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"It's okay. I openly asked you to go and steal my skills. Luo Fu also accepted it. It's up to you how much you can learn within this time limit."
"Although I know your true identity, Captain, this mediation that satisfies everyone... is beyond the description of genius."
Pera no longer had the scrutiny and vigilance she had initially shown toward the man in front of her who was almost two heads taller than her.
"It has nothing to do with genius. It's the accumulation of experience. Oh, I still have to prepare hush money for Paimon. It's really troublesome. I'd rather starve you to death."
Feeling that if he continued the conversation like this, Pera might also become angry, so he wisely ended the topic.
"The duck hasn't even served its purpose yet, but you're going to take action first!" Paimon flew over and pinched Kong's cheek and pulled hard, but this guy's face was tempered by Xier just now, and it was very hard now.
"Speaking of supper... Miss Topper just mentioned that she was planning to invite you to have dinner together to discuss the renovation of the lower-level area. Now..."
Pera wiped her earlobe.
All the sounds in Castle K could not escape the monitoring system she had set up - only the two girls that Kong had just received were deliberately ignored by her.
"I think he's meeting Mr. Swarlow."
Please, please treat Swarovski to a meal?
Topa, why don’t I give you my 85th seat? You are a genius!
——Unlike a screw, Swarovski did not have a feeding module. Sora could not imagine that the solemn robot boss would use his thousand-horsepower mechanical arm to carefully cut a steak.
"Did she ask you to relay it: 0--—"
"No, I just heard her talking about asking colleagues Jade and Gold Sand to come see you. Besides, she is a thoughtful businessman after all. She might have said it to me on purpose to mislead you through my mouth. Please understand."
She might indeed do such a thing. However, Swarovski was willing to accept the dinner, and he also happened to find out about the other party's transaction with Screw and how their personal relationship was developing.
Kong had heard about the fact that ScrewGum was planning to help Svarro transform the mechanical settlement into another intelligent base where carbon-based creatures could coexist. Kong agreed with it.
However, it is best to complete it under the supervision of the company. Otherwise, according to Esta, the Eastern company members have never lost their vigilance against intelligent machines, which may have an impact that is unfavorable to Yalilo when it is put on the table.
Since Topa is here... why not try to speak frankly? The Strategic Investment Department can use Swarovski. If Swarovski brings up the matter again, even if the company does not participate, it should not overreact and hinder his and ScrewGum's work.
[The user you dialed is currently on the phone——]
[Hello, boss, I'm Topa! ]
Pick up quickly!
Kong thought the line would be busy for a while before he could get through to this busy person, but she ended the call without hesitation and answered her own first.
[I heard you were planning to treat me to a meal? I just happened to have something to discuss with Swarovski, and it would be more convenient for you to be there - why not tonight? I still have about three hours to spare.]
[You actually have time? Ahem, I'm sorry, I thought you would be caught by the eldest lady at this time, so I thought we could discuss it in two days - Clara happens to be with me, how about going to Goethe now? ]
Huh? Swarovski dared to hand Clara over to Topa?
It’s quite interesting that the director’s personal charm can be recognized by the stubborn Swarovski?
[Then see you at Goethe——]
[Ah, I mean the underground Goethe, Boss.]
……
...I don't know if it was because the sound of the leaking floor and the eldest lady's explosive lines that day were so unforgettable in Topa's mind that she not only invested money in repairing the door panels and floors of the hotel in the basement, but also had a deep obsession with the banquet hall in this place, which is now the company's temporary reception office.
Even after an overall renovation, the underground space could not "grow" upwards as wildly as the ground, which resulted in the so-called banquet hall being more like an ordinary person's restaurant in terms of volume. Swarlow's height would almost hit the ceiling light just by squeezing himself in.
He carefully controlled his body, not bumping into any dishes, and was always careful not to squeeze the guests on either side. His red eye was mostly scanning Sora, only occasionally glancing at Clara, whose two little feet were fighting under the table and who was obviously very happy about Sora's return:
"All cognitive tests have been passed. Clara already has the knowledge reserves of an average college student. She can immediately start researching the subjects she is interested in. Thank you for the company's sponsorship and Dr. Kong's introduction."
He thanked her meticulously in a mechanical voice, which actually made Topa and Kong feel a little guilty for bullying an honest man.
"Master Shivajiro, please don't be so formal. As for the choice of subjects, I recommend Clara and Professor Latio. He is very good at philosophical thinking and structural studies. Of course, it is a remote class. If Ms. Heita agrees that the Polyscience Society will further enter the space station, it can also be changed to an offline get out of class... What do you think, boss?"
