Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Chapter 31: Inaugural Speech

Noah was probably the last one to know about Christen's lightning-fast escape. The other departments had already completed the notification and handover. What surprised Noah was that none of these people intended to inform him - not even Miu Miu.

Muirseth felt aggrieved. After noticing that Noah was in a bad mood, she had no choice but to step forward and explain. "I thought the commander had already told you. Who knew she would leave so suddenly without even notifying you?"

"That's right—after all, I'm an outsider to Rhine Life."

"No, no, you are an outsider of Rhine Life, but she is also my insider—"

"...?"

"I was just kidding." Muirseth winked at Noah, but unfortunately, no matter how cute the wink to a blind man was, it was useless.

But the pressing issue now is not how to handle the work, but...

"I... am going to meet the President of Colombia? Seriously?" Noya was most uneasy about this. This was her first time... well, not the first time. Now Enya was also a national leader, so this was her second time meeting a true national leader. And he was the leader of one of the most technologically advanced nations on Terra (excluding Agor). This was a legitimate power, not something Kjerag's ragtag group could even compare to.

—While it wasn’t that he looked down on Kjerag, Noa was now so panicked that he couldn’t quite choose an adjective.

Anyone would panic if they were notified to meet the national leader before they woke up in the morning. Muir Seth, who was beside Noah, deliberately ran over to comfort her because he took her situation into consideration.

However, as the handover of the head of Colombia's best technology company, she always had to inform the president. No matter how nervous Noah was, she couldn't avoid it, so she could only try her best and let Saria and Muerses accompany her to form a left and right guard formation and enter the reception room.

The reception room was simple. An old man with a bird standing on his shoulder slowly turned his head, and a gentle smile appeared on his wrinkled face.

"This is the heir Christen and I mentioned, Noah Kyrielight, right? Come, come and have some tea, we are just going through the motions." The old man waved his hand kindly. He originally wanted to say please sit down, but after seeing Noah's wheelchair, he changed his words.

"Hello..." Noah replied nervously, "I am the Deputy Chief of Rhine Life and Director of the Special Containment Procedures Department. I am Noah Kyrielight. It is an honor to meet you, Mr. President of Colombia."

"You can call me Conrad, Conrad Jackson. Although I look like an old man now, I like emerging technologies very much. Kristen said that there is a successor, so I came to take a look." The gentle old man spoke, and his words sounded like the kind words that an octogenarian should have, but Noah did not dare to underestimate the Colombian leader in front of him even a little bit.

There was a bird standing on the leader's shoulder. For some reason, Noya felt that the bird's gaze was always focused on her, which made her feel a little uncomfortable.

And from beginning to end, the bird made no sound other than its breathing and heartbeat. It was so quiet it was almost eerie. If Noah hadn't had such keen hearing, he probably wouldn't have even noticed its presence.

"Hello, Mr. President." Although the other party allowed him to call him by his name, Noah was no fool and naturally knew that when it came to this job, he should be addressed by his title. With such a leader, one must be cautious. He was the president, and anyone in front of him had to at least maintain a respectful attitude.

Now Noah's attitude is as correct as it can be—

However, Noah still felt that the bird was very strange, but she didn't know what was strange about it, so she quietly opened the Eye of God, intending to explore the background of the bird.

It would have been better if she hadn't looked. When the Eye of God lit up, she met the gaze of the strange bird with horns on its head. Soon—she understood its identity. No, to be more precise, she had encountered a similar creature before...

"—Conrad, you may leave now." At this moment, the bird suddenly spoke. "I'm sorry to test you, Noah Kyrielight. Let me introduce myself again. My name is Mark Max, and I'm the President of Colombia."

"...Then who is Mr. Conrad?" Noah raised his head and looked at the old man.

"He's my assistant, my vice president, and of course, in front of most people, he's the president," said Marc Max, the president of Colombia. "You actually had those eyes. It was my mistake. I should have been more straightforward when meeting you."

"No, I just got it by accident—" Noah shook his head, "So...what's the matter with this real president coming to see me?"

"You're very perceptive, Noah Kyrielight. I've researched your life. Before coming to Columbia, you had many identities. Of course, I have my doubts about you. Plus, Rhine Life is one of Columbia's most important companies, so I naturally want to meet you—" Mr. Mark tilted his head. "But it's true that Christen's choice of you wasn't a surprise. I see a lot of familiar auras about you—for example, how is Lord Kelsey?"

