next," he said calmly.
The Jiaotong representative grew anxious.
"Oliver, do you have any concerns? If there's anything unsatisfactory, we can negotiate."
Oliver raised his hand gently.
"Please don't rush. We should listen to all offers first."
Reluctantly, the man sat down.
The Shift in Power
It had only been fifteen minutes.
Oliver's attitude had remained humble and polite throughout.
Yet—
The tempo of the entire room had quietly shifted into his control.
He wasn't the one selling himself.
They were the ones competing.
And now—
It was no longer recruitment.
It was negotiation.
The remaining universities began presenting their offers in turn.
Funding figures increased.
Resource allocations expanded.
Laboratory privileges escalated.
Some even hinted at:
Exclusive research teams.
Direct access to restricted Secret Realms.
Fast-track paths toward official Research Professor status.
Oliver listened carefully.
He did not interrupt.
He did not praise excessively.
He did not commit.
He simply absorbed information.
Calculated.
Measured.
Observed.
By the time the final university finished speaking—
The air in the office felt different.
Everyone knew.
This was no longer about prestige.
It was about how much they were willing to pay.
And the real question hovered silently in the room:
How valuable did they believe Oliver was?
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