Darkstone Code

This is a special era, a magical era, where everything deteriorates from good, yet everything is reborn from destruction.

No one can describe this era with words. People shed their cloak of innocence and become as shrewd as the jesters in novels. However, the pace of social development is faster than when people were innocent.

A new day arrives punctually, and the rising sun turns the land, cooled from the night, hot once more.

A delivery cyclist, pedaling furiously on a green bicycle with a basket full of newspapers, speeds through the community roads. He can always accurately throw the newspapers onto the lawns of people's yards while holding the handlebar with one hand without slowing down.

Of course, this is a scene only visible in a middle-class community, where everyone has their own private yard with lush lawns.

A woman in casual clothing and an apron hurriedly walks out of the house, picks up the newspaper rolled up like a short stick from the ground, and returns indoors.

She is preparing breakfast for her husband. During breakfast, her husband will read today's newspaper. She must have everything ready to let her husband enjoy a peaceful morning comfortably, which is the least she can do to repay him for his tireless efforts for the family.

More than twenty minutes later, a man in pajamas walks out of the bedroom, freshens up, and sits at the dining table, greeting his wife with a smile.

A few years ago, he still occasionally had the interest to cook breakfast with his wife and even enjoy a different kind of happiness, but now he isn't as passionate as before.

His passion has been worn away by restless daily life and work. These non-working women will never understand how painful the burden on his shoulders makes him feel. Enormous pressure left with no outlet, perhaps now, not disturbing his almost rigid life routine, is the greatest reward for him.

Holding a coffee with milk, he flips open the first page of the newspaper, and the headline grabs his attention—"The New Generation of Young Leader of Bail Federal!"

He glances at the newspaper's masthead; it is a paper from the Progressive Party camp, so such radical headlines are quite normal.

If it were a Conservative Party newspaper, their headline might be "Trendsetting Young Person," subtly conveying a similar meaning but lacking intensity and impact.

People used to like this approach; everything passed peacefully, but after experiencing so much, people became tired of those things and needed something to stimulate their numb nerves.

Without a doubt, the man sees that young and enviably handsome face.

"He must be someone's illegitimate child…", the somewhat jealous man mutters to himself for comfort.

His wife happens to walk by with sliced bread, licks the residual mayonnaise off her fingers, and asks casually, "Who?"

"Who else but Lynch?", the man wants to turn the page but restrains himself. "Recently, the reports keep covering his deeds and what he said; colleagues are all discussing him. It's like he emerged from nowhere overnight, and the entire world knows about him!"

In the man's mind, the Federation might as well be his whole world; this statement doesn't seem wrong, which is also the mindset of most Federation people: the Federation is the world.

The woman quickly glances at the newspaper, recognizing the familiar young man. Lynch has been appearing on TV screens a lot lately, and she knows this young, handsome lad.

"He looks very handsome in this photo!"

"Handsome doesn't feed you!", the man flips a page, displeased. He hasn't finished reading that page, but he inherently dislikes his wife praising other men, even if they could never cross paths.

The woman pauses for a moment, then laughs, "But he's very rich…"

The man purses his lips, unable to refute this point, and starts to sulk. As he feels that the day has been terrible since he woke up, his wife kisses him.

"But in my heart, you are the most handsome one, no one can compare!"

This sentence trickles into the man's heart like a stream, and the vexation in his heart vanishes simply with that one phrase, "Thank you, even though I know you're just trying to comfort me, I'm still delighted!"

He looks at his wife's face, just inches away, and suddenly glances at the clock, "We still have time…"

Such a scene happens in many families. Lynch's words greatly shook the entire society: We are stronger than we imagine!

In truth, when engaging with the international community, the Federation and its people have an inexplicable confusion and timidity. They often feel they are not strong enough, nor is their stance firm enough.

They haven't gone through the baptism of war. And in terms of diplomacy, the previous President's Government couldn't make any remarkable effective measures, not even redeem some war bonds, while the then Federation Government was powerless.