"...She was, at least, healthy before I left." Noah knew the other person had simply picked a random aura from her body as an example. Like him, the other person could observe things from a special perspective.

"Kristen said you're an excellent person, capable of managing Rhine Life, and even better than her. I'm skeptical, but maybe I'll give you this chance." Mark didn't make things too difficult for Noah. As the president, even if he was just a bird, he had his own way of doing things. "Give it a try. If it doesn't work, I have other options."

Mark's eyes fell on Saria who was standing beside him, and he said, "I believe Ms. Saria should be able to take on this responsibility."

The meaning is very clear. Rhine Life is a big company with a huge business. It doesn't matter if you just build it for a month or two. There will be someone to cover it. President Mark doesn't seem to be very optimistic about Noah, an outsider. It is a disaster for an outsider to guide the insiders. The same is true for a leader who has no knowledge of scientific research.

President Mark probably thinks that Christen is doing this to allow Saria to take the position legitimately, so he lets Noah be a stepping stone. When Noah feels that he can't handle it, Saria will take over.

This does make sense logically - but Saria herself doesn't think so.

"Managing Rhine Life is essentially managing a business. In fact, Mr. President should know about Noah Kyrielight's experience in Casimir - she is an excellent entrepreneur. If she manages a business alone, no one in Rhine Life can be her opponent. So I think this personnel handover is very necessary, and Noah Kyrielight is also capable of leading Rhine Life forward." Saria's words were very clear. She came here to help Noah and never thought of using Noah as a springboard.

In fact, it is true that if Saria wanted to be the chief governor, Christen would have run away long ago - the position of chief governor is actually quite busy, and Christen does not want to be bound by this position at all.

"Since Ms. Saria has said so, I'll be looking forward to your abilities." Mark didn't blame Saria for interrupting. Instead, he became even more interested in Noah. "Okay, let's end the meeting here. You still have a press conference. If you don't want to be kept busy all day, then get everything done quickly."

After this brief meeting, Noah breathed a sigh of relief when she left the room - she had never expected that the president of Colombia was actually a bird, and a bird that made her feel oppressed.

Perhaps sensing Noah's nervousness, Muirseth patted her shoulder and asked, "Are you okay, Noah?"

"I can still hold on..." Noah sighed, "But we really have to hold a press conference today... Can't we do it later?"

"The sooner the handover is completed, the better. Besides, isn't our goal to change Rhine Life? I think now's your chance," Saria advised. "Just like that guy said, Rhine Life is a huge mess right now. Christen has been wanting to run away for a long time."

"Then I'm not here to clean up your mess..." Noah was a little speechless. "Remember, I came to Rhine Life to treat illnesses in the first place."

"Indeed—but your oripathy is now practically cured. It just takes time to resolve the remaining mineral residues," Saria replied. "Transmitter therapy is indeed effective."

"That's right—but I've got something more serious than oripathy!" Noah was even more upset. "The time bomb in my body was defused, but the replacement is another time bomb. Does that make sense?"

"...Let's not talk about that for now. Whether it's treating the disease or managing Rhine Life, we have to take it one step at a time. At least think about what to do next—except for the press conference, which you can't avoid anymore."

Muirseth interrupted, "Miss Yara has prepared the speech. Please read it now to familiarize yourself with it. For your convenience, Miss Yara has specially used Braille."

"...Thank Miss Yara for me." Noah took the speech and temporarily put the matter of treatment behind her. However, what Saria said just now was right - for the commander-in-chief, this position was just a shackle. Now she is truly free from worries and can do what she wants.

Recalling what the Commander had said before, about breaking through the restricted flight zone and heading for a higher and more distant world, Noah suddenly had a flash of enlightenment.

"Perhaps, I can change the way I speak——"

-

At the RhineLife press conference, reporters anxiously awaited the arrival of the new RhineLife CEO. They still didn't know what this new RhineLife leader looked like, what his thoughts were, or what he would bring to Colombia. The previous RhineLife CEO, Christen, had swept the entire RhineLife scientific community with a terrifying presence, practically single-handedly shattering common sense.

