"Not environmentally friendly?" Hobart thought he had misheard. "Electricity isn't environmentally friendly?"
Earl Hall smiled. "I heard they saw that the power plant has a chimney that big, constantly spewing huge amounts of white smoke every day. That clearly violates the relevant acts of the Atmospheric Pollution Investigation Committee."
"Ah, I understand now." Hobart nodded, a smile appearing on his face as well. "It's clearly a misunderstanding caused by their lack of understanding of how power plants operate."
But Earl Hall's smile vanished. "Things are far from that simple. I hope you'll handle this carefully."
Hobart smiled. "Thank you for the reminder. At the latest, Earl's Light will respond by next week."
Earl Hall said nothing more. After chatting with Hobart for a few more moments, he yielded the center of the ballroom once again to Hobart and Audrey.
Only after watching her father leave did Audrey ask, "Hobart, does the power plant really cause such serious pollution?"
Hobart smiled. "Do you have time tomorrow? How about I take you on a tour of the power plant?"
Audrey smiled helplessly. "Tomorrow probably won't work. Hmm, the next few days probably won't either. The elders from my family, as well as those from my mother's side, will likely come ask about our relationship. I have to receive them."
Hobart nodded. "That's fine. We can visit the power plant together next week."
He smiled and continued, "Once you've toured the power plant, you'll know that their claims about it being environmentally unfriendly are completely laughable.
"Or rather, whether it's environmentally friendly isn't their focus at all! The real issue is that Earl's Light suddenly seized too much of the lighting industry's market share. That's the main conflict between them and me."
Hobart took a deep breath. "Submitting a report to Parliament is