Darkstone Code
Chapter 130 - 0129 Selective information filtering

Chapter 130: 0129 Selective information filtering

Many people from the lower social strata often speculate about what high society is like. Is it like what’s shown in some films and TV shows where everyone is refined, speaking with a Northern accent, wearing wigs even in the intense summer, dressed in thick tailcoats, sitting primly in the shade of sun umbrellas, holding a teacup by its handle with two fingers, raising the other three fingers, lightly sipping the beverage from the cup, and then sweating profusely while saying "delicious"?

Actually, it’s not like that. No one behaves like a madman, dressed so formally and neatly in the summer. Even if there are some formal occasions, they provide air conditioning services, and even if people wear extra layers, it won’t affect their appearance.

Besides, summer is a season to reveal and dare to reveal, especially for those pretty girls.

The creation of summer attire wasn’t intended for people who couldn’t afford summer clothes, although from some perspectives, what those people wear isn’t much different from real "summer outfits".

As for the life of the upper class... Catherine hasn’t witnessed it deeply; she only speaks from her intuition, and she has to say she’s absolutely right.

The elites of high society spend their days conversing with different people at different times and dining punctually with others during meal hours.

However, the topics of their conversations, their demeanor, and their stubborn choices, determine the work, life, and future of hundreds, if not thousands, of workers and their families.

It may seem a simple life but is not simple in reality. Yet, Lynch doesn’t plan to explain this to the girl now. Once she completes her new studies, she’ll have a fresh understanding of the world.

"Nice car, I thought you would buy the one we both looked at together...," Lynch and Catherine had just arrived at the parking lot, and as the driver opened the door for them, Catherine couldn’t help but whistle and express her admiration.

They have participated in car shows together before, and there’s nothing wrong with that, so Lynch didn’t plan to deny it. Everyone has dreamed of one day controlling their own fate, being able to buy whatever they want, and these two young people were no exception.

The cars they fancied back then were a bit older and more mediocre. The critical point was that after discounts, the car only cost a little over ten thousand, and the price for second-hand cars was even lower.

They didn’t actually like that car but its beautiful price.

The driver was provided by the community’s service company as a temporary driver, just like the maid in Lynch’s home. The higher the level of the community service company, the more services they offer, even organizing a fun party for residents if necessary.

Now it’s just providing a driver, which is too simple. If it weren’t for long-term hiring, Lynch wouldn’t even have to pay any additional fees to the driver.

Lynch opened the car door and let Catherine sit inside, smiling, "It’s just as handsome as me; I can’t overlook another me, so I chose it."

The girl snickered, just like when he was in school—still narcissistic. But now Lynch has gained a touch of gravitas and pressure, which makes it a little hard to breathe, this is also why she keeps talking.

If she doesn’t liven up the atmosphere, she feels she might suffocate if she dared not even breathe around Lynch.

This feeling actually comes from a sense of disparity, and it’s also why Lynch seems unfamiliar to Catherine when someone accomplishes something that others thought impossible in their lifetime. People, besides being shocked, also feel they don’t know enough about this person.

Even if they’ve spent every day together in the past!

After getting into the car, Lynch targeted a restaurant suitable for young people to dine; the atmosphere was lively. Ever since becoming a "respectable person," Lynch has gained detailed knowledge of many important places in Sabin City suited for social engagements.

Some prestigious and solemn occasions aren’t suitable for all social activities, and this is crucial.

While waiting for the food, Lynch talked to the girl about past pursuits and their next destination, "Do you have any particular target, or is it still Sabin City Academy?"

Sabin City Academy is one of the local universities. A few years ago, the Bail Federal Education Commission encouraged local governments to raise funds to establish public universities to improve the Federation citizen’s education level and complete the Federation’s education system, so Sabin City established its public university.

Although it’s called a public university, the tuition remains very high. Even with purchasing "Academic Insurance ①," many families still struggle to gather university tuition funds, and there have always been issues with scholarship allocation, so many people can’t afford college.

For instance, Catherine, for instance, Lynch.

Sabin City University was their dream once, not because this public university was exceptionally good, but because its tuition was the cheapest, scholarships the most accessible, at least more affordable compared to private university tuition, among the many unattainable dreams close to them.

"Do you have any good choices?" Catherine redirected the question to Lynch, who furrowed his brows and thought for a moment.

