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She believed that, unlike some scholars who were seeking fame and reputation, Kong was the second envoy in many years to formally extend an olive branch to the company as a club member. He had the possibility of succeeding Lilta, and must be well protected.
However, many people have misunderstood the true relationship between Heita and the company. Rather than saying that she was cooperating with the company after taking Esta away, it would be more accurate to say that it was just the company's wishful thinking. If it weren't for the young webmaster to help, the company wouldn't even be able to figure out Heita's current situation.
Strategic Investment Department - Many people who have a superficial understanding of the company only see the word "strategy" and only remember that Topa is a debt collector, but forget that investment is the main means and Topa is not only a debt collector.
"You're overpraising me. This is just a matter of mutual benefit."
Sora tries his best to play the role of an approachable genius, just like Grumpy.
"Oh, what a win-win situation. What I admire most is people like you who think business is business. You are also the most thoughtful genius I have ever seen... Ah, sorry, I don't mean to snub you, but I have other acquaintances here, please allow me to say hello to them too--"
Topa apologized, which further enriched Sora's impression of her - she was not the kind of person who would only flatter the powerful.
Kong could sense that this was a deliberate arrangement that was not annoying, so he turned one hand outward, motioning for her to go ahead.
"Esther, how are you~"
"Topa, long time no see!"
A strong sense of sisterhood came out, and the young webmaster gently hugged the female executive: "I didn't expect you to come to my place during the holidays~ I'm not even ready to entertain you!"
This was the first time that Kong heard Estelle use that annoying voice to talk to a person of the same sex. The ill intentions in her words gave him goosebumps.
"Hey, since you've made a fortune, I wanted to ask if I could take advantage of your success. If I can get some tips from you, I'll have a chance to get promoted to P46 next year. Anyway, I don't have to go back to the Transcendental Era."
After Topa and Esta had squeezed each other's roundness appropriately, the smile on his face became more shrewd.
But from beginning to end, she never mentioned the family member who was sitting uneasy behind her.
The other party had no intention of approaching him, and Topa didn't seem to have any desire to introduce him, as if he was a transparent person who was isolated from the atmosphere.
Some kind of tacit understanding? No, Sora felt that it was probably because of his presence on the platform that some of his plans were disrupted, and now he was trying hard to downplay his presence.
Although Ester's uncle's letter highlighted that he was a complete idiot, his son might not have inherited his father's mental retardation.
He probably knew that if Dr. Kong showed up in person to endorse Ester, then this business would not be able to fulfill his father's instructions. It would be inconvenient for him to contact Kong, and it would be difficult for him to hold Ester accountable step by step. He was left at the back and could only pray that the "big shot" would not take him seriously at all.
Kong really didn't care much about him, and didn't want to make things too difficult for him, but as his "relative", Ester was so considerate, so how could she just ignore her family?
She rolled her eyes, and immediately pulled Topa's hand to prevent her from moving freely. She then cheerfully greeted the young man in a suit and tie, "Cousin! What brings you here~"
"Ah, sister...my father, since you haven't replied to my letter for a long time, he asked me to come and see how you are doing and if you have any difficulties..."
The young man could only squeeze out a smile from his face full of "despair". His expression was like a mouse caught by a cat, afraid that Kong would look at him for even a second longer.
"…Hello, Your Excellency. I am Tal Fleming from the IPC Strategic Investment Department."
"Hello. Uh, actually, I came with Ester to pick you up this time because I wanted to know what the company headquarters thinks of the contract that Ester and I signed. Do they think there are omissions or need to add anything? Because Ester has received a lot of threatening letters and letters from home with intriguing signatures recently... I wanted to take this opportunity to verify it."
Tal Fleming's embarrassing performance was somewhat amusing to Sora, but he had no evidence against him yet - as long as he didn't cause any more trouble for Ester, Sora would just pretend he had never been there.
"No, the department heads all agree that the contract is legal and fair. They just hope to expand the production scale because... you know, with the current production of the compound, our internal purchases are a problem."
Topa quickly interrupted, clasping his hands and rubbing them back and forth in a very stereotypical businessman move.
At this moment, she no longer cared about politeness. If this unlucky young master said something wrong and was remembered by the Envoy of Intelligence, not only the ten people of Shixin, but also the board of directors would be in trouble.
143. Bro! I knew you had the goods!
Topal actually wanted to cut off her relationship with Tal immediately, but her information came from the other party's father, saying that Ester misappropriated the materials sponsored by the company for the Black Tower Space Station to build her personal network, and colluded with Dr. Kong, intending to bypass the company to privately operate the compound.