In the face of such a superman, who can inherit her dream?

People are waiting to see what happens.

However, when the incoming vehicles stopped and the new CEO of Rhine Life appeared before the crowd, they could hardly contain their surprise.

Because the new chief executive of Rhine Life was actually a disabled person, she left the vehicle with the help of people around her, got into a wheelchair, and walked through the crowd to the podium under the attention of everyone. During this series of actions, Noah could truly feel everyone's surprise, confusion, and even suspicion. These emotions did not affect her. Her expression was normal. Under everyone's gaze, she came to the podium, lowered her microphone, and then deliberately knocked it, and at the same time used her Originium skills to make everyone's emotions flow in her direction.

This technique can effectively attract everyone's attention, that is, get everyone's attention. It can also effectively enhance your persuasiveness.

"Dear journalists and friends in the scientific community—I am Noah Kyrielight, the general agent of Rhine Life Sciences. First of all, this is my inaugural speech. In theory, I should guarantee that Rhine Life Sciences will not deteriorate and will continue on its original path, reassuring investors, researchers, and everyone else. I'd say I can become as dazzling as my predecessor, Kristen—but I feel that most of this is empty talk. I don't like promising people things I'm not sure I can deliver. So I'm going to change the way I present my speech."

Yara, who was listening in the audience, frowned and asked in confusion, "She didn't use the speech I gave her?"

"It seems our new commander-in-chief has his own considerations."

"I am deeply grateful to Kristen, our former Grand Admiral, for granting me the title of Acting Grand Admiral, and I assure you that my first speech will be brief."

"I'm very happy to be here, especially to be here at this time." Noah's words seemed to have magic, as if whispering to everyone, which aroused the interest of many people.

"We meet in a company renowned for its knowledge, in a country renowned for its progress, in a city renowned for its strength. And we need all three, for we live in a time of change and challenge, a decade of hope and fear, an age of knowledge and ignorance."

“The more knowledge we acquire, the more ignorance we reveal.”

Despite the remarkable fact that world-renowned scientists continue to toil, despite the fact that Columbia's scientific capacity is doubling every 12 years, outpacing the overall population growth rate by three times, the extent of Terra's unknowns, unanswered questions, and unfinished tasks remains far beyond our collective comprehension.

“No one can predict how far or how fast we can go. But if you like, you can condense human history, which has only lasted for thousands of years, into just half a century.”

"In this time span, we know very little about the first 40 years, except that at the end we learned to cover ourselves with animal skins. Then, by this standard, 10 years ago, humans emerged from caves and began to build new homes. Only five years ago did humans learn to write and use wheeled vehicles. The Lateran Cult was born less than two years ago. Printing only appeared this year. In the 50 years of human history, less than two months ago, the Originium furnace provided us with new power. Last month, electric lights, telephones, cars, and airplanes became a reality—"

"I admit that this is exciting enough, but we are still ignorant--" At this moment, Noah's voice finally became louder.

"Risks, opportunities, difficulties, challenges—these are words that humanity has long experienced and will inevitably continue to accompany us as we move forward! But here at Rhine Life, we have never been a group of people who stand still!"

"...What is she talking about?" Yara began to feel uneasy.

"All great and glorious undertakings are accompanied by immense difficulties, and their accomplishment requires a spirit of continuous progress and equal courage. If this brief but progressive history can teach us anything, it is that humanity is unwavering and unstoppable in its pursuit of knowledge and progress. We are at the forefront of Terran technology, and we have the obligation and the ability to make the impossible possible, to make a distant dream a reality—"

"We want to be part of it -- we want to lead the world."

"To acquire new knowledge, to win new rights, we set sail in this new realm. We must acquire and exercise rights. For the progress of all mankind, we embark on a new journey."

At this moment, Christen, who was listening to Noah's inaugural speech from afar, seemed to have sensed something and slowly stood up from leaning against the wall.

"We decided to break through the sky."

"We decided to break through the sky!"

Chapter 32: Three Things a New Official Does When He Takes Office

"Our new director—he's really messing around..." The one feeling the most helpless at this moment was, of course, Yara, the oldest director in Rhine's life. Looking at Noah, who was giving an impassioned speech at the podium, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu. The image of Christen, speaking so eloquently at the podium, now seemed to overlap with Noah. No wonder Christen chose Noah. Perhaps it was because he supported her dream, even willing to make it public on her first day in office.

