Darkstone Code-Chapter 789 - 0787 Growth

Ms. Trish’s visit to Bupen was definitely not solely for Lynch; she had other work to do as well.

For instance, relocating the Women’s Rights Association of York State to Bupen after renaming it. Regardless, since Bupen is the capital of the entire country, it’s essential to set the headquarters here for legitimacy.

Besides fundraising from various places, she also wanted to see if there were any suitable spots here and connect with some influential political and wealthy figures she could meet.

Seeing that a part of this planned mission was accomplished, Ms. Trish appeared very pleased and casually brought up the story of Lynch in Gafura.

In the eyes of the Federation’s people, a native achieving a title of nobility in Gafura is a bizarre story in itself, and once again, Lynch became the protagonist of this incredible tale, just like many times before, making it unbelievable.

As their conversation gradually drifted toward "boredom," it signified that Ms. Trish was about to leave.

Before she could express her farewell, Lynch brought up another matter, "I have a friend, Catherine, a girl my age."

"I know her!" Ms. Trish nodded, "I read about her in reports, I must say she’s quite fortunate!"

Compared to others’ understanding of "fortunate," Ms. Trish saw it as "she was lucky to know Lynch and had been in a romantic relationship with him." Without Lynch’s intervention, she couldn’t have entered the President’s Mansion as an intern, a place not meant for ordinary people, although that’s how the media and public opinion reported it.

"I think you two should meet and talk. I have some thoughts about her future path, and perhaps we could find a common language?" Lynch’s words were tactful.

He spent money, naturally expecting something in return. If he kept giving Ms. Trish checks without asking for anything, then he would be a real fool.

Ms. Trish understood Lynch’s thoughts well. Since she decided to step onto the political stage, she would surely need a lot of allies.

Her goal is to become the first female Governor in the Federation’s history. Even if she lost in the presidential race, it wouldn’t affect her influence; instead, it would create enough topics and buzz because she, as a woman, ran for President.

It could even lead to discussions on "discrimination against women entering politics," making her loss misunderstood as due to her being a woman.

With so much spotlight and topics, plus her father’s and uncle’s influence, along with the support, financial and human resources of women’s rights organizations, as long as things are well-managed, running for Governor wouldn’t be a big problem.

The title of "the first truly meaningful female politician in Federation history" fills Ms. Trish with energy!

In achieving this grand goal, she needs a lot of people’s help, like Lynch, who has money, is willing to spend it, and wields influence.

So, she wouldn’t reject Lynch’s request, "Of course, why not?"

Her face showed no reluctance, "This is a good thing, I’m very interested in talking to the girl Catherine. Maybe I could impart some experience to her, when tomorrow?"

Lynch thought for a moment, "In the evening, after she’s off work, we can find a place to have dinner together."

Knowing it was time to say goodbye, Ms. Trish stood up, and Lynch followed, they shook hands again, "I appreciate you, Lynch, people will remember your help to them!"

A broad, sunny smile, much like the one during their first meeting, spread across Lynch’s face, "Everyone is born equal. We shouldn’t allow historical problems, culture, or social prejudices to reduce some people to vulnerable groups."

"This is what I should do!"

"You’re sincere; that’s what I like about you!" Ms. Trish sighed once more.

Whether Lynch was sincere or not, at least his words made people believe in them as true. Without insight, it’s hard to say such deeply impactful things.

After their farewell, Lynch saw Ms. Trish to her car before returning to the house; women sometimes get entangled in inexplicable matters, like thinking "Why didn’t he see me off to the car, does he have something against me?"

With men, these issues wouldn’t arise; instead, they believe that not being overly enthusiastic or polite is the best way to interact.

The next evening, after booking a table at a restaurant, Lynch drove to the President’s Mansion.

With a pass, combined with his frequent visits to the President’s Mansion, apart from the routine security checks, the guards didn’t conduct the detailed questioning typical for strangers after confirming he carried no dangerous items.

