Darkstone Code
Chapter 232 - 0230 Origin, Feminism, Ambition

Chapter 232: 0230 Origin, Feminism, Ambition

"Is it... Mr. Neo?"

When Vera heard Lynch mention that Neo was behind this, she was momentarily dazed.

For a long time in the past, as a semi-housewife, she always revolved around Gap’s life. During that time, Gap often talked about interesting things in the Ristone Group and some anecdotes between President Neo and the board.

These things could be considered a part of corporate culture, as people liked to talk about the higher-ups as if their opinions could be heard and validated by them.

In Vera’s mind, Neo was more than just a simple symbol. This name represented the ultimate aspiration that Gap had been striving for over an extended period.

It was an aspiration, not a goal. Gap knew he couldn’t achieve it, but that didn’t stop him from striving towards it.

Lynch sat by the side; the television was on, but no sound came out.

The people inside continued their performance unhurriedly, like a silent film.

He asked, somewhat curiously, "Do you know Neo?"

Vera, coming to her senses, nodded and took a small sip from the wine glass on the coffee table. "Yes, I attended a management celebration event held by Ristone, for creating new highs for their stocks."

"I saw him from afar at that party. He felt very imposing, like those big figures on television."

In fact, Vera wasn’t aware that her impression of Neo as "imposing" originated from Gap’s unconscious or subconscious instillation.

When someone constantly hears a trusted person talk about how someone did something remarkable today, chatted and laughed with the mayor, and plans to have dinner with the governor tomorrow...

Gap told so many legendary stories about Neo that a strong image was formed in Vera’s mind. When she first saw Neo, she directly fit this image, adding to her sense of connection.

If she hadn’t heard so many descriptions before, she might not have found Neo imposing, perhaps even approachable.

Lynch nodded noncommittally. "Mr. Gap works for Ristone, and for Neo, but now that Neo has the police withdrawn, did Mr. Gap participate in some rather important and secret work?"

As he spoke, he leaned back, letting the distance maintained between the two of them widen, as creating space can provide someone feeling uneasy with more security, especially when posing possibly sensitive questions.

"I don’t mean to pry into secrets, but this relates to the reason why Mr. Neo is doing this. We need to understand the reason to respond appropriately. None of us knows if he’s doing this for Gap’s good, or if he wants to..."

Lynch didn’t continue, leaving a small tail behind, which Vera would fill with her most feared thoughts.

Before long, a matter of seconds, her expression changed slightly. She picked up the wine glass on the coffee table again, holding the base tightly with both hands, and took a sip.

The slightly stimulating liquid slid down her throat, followed by a faint warmth spreading, like it was brewing strength, making her feel slightly better.

She shook her head, "I don’t know."

She didn’t tell Lynch the truth, still unsure if she could share this with him.

Though on some level Vera felt desolate after Gap’s "betrayal," she hadn’t thought of ending the marriage just like that.

This is a relatively conservative world. Despite the flourishing feminist movement, with "new women" marching with flags and bare torsos everywhere, most women still remained conservative.

Conservative women learned through growth to maintain at least the appearance of family harmony. No one told them that when they felt dissatisfied, they could be the first to propose ending the relationship and marriage.

Vera was such a relatively conservative yet open-to-new-things middle-class woman, sharing the same attitude as many women in this class.

They could make one feel their conservatism at times but also showcase boldness at others.

Lynch didn’t press her, only patting her on the back of her hand and letting the maid take her to the guest room.

He already had a rough idea about what the issue was. Gap was an accountant, said to be a manager, and with problems related to an accounting manager, it’s definitely about the books.

The police were looking for him, Neo was looking for him, his troubles were enormous!

Yet these didn’t concern Lynch much, as his focus wasn’t there.

Several days passed without any news about Gap, and unfamiliar figures began to appear around Lynch’s house. To ensure the safety here, Lynch had a Senior Soldier guard the house, which deterred those lurking.

No one would want to test the marksmanship of these people with their own heads when they see a group of obviously veteran soldiers carrying powerful weapons patrolling back and forth in the yard.

About a week later, at a newly built temporary rugby field on the outskirts of Sabin City, some people welcomed an unprecedented event, which can be said to be the world’s first women’s rugby match, and this game is bound to go down in history.

