Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

“I will tell you all their information!” Dorothy said immediately.

Roy paused, realizing she seemed to have misunderstood something, and quickly explained, "No, no, I didn't mean for you to be a corporate spy or an undercover agent..."

“I do!” Dorothy said firmly. “Lady Yara was right. I should do something for you!”

"Ah..." Roy opened his mouth, paused for a long time, then took a deep breath and said, "Anything is fine?"

“Of course, anything is fine!” Dorothy replied sincerely.

"Then promise me that, firstly, you will not do anything dangerous and will ensure your own safety. Secondly, you will not spy on anyone, especially not Christensen and Ferdinand. Finally, keep an eye on the situation at the Rhine Life Research Department."

Saria, the head of the Rhine Lab's security department, is a dedicated guardian. She will not allow anyone to harm Christen or Rhine Lab, especially now that the Balrog incident has not yet officially erupted. Roy doesn't want Dorothy to be targeted by Saria.

However, as the head of a department, it was reasonable for Dorothy to keep an eye on the expedition, and there was no danger in it.

In Roy's view, the research department was the most valuable department in Rhine's life.

Volume 1: Chapter 238 The Prelude to the Flame Demon

1095, Colombia, Rhine Life.

"This is your department, Ms. Dorothy." The silver-haired Ms. Vaiva nodded to Dorothy as she carefully placed the large boxes she was carrying on the ground. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

“That’s all, Saria. Thank you!” Dorothy eagerly pulled her computer out of the box, plugged it in, and it automatically connected to Rhine Lab’s network. After checking the data, she turned around and formally thanked her, “Thank you so much, Saria. If it weren’t for you, the relocation would have taken several days.”

Saria nodded calmly, as if she were already used to it.

Actually, relocating a lab isn't that difficult, especially since Dorothy's experiments haven't even entered the clinical trial stage yet. The Rhine Labs Defense Department could handle the equipment in a day. It's just that Dorothy's lab was so messy that simply tidying it up took a considerable amount of time.

As for why Saria personally took on this task, the reason is simple—examples like Dorothy, who just joined Rhine Lab and immediately gained an independent laboratory and became a department head, are extremely rare. Especially considering that she herself didn't have a particularly strong political background or academic capital, Christensen's decision was even more surprising.

Saria was simply curious and wanted to find out what made this "genius" girl so special.

As it turns out, Dorothy is indeed extraordinary. She is like a mad scientist from a movie, possessing both a fervent passion for science and a strong sense of humanism. In her words, everything she does is to create a more equal world. However, Seria always felt that if Dorothy wasn't kept in check, this ideal would eventually lead her to do something unimaginable.

Moreover, she has very poor self-care ability. It is hard to understand how a girl who basically relies on takeout to live in the laboratory can have such a beautiful figure and fair and tender skin. Is this also a kind of talent of the Zalak people?

In short, whether out of public interest or personal motives, Saria earnestly suggested, "Ms. Dorothy, as the head of the Rhine Life Originium Arts Application Department, you should find an assistant."

"Eh, is this necessary?" Dorothy asked, somewhat surprised. She was a little reluctant to have an assistant, as it might expose some embarrassing things, such as secretly getting up late at night to continue doing research, writing a bunch of unsent emails to her inbox, or various bad habits.

But Saria nodded firmly: "This is Rhine Lab's practice, and it's for your own good."

"Ugh..." Dorothy let out a Dorothy-style wail, but ultimately did not refuse.

Just as Mr. Roy said, Rhine Lab's Seria is truly terrifying.

Ignoring Dorothy's soft, complaining voice, Saria reminded her, "Rhine Lab will reimburse this part of the expenses. After you've chosen your assistant, go to the personnel department and find Yara. You should know her. She'll help you with the onboarding process. If you don't have anyone in mind, you can also ask her for recommendations."

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

Saria turned to leave. Dorothy interrupted her.

"Wait, Saria. I..."

"What?" Saria frowned slightly and turned around.

"I've always been curious why a company like Rhine Life would establish a scientific research department?"

"Hmm?" Saria tilted her head in confusion, but didn't think much of it. Most people who joined Rhine Lab had this question, but few were as outspoken as Dorothy. Considering Dorothy's simple nature, Saria wasn't surprised and replied, "It's the Commander's decision. But I think both the starry sky above and the earth beneath our feet are equally mysterious to us. The Expeditionary Force exists for exploration."

"What were the results of that scientific expedition?"

Dorothy pressed on with another question.

This made Saria somewhat suspicious.

According to her background check on Dorothy, her family and research interests have nothing to do with the Research Department. Why would she be so interested in the Research Department's projects?

But Dorothy's words reminded her that she hadn't paid attention to the Research Department for quite some time and knew nothing about their achievements. This wasn't normal. Within Rhine Lab, even the smallest department was supposed to submit a weekly report. Even if the Research Department's reporting time was longer due to the nature of their research, it shouldn't have been so long that Saria had no recollection of it.

She narrowed her eyes, sized up Dorothy, and replied:

"You can submit a data sharing application to the scientific research department yourself. As a director, you have this right. I cannot give you an answer at this time."

But I will keep an eye on it.

Saria thought to herself. She then nodded to Dorothy and left the office.

Her schedule was packed today. After helping Dorothy move her luggage, she had to go with Muirses to continue investigating the bombing at Hayden Pharmaceuticals. She also had to try to get back before evening to accompany Ifrit to receive chimeric therapy.

hope everything is fine.

........

Kazimir, Kavaleriaki, Rhodes Island Office.

A SUV, reeking of the wilderness, sped into the underground parking garage. Roy got out of the car and took a deep breath of the polluted city air.

"The air circulation in the underground parking garage isn't great, but it still smells much better than the sandy smell in the wilderness."

