<h4>Chapter 295 The Junket</h4>


    A week after the GAIA Tech presentation in Eden, Aron wasying in a beach chair on a gorgeous white sandy beach in Hawaii, with Rinaying on the chair next to him working on her own suntan. When he had told her he was headed to Hawaii for their next presentation, she''d offered to show him around the inds, as he''d never been there before. Besides, he was still due to meet with her father, and now that GAIA Tech had gained some traction and cachet in the global marketce, it was high time to keep that promise.


    Meanwhile, Ryan Walker, the newly minted president of Asclepius Biotechnology, Inc., was settling things for an uing medical conference hosted by him. He had rented out the entire Halekni Hotel in Waikiki as the venue for the conference, and invited all of the top names in the biotech industry, as well as some representatives from Big Pharma, and even some TV hosts like Dr. Oz, who was famous for pushing products to a wide audience.


    Meanwhile, over the past week, the marketing department executives from Asclepius had been busyying the groundwork to have the new Asclepius products on store shelves everywhere around the globe.


    It was the afternoon of the start of the conference, and everyone had arrived. All of the keynote speakers had epted their invitations—a week-long vacation in Hawaii''s top luxury resort was hard to pass up, after all—and they were wandering around the banquet room, where Ryan was hosting a brunch and handing out brochures to draw interest in the new startuppany. That evening, he was scheduled to introduce the products Asclepius Biotechnology had developed, as well as some of their more interesting research results.


    Soon, the clock struck 7:30 PM and the conference room Ryan was to speak in was filled.


    "Good evening everyone, I''m Ryan Walker, the president of Asclepius Biotechnology, Inc." As he finished the self-introduction, the stage dimmed and an introduction video started ying on the projector screen behind him. Since no one knew thepany at all, an introduction was in order.


    "In a world where possibilities are boundless and science meets imagination, there emerges a beacon of innovation," came the voice of Nova, who had produced the intro video and done the voiceover narration for it.


    The video cut to a state-of-the-artboratory bustling with scientists in whiteb coats. The audience recognized the cutting-edgeb equipment, and some even grew jealous; just how much money did this upstartpany have, anyway?


    Nova''s voice continued, "Introducing Asclepius Biotechnology, apany that will shape the future of healthcare and beyond. We are pioneers, driven by a shared vision to unlock the mysteries of life and harness the power of biotechnology to transform our world."


    The scene changed from the cutting-edgeb to a bed of nts and showed them grow from sprouts to maturity in timepse videography, then to a doctor drawing an injection from a vial and injecting it into a hanging bag of saline that was attached to a smiling child.


    "From agriculture to medicine, gic therapies to sustainable solutions, we are pushing the boundaries of possibility. At Asclepius, innovation is in our DNA."


    The video cut to a shining Asclepius logo, then Nova continued, "Asclepius Biotechnology—where tomorrow meets today."


    After the introduction video came polite apuse from the attendees. Medical professionals were much more subdued than tech enthusiasts, so to get any apuse at all for a brand-new startuppany was already surprising enough.


    Ryan took to the stage and began his prepared remarks. "I hope our introduction gave you all a general idea of what we''re all about at Asclepius. And to show ourmitment to making the world a better ce, I''d like to introduce to you our first product: Pneuma, aplete andsting cure for asthma."


    The attendees were stunned into silence, not knowing whether they should apud or storm out after such an outrageous im.


    "Right now, we''ve applied for fast-tracking through the approval process through the regtory bodies around the world, and we expect our products to be offered to all of you by your regr drug reps. If you''re curious about the detailed information, there''s a brochure in the packet we handed out to everyone when you came in the room for my presentation. But to summarize, we''ve seen a 100% cure rate in asthma in every age range and across both genders, and the side effects are mild andparable to those from vinations, such as pain and swelling at the injection site, mild fevers, and so on. Basically, it''s no more harmful than a flu shot, which is where our confidence in the regtory approvalses from.


    "Pneuma will be avable for prescription in all countries the moment it''s approved by those countries'' regtory bodies. And we have much more in store than that as our trials arepleted and products developed to a safe level."


    He gave the attendees a minute to look over the Pneuma brochure in their wee packets, then continued, "Now on to our next product. This is categorized as a supplement, and as such, it''ll be avable starting next week in stores and pharmacies around the world, as well as for online ordering.


    "I present to you the Biogen product line. Biogen was developed tobat a problem faced by 39% of the global poption: obesity." Murmurs came from the attendees, who were wondering why such a richpany would be so shameless as to market a "supplement" that did absolutely nothing to slim people down, but everything to slim their wallets.


    After the murmuring died down, Ryan continued, "Many weight loss products put the user in a very difficult cycle of binge and diet, because they need to stop eating their favorite foods. And even after seeding in reaching their target weight, they have to change their lifestyle and continue that behavior for the rest of their lives. But not Biogen.


    "Biogen is a series of nutrient-dense food additives in a variety of vors with different delivery methods. For those on the go, they can use it as a shake. For those eating out, they can sprinkle it on their food at the restaurant, much like salt and pepper. For those who prefer meal prep, they can either rehydrate or cook one of our frozen meals. There''s something for everyone, and unlike traditional diet ns, the only lifestyle change is bringing it with you wherever you go."


    Ryan continued introducing Biogen and its benefits, and by the thirtieth minute since starting his presentation, he began wrapping it up. "I know that all of you are anxious to get on with your paid vacation," he said, eliciting a chuckle from the audience, "so I''ll let you get to it. If you have any questions, the conference will be running all week and you have my assistant''s number in your wee packet. Feel free to contact her with any concerns or questions you have after taking a look at our documentation, and one of our researchers will reach out to you with answers. I''ll see you allter at the cocktail party...."