Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Another person who felt very uncomfortable during the meal was Margaret. Compared to Noah who was being pursued by Zofia, she was sweating profusely because of Maria's subtle gaze. She really didn't do anything, but why did she feel so... guilty?

But for Maria, it was completely different. Seeing her two sisters being close was a good thing, but since when, when she saw Margaret and Noah being so close, she felt happy but also a bit strange. It was like she had spent quite a bit of time with Noah, but she had never been that close to her. She treated her like a younger sister, doting on her, but the way she treated her was completely different from how she treated her older sister.

Of course, in addition to these...Maria felt something was wrong.

Those are the two Sarkaz brought back by my sister!

It’s not that Maria discriminates against the Sarkaz, but before Margaret came back, Maria vowed that her sister would never develop any close relationship with other people. But when she saw that Nightingale and Shining had a close relationship with her sister, she felt like she had been slapped in the face.

More importantly, both Shining and Nightingale are top-notch beauties, not much inferior to Noah.

For Maria... this situation seemed to make her start to worry that she might no longer care about her sister because she had gone out.

But being able to be in the same room with Sister Noah last night... probably not, right?

Zofia held onto Noah, while Maria stared at Margaret. For the two being targeted at dinner, this meal was truly... an uneasy one. Fortunately, they managed to finish the meal. Noah, using work as an excuse, and Margaret, using training as an excuse, quickly fled. Kuro also seized the opportunity and appeared, taking Noah away.

This is the end of the siege—

After Noya escaped from the table, she asked Kuro, "Where did you go before?"

"I found a place to sleep." Kuro said, "With Knight Yao by your side, I can still feel at ease."

"...Gu, that's true." Noah thought about it carefully and it was true. Although Kuro and Margaret had never fought, Noah felt that Margaret might not be much weaker than Kuro. After all, Margaret had defeated Uncle Mainna in terms of technology.

You know, even Kuro may not be able to defeat Uncle Mainna. In other words, the current Margaret can indeed protect her.

It's not surprising that Kuro took the opportunity to slack off...

But Noah still spoke up, "Last night...was it you who let Margaret in?"

"Yes." Kuro admitted without hesitation, "I felt that you needed her more at that time. So I let her in."

"...I see." Noya was silent for a moment. "Perhaps you're right, Kuro. You always make the right decisions."

"Is that right..." Kuro smiled. "If it was me who showed up at that time... would you be happy?"

"I'll be happy." Noah said, "I told you... Kuro, you're my family too."

"Yeah, that's why I asked her to come." Kuro smiled, but Noya felt that Kuro was a little lonely. So she gestured for Kuro to stop before speaking.

"But if you want to act spoiled, you can always find me," Noah said. "After all, when it comes to spending time together, you're not inferior to Margaret, right?"

Chapter 129: Tracking? Encounter!

"As previously discussed, the removal of the Howling Guards from the Chamber of Commerce has been finalized. As for the portion of the shares held by the Howling Guards... we will temporarily consider having the corresponding companies take over. Considering the specific circumstances—Ms. Noah, do you have any alternative plans?"

The Business Association's board meeting was convened to discuss who would take up the lost market share after the Howling Guardian's retirement. Membership in the Business Association was extremely valuable, and the loss of any member naturally necessitated a new member to fill the void. This question was the main topic of the meeting. Noah had a new idea after being asked this question by McGee.

As we all know, the Howling Guards are the armor maintenance provider for most competitive knights. After the Howling Guards went bankrupt, these knights had to find other companies to maintain their armor.

As for armor, I actually have a candidate.

"Can I say a few words?" Noah coughed. "Well, I have a good option. I wonder if you have any ideas."

"The current situation is that although the Howling Guards were expelled for violating the rules, the majority of the armor manufacturing and maintenance work of the competitive knights cannot be neglected. To fill this gap, I suggest that the new members must at least have the ability to maintain armor. So - I recommend..."