He spoke from the bottom of his heart. But unexpectedly, Skadi quietly added:

"It doesn't feel as good as... the ocean."

Is the salty smell of the ocean really that pleasant? And your sentence structure almost made me think you were about to say something dangerous.

Roy thought to himself, took out his phone, and dialed Little Platinum's number.

The call connected quickly, and Hinterlea's languid voice came through, asking sleepily:

"Hey, Master Roy? What's up?"

"I'm back," Roy said happily.

Bang!

A thud came from the other end of the microphone, followed by a cry of pain. A moment later, Hintleya's voice, noticeably more alert, rang out again:

"You're back? Master, where are you now? I'll come pick you up right away. Did you notify Monique?"

“Not yet,” Roy said.

"That's good... Oh no, I mean, let's surprise her again later!" Hintria suggested without any qualms. "By the way, where are you now?"

"It's right across from the Yuanshiyun Department Store on Palm Avenue. I'll come out to find you after I park my car."

"Okay! I'll be right there!"

A dial tone came from the other end of the line, then the call was disconnected. Roy turned to look at Margaret behind him and said:

"Miss Radiant Knight, would you like to go home first or come with me?"

“I’ll come with you,” Margaret said. “I didn’t expect to be back so soon. I already went back last time.”

Roy nodded. He hadn't expected to return to Kazimierz so soon, but he was even less willing to spend two or three months wandering around Letania with Rhodes Island. Since he had promised Viviana and Marna, he might as well take advantage of the two-month gap to come back.

Leaving the underground parking garage and stepping onto the street, the streets of the Grand Knights Territory remained as bustling as ever. But Roy noticed something discordant.

"Please protect the Infected Knights' right to participate!"

A man holding up a sign and wearing red armor in the style of a Blood Knight was shouting at the top of his lungs.

Volume 1: Chapter 239 The Demolition Case of Plot Zero

Roy was certain the man wasn't a Blood Knight. Although he wore Blood Knight-style armor, his height, physique, and even his roar were completely unlike a Blood Knight.

More likely, he was an admirer and follower of the Blood Knight. This is not surprising.

While it's a common practice in sports competitions for the first place to take everything and the second place to get nothing, the final match between Blood Knight and Everlasting Knight was truly stunning. Whether it was Blood Knight's five-pronged attack with impenetrable defense or his final desperate triple wave of blood-soaked energy, both were genuinely breathtaking. As a result, after the tournament, the second-place finisher didn't fade into obscurity as expected; instead, he gained even more respect and popularity.

Adding to this, Roy's hasty departure from Kazimierz after the match, without accepting any commercial endorsements to maintain his popularity, has led to a more secular approach. Blood Knight, who has been actively marketing himself, has seized the opportunity presented by the Commercial Federation's urgent need for a public image. Instead of being assassinated by the Unarmored Alliance as depicted in the original story, his popularity has soared. Regardless of his infected status, the number of fans following and emulating him has naturally increased.

But what does the sign he's holding mean?

Roy frowned slightly, about to go up and ask, when he heard Hintria's panting call from behind: "Master, where are you going?"

Roy turned around in surprise, looking at Hinterlea running towards him: "So fast?"

“It just so happens to be nearby.” Hinterlea breathed a sigh of relief. “Come with me quickly, there are a lot of people on the street now, and if we are recognized, we won’t be able to leave.”

Roy was taken aback: "I've been away from Kazimierz for almost three or four months, can't be that serious?"

Hinterlea gave her a "Are you kidding me?" look and retorted, "Master, aren't you underestimating your popularity? Besides, look at who's standing next to you."

Hinterlea had already noticed Margaret, who was standing somewhat awkwardly behind Roy: "The two most popular and talked-about champions from Kazimierz are now together. You two will attract attention like two spotlights when you walk down the street. If you don't want to be surrounded by paparazzi and fans dancing around you, come with me now. My car is parked up ahead."

Margaret, who had been called out, gave Roy an awkward look. Roy shrugged helplessly and called out, "Skadi, let's go."

Skadi, seemingly preoccupied, snapped out of her reverie and nodded: "Coming."

Hinterlea's car was a bright silver convertible sports car with a streamlined body that had an artistic design aesthetic. Inside, there was a small Roy figurine standing in front of the driver's seat, swaying as the car moved forward. Roy curiously reached out to touch the chibi-style figure, but Hinterlea, realizing what was happening, blushed and stopped him, saying:

"Wait, wait, wait, this... I forgot to put it away!"

"They're quite cute, why would you put them away?" Roy laughed. It wasn't some kind of risqué anime figure that would make people exclaim "Holy crap, this is anime!" Roy not only didn't mind these adorable QQ-style dolls, but actually quite liked them.

"Is that so?" Hinterlea glanced at Roy discreetly, seemingly relieved. She then pressed the button to raise the roof, covering the convertible.

The noise reduction effect was immediate; the street noise and advertising sounds vanished instantly, and the surroundings became much quieter. Roy looked around at the familiar streets and asked:

"By the way, Little Platinum, did anything happen in the Great Knight Territory while I was away?"

"Little Platinum?" Margaret belatedly realized what Roy called Hinterlea, and instinctively jumped, bumping her head on the ceiling of the car before sitting back down in pain.

Hintraya glanced at Roy with some surprise, then at Margaret, and asked, "Don't you know your master's identity?"

“Uh… I know.” Margaret nodded. During the few days she was home, Marna had revealed Roy’s identity to her. But Roy had revealed so much damaging information these past few days, and his identity as a “human remnant” was just too conspicuous. So much so that Margaret had momentarily forgotten that Roy had once been a Blue-Gold Leader of the Unarmored Alliance.