Darkstone Code-Chapter 713 - 0711 We are not a convenience store

After spending a week with Jenia, she began a tour throughout the Federation with the visiting delegation.

They will consecutively visit some cities in the Federation with deep artistic vibes, like Laridemo and Benlit, cities with unique characteristics, along with some northern cities.

The purpose of the delegation is to explore cultural differences between the two countries, along with some cultural exchange, although the timing of the exchange is unclear, it will certainly happen after the exploration ends.

After Jenia left, Lynch returned to the office; he’s rarely stationary in the Federation, so it’s reasonable for him to focus on working seriously, rather than running around.

The headquarters building is newly constructed, not very close to the city center; land in Bupen can be described as worth a pound of gold per foot.

Even if Lynch has the money, buying land is a big problem, as those who own land in the city center often aren’t lacking funds.

Darkstone’s building exterior appears to be an ordinary office building without windows, using the latest coating technology with slightly uneven black spurt marks on the walls.

There’s a sign on the first floor that reads "Darkstone Capital" with an emblem [as shown (loading...)].

The entire office building has several floors, but only three are actually in use.

The first floor is the reception hall, with only an uninformed young lady who asks for instructions on everything, and an elevator.

The second floor consists of individual small offices where company accountants work; it seems Lynch doesn’t do much, but in fact, many financial transactions are recorded daily.

Which transactions need tax reporting and which don’t have to be clearly documented.

The third floor is entirely Lynch’s office, an expansive room with only a luxurious desk and chair.

No bookshelf filled with books that never get read, no specimens with animal heads, no indoor golf, nor any decor that immediately evokes the word "expensive".

Only those two simple, ordinary things, without even a place for visitors to sit.

This place doesn’t operate externally and no one comes to visit Lynch, nor does Lynch host anyone here.

He is working, seriously working, and regardless of whether he understands, Vera patiently explains the changes in his assets during this period.

Overall, he owes the bank slightly less, but the entire company is still operating with negative assets, and the proportion of negative assets is quite large.

Vera knows Lynch has many shell companies and overseas companies that hold actual wealth, so she didn’t remind Lynch about the dangerous operational state of the company.

"Recently, we..."

"I heard that recently a type of stockings is very popular...", Lynch touched Vera’s smooth leg, worried she might catch a cold, wearing so little.

Vera shifted, glancing at Lynch, but Lynch grinned, "How about we have dinner together after work? I’ve noticed a lot of new places open recently that I’ve never seen before."

She didn’t immediately agree, hesitating. Her son was waiting for her to come home for dinner. If she went out with Lynch, she might be late returning.

"Don’t move!", she suddenly warned Lynch.

Lynch nodded with a smile, "You agreed!"

Her face turned a little red, seemingly thinking of something, feeling both shy and a bit expectant, "What did I agree to?"

"To have dinner together!"

Sometimes she feels powerless against Lynch, always capitulating after a brief refusal, lacking firmness.

It’s not just her; many people have little resistance facing a young, attractive, energetic person of the opposite sex.

At that moment, the phone on the desk suddenly rang.

Lynch withdrew his hand, pointing at the ringing phone jokingly, "I thought it was just a decoration. Does it ring often?"

Vera sorted things while saying, "When you’re not here, the secretary doesn’t transfer calls in. I’ll go to work first; anything to discuss after working hours..."

Saying this, she quickly left the office, showing she’s a dedicated employee unwilling to linger too long on the way.

Lynch casually picked up the phone; the call was from York State University.

"Mr. Lynch, I am... Professor, if you haven’t forgotten about me!", the voice seemed unfamiliar yet familiar, and Lynch soon recognized the guy from his memory.

He transitioned quickly, his tone full of enthusiasm, not making the professor feel strange at all, "Yes, Professor, I remember you. What’s up, are you short on funding?"

Laughter came from the phone, "Not at all, Mr. Lynch. The research you entrusted us with has seen some progress; we’ve completed the first part of the agreement..."

This professor is from York State Currylan University. Lynch sponsored a project and gained a recommendation slot, which he gave to Catherine.

For students like them who didn’t go to university immediately after graduating high school, leaving the learning environment makes it harder to pass university exams later.

Public high schools aren’t like private ones; they don’t prioritize academics much. Public school teachers only care about students’ safety.

As long as students don’t cause any fatalities, scoring zero is fine; it’s public education, and no one expects a lot of university graduates from public schools; everyone is just passing time.

In regards to how much students learn, it’s entirely up to their self-discipline. There have even been cases in the Federation of public high school teachers reporting students for being overly diligent, causing them to be forcibly relaxed in hospitals.

With a lack of learning environment after graduation, close to two years worked in the bustling daily chores, Catherine was finding it hard to get into university through exams, settling for paying instead.

Paying for university education in the Federation isn’t considered dishonorable. Spending money is part of the examination, just like those who "excel in networking" and "good at housekeeping" making it to prestigious universities. Money plays a crucial role in exams.

In an economic society, money is the true determining factor of everything.

"I remember it being a project for miniaturizing electronic components, right?", Lynch vaguely recalled the matter, having invested in it randomly; considering the finances involved, investing in somewhat reliable projects seemed wise.

The professor on the other side was excited, "Yes, yes, Mr. Lynch, you haven’t misremembered; this is the project we’ve been tackling all along."

"Recently, we’ve drawn some inspiration from elsewhere, achieving breakthroughs in research; we’ve successfully tackled the key technical issues."

"Tiny radios, recorders, cameras, tape machines... Mr. Lynch, you understand, this is a revolution for the era!"

"We have some brand-new research projects, new inspirations and insights in electronic components, and we’re eager to meet with you face-to-face to discuss it."

The professor’s tone was filled with pride and enthusiasm; miniaturizing, scaling down electronic components has been a challenging task for all appliance companies, as downscaling implies more items can fit into the same space and existing items can be reduced in size.

Researchers treat this as an ongoing subject for research, recent breakthroughs in materials within the Federation have instantaneously solved many issues.

In fact, it’s not just York State University’s research that has seen breakthroughs; almost every lab has had some success in this field.

In this unique era, such advancements happen daily; a seemingly insignificant scientific progress can initiate a new wave of scientific revolution.

More importantly, these technological breakthroughs often translate to wealth, substantial wealth.

Imagine carrying a radio in your pocket while the one you own weighs three to four pounds, wouldn’t you feel embarrassed?

What to do when embarrassed?

Poor people might save money or endure, while the wealthy convert such discomfort into purchasing power to avoid falling behind the times, buying every advanced technological product on the market. This is the wealth and value brought about by research and development.

Lynch was somewhat surprised himself; he agreed on a meeting time with the professor before hanging up.

Every day is a new day; every day technology progresses, especially this year, with the Federation Government approving thirty-one military plans, half of which involve procurement.

A vast amount of funds pour into the accounts of various extreme military-industrial companies, and a significant portion goes into various laboratories.

The arms race between the Federation and Gafura, as well as globally, has already formed; the next ten years will be an era of technological explosion!

Lynch will be an observer, witness, and participant!

...

After work in the evening, Vera ultimately didn’t refuse Lynch; they had dinner together, discussing some new changes in Bupen.

"... Many brands from Gafura have recently arrived on the streets, becoming very popular, especially several artisan shops becoming the focus of high society shortly after arriving."

While eating, Vera talked about those unique stores, which Lynch noticed upon his return.

Gafura’s goods were rare in the Federation before, but this time Lynch noticed several brands with evident Gafura influence, indicating more intense local commercial competition.

Interestingly, these brands from Gafura aren’t met with hostility but, surprisingly, are welcomed!