-

"What?" The old craftsman's wine glass fell to the ground in shock, shattering into pieces. "You... want me... to be a director of the Chamber of Commerce?"

"Well, I've been consolidating the companies I've taken over and discovered that several of them originally had partnerships with the Howling Guards. With a little consolidation, I can have you, as chairman, establish a new company focused on armor manufacturing and maintenance." Noah nodded. "Maria also mentioned that you're actually quite good at this, right? Together with Maria and Master Cat, I think you can do a much better job than the Howling Guards."

"That's not right! I closed the shop because I don't want to get involved in the affairs of these businessmen. Even if you asked me to come out, Noah, I would..."

"Koval, please be patient and wait for Miss Noah to finish her words. Also, remember to compensate for the cup you just broke." Old Martin immediately stepped forward to stop Koval's impulsive behavior. He knew that Noah must have made some arrangements before coming to find Koval, the stubborn bear.

"Yes, I understand you hate the Chamber of Commerce's habit of plastering armor with trademarks, but think about it: if you became chairman, you could completely put an end to this tradition. Can't make money without trademarks? That doesn't make sense. I've thought about it. Instead of making toy-like armor, why not make money directly through custom services? Tailoring armor to competitive knights—enough customization is inherently attractive, right?" Noah also spoke up. "Do you remember Maria's charged axe?"

"Ah, that's the axe that transforms with a sword and shield, right? I was also shocked when I saw it before. It's a genius idea." Koval became excited when he talked about this. "Ah...but why bring up that thing now?"

"The master who made that weapon is an old acquaintance of mine. I asked him, and he will also join the new company." Noah said, "Don't you want to work with such a super master to create new weapons and armor?"

"..." Koval's eyes lit up, "Working with that kind of master? Really?!"

"Absolutely true, and you have complete control of the company. I can also assign you some employees. They're all recent college graduates with a passion for engineering and excellent technical skills. With proper training, you can be guaranteed to become true technical backbones." Noah continued to tempt. "Rather than complaining about drinking here, it's better to do something big, right?"

Noah's words had truly struck a chord with Koval. His expression shifted, and he slapped his thigh. "Let's do it! Damn it! I'm the boss anyway!"

"Well, then please sign this. Regarding your acceptance of my company's venture capital and the employee leasing contract, let me be frank: if you make any mistakes, I have the right to take them back at any time." Noya's lips curled up into a smile. She had long thought of preparing a way out for the old friends in the tavern. She hadn't expected the opportunity to come so soon. She was also grateful to the Howling Guards for leaving behind a complete industrial assembly line and factory buildings. After acquiring all of these, she could definitely let Koval show his skills.

"Also—I need a brand new set of armor. It must be made before the finals. If you accept these conditions, the [New Howling Guardian] will be yours." Noah spread out the contract. "Sign it."

"Really decisive and efficient—" The doctor who was watching silently sipped his cocktail as Koval was tricked into joining the pirate ship. "As expected, Noah is a very good negotiator. He knows how to grasp the key points and speaks very persuasively."

"Doctor... Doctor, it's definitely not good to secretly follow Miss Noya like this, right?" Amiya, now in disguise, hid her face behind the menu and whispered to the doctor, "No matter how much you're interested in Miss Noya, stalking her is not good!!!"

"Hehe, this is just an unexpected encounter," the doctor said with a smile. "And, Amiya, aren't you curious about what Miss Noya is like in private?"

“…Curiosity is curiosity.”

"That's it!"

"But stalking is a crime!"

"You Carters are so rigid." The doctor waved his hand. "This is called a chance encounter. We went out to go shopping, not to stalk, so our intentions were good."

"This is the first time I've heard of a starting point being used in this way..." Amiya was not stupid either. The doctor was so interested in Miss Noah that she would not let go of this chance encounter. She followed her all the way to the bar and found out that Noah was actually looking for a job for this ancient craftsman, ah - if looking for someone to be the chairman of the board could be considered looking for a job.