Although she sneered at that idiot - for example, the private compound business, she did smell enough business opportunities, and Zhang Zhang also smelled the smell of money from this incident, so the two of them decided to apply to the supervisor for a patrol team qualification and go to the space station to try their luck. Who knew that they would meet the envoy himself as soon as they landed, and the other party almost accused them of being in cahoots with that idiot young master -
Fortunately, the idiot young master had some self-awareness and knew that the nature of the matter would change if the envoy personally stepped forward to protect Ester, so he retreated bravely. Otherwise, Topal would not just be feeling a chill in his heart and a vague fear.
"I see. We are already trying to collect as many raw materials as possible. If the Bozhi Institute can develop some alternative raw materials for your company, our costs can be further reduced and our production can keep up."
Kong kept talking about costs and revenues. He knew that executives who dealt with capital liked to hear these things, and they had already formed a cortical flash effect.
While he seemed to have made a lot of proposals, which were actually just a lot of nonsense, Esta's cousin had already moved back to the shuttle in dejection.
It seemed like he was destined to spend New Year's Eve on the boat... No, maybe he would just go home.
This kind of plot where you know what I am here for, and I also know what I am here for, and seeing that there is no loophole to exploit, I say "I won't bother you anymore, I'm leaving" in a very convincing manner, runs counter to the development of "treating, beheading, and treating as a dog" that Kong expected, and there is no royal way of slapping him in the face, which makes him a little bored. Then, not caring about the increasingly subtle gazes of the company's special security guards who followed Topa on him, he invited her to sit in Esta's reception room.
After hearing that Kong had taken the initiative to invite him to Ester's office, Topa finally understood everything - the Investment Department's assessment of the development of Kong and Ester's relationship was still a bit conservative.
However, this female executive was surprisingly innocent... Sora couldn't understand how he could tell from her subtle movements... Toppa must have made some unpleasant preparations for workplace sacrifices. She seemed to be reaching into her pocket to confirm whether she had brought any "equipment", with a strange look of devotion on her face, as if to say, "I'm going to die here today."
...This is really a typical example of a beautiful career woman who has no choice but to do things. Maybe her work was going well before until she ran into me.
But Sora didn't feel that much sympathy for her. After all, if she found out that Ester had really made a mistake and was easy to control, she probably wouldn't mind if Ester's cousin said something excessive and took some advantage of her... This was how people in the company survived.
Ester seldom used the room that the staff had originally designed for her. Although it was luxurious and spacious, she never came back here to rest because it was too far from the main control cabin. So this place really became her special place for meeting guests. While maintaining a subtle sense of quietness, it also put a lot of pressure on Topa. Knowing that he was here to put on a fuss, Topa, who knew he was here to put on a fuss, sat up straight and gave Ester a look that hinted at surrender.
"The company's information collection is still sporadic - although this is not your fault, Topa, if you get involved with my uncle, I will be really angry, okay?"
Esta said something in a sweet voice that made Topa sweat profusely, and the tone of her voice was full of criticism.
"Miss, I was wrong! I just wanted to meet the genius who is known as the 'most business-minded'. I just happened to have this opportunity, and Tal just got on board by chance... I really don't want to blackmail you!"
Topa's ability to bend and stretch, and her speed of sliding to her knees made it hard to believe that she had reached P45, a level that ordinary people could never reach in their lifetime.
She was pulled over for tea before she could do anything. She must have cursed Ester's aunt from head to toe in her heart - even though Ester didn't even know which woman she should call aunt now.
"Don't be nervous, Miss Topper. We always believe in 'presumption of innocence', but after today, you should know who you are hanging out with."
The kind tone of Kong's voice when he spoke was just like that of a gangster, and he was sincere and unpretentious, which made Ester, who wanted to "play" with Topa, unable to handle it.
"Yes, I will mention Miss Ester's ideas more often when advising the board of directors in the future."
"That's right. It was just a polite remark before, but please allow me to repeat it now - welcome to the Black Tower Space Station, Miss Topa."
Sora was almost ready to pat Topa's shoulder to comfort her.
"Since you are a friend, Esta, I remember you said you wanted to distribute some agency rights to acquaintances. Miss Toppa's level seems to meet your requirements?"
“She’s a very good choice.”
Regardless of her stance, Esta still admires Topa, having mentioned her before.
After hearing this, Kong continued to pretend:
"Well, P45 is a perfect level. But..."
"Hey, are you willing to give me the agency rights?"
From some scattered information and recordings, Topa knew that Dr. Kong was an extremely efficient and straightforward person, but he did not expect that he would be willing to share his scientific research results with a guy who was difficult to distinguish between friend and foe just now.
"What do you need from me? Please tell me."
