Asura in Arknights

“Mr. Kennedy, this time… is it really just for our family’s library?”

Chapter Five: Reaching a Consensus

Unlike Elena, who was born rebellious, Xingji was given high hopes by the Ubica family from a young age and was groomed to be the next head of the family. Even though she is now being neglected, the knowledge she has learned in the past is still coming in handy.

No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't calm down.

Li Ang's previous explanation could only explain what happened on the ruins of Plot 21, but now... a chairman of unknown wealth personally traveled to Columbia for some astrological data that no one else would even consider? And he even brought his wife and adopted daughter with him.

Decades ago, when astrological magic still had some effect, Xingji would have thought that Li Ang was after their family's heritage. But now, the Astrological Association has long since weakened to the point that anyone can take a kick at it. And now... Xingji simply can't understand what Li Ang is after.

They are now very close to the port, probably only a few minutes away at most.

Xingji felt it was time to ask the question that had been weighing on her mind all along.

“If you are after our family’s inherited astrological magic, I can help you bring the legacy back to Kazimierz; you don’t need to go there yourself…”

When she said these words, Xingji seemed a little uneasy. She subconsciously grabbed the hem of her skirt and didn't dare to look at Li Ang sitting in the front row.

Elena, who was standing next to her, wanted to say something, but having learned her lesson from last time, she simply held Xingji's hand silently, trying to ease her nervousness.

At that moment, the driver Li Ang had called displayed exceptional professionalism. He remained completely unmoved, as if he hadn't heard Xingji's voice at all, his gaze fixed straight ahead on the road.

The car became extremely quiet for a moment, and all that could be heard was the sound of the car engine and Rosemary's soft breathing as she slept.

This unusual silence lasted for a while before being broken by Li Ang's soft laughter.

“Miss Star, you’ve finally asked that question,” Li Ang said with a smile. “I was just wondering how long you could hold out.”

Xingji's intense inner turmoil was as dazzling as a campfire in the darkness to Li Ang; it was impossible not to notice it.

Upon hearing this, Xingji's heart tightened, and the campfire burned even more intensely.

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous. Actually, even if you hadn't asked me, I would have found an opportunity to talk to you about this. But since you've brought it up now, let's take this opportunity to discuss it in detail."

Li Ang gestured to the driver, signaling him to slow down and give them enough time to talk.

With Li Ang's reassurance, Xingji calmed down a little.

After gathering his emotions, Xingji said, "Chairman Kennedy..."

"Just call me Li Ang... Yes, you heard me right, that's how they address me in Da Yan. Actually, that's my real name. The name you all know is a little misunderstanding. Changing the name on my documents was too much trouble, so I just kept using it without really understanding why."

Thinking back to the time when they first met, Adele couldn't help but smile.

Seeing Adele's reaction, Xingji vaguely understood that Li Ang was not lying, and her mood became more relaxed.

"Then Chairman Li, can you tell me what your purpose is? I swear on the name of the Ubica family that I will not reveal the following conversation to anyone," Xingji solemnly swore.

Looking at Elena beside him, who was unresponsive and looked like a piece of wood, Xingji was furious.

This stupid little sister is beyond saving; she probably went crazy from the experiments she did at Rhine Lab.

After being nudged twice by Xingji's elbow, Elena finally realized what she should say.

“Oh... I also swear in the name of the Ubica family that I will not leak this conversation.”

Thankfully, Elena didn't say, "Why did you stab me, sister?" Otherwise, Xingji would have seriously considered sending her back to the family for re-education.

Although the family's educational methods are old-fashioned, Xingji has to admit that some of the courses are still somewhat useful.

“You don’t need to be so serious… Fine, since you’ve all sworn an oath, I’ll tell you.”

Li Ang was a little embarrassed by the sisters' serious reaction. He took a breath before continuing to explain, "There's something you've misunderstood. I do value the Ubika family's library very much because I want to find clues related to the source of your astrological magic power."

Upon hearing this, Xingji nodded secretly.

If that's the reason, it's certainly worth it for Li Ang to make the trip himself. What Xingji can't understand is why Li Ang would bring his wife and daughter along.

"Besides that, my main goal is the Astronomical Association behind the Ubica family. Of course, the Astronomical Association is just a stepping stone for me. My real target is Rhine Lab."

Upon hearing this, Elena, a member of Rhine Lab and with close ties to the Astronomical Association, couldn't help but ask, "Huh? Why Rhine Lab? Does the Astronomical Association have some connection with Rhine Lab?"

