Darkstone Code

In a dimly lit room, the Provincial Governor of Magulana Province, Degra, lay sprawled on a lounge chair, while two girls in their twenties massaged his back muscles to relax them.

In order to live longer and maintain power for a longer period, he spent a fortune inviting some renowned doctors from regions like Sedolas as his private health advisors to look after his body.

These health advisors informed him that due to prolonged sitting, he had sustained significant damage to his spine and back, and thus required daily physical therapy. Through pushing, kneading, rubbing, and pinching, his muscles and fascia were relaxed to alleviate some of his current back pain.

This was probably the most carefree moment of his day, the strength of the two young girls just right, making him feel a bit drowsy.

"Master..."

Just as he was about to fall asleep, a voice from outside the door dispelled the drowsiness that had just begun to rise in Drag, which annoyed him slightly, a wave of irritation surging but quickly calming down.

He opened his eyes and raised his hand, signaling the girl who was working diligently to relax his back muscles to stop her work, stand aside, and help him put on a house robe.

Even this house robe was very luxurious.

As he approached the door, the butler bowed, "Sir, the young masters are here..."

Hearing that it was his useless sons interrupting his relaxation time, he grew even more displeased.

The butler knew that this was the Provincial Governor's most relaxed time of the day. If it weren't for the Provincial Governor's useless sons insisting, he would probably have had them wait until the Provincial Governor finished these or woke up.

But the butler had no way to refuse the request of those few young masters, regardless of how long he had been in this family, or how much trust the family head had in him. He was just a servant and would never be a family member of the Provincial Governor, even though he could do things that the Provincial Governor's relatives could not.

Blood ties are unfeeling; no matter how much trust or closeness, it is ultimately false, so he had to come.

Fortunately, the Provincial Governor was not the kind to misplace blame. When he realized who disturbed his rest, the calm anger rose again, but this time he slightly altered the way he expressed his anger.

Upon entering the study, he already had a general idea of the situation from the butler. As he sat down, as his eldest son prepared to speak, he silenced him with a glance.

After the butler delivered pastries and light tea, he leisurely ate the pastries and sipped the not-so-sweet tea. Only after a dozen minutes did he nod in satisfaction.

"Today's snacks taste good!"

The butler slightly bent, "The chef said he made it according to some popular foreign styles, and he was quite apprehensive about it."

The Provincial Governor nodded contentedly, "Reward him, we need people who are ambitious and think on their feet."

The butler, with a bowed head, cleaned the table and left. With the closing of the study door, the atmosphere in the room seemed to become somewhat oppressive.

He looked at his sons, who had been standing for over ten minutes. Apart from the eldest and the second eldest, who still maintained a relatively upright posture, the remaining three useless ones were already moving around. If it weren't for his majesty at home that made these sons dare not act rashly, they might have already been lounging on the sofa, enjoying food and drinks brought by the butler.

The more he looked, the more dissatisfied he became. This is a common emotion among most capable people because these people are inherently much more outstanding than ordinary people in all aspects. Therefore, they tend to disdain those who are not at their level.

Even though these were his children, the blood relationship even made the Provincial Governor treat them worse than others.

At least when faced with strangers or outsiders, he would have to pretend to be amiable, but not with them, he showed more of his true self.

"Speak, what's the matter..." Actually, he already knew what happened, but he still needed to ask because these bastards might say something different from what the butler reported.

No, it's definitely different, which is an experience the Provincial Governor has gathered over the years as a member of the ruling class.

Due to personal interest and reasons, everyone will have different attitudes and stances, and the content of their expressions will therefore vary.

As someone in a higher position, it's important not to listen to just one side.

The children babbled about the course of events, and while the Provincial Governor did not immediately express his stance, he looked at these children, "Tell me what you think..." He added, "Starting with the eldest."

"I think we can give it to him!" The eldest, being the eldest, made a shocking statement as soon as he opened his mouth.