They didn't dare to express strong demands or use an irresistible tone of voice akin to commands to require others. They could only silently bow their heads and continue negotiating, making all the Federation's citizens feel downcast.

The nation's diplomatic frailty led to a lack of self-confidence among its people. Even today, with a new president, this lack of confidence remains deep within people's hearts.

Until… Lynch appeared. He told people with unimaginable firmness and certainty that we are stronger than we imagine.

This voice from the times caused some people to start feeling thrilled and ecstatic. Some believe it might be a self-deceiving statement, but young people believe in it, which is why Lynch is praised as a "young leader" by newspapers with radical stances.

He invigorated the lifeless Federation, causing people to raise their heads!

It is said that his words have even changed some major directions, such as the suspended plans to reduce military spending and the number of active-duty soldiers initially promised to Gafura and other countries.

Even some retired yet unemployed soldiers were asked to join the militia, particularly retired Navy soldiers were asked to return to the military.

This scenario seems to indicate something. People have realized something, the things they've feared for many years now become shackles preventing their resurgence. Only by breaking these chains can the Federation embrace rebirth.

Walking down the street, during these challenging times, young people exhibit an unimaginable vitality, more so than before. They discuss war and how to realize their ideals, which is quite magical.

"But it's also very dangerous!", said a Conservative Party Member of Parliament, expressing what he deemed a fair assessment in an office.

The room was filled with Conservative Party politicians, some capitalists, and representatives of certain individuals. It was just a small-scale meeting.

The Member of Parliament sitting behind the desk received some political donations from Mr. Preton, fifty thousand dollars, which isn't a lot for a Member of Parliament—one might say it's moderate.

However, he also received an unregistered bank certificate from Mr. Preton, with six-digit figures, and this money wasn't subject to Federation laws; he could use it as he pleased, and its source would be hard to trace for others.

This was the reason he called these friends to his office; they needed to drag Lynch or, rather, hold back the radical faction.

In the realm of politics, rivals are always politicians standing on the opposite side. As for external hostile forces, that's not their concern; the army and higher authorities will handle them. What they need to do is to bring down their opponents, it's that simple.

The people in the room were either sitting or standing, all watching him. The Member of Parliament's influence in the Federation's system was already very strong, representing the Federation's highest governing body and authority.

Of course, this power was distributed among many people, but each of them remained an unignorable force.

The Member of Parliament was fidgeting with a very exquisite pen, priced in four digits. He had dozens of such pens, "I received some news through certain channels. The pirate Preton, in Lynch's words, actually has Gafura Navy's background. This pirate was always providing intelligence for Gafura's Navy and sometimes did their dirty work."

"Gentlemen, in a certain sense, Preton's Pirate Group is a pawn for Gafura's Navy on the ocean. If we rashly wage war against Preton Pirate Group, it might lead to a confrontation between the Federation and Gafura's naval forces, perhaps even war!"

"This is dangerous. We have just dragged the Federation back from the brink of losing control. What we should do now is strive to develop, not provoke Gafura's sensitive nerves through a war we don't even know if we can win."

"If we achieve these, we gain little, and it will also cause a rift in our relationship with Gafura."

"If we don't do these, we will maintain a friendly cooperative relationship with Gafura, and we won't lose anything because of this either!"

"How to choose, I believe everyone is already very clear."

This Member of Parliament was also startled when he learned these messages, of course, it was Mr. Preton who directly told him this, making him feel that the situation had reached a point where intervention was required.

He's not doing this for the money, but based on his patriotic sentiments, for Bail Federal's now recovering Federation, it can't withstand a war doomed to defeat.

Once the Federation's warships are eliminated by "pirates" on the ocean, Bail Federal's international status will plummet, and then it might even be excluded from the Allied Countries of the victors.

Therefore, no matter what, he must prevent a military conflict between the Federation Navy and the Preton Pirate Group, for the Federation's future!

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