"There's no need to bargain for the society now, Topa. Even I can only correct Heita's stubborn temper a little bit. Her prejudice against the Society of Knowledge cannot be healed in a day or two."
Kong Qing took a sip of the wine that Topa brought - it had a wonderful Western flavor, very similar to gin, and evoked some "ancient" memories of Kong.
The delicacies on the table were all made from non-local ingredients brought by hired chefs, especially the cartoon-like fish with its eyes open, which was tilting its body to look at the people at the table from the pie, making the warm atmosphere vaguely abstract.
In addition, there are foods with a strong sense of déjà vu, such as French fries and ice cream - all of which become embellishments for gazing at the stars.
But Clara and Topa had eaten rock salamanders before, and they didn't feel any discomfort. Instead, Sora stared at the dead fish for a long time with a subtle expression.
...Befa would occasionally use something like this to scare unpleasant "guests", and sometimes use it to entertain prisoners of war, but it was this strange cuisine that made Kong smell Topa's hint:
"Latio is an excellent scholar. Please tell him for me that the difference between a genius and an ordinary person lies only in their mindset and innate hardware, not in their achievements. If his goal is to achieve success or reach the pinnacle of scholarship, his status as a genius will become a stumbling block for him. Of course, so will his arrogance."
"...Okay, it's really long. Can I record it?"
"... You can just give me his contact information directly... I just need to learn about the situation of the Bozhi Academy through him. As long as the academic system you have established is not so terrible, I can cooperate with you unilaterally. This kind of temptation is unnecessary."
"Phew, that's great. With the boss's words, I have completed half of my mission—"
Topa patted his chest and nearly broke his breast window.
This woman definitely did it on purpose - don't forget that there are children present, what if you let her misunderstand you?
Sora didn't know that Clara was also a little precocious. She knew the additional purpose of this meal very well. At the same time, she was thinking about how to mention it to Sora, wanting to include herself and Swarovski in their "train family".
"Halfway done? Do you have other tasks?"
Sora sighed, "I haven't even asked what I wanted to ask here yet. Okay, does it have something to do with these weird dishes you served us?"
He turned around and looked at the old gramophone again. The song playing in it seemed to be the one mentioned by a certain Universal Radio station that Ji Zi often listened to... "Free a Heart from Sorrow" by the famous pacifist singer Robin.
But Kong had little interest in this. Asta's various inside information had already given him a basic understanding of the conflict between the company and the memory star field. If he wanted him to intervene in this old account that had already been determined, it would be necessary for his companions to encounter major risks related to it.
"The boss must understand, right?" Topa was cutting the steak on the plate with a smile, and he looked like he had a good appetite.
"I don't understand." Sora held out his fork and pretended to eat the star-gazing sky.
Hey, the boss’s reaction is completely different from what Ms. Jade predicted!
Seeing him pick up the fish head and throw it into the plate like he was constipated, Topa's pretty face froze for a moment, and then she hurriedly stepped forward to stop him: "This doesn't taste good, just leave it there and watch!"
"I don't mind. I will try to appreciate the food prepared by the host."
"I was wrong, boss! It was Ms. Gold Dust and Ms. Emerald who wanted me to not say it so bluntly!"
Topa had become accustomed to his boss's gentleness, but he almost forgot that his "understanding" and tolerance with those girls were based on sufficient familiarity with each other.
Even though she obtained the disposal rights for that batch of goods, she still did not obtain the qualification for long-term use of the public frequency. Perhaps this shows that Kong's grudge against her did not come from the company, but from her connection with the other ten people in Shixin who had a bad reputation. These little actions at the dinner table simply confirmed her overly "commercialized" side.
Fortunately, it was not too late to remedy the situation, and Kong had not yet eaten the fish head - if he had really eaten it, it would have been like overturning the table.
"Don't you and the young lady have already planned a destination for your honeymoon? Regarding this matter, I found a big business deal that I would like to discuss with you."
"About Pinocchio?"
The carefully arranged food and songs all pointed to the interstellar hotel that operated the dream world. Sora thought that the contract he and others signed under the witness of Shipe must have really stimulated the company...but their reaction was a bit too cliché.
"Well, if I say that Hippie may not be able to bear witness to your friendship, that power is being stolen by an alien, and that it may ruin your honeymoon with the young lady, and that the paper agreement may become a problem - would you be interested in asking?"