“It seems you’ve forgotten most of what happened back then,” Li Ang shook his head and asked, “Elena, do you know the full name of Rhine Labs?”

“It’s Kristen Wright,” Elena replied immediately. “Dr. Wright is one of the most famous scientists in all of Colombia, and many people in Rhine’s life admire her greatly.”

Li Ang remained noncommittal. "So, have you ever heard of Kristen Wright's parents?"

Elena was speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond.

They admire Kristen because of her outstanding scientific abilities; they're not idolizing a celebrity. Why would they bother investigating Kristen's parents?

Xingji, standing to the side, frowned and said hesitantly, "Could it be the Wrights, the inventors of flying machines? I feel like I've seen their records somewhere before?"

"That's right, the Wrights, the ones you know."

Li Ang confirmed Xingji's guess and then explained, "You should have seen records about them in the relevant records of the Astronomical Society."

"The Wrights were the original inventors of flying machines and were the undisputed authorities in that field. They were not satisfied with a flight altitude of four or five hundred meters, so the Wrights turned their attention to the starry sky above us."

Knowing the true nature of the Astronomical Association, Xingji had a bad feeling as soon as she heard this, and Li Ang's subsequent explanation proved her suspicions.

"The Wrights' actions touched the interests of certain groups, namely the Astronomical Society. When people can touch the stars, the so-called sacredness of astrology will cease to exist, so the Astronomical Society used all its power to attack and slander the Wrights' research at all costs."

How could they do this?

Elena was furious upon hearing about the Star Association's despicable actions.

However, Xingji remained silent, which was unusual for her. As a qualified astrologer, she could better understand the actions of the Astronomical Association.

The biggest difference between the two sisters was revealed at this moment.

Even though Xingji is currently having conflicts with her family, astrology and astronomy have left an indelible mark on her life.

"You think that's all? No, this is just the beginning."

"Later, the Wrights suffered a major accident during one of their test flights, and both of them lost their lives in the accident. What do you think the Astronomical Society will do next?"

Elena thought for a moment before cautiously saying, "Um... since the person is already dead, the Astronomical Society shouldn't do anything more, right?"

Li Ang shook his head, seemingly mocking Elena's naiveté.

Just as he was about to talk about the good things the Astrological Association had done, Xingji suddenly said, "No, the Image Association will take this opportunity to kick someone when they're down."

Under Elena's astonished gaze, Xingji said expressionlessly, "In order to prevent anyone from challenging the authority of astrology again, the Astronomical Association will erase all of the Wrights' contributions, discredit their honors, smear their life experiences, and finally nail these two presumptuous people to the pillar of historical shame forever."

"...That's right, that's exactly what the Astronomical Society did later."

Li Ang glanced at Xingji in surprise, not expecting her to be such a sensible person.

It seems she was indeed being groomed as the heir to the Ubika family; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to keep up with the ideas of those astrologers so easily.

"After the Wrights died, their reputation took a complete 180-degree turn. No one was willing to speak up for the two private individuals. Some people even went to the site of the Wrights' accident to hold a large-scale memorial service. Even their funeral was disrupted by people... Although there is no evidence, it is highly likely that the Astronomical Society sent people to do this."

Otherwise, where would such deep hatred come from, to the point that it even affects someone's funeral?

"At that time... Christen was probably not even ten years old yet."

The Astronomical Society's actions were already excessive while the Wrights were still alive, and their subsequent actions after their deaths left the Upika sisters unsure of how to react.

After a long pause, Elena shuddered violently and forced a smile. "I was just thinking, should I quit my job and find another company?"

If Xingji hadn't asked her that question, she wouldn't have known that her family had such a big grudge against her boss... If she continued to stay in Rhine Lab, would she just suddenly disappear one day?

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. Ferdinand told me all this just now. He already knew about your relationship with the Astronomical Society.”

"Mentor? Then I can rest assured."

Upon hearing Ferdinand's name, Elena immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Ferdinand was very strict with her, he was otherwise impeccable.

Now that Ferdinand knows Elena's background, she no longer needs to worry about being vanished by the governor one day.

"This is the relationship between the Astronomical Society and Rhine Lab, which is what I want to exploit."

"...I think I understand now."

Xingji rubbed his temples, revealing a slightly troubled expression.

The amount of information in Li Ang's words was too much, and since she didn't know much about Rhine Lab, she needed some time to digest what Li Ang was trying to express.

After several minutes of silence, Xingji hesitantly spoke, "Chairman Li... were you warning us... not to get too involved with the Star Association?"