Perhaps to ensure that this match went off without any issues, the weather on this day was excellent. Although it was a bit cold, those girls wouldn’t feel it once they got moving.

Lynch personally went to the temporary parking lot to welcome President Elina. This elderly woman was dressed very plainly. If she hadn’t styled her hair, it would have been hard to notice her in the crowd.

"I’m glad you came to watch the game in person. I thought maybe someone else would come!①" Lynch had changed his mature hairstyle and attire to make himself look younger.

He was already a very handsome young man, with time not yet leaving marks on his face. Just by changing into clothes that young people would choose, he looked like he was only seventeen, eighteen, or nineteen.

Young, clean, sunny, coupled with his respectful attitude and that charming little sweet talk, President Elina kept a smile on her face from the moment she saw him.

She glanced at the other accompanying personnel, touched her hair to make sure her hairstyle wasn’t messed up, "Lynch, this game is actually much more important than you imagine. We have to wait here a while longer..."

Seeing the obvious confusion on Lynch’s face, President Elina explained a little, "The people from the state office will be at the scene today. Let’s go greet him together." She said, seemingly remembering something, "Oh, my heavens, do you have other urgent matters?"

There might have been or might not have been, but at this moment, there absolutely were none.

The State Women’s Rights Protection Association office is the highest administrative office of the Women’s Rights Association in this region. It seems somewhat obscure, but in reality, these people are very powerful.

They can easily change the social situation in a region, with not many even knowing what they did.

"Of course, there’s nothing more important than this, President."

"What a good child!" President Elina’s gaze lingered on Lynch’s face for a moment before shifting away. She took a step first, and Lynch quickly followed, which made her even more satisfied.

This little thing beside her seemed to be able to read people’s minds, making one feel comfortable and relaxed.

After the two had distanced themselves slightly from the crowd, President Elina said, "The headquarters of the association is very concerned about the appearance of women in professional sports arenas. You may not understand, but over the past few hundred years, the discrimination men have towards women has never been eliminated."

"Some work on our part has made this discrimination less, allowing women to gain rights and responsibilities roughly similar to men."

"But in more traditional issues, so far there has been no breakthrough, such as professional sports and politics."

"The people from the United Transport Association are very resistant to the professionalization of women in sports, so after the headquarters learned of your ideas, they highly valued your match. If done well, we might establish our own ’United Transport Association.’"

President Elina’s face showed a more meaningful smile. Undoubtedly, this woman from a middle-class family does not seem as ordinary as she appears on the outside.

In fact, President Elina is not very satisfied with her current work. As a women’s rights president in a small city, she lacks power and money, with barely some fame in upper society that isn’t highly respected.

These things can’t be well converted into wealth or power, so she wants to make a move.

If the Federation Women’s Rights can establish its own United Transport Association, that would undoubtedly be a great hope. Her relationship with Lynch is good, and if she actively participates in the process of forming the women’s United Transport Association, she might secure an important position.

Look at the current United Transport Association’s power and wealth; they almost monopolize the broadcasting rights of all sports events in the Federation, while also holding the life and death power over athletes and clubs.

The funds flowing through their hands each year are counted in "billions," and even accessing a small part of it would be a tremendous step forward.

While Lynch was saying words of flattery, he didn’t take it seriously in his heart. The United Transport Association, having developed to this point, has woven a large net encompassing everything related to sports in the entire Federation.

To want to bypass them and start another United Transport Association to cut from their profits, would they sit idly by and let it happen?

As long as they initiate a wave of resistance, as long as television stations refuse to purchase the broadcasting rights for women’s sports matches or even refuse to air those matches, it would be enough to directly stifle the female United Transport Association.

Lynch never intended to work independently from the beginning. He only wanted to exploit some of the United Transport Association’s existing loopholes to gain some benefits from them. He didn’t even have the intention or motivation to fight this giant.

Until it topples by itself, no one can defeat it!

Of course, a look of yearning appeared on his face, as if he too was looking forward to the day women could stand on professional sports platforms!

=

① In this special era, women hoped more than men to be respected by others, and were particularly sensitive about it. So when Lynch used a respectful form of address, it immediately won President Elina’s favor.