The doctor looked at Noah with interest and asked curiously, "Is this thing behind this guy an Originium technique?"

"...Huh?" Amiya was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Doctor, what are you talking about?"

"I mean—that shadow behind her, is that her Originium technique?"

Chapter 130: Defense Against Flash

"Shadow?" Amiya squinted her eyes for a long time, but didn't see the shadow the doctor mentioned. She turned her head away in confusion, rubbed her eyes, and finally shook her head. "I... didn't see it. Did I misunderstand what the doctor meant?"

"Huh?" The doctor was also stunned. "Didn't see it? That's impossible."

She clearly saw that next to Noah, there was a shadow about three meters high floating there, and it shook from time to time, and her eyes were always focused on Noah.

But before the doctor could say anything, her shoulder was patted. She was startled and turned around to see a face covered by a mask and a pair of cold eyes revealed above the mask.

"This is Miss Noah's secret. Please keep it to yourself. Miss Noah has said she's looking forward to in-depth cooperation with Rhodes Island. I hope you won't let her down." The person who appeared beside the Doctor was naturally Kuro, who had always protected Noah. She appeared silently beside the Doctor and heard everything he had just said. After confirming that the Doctor could indeed see the shadow, she took the initiative to appear.

However, this also made her a little doubtful about the Doctor's identity. After all, no matter how she looked at it, the Doctor did not look like a powerful character. In other words, either Noah was wrong in thinking that only strong people could discover shadows, or there was something wrong with the Doctor himself - of course, the possibility that the Doctor was actually a hidden strong man was not ruled out, but this possibility was too low.

The emotion conveyed in Kuro's eyes was not friendly at all. The doctor had to swallow and nodded silently.

"We were just passing by while shopping."

"You'd better."

Kuro had received Noya's instructions, after all, to be as kind to the Rhodes Island members as possible, unless there were special circumstances. Noya still remembered that Rhodes Island had saved her life. Although she was blind, her heart was not blinded by it. She knew that if Rhodes Island had not done its utmost to treat her, she would have died long ago. This life-saving grace could not be repaid with just a few years of business orders.

If possible, Noah is thinking of continuing to deepen cooperation with Rhodes Island, and she is still a support operator on Rhodes Island.

Because Noah's attitude was roughly equivalent to Kuro's, Kuro didn't warn the doctor at first, but let the two stalkers follow Noah. It wasn't until the doctor revealed one of Noah's secrets that she stopped them from exploring further.

"Miss Kuro, the doctor has no ill intentions. She's just simply curious..."

At this point, Amiya also tried to smooth things over. Kuro glanced at her and sensed a mysterious aura about her, but she couldn't see the shadow. Noya had once said to Kuro about Amiya that her abilities were almost completely superior to hers, and that she also held many secrets. This made Kuro look at Amiya differently. Kuro stared at Amiya for a long time before speaking.

"Actually, Miss Amiya, you could have just greeted Noah directly. Noah would have probably noticed you two a long time ago. She has very good hearing."

"Huh?" Amiya was stunned. "...Is that so?"

Her face was completely red with embarrassment. The doctor beside her coughed awkwardly twice, "Um... Actually, I just haven't figured out how to greet you. Do you believe me?"

"……Ah."

"Okay, I'll go apologize right away." The doctor sighed, knowing that her excuse was too lame, so she took the initiative to leave her seat and came to Noah's side. At this time, Noah also heard the doctor's footsteps and took the initiative to push the wheelchair and turn around.

"Doctor, what a coincidence."

"Hmm, what a coincidence."

Noah had taken the initiative to give her a way out, and the doctor felt a little embarrassed, but she didn't bear any ill will towards Noah; she was simply very curious about her. She subconsciously glanced at the three-meter-tall shadow behind Noah and spoke. "I've been busy these past few days, and I finally had some time to rest. I happened to see Miss Noah on my way out, so I came over to say hello."