After more than two months, the batch of interns at the President’s Mansion had adapted from the initial discomfort to getting into their work rhythm.

Working here is really character-building, more so than people outside imagine.

Every day, they have to receive visitors from all walks of life or assist some key political figures with public affairs within their capabilities, like assisting or hosting some governmental meetings.

Such meetings are frequent, happening almost every day or every other day.

Civil organizations, influential social figures, or staff from other regions’ governments, due to various matters, come to the President’s Mansion seeking assistance.

For those scheduled in the itinerary, meetings must be held on the same day.

Truly important figures don’t come early to wait; at first, it’s the interns who handle them, gather people in a certain meeting room, prepare all necessary materials before the designated time, and finally notify the real presider.

These important figures, or Cabinet Members, would stay for at most about twenty minutes after arriving. After hearing some representative opinions, they would provide their feedback and then leave.

Interns then had to collect everyone’s opinions and the feedback on those opinions, extract the valuable ones, and send them for approval...

Such work was initially very uncomfortable for everyone; Catherine was no exception. She had never been in touch with such high-level tasks.

She once thought that being part of a project group at university conducting some research was quite advanced, but coming here gradually made her realize that internships vary significantly.

Compared to other interns in enterprises with positions akin to formal jobs, evidently, this internship was more challenging.

No one comforts you when you fail to handle or do something wrong; everyone’s time is too precious, leaving little room even for scolding.

After surviving the toughest phase, once things began to be manageable, the work became slightly easier.

For instance, she mastered the skill of writing reports legible to politicians—she initially believed what politicians focused on was actually what they didn’t care about; their focus was never what people assumed.

For example, she learned how to interact amicably with people from various social sectors—treating people from different social classes requires different approaches, and being overly humble could sometimes make one appear weak.

And so on... 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

There were too many such instances here; these brief over two months felt like a year had passed for her!

She had grown significantly in all aspects, especially in heart and perspective on society.

As evening approached, after a day-long exhaustion, the interns finally found a moment to relax; at this time, nearing the end of the workday, the busy day was almost over, and the tense atmosphere in the President’s Mansion gradually eased.

Catherine stood with her coffee at the edge of the President’s Mansion’s main hall, a place considered a "waiting area." There were several telephones on the wall for summoning when needed, and the phone would ring.

Besides Catherine, other interns were also resting, each looking quite fatigued.

"Get me a cup of coffee..." a somewhat familiar voice reached Catherine. She promptly set down her coffee cup and instinctively agreed.

Every day, people had various needs; requests like "bring me some coffee" were the most common. After all, it’s not appropriate for, say, some Ministers to brew their own coffee in the coffee room, right?

Of course, everyone knew how terrible the mansion’s coffee tasted; most of the time, they just took the call, went to the door to pick up coffee from a delivery person, and delivered it somewhere they were asked to.

Requests for direct brewing surely came from those who didn’t grasp how bad the Presidential Mansion’s coffee was.

Quickly, however, Catherine’s steps paused, and she looked in surprise towards the source of the voice—it was Lynch!

"What brings you here?" she asked.

Lynch’s sudden arrival was completely unexpected for her!

Other interns then noticed the visitor was Lynch. Though about the same age as them, status-wise, he was significantly different.

After all, Lynch had become a national figure, while many haven’t even inherited much of their family business.

Smiling, Lynch greeted the others, then pulled Catherine aside, "Go change clothes. We’ll go have dinner later, I’ve also invited Ms. Trish, the chairwoman of the Women’s Rights Association."

Catherine hesitated, "It’s not off-work yet."

Lynch glanced at the wall clock; twenty minutes remained before the closing time, and indeed leaving early would be inappropriate, "Then chat with me until then..."

Catherine, half amused and half exasperated, started talking about her recent work experience with him.

At that moment, the President, surrounded by security guards, emerged from the innermost room. He immediately spotted Lynch, chatting with Catherine in the hall, and called out in slight surprise—

"Lynch!"