"It's simple. All it takes is a little help from Miss Toppa."
Topa seemed to recall other rumors about the "traveler", such as the beautiful noble girl beside him, another snake girl as charming as a fairy, and a personal maid who could kill people with her pectoral muscles.
...After all, it was a huge order, and perhaps it was the best opportunity for her to use up her precious bargaining chip. Although she was a little anxious and surprised, she had no reason to complain if the other party was an envoy.
But as she was taking out her "treasure", Sora said something that made her mind freeze:
"I need to make sure that there won't be too many people trying to get a piece of the pie in the company for a while. The agency rights can't be distributed indefinitely. After you get the goods, Ms. Topa, please protect your rights and don't let anyone else try to share the pie. It shouldn't be that difficult to slap back those who try to get a piece of the pie, right?"
"…I'm afraid I'll need to find my colleagues to further divide up the proportion you gave me, Dr. Sora."
Topa didn't know whether he was disappointed or he breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's your business. You decide for yourself. Anyway, the proportion won't be higher. Then there's the issue of the origin of the materials. Esta, explain it to her?"
"Well, it's like this, Topa. I want to borrow the troops of your collection team to ensure the 'production safety' of an uncivilized raw material production area."
Esta stuck out her tongue, looking harmless.
144. Topa! Strategic partner!
Topa is a nice guy.
This was not an evaluation given to her by her subordinates, but a conclusion drawn by Kong after testing her.
It is true that she is a person who specializes in collecting outstanding payments and debts and is in charge of the operation of the company's violence department, but what is commendable is that she maintains a pure belief in Clipper.
Compared to some guys who talk about interests first and then protection, when Topa heard that the civilization of the deceased clerk's hometown was exploited, she didn't take it seriously at first. But after hearing that it was overly exploited and that the local "lords" were living a life of drunkenness and debauchery, thus leaving the fire of civilization in an intermittent state, she took on this "private job".
"Indulging in the false happiness of drugs will only lead to self-destruction... I understand, but I have to draft a dispatch application first. This area is not under my jurisdiction, so I need the approval of my supervisor. I may also have to give some benefits to shut my boss up. Even so, um, it is still a difficult channel for me to control... Doctor, have you considered raising the price of the mixture?"
This guy not only wants to protect humans, but also wants to protect those exploiters, which is unexpected for Kong.
"We won't raise the price for now. This is the price that Heita and I set based on our consumption model. It's at a level that middle-class consumers can afford. So, do you want to make more money?"
"No, I hope to protect the local ecosystem by raising prices. If product prices remain so... 'appropriate', over-development may occur."
"…Has anyone ever told you that you're an idealist, Miss Toppa?"
"Ah? Idealism? Hahahaha... You're really humorous, Doctor."
Topa seemed genuinely amused, she hadn't heard anyone use this word to describe someone in the company in many years, let alone use it to describe herself.
"Sometimes idealism based on reality is not a bad thing. I think it is the right decision to entrust this project to you."
Sora shook his head. "It's settled then, Esta. Bring me the contract. From now on, Ms. Topa will be your strategic partner."
"…Uh, Doctor, what did you say?"
Topa keenly captured the huge amount of information contained in empty words.
"Song has transferred the patent of the mixture to me. But don't worry, Topa, we will develop other products to enrich the channels in the future. Now this layout is fully handed over to me, and then delegated to the next level. Our goal is not just to make money, but to cultivate a group of talents, talents throughout the galaxy."
Esta's eyes matched Topa's blue pupils: "When navigators are all over the galaxy, how many people will support Sora and become our helpers?"
She pulled out another contract that said "Navigator Teaching Program."
"...You want to... start a school? I see. No wonder you and Dr. Kong set the price so low. I am too narrow-minded."
If Topa's previous impression of Kong was that of a "pretty boy who was a little shy", now she is completely convinced by the bright future that Kong envisions.
Perhaps it doesn't have to be far. As one of the beneficiaries, Toppa can now guide the shuttle to make simple interstellar jumps by himself. This is without any teaching materials, and only three days have passed. It would be a shame to say that Kong's invention was not effective immediately.
"Are you going to adopt the model of online teaching and offline assessment? Do you have anyone to operate the teaching server?"
"We have already asked a colleague to go to Pierpoint. I will give you her contact information later. If possible, please take care of her."
"Oh, sure!"
After getting such a big order, Topa felt like she was flying, and then Estelle's invitation made her feel like she was walking at the peak of her life.
"My cousin has already failed, so you don't have to rush to deal with these tasks. Wait until the next era to leave. Hehe... It's a pity that Sora has made a lot of preparations for the celebration~"