The Provincial Governor's eyelids twitched; if he were not now older, cultivating peace of mind (striving for a balanced way to adjust the soul and body from within for a fit state), he would want to grab something to throw.

Lynch is not a simple person, something the Provincial Governor understood from the start. A young man without any official background, only twenty-one years old, managed to amass a massive fortune in the fiercely competitive Federation society, something not easily accomplished by just anyone.

Even in the closed, non-competitive society of Nagariel, it would not be easy for the offspring of the ruling class to establish their independent ventures, which proves how challenging it was for Lynch to reach his current position.

Opportunity, luck, personal ability, none could be lacking. Would such a person be easily manipulated?

Frankly, the Provincial Governor hadn't expected things to reach this point. He knew his children had caused Lynch some trouble, assuming Lynch would resolve this predicament by aligning with one interest group or directly conversing with him.

If he had become a partner of the Provincial Governor, insignificant figures like Mikhail would not dare offend him excessively, and the troubles harassing him would naturally vanish.

Of course, aligning with the Provincial Governor would come at a cost, but compared to other solutions, the Provincial Governor viewed this as the most fitting solution.

But Lynch didn't choose any of the options the Provincial Governor anticipated; he chose the most surprising way, not only defusing the crisis but throwing the problem back to himself.

Is this issue easy to resolve?

Actually, it's not easily resolved. If he agreed to Lynch's demands, the internal and external trade of Magulana Province would effectively fall into Lynch's hands. The importance of financial power is undeniable, and once he grips the throat of Magulana Province, the troubles would only escalate.

But refusing doesn't solve the problem either. If Lynch agrees to his demands, but they can't meet Lynch's requirements, soon the matter would spread, and Mikhail's and the Provincial Governor's sons' reputations would be tarnished, even the Provincial Governor himself would lose face.

He had hoped to hear if the children had any unexpected ideas; unexpectedly, as soon as they started, it was like dropping a bomb on himself.

He took a sip of tea to quell his anger, eyeing the eldest, "Continue."

The eldest son, slightly smug, continued, "What we agree with him now is just to placate him; for these interests, he will pay more attention to his investments in Nagariel, and we can influence some of his ideas."

"Some things we need, like heavy industry factories, technologies, metal formulas, can all be obtained through Lynch from the Bail Federal."

"Once we have acquired everything we need, just find a reason to void the previous agreement and find another reason to arrest him!"

The Provincial Governor glanced at this eldest son, elevating the level of caution against him.

He wasn't sure if the "reason" for voiding the agreement was the exercise of Provincial power replacing, i.e., his abdication, but he would think along these lines.

Actually, he also understood; the better his health, the more agitated these sons would become. The longer he held power, the shorter the time these sons would hold power.

If possible, they probably wished for his sudden death, a normal thought and emotion he didn't blame these kids for; he once had similar thoughts, wondering why his father who complained about tiredness every day didn't hand over the power, letting him, young and energetic, help solve the troubles.

But understanding is one thing; taking necessary precautions is still required.

He put the teacup down, chuckled indifferently, "What about the second, what do you think?"

All five children sensed the dissatisfaction with the eldest in the Provincial Governor's laugh. Compared to the eldest's cold visage, the other four brothers now bore more smiles.

The second son chuckled, "Father, my thoughts are similar to my brother's, but with a few differences..."

The eldest son, looking at the brother beside him, gave a forced grin.

The Provincial Governor frowned, "Speak!"

The second son, as if he hadn't noticed the unpleasant look on the eldest's face, began to express his thoughts, "Initially, my thoughts match the eldest's, but diverge later. We could find ways to pit Lynch against other merchants."

"Over the years, these foreign merchants have earned quite a sum — no, a lot of money thanks to us, but they never showed gratitude and would sometimes even reject our requests."

"We can let Lynch fight them, and when it's almost over, or when intervention is necessary, we can terminate some previous agreements with them and drive them out."

"No one could blame us for anything; they indeed caused disorder in society, making our actions reasonable and legal!"