Sabin City has only one and a half public universities and one private university. One refers to Sabin City Academy, the half refers to Sabin City University, which the City Hall and private funds jointly established, its reputation locally isn’t too good.

According to some rumors, the establishment of Sabin City University was a deliberate attempt by certain people to swindle subsidies from the Bail Federal Education Commission while also trying to add a bit of cultural and educational flair to this small city.

Later, for some other reasons, the Bail Federal Education Commission downgraded Sabin City University’s status, turning the university into a diploma mill where certificates could be bought as long as you had some money. Wealthy individuals from elsewhere would come here to "study," which became a "specialty" of Sabin City’s educational scene.

As for the private colleges... those are not good places, at least not for Catherine.

"Public universities are the best choice. I prefer the State University; the environment there is better, and the academic atmosphere is excellent," Lynch expressed his opinion.

Many people believe that public universities, in many aspects, especially in faculty resources, are far inferior to private universities, particularly some of the prestigious private ones.

They not only have various student unions and secret societies entangled in conspiracy theories within the lower levels of society for centuries, but they also have ample funds that allow students to research any topic of interest.

However, only two types of people can live comfortably in private universities. The first type is the truly outstanding students, the bookworms, who safeguard the schools academically. These individuals are also the main recipients of full scholarships every year.

Even teachers and professors have to respect their opinions and views academically, and no one would be foolish enough to humiliate them.

Yes, humiliation is commonplace in private universities and a main trait of the second group.

The second group mainly comes from powerful families. Their parents are either CEOs of large corporations, regional legislators, or state hospital directors, and some are even Members of Parliament or influential politicians and big capitalists.

They never worry that their excessive actions will cause any unrest; instead, many people try to flatter them, allowing them to humiliate freely.

Many student organizations like brotherhoods and sisterhoods are founded by these people. Their purpose in forming these organizations is to have lower-class students provide services in all aspects, as well as to satisfy their desires to humiliate, oppress, and dominate others.

Private universities indeed have many excellent resources, and if you can infiltrate some rather secret societies, you indeed can become a social elite instantly, but those places are never prepared for ordinary people.

Even if Lynch could get Catherine in, she would ultimately become an ordinary person. Throughout her university years, she’d just keep falling in love, getting pregnant, getting dumped, and starting over.

So, for ordinary people, or rather for ordinary people without social influence, public universities are the most suitable place. At least they can maintain a semblance of equality and fairness on the surface, unlike private schools, where one could be isolated, humiliated, and dominated.

People can always only see the best side of the beautiful blooms, never the decayed remnants decomposed in the soil that nurtures these flowers.

After lunch, Lynch and Catherine made a brief stop at the girl’s house. Lynch didn’t get out of the car; the girl’s overnight absence was sure to worry her family. Fortunately, they didn’t report to the police, or there would’ve been more trouble.

The girl briefly explained what had happened, and the couple even came out to see Lynch off. But they didn’t dare to get too close, just smiling ingratiatingly from afar at the intimidating car, waving continuously.

When Catherine returned to the car, she showed no negative emotions, similar to before. In fact, ordinary people, especially those at the bottom of society, don’t grieve so easily. As the girl said, life is already hard enough, so why make things harder for themselves?

In an afternoon, Lynch took the girl to tour all three universities in Sabin City. For the sake of money, some people talked to them about the university’s real side, which made Catherine understand that Lynch’s previous suggestion to choose a public school was not malicious.

When the assistant teacher at the private school spoke about the bullying and exposed burn marks on his arm, the girl shivered a bit and finally gave up hope on the private college.

She considered that she couldn’t become a flower here, only the fertilizer for the flowers.

The next day, Lynch and the girl went to the State University in Curilan City. The environment here was clearly much better than Sabin City Academy, and the girl liked the atmosphere, which was quiet and peaceful.

After a friendly consultation with school administrators, and after Lynch commissioned them to research small-scale integrated radio circuits, Catherine received an admission invitation from the State University. It bore the scent of ink, the signature of the principal that hadn’t yet dried, and a very distinctive smell.

The smell of money!

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①, Admission Insurance: From an average family’s perspective, a child receiving a college admission invitation is as unlucky as getting hit by a car, so they can purchase this insurance when the child is in high school. Once they receive the invitation, the insurance company will provide financial assistance according to the local public school standards.

However, even with the insurance, many families cannot afford the expensive tuition, with middle-class families being the main purchasers of admission insurance.