"You're welcome, Doctor. I'm also one of Rhodes Island's registered operators. You can just call me Noah. If I get the chance, I might accept your command. It is said that your command level is unparalleled in the world. I'm really looking forward to it." Noah's understanding of the Doctor was basically heard from Margaret. She also praised the Doctor's foresight and unique strategic goals. You know, Margaret's tactical planning ability is also very strong. To be praised by her like this, the Doctor's level is indeed something.

If such a talent was not in Rhodes Island, Noah would really consider poaching him - she is also a good poacher.

"Since we meet by chance, how about I treat you to whatever you want to drink or eat today? I also happen to have some free time today, so if you don't mind, I'd like to take you around Casimir," Noah offered. "Since you've finally made it to Casimir, why not watch a knight's tournament?"

"Eh? Today?" The doctor had no idea there was a competition today. She even wondered why the streets seemed so overly busy. "Could there be some big star in today's competition?"

"Not that impressive, after all, this is the first official competition since the return of the Radiant Knights, and everyone's really looking forward to it, so they rushed to grab tickets early." Noah replied with a smile, "But since I'm an insider, of course I got the tickets a long time ago, and I was just thinking about inviting others to watch it together."

"Shining Knight... sounds so familiar." The doctor rubbed her chin, and then, after Amiya beside her reminded her, she remembered that Shining Knight was Lin Guang's knight title. She slapped her head and said, "It's Operator Lin Guang's title. I must go and see it. I'm especially looking forward to what Operator Lin Guang will do after she puts down her shield."

"I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised, Doctor. And—if possible, please keep this." Noah picked up a pair of sunglasses and placed them in the Doctor's hands. "Trust me, this is absolutely essential for watching the game."

"...Huh?" The doctor looked at the sunglasses in his hand and blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well—you'll know after watching the game."

Chapter 131: The Supervisory Commission’s Plan

Noah definitely invited more than just the Doctor today. After arriving at the venue, the first person who appeared in her perception was Viviana, whose steps were inexplicably brisk. She saw Noah and Kuro from a distance. She subconsciously ignored the Doctor and Amiya who were with them, and walked to Noah's side with an elegant but twice-speed pace. She squatted down with a smile, kept herself at the same level as Noah, and then spoke.

"Noah, you're finally here. I thought you were going to be late." Viviana's expectations for today were extremely high. On the one hand, today was the official debut of the Knight of Glory, and on the other hand, she received VIP tickets from Noah. Noah was the person who knew Viviana best. He knew very well that she might have to stay up late to grab the tickets, so he directly sent the tickets she wanted to her.

But Viviana felt that receiving the tickets from Noya might be even more gratifying than watching the Radiant Knights' game. After all, Noya's invitation alone was enough to make her excited. The chance to watch the game with Noya and spend time with him up close was truly rare for Viviana. She felt that the greatest benefit of descending the tower was meeting Noya, a girl who understood all her hopes and inner struggles.

In Viviana's mind, Noah's existence has unknowingly become one of the most important reasons for her to stay in Casimir, and in many cases it can even be removed as one of the reasons.

She felt that even though Casimir's knights were not as noble and great as in the picture books, she had found something more precious in this city.

Maybe it was really luck, or maybe it was fate. Viviana never thought that there would be someone who would make her feel so comfortable, considerate, and attentive when she was with him, and she could even receive small gifts from Noah personally during the holidays.

It is really hard to find such a friend even with a lantern.

"Viviana, let me introduce you. These two are my friends from Rhodes Island, the Doctor and Amiya." Noah smiled and waved her hand. "And I'm not late. I arrived on time. I was just delayed briefly at the tavern."

"Hello, Doctor, Amiya." It was only then that Viviana noticed that there were two people following Noah. Although she felt a little disappointed that she could not be alone with them, she quickly greeted them with a smile.

