Chapter 505: Research Institute! Secured

Chapter 505: Chapter 505: Research Institute! Secured

She counted it twice, then looked up in disbelief. "Five million points? Elder Shaw, you’ve been holding out on us!"

Elder Shaw snapped back to reality, stammering a little. "R-Really? Five million? Doesn’t that mean we’re only five million short?"

"That’s right. But how many years are you planning to take out the loan for?" Lily Hart asked.

"What’s the difference?" Elder Shaw asked in return. Neither of them really understood.

So they looked it up directly on the machine. A loan would definitely have rules like a repayment period and interest rates.

The two of them studied it for a while but were still only half-sure they understood.

(To be honest, the author doesn’t understand this either, so we won’t go into detail.)

Just then, Logan Holland and the others finished filling out their information and saw their own credit limits.

Logan Holland said smugly, "Heh, a million points. Not bad, huh? What about you guys?"

Yael Lowell scratched his head. "Only eight hundred thousand points. Why’s mine so low? This is unfair!"

Peter Sharp tried to comfort him. "It’s fine, it’s fine. I only got a million points, just two hundred thousand more than you."

It sounded like comfort, but Yael Lowell couldn’t help but feel a hint of mockery in it.

Elliot Chapman, who had been listening to them bicker, had thought he would have the lowest amount, but it turned out he was about average.

He quietly raised his hand and said, "I have two million points!"

The other three—Logan Holland, Yael Lowell, and Peter Sharp—immediately shot him looks of envy and admiration.

Yael Lowell, having the least, was still indignant. "But why? What am I lacking that you guys have?"

Lily Hart guessed, "Director Chapman’s credit limit is high, likely because he’s reached the pinnacle of his field and produced many achievements."

After speaking, her cool gaze fell upon Logan Holland and the other two. "And you three?"

Being looked at like that, the three of them felt inexplicably guilty.

Elder Shaw cut off their bickering in time and said calmly, "I have five million points."

At his words, the four of them—Logan Holland, Yael Lowell, Peter Sharp, and Elliot Chapman—stared at him in shock. Five million points? Wow!

They had thought Elliot Chapman’s amount was already impressive, but it turned out Elder Shaw was the real master who remained unfazed by anything.

But no one felt indignant about Elder Shaw having a five-million-point limit.

They were filled with nothing but admiration. Everyone had seen and remembered how much he had contributed to Central Command over the years.

Logan Holland did some quick mental math: two one-million, one two-million, one five-million, and one eight-hundred-thousand.

They were still short two hundred thousand points.

That’s just two thousand Crystal Cores. Great, that massively reduces the pressure.

Logan Holland said, "So we’re just short two thousand Crystal Cores. We should be able to scrape that together."

"Jeez, you’re such a huge command center, but you’re acting so hard-up? I’ll cover the two hundred thousand points for you. Just remember to pay me back."

Lily Hart sounded slightly disdainful, but her words truly warmed their hearts.

Logan Holland said dramatically, "Wow, Boss Hart, thank you so, so much!"

"It’s nothing, it’s nothing. Keep it on the down-low," Lily Hart said with a wave of her hand, then urged, "Stop dawdling and get the loans. Remember to pick the one with the lowest interest and the longest term."

"You got it!" Logan Holland replied.

The five of them continued operating the machine. When the word "Complete" appeared on the screen...

A credit card popped out of the slot, loaded with the exact amount of their loans.

It could be linked to their Light Brains for a series of convenient operations like transfers, payments, and receiving funds.

As soon as they got the credit cards, they couldn’t wait to start linking them to their Light Brains.

Only then did Lily Hart remember. ’Huh? Where’s the person from the bank I scratched out? Where’d they go?’

She looked around. The hall only had self-service machines. Other than Elder Shaw’s group of five linking their cards and Frost Shaw’s group wandering around, she didn’t see any other strangers.

Suddenly, a door in the corner opened, and a woman walked out. She froze on the spot when she saw so many people in the hall.

She clasped her hands, wringing them, at a bit of a loss.

Seeing this, Lily Hart quickly walked over and asked, "Are you the one from the bank I scratched out?"

The woman nodded repeatedly and explained in a fluster, "Nature called. I just went to the restroom... I didn’t expect..."

Lily Hart stifled a laugh. ’So that’s why I didn’t see anyone. She went to the bathroom.’

She waved her hand to show she understood. "It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m just walking them through the loan application process. Want to come see? It’ll help you get familiar with the business."

Upon hearing this, the woman nodded again and followed closely behind her.

’I don’t know anyone here except Boss Hart. Better stick close to her.’

Meanwhile, Elder Shaw’s group of five had already linked their credit cards to their Light Brains.

Then, Logan Holland and the other three transferred all the points from their cards to Elder Shaw’s card.

After that, all five of them turned to look at Lily Hart expectantly. She had a sudden realization.

"Just transfer it to me," Lily Hart said coolly.

Elder Shaw nodded in relief and transferred the nine million, eight hundred thousand points from his card.

After receiving the points, with the five of them watching, Lily Hart bought the research institute she had picked out earlier.

Only when he saw the two words "Payment Successful" did Elliot Chapman’s anxious heart finally settle.

He couldn’t help but urge in a low voice, "Why don’t we go find a spot and set up the research institute right now?"

Elder Shaw agreed. Lily Hart was leaving soon; this matter couldn’t be delayed.

Once it was set up, their hearts could finally be at ease.

Lily Hart hesitated. "Right now? It’s already dark. How about we go tomorrow morning? You all go back and decide where to put it first. I can just go over tomorrow and set it up."

Her words reminded Elliot Chapman that it was indeed dark, and the various shops were closing up one after another.

Elder Shaw made the decision. "Alright, tomorrow morning then. We’ll have to trouble Boss Hart to make the trip herself."

"No problem. It’s getting late, you should all head back now."

After seeing Elder Shaw’s group off, Lily Hart returned to the lottery shop to find the sofa full of people.

"Huh? When did you all get back?" Lily Hart asked, taking a sip of water to wet her throat.

Leo Colby answered for them, "While Elder Shaw and his group were linking their cards. We came back since there wasn’t much else to do."

"Oh. Make some room for me, I’m exhausted," Lily Hart said.

Hearing this, they immediately shuffled to either side, clearing the prime spot in the center for Lily Hart.

After sitting down, Lily Hart let out a long sigh of relief. "Now that there’s a bank and the research institute is bought, I can finally leave without any worries."

The others nodded in deep agreement. Otherwise, they would have still been worrying about Central Command after they left.

Speaking of which, Lily Hart couldn’t help but praise the system in her mind. ’Nice work, little Sys. Keep it up.’

The system, having been praised, was secretly pleased but acted tough. ’Hmph. Don’t expect it to happen again.’

Lily Hart pretended not to hear.

Silence fell. Lily Hart felt sleepy again, but then she remembered it had been days since she’d gotten to kiss anyone.

’Oh well,’ she thought, ’I can get a kiss anytime, but a good night’s sleep is best had at night.’

Frost Shaw noticed the exhaustion on her face and took the initiative to say, "I’m heading back. You should get some rest."

Lily Hart gave a weak nod and a listless wave. "You should all go back and rest."

She was clearly shooing them away, and everyone got the message.

So, they all stood up to leave. Diana Sharp and Tina Jacobs quickly sorted out the remaining scratch-off tickets.

Lily Hart closed the four walls of the vehicle, turned off the lights, and went upstairs to wash up and sleep.

...