"Cough, cough, cough."
The middle-aged man sitting in the main seat scanned the people present: "You are all Leah Warren's uncles and elders. Leah's expansion into the starship arms trade is also for the sake of our Northern Goose. This is considered opening up new territory. Everything is difficult at the beginning, isn't it? When my father started Northern Goose back then, didn't he also overcome the first ten years to have the current Northern Goose Interstellar Trade Group?"
This middle-aged man was the chairman of the Northern Goose Interstellar Trade Group, the current Warren family head, and also Levi Warren's father.
"Chairman, back then was back then, now is now. Now everyone has families to support. We trusted you—trusted you, the Warren family head—which is why we invested all our wealth and lives into Northern Goose. But now? We're actually operating at a loss. The starship trade investment is a bottomless pit! If we continue like this, Northern Goose will be ruined sooner or later!" The second director snorted coldly.
"Sticking to old ways, not seeking progress, not daring to step out of the comfort zone—that's what will drag Northern Goose down!" Leah couldn't help but stand up and retort angrily.
Hearing Leah speak like this, the directors began to discuss among themselves, accusing Leah of being ignorant, disrespectful, and so on.
"I said before, girls aren't suited for business. You're almost forty, Leah. If you had listened to me back then and married that Earl's son, would you still need to work so hard here now? You'd already be a countess enjoying life," the second director said with a light laugh.
"Enjoying life? Second uncle, I don't want to be a canary in a cage like my cousin. She doesn't even dare to speak up when her husband philanders outside! If that's enjoying life, I, Leah Warren, have no such fortune to enjoy!" Leah also retorted without showing any weakness.
The second director's face was very ugly.
This second director was Leah's second uncle, her father's younger brother. He was the second largest shareholder of the Northern Goose Interstellar Trade Group.
"Alright. How about this—let's give Leah a little more time. Didn't we agree on five years before? The five-year period. As long as Leah's starship trade department can turn a profit within five years, it will continue to exist. Isn't there still half a year left? Why is everyone in such a hurry?" The Warren family head said cheerfully.
"Then we'll give my niece half a year. By then, second uncle will arrange a good marriage for my niece." The second director snorted coldly and left the conference room.
The other directors also left the conference room one after another.
The Warren family head looked at his daughter, who was unwilling and resentful, and he sighed deeply: "Leah, it's not that Dad isn't helping you. Doing business is just like this. Everyone only cares about profit. You still have half a year left. Within half a year, as long as your trade department can turn a profit—or even just break even—Dad can let your department continue to exist. But… if it fails, then so be it. If you still want to do business, you can continue with your previous interstellar transport trade."
Half a year… How could it be possible to turn a profit in half a year? She didn't even have a decent starship product in her hands right now. She didn't believe she could turn a profit within half a year.
"I understand… Dad, I'm a bit tired. I'm going back first." Leah murmured and walked out of the conference room.
Leah threw herself onto the bed in her room, and a fluffy, cat-like pet jumped onto her.
"Mengmeng, I'm very tired today. You go play by yourself." Leah covered her eyes with her arm, trying her best not to let her tears fall.
Five years of preparation, five years of effort. More than ten years of youth. Was it all going to end here?
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.
At this moment, Leah's handheld terminal rang, and she glanced at it. It was a communication request from her younger brother.
She sat up, adjusted her emotional state, and clicked accept.
"Sis… Sis, why are your eyes red?" Levi Warren greeted his sister through the video screen. However, due to inter-galaxy communication, there was a nearly ten-second delay.
"It's nothing, just been too tired these past few days. Why are you suddenly looking for me? Have you run out of living expenses again? If I remember correctly, won't you be on vacation in a few days? Could it be that you didn't pass your year-end assessment and have to repeat a grade?" Leah stared at Levi.
Levi pouted: "Sis, why do you never wish me well? I still have living expenses, and I'm not repeating a grade. Next year I'll be a fourth-year and can truly pilot a starship!"
"Then why would you, kid, think of contacting me?" Leah looked suspiciously at her brother, who never sought her out unless he needed something.
Levi began to talk about serious matters: "I sent you a starship blueprint data yesterday. It should have arrived by now. Take a look. It's something my friend… made, and he wants to ask if you're interested in buying it."
"Starship blueprint data?" Leah stared at her brother again: "You didn't incur debt and are trying to fool me here, are you?"
"Sis, why do you always look down on your brother? Alright, go take a look yourself. If you're interested, contact me. I'll help you contact that… friend. Don't have too high expectations. If it's barely usable, just give a decent price, just to give your little brother some face." Levi still didn't believe how good the starship Zachary made could be, so he said some pleasant words.
"I won't say more for now. Remember to contact me after you've seen it."
Levi didn't want to talk more with his older sister, who always looked down on him, and directly cut off the communication.
"This kid… Where would he find a friend who can design a starship? It sounds like he's just trying to fool me." Leah completely disbelieved Levi's words.
But she sat on the bed, stunned for more than ten seconds, and then, as if by some strange impulse, she opened her mailbox. Indeed, there was a data file lying there, and the file was already decrypted.
Anyway, she had nothing to do right now, and her starship design department had shown no progress, so she might as well look at what Levi sent.
Leah comforted herself, and as she opened the file, she looked at the vast starship blueprint information, and her eyes gradually began to change. From initial indifference, to later extreme seriousness, even her breathing quieted considerably.
After more than half an hour, she suddenly came back to her senses, raised her hand, and summoned a holographic computer, beginning to simulate some of the data in the file.
No problem… No problem… All no problem!
This process continued for another three hours.
Leah's expression was extremely rich, and she muttered: "T1 Wolf Louse-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer… This… this technical blueprint…"
She suddenly stood up, quickly copied the starship technology onto a data disk, then ran out of the bedroom and rushed to her Starship Design Research Department.
The journey, which normally took an hour, she completed in just ten minutes by manually driving a flying car.
She didn't even bother to change into a researcher's uniform, rushing directly into the research department, standing in front of her team of researchers and engineers, pointing at the data disk.
"Quickly help me see if this starship blueprint technology is feasible!" Leah was uncontrollably excited: "Within five hours, I want a reliable feasibility report!… No… I want it within three hours!"