Breaking through the limits of flight is not as easy as it sounds. In the history of Terra civilization, countless outstanding people have tried to do this, but have failed repeatedly.

The most recent attempt was made by Christen's parents, and although they were amazing - they also had an accident during the flight.

The limit of flight has claimed too many lives. Even though the new general manager of Rhine Life has clearly defined the next goal of Rhine Life, even for such an important company as Rhine Life, there are very few people who are optimistic about them. However, Noah herself is absolutely serious, and even before she stepped down from the podium, she specially called a meeting with the other directors of Rhine Life. She knows very well that her level is limited, so if she wants to achieve such a goal, she needs the support of all Rhine Life.

She may not understand scientific research, but she absolutely respects it.

As the general agent of Rhine Life, she is very clear about her position. Since she is not research material, she only needs to provide sufficient funding for the researchers.

Making money? This was something that Noah was already familiar with.

At the meeting, Noah spoke to everyone.

"In the future, the General Affairs Department and the Research Department will send two representatives to form the Review, Management, and Exchange Committee. The Research Department and the General Affairs Department will each establish a new position to handle matters in their respective areas," Noah said to all the section chiefs. "These four representatives will be responsible for coordinating most of Rhine Life's affairs. Personnel will be rotated every three months. The General Affairs Department and the Research Department can no longer operate independently. Funds don't grow out of the ground. No matter how reluctant you are to get involved in the General Affairs Department's affairs, at least you must understand that the General Affairs Department is not your wallet—"

Although Noah was forced to do this, she didn't understand science and technology, nor did she quite understand the internal factions of Rhine Life - but she knew the importance of management.

The general manager had previously divided the affairs department and the scientific research department too clearly. Neither side knew each other's work, nor could they understand the difficulties of the other. This led to a lack of communication between the affairs department and the scientific research department. On the one hand, they felt that the affairs department was stingy in allocating funds, while on the other hand, they felt that the scientific research department was always spending money indiscriminately.

It is necessary to ensure the clarity and transparency of intelligence exchange and information between the two parties, which will also facilitate management.

"Secondly, all new technologies in the scientific research department, unless they are identified as singularity technologies, will be submitted to the Review Management Exchange Committee for patent application and technical communication between various scientific research departments. After this meeting, I will also open applications for most singularity technologies. However, I will give the review authority to Director Saria accordingly." Although Noah had already sensed that many directors had doubts or dissatisfaction, she continued.

"Rhine Life, ultimately, is a scientific research enterprise. This isn't a university, and there shouldn't be silos. All departments should collaborate. The previous General Manager, Christen, didn't understand corporate management, but now, I'm the acting General Manager. No matter how dissatisfied you are, I suggest you at least give it a try. Science shouldn't be done in isolation. Every part of science is closely interconnected, like a sophisticated machine where every gear must mesh. We've wasted too much time—we need to redefine efficiency."

These ideas were all conceived by Noah on the spot, and there will definitely be loopholes and unreasonable places, but Noah believes that instead of worrying about whether to come up with a perfect plan first, the real solution is to try it out first.

If you don't do it, everything is just talk.

"I have an opinion - I think that the research directions of various scientific research departments are different, and it is not a bad thing for them to compete with each other." At this time, Ferdinand was indeed the first to stand up and oppose. He had been coveting the position of general manager for a long time. Although he did not show any anger on the surface when his peach was suddenly picked, he was definitely the one who was most unwilling to accept it. Although what Noah said now made sense, he had to oppose the decision of the acting general manager.

There is no other reason - because he is not the general agent.

"—Oh, I almost forgot—" Noya had already anticipated the backlash, so her next words were, "I will relinquish most of the powers that belong to the General Manager to the Audit, Management, and Exchange Committee. I will only be responsible for the majority of the administrative affairs within that department. Furthermore, I recommend Director Ferdinand as the first representative from the Research Department to the Audit, Management, and Exchange Committee. I believe you have the ability to manage Rhine Life. You understand Rhine Life better than a layman like me. Honestly, you're more suitable to serve as Rhine Life's acting General Manager than I am. Most of the Research Department's affairs will be handed over to you. What do you think?"