446. Rockin' Alone in the Galaxy
Topa's words were like a poem recited in a pretentious tone, making Sikong's brows twitch.
"Hey, boss! This time it's really not the company that did anything behind the scenes - the spies who infiltrated Pinocchio brought back some discordant sounds about dreams. It's said that the family is experiencing a civil strife, and we are targeting this gap."
Seeing that Kong's face looked a little strange again, the director quickly threw away the persuasive remarks that Shi Xin had prepared for the internal discussion, and gently clarified things with words that were more in line with her intuition and Kong's preferences.
Topa was already clear about Kong's position. At least the so-called "the doctor stands with the company" was the wishful thinking of the investment department. Rather than favoring the company, it would be better to say that he favored a few more specific people. If there were no friends with relatively close relations with the company to maintain this relationship, all cooperation would collapse.
"...I haven't even finished the job for the Immortal Boat yet, and you've already assigned me another one."
As expected, seeing Topa getting more and more flustered, Sora returned to his previous attitude:
"Tell me about the 'alienation' part?"
He held his chin with one hand. To Topa and Clara, his impatient look was actually a little cute:
"I am not interested in your business games. As long as the agreement is not poisoned and there are no subspace creatures or other weird things coming out to disgust me, I don't care even if Pinocchio explodes and you send warships over to reclaim the sovereignty of the colony."
This is inconsistent with your previous style of helping others, boss.
Topa muttered in his heart——
Ms. Emerald had analyzed that the Doctor was a genius hiding in the club, with the mentality of a sea ranger. As long as he was told that many people might die in the internal strife, the Doctor would definitely not let it go...
Now it seems that Kong only helps those targets within his sight and within his reach. He won't care if they are far away, but this is normal... It makes the doctor look like a saint. Obviously, he is very lustful, but he is more like a living person when he sneaks a peek at the window in his chest.
Just as Topa was about to add some wine to Sora's glass, the waiter clasped his paws together and filled Sora's glass from the other side of the table - his flattering attitude was more business-like than Topa's.
"Thank you, Accountant. Please continue with Topa."
"Well, there is a lot of evidence that the recent silence of Shipe is because the discord in the Asdena system is growing stronger, and the remnants of Order are trying to erode and regain the authority that was swallowed up by Harmony."
Topa blinked. "Please allow me to keep the source of the information confidential for now. If you are interested in the provider and are willing to get involved, you can naturally meet her and determine for yourself whether the information is true."
"...I remember that Order was not...Oh, by the way, Xi Pei swallowed Taiyi...But can the swallowed Star God be resurrected?"
Hollow soSuo group: 捌兀＿〈萋↑liu↓〕６＿≥㈢肆;〔si`〉You thought that Luosha had been "caught", so why are the things related to him still chasing you?
...Otto's sequelae are too strong.
"I don't know, but the statement you signed with the train passengers may have deviated from its original meaning due to the distortion of those speculators and been taken over by beings other than Shipe. They may even interfere with you and the people around you instead of the more pure motives of the same people."
Topa used a very cunning and rigorous statement, hoping that Kong would pay attention to the possibility of his family being threatened in this huge business opportunity.
Of course, she was also worried about Esta's situation. After all, the rich little woman was one of her few close friends. "This kind of intervention is quite uncontrollable. No one wants to be constrained by a star god they don't understand, or even someone who is not sure if he is a star god. Especially the gods that those crazy people try to create and resurrect are closer to divinity than to mortal nature... I believe you are the same."
She folded her hands and slowly regained her negotiation momentum.
Now she is the only one who can convince the boss, and any other cadre will make him slam the table and leave.
"If that time really comes, I think I will be able to solve it myself without the help of the company."
"Of course you do, but it's easier this way. We have been setting up in Pinoconi for so many years, and we can provide you with a huge amount of data for analysis - record it into the simulated universe, and maybe we can know in advance the changes that will happen there."
"Oh, you're still thinking about the black tower and the screw, right?"
"You said to unite all those who can be united."
After Topa finished laughing, he saw that Sora was already a little moved, so he asked about the thing he was most worried about:
"...I have to ask an unpleasant question...Isn't the eldest lady joining the newly formed 'family' on the train yet?"
"No."
"Oh, my young lady... Fortunately, she was not blinded by love. If she had been coerced by the agreement, we would not be able to take the attitude of boiling a frog in warm water. Even without your participation, we would have to take it down as soon as possible."