"It's not a warning, it's a discussion."

Li Ang shook his head. "My method... might have some impact on the Astronomical Association, but if you don't agree, then forget it. Heh... Come to think of it, my connection with Rhine Lab is quite deep. I have several other ways to achieve my goals."

For example, ecology, structural engineering, and Magellan, for whom there is absolutely no information, are all good entry points.

However, none of these are as direct as the Astronomical Society.

"It would be better if the Astronomical Society were just destroyed," Elena muttered to herself.

After learning about the shady things the Astronomical Society had done in the past, she has now lost even the last bit of goodwill she had for them.

The car was only so big, and Elena's mutterings were overheard by the others.

Xingji gently tapped Elena's head as punishment for her earlier words, then solemnly said to Li Ang, "I have no objection. The Star Association is indeed an old thing that should be thrown into the trash heap. In fact, even without any external intervention, the Star Association will have a hard time surviving. I'm afraid that in a few years, the Star Association will go bankrupt due to lack of funds."

When Xingji saw the disappointed look in her father's eyes back then, her heart had already cooled down.

Now she's just following her old habits, blankly repeating things that are ingrained in her bones.

Where does the future of astrology lie? The answer is, it has no future.

Civilization has advanced to the point where even ordinary people can't be easily fooled. How many people can astrological magic, now devoid of power, still deceive?

The Astronomical Society should have died long ago; it's quite a miracle that it has managed to survive until this day.

"So... we've reached an agreement?" Li Ang raised an eyebrow.

In the rearview mirror, Li Ang saw Xingji nod slightly.

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P.S. Reflecting on Green Dream and Lone Star, the Flame Demon incident was a mess. If all these Rhine Lab storylines were written together, this volume would probably be super long, at least the length of two volumes combined...

Chapter Six: Daily Work

August 17, 1095

10:07 AM

Weather conditions: Sunny turning cloudy

Rhine Life headquarters, Trimont, Colombia.

As the most renowned and perhaps most powerful scientific organization in Colombia, Rhine Life Sciences is still bustling with visitors today.

Some came to discuss cooperation with the business department, some tried to steal secrets and were thrown out by the defense department, some came for interviews, and of course, many more were employees working at Rhine Life.

Energy Department, Structure Department, Originium Arts Application Department, Ecology Department, Engineering Department... Apart from the Scientific Research Department, which has very few people staying at headquarters all year round, these five departments are home to the elites of the entire Rhine Lab, and even the entire Columbia Lab.

Of all the things Rhine Lab promoted back then, they actually accomplished at least one thing.

"Independent research and independent project initiation" – having abandoned the nauseating atmosphere of Columbia academia, most scholars can find a place to showcase their talents at Rhine Life.

As the core of Rhine Labs, the General Components Department has absolute control over all of Rhine Labs' business and research. It has the highest level of authority and confidentiality. Almost no one knows the specific work of this department, and even the heads of other departments know very little about it.

In fact, this department should be considered someone's private laboratory, namely Christen Wright, the founder of Rhine Lab.

This department, and even the entire Rhine Life, was established from the very beginning to achieve a certain goal in Christen's mind.

Although the members of the General Components Department were conducting a great deal of research under Christen's leadership, none of them could actually explain what the purpose of their research was.

Only Christensen remained behind the scenes, secretly controlling everything in the General Components Department.

Even the research being conducted in other departments of Rhine Life has been secretly influenced by Christen. The current chaos that is beginning to emerge in several departments of Rhine Life is the result of Christen's deliberate indulgence.

Very unusually, Kristen showed up in her office today.

In order to keep abreast of the overall situation, Christen had to sacrifice some of her precious research time to process the data collected from various departments.

The first thing Christensen saw was the news that Ferdinand had recently returned to Trimont and met with military representatives.

After just one glance, Christen lost interest and tossed the report aside.

Ferdinand's actions were all under Kristen's control. Whether it was his secret dealings with the military or his private contacts with foreign companies, Kristen had solid evidence in his hands.

However, Ferdinand's actions were generally beneficial to Rhine Lab and her plans, so Christensen turned a blind eye and allowed Ferdinand to flirt with those forces.

Sometimes, Christensen felt that Ferdinand was somewhat pathetic now. Was he a businessman or a researcher?

Kristen shook her head and looked at the next report.

This was an application submitted to her by the head of the Structural Medicine Department, Palvis, who said that his chimera experiment had made considerable progress and that he was preparing to test a new treatment method, and that he had come specifically to ask Christensen for her opinion.