"Hello, Miss Viviana, or rather, Miss Candle Knight." The doctor naturally knew the identity of the girl before him. After all, the iconic large horn had a life-size standee at the store near the entrance, and it was said that these life-size standees were often stolen. This was the Candle Knight, second only to the Radiant Knight in popularity, and the most popular person in the previous competition. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Good afternoon, Miss Viviana." Amiya joined the doctor in greeting Viviana, but compared to the doctor, she was more preoccupied. She was a little concerned that Miss Viviana and Noah were too close. Just now, Amiya even thought Viviana was going to kiss her, but thankfully, she just squatted down to talk. She couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, wondering why such a thought had occurred to her mind.

After the greetings, Noah brought a few people to the VIP seats. In order to watch the return of the Knight of Glory, the tickets were sold out in an instant last night.

That’s right, in an instant, the online tickets were sold out in a second. Most of the audience who were waiting on the web page suddenly found that the web page suddenly froze, and the tickets were sold out after they refreshed.

Forget about offline events. Tents were set up outside the ticket office the day before yesterday to buy tickets. People even paid exorbitant prices to buy tickets from scalpers. The return of the Glory Knights made the scalpers the happiest.

Tickets for the Radiant Knight's return match were sold at sky-high prices in just a few hours, forcing Noah to wonder if the people selling the tickets online were engaging in some shady dealings and colluding with scalpers.

But Noah couldn't do anything about it... After all, that part was also within the Knights Association's jurisdiction. If he interfered casually, it would only make the Knights Association more vigilant towards him.

It's fair to say that the Knights Association bears undeniable responsibility for Casimir's current situation. However, the current situation isn't something she can change on her own. Rather, the key to whether or not she can change the status quo lies not in her fake businessman status but in the attitude of the Supervisory Commission. However, with the Commission still unresponsive, she can only abide by the rules for now.

The rules... well, rather than saying Casimir is under the control of the Chamber of Commerce, it's more like a tacit agreement between the Supervisory Commission and the Chamber of Commerce. Knight competitions must not be abolished; they've become one of Casimir's pillar industries. To use a real-life analogy, it's like esports being placed in a stealing country or football being placed in Brazil. Losing knight competitions would be a loss Casimir can't afford.

Moreover, the Knight Competition has more than just so-called commercial value. Although it seems to have begun to rot and stink now, in the past, the Knight Competition actually selected some powerful talents in the country. Most of the Knight Champions before the Black Knight have disappeared without a trace, but according to Noah's investigation, this group of people seem to have changed their names and joined the Crusade Knights, and some people even directly joined the Silver Spear Pegasus Regiment.

This is why Noah believes that the Supervisory Commission is still in control of the situation. The Commercial Federation makes money from the knight competition, and the War Knights select talents from the knight competition.

This should be the original purpose of knight competition, but because its commercial value is too huge, it has gradually gone astray.

There is nothing wrong with the knight selection system itself. The problem lies in the business association that alienated it. In the eyes of these businessmen, this competition has become a large factory for them to reap profits. More importantly... businessmen have no country.

Although Noah hadn't yet gathered sufficient evidence, various clues indicated that some members of the Chamber of Commerce were transferring assets from Casimir abroad, with Colombia as their first choice, Victoria as their second, and some heading to Letania. If Noah could spot this, there was no reason the Supervisory Commission couldn't see it, but when they planned to act was the question.

In fact, Noah almost realized that Margaret's return was a sign.

Margaret was exiled and had been deprived of her Casimir citizenship, but she was not stopped when she crossed the border and was even invited by the knights to fight. Although Margaret herself refused, she was immediately recognized as a citizen after her return.

The Supervisory Commission... is supporting Margaret's return.

What does this mean?

Or in other words...what attitude does this represent from the CSRC?

That's what Noah wanted to know.

Chapter 132: For Those Who Can't Come Back