"...I'm saying that the General Manager's proposal is a very reasonable one. While competition is important, what's more important is that we're a team! I'll take the lead in making my research findings available to all departments!" Ferdinand, understanding Noya's words, instantly changed his tone. "As for the General Manager's recommendation, while I feel I'm not up to the task of such an important position, God will not give a man a great responsibility without first challenging him to the highest level! I am willing to accept this responsibility!"

Are you kidding? The other party has clearly given up power. Which is more important, real power or title?

After joining this Audit Management Exchange Committee, I feel like I am half a chief executive, and to be honest - it's really not bad!

It was no wonder that this academic peacock rebelled instantly. After Ferdinand's rebellion, Parvis and other directors of scientific research departments who were solely focused on research had no intention of objecting. Most people in Rhine Life had not considered these things. It was a convention before, and it was not a bad thing to make it clear now.

"Okay, now that the first proposal has been passed, I will move on to the second proposal." Noah nodded. So far, everything was under her control. She already had a certain understanding of the internal situation of Rhine Life in her previous exploration. In fact, there was not much real disagreement within Rhine Life. After all, they were essentially a group of scientists, but their bottom lines of behavior were very different.

Some people will ignore the process as long as the results are good, some people will not focus on the present as long as they can achieve great things in the future, and some people have a broad vision but cannot see the road under their feet.

Rhine life does not need to stand out from the crowd——

Science should never be just a group of people working in the dark on the front line.

"Next, I will invite organizations such as Rhodes Island, the Columbia University Academic Alliance, the Leithanian Warlock Association, the Astrology Association, the Great Yan Tianshi Mansion, and the Lateran Gunnery Research Institute to hold a Terra-wide academic seminar and exchange conference centered on Rhine Life. This conference will last for seven days, during which time some venues will be open to the public to showcase the latest scientific and technological achievements. This will also be a way to showcase Rhine Life's technology and understand the level of Terra's technology." Noya continued, "Although this is only a temporary proposal, I hope that such scientific and technological exchange conferences will continue, preferably on a fixed date every year."

This was only the second proposal, and this time Yara raised her hand.

"I think this proposal will be rejected by the Colombian authorities, and the technical exchange may be considered a leak of confidential information—" As a former agent of the Melander Foundation, Yara knows very well who has the final say in this country. She doesn't think this group of people will consider Terra's future, but only think that this may affect Colombia's technological advantage.

But Noah shook his head. "I've considered it—but I think if Columbia really wants to maintain its technological advantage, wouldn't it be better to make this a mecca of science?"

"……you mean?"

"A scientific and technological exchange conference... I just came up with a name, the Terra Expo. Its original meaning, or rather, what it means in the eyes of politicians, is a way to demonstrate their technological prowess and status," Noah continued. "For those politicians who are always worried about their lack of achievements, successfully hosting the Terra Expo itself is a very attractive reason. So, I actually think it won't be difficult to push forward."

"...I have no objection."

Noah, the new official, had three things to do upon taking office, two of which had already been ignited. The third, which was what Noah cared about the most—

"Since my first two proposals have been approved, my third proposal—" Noah took a deep breath. "This proposal is also the most important. It's what I think Rhine Life needs most. In fact, I haven't thought it through yet, but I believe that if we want Rhine Life to continue moving forward, we must get these. I plan to establish a Scientific Ethics Supervision Department. This department will exist independently of most departments of Rhine Life and will be responsible for conducting humane reviews of all experiments. I will personally serve as the director of this department."

"...What exactly does this department do?" Parvis said. "The so-called Department of Scientific Ethics Supervision—does it exist just to supervise us?"

"You guessed right." Noah nodded. "This Ethics Supervision Department exists precisely to address the increasingly unethical nature of science today. Science needs supervision. Science must serve humanity, not humanity. Science cannot exist independently of humanity—even if science is inherently independent of humanity and inhumane, it is meaningless."

That's right, she never forgot that she wanted to change Rhine's life.

Changing Rhine's life may be just the first step. Next, she will try to change everything through this identity. She even hopes that her actions can allow Terra to continue to move towards a new era.

After coming to Rhine Life, she has been thinking all the time.

Think about a question——

In the past, she thought that if she could only slightly change Casimir, it would be enough to make her pay the price.