Darkstone Code

In the eyes of many, Nagariel has become a vast treasure, especially within the Progressive Party.

From the President to an ordinary member of the Progressive Party, they have clearly realized one thing: Nagariel possesses everything the Federation urgently needs, otherwise, the Federation wouldn't go to such lengths for a pirate force like Preton.

So what are the interests involved here? Some people are aware, and these people are often the planners of things. They certainly need to know what benefits their actions will bring in order to do them.

However, others are not so clear; they just instinctively follow the trend, this big trend.

Just like the Mayor of Sabin City, Landon, who was privately advised by a guide who led him into the Progressive Party and gave him much help in his ascent, to talk to Lynch if he had the opportunity, to see if he could obtain some important political resources for Mayor Landon.

Reaching the level of mayor in Sabin City means that to move up another level, to the position of Governor or Member of Parliament, requires not personal ability. One could even say personal ability has become unimportant.

What matters is how many people are willing to help you.

This is very important. In the Federation's political arena, every politician aspiring to climb knows clearly a formula: Money equals the power to rise.

The holders of money, the capitalists, can invest in factories, invigorate local economies, provide jobs, and put money in people's pockets.

Capitalists can enrich the variety of goods in the market, allowing more products to enter ordinary families and improve people's happiness index.

They can also bring more things: medical, educational, industrial, and even technological advancements—all of which are inseparable from money and those who hold money.

If the Mayor can gain some benefits from this event in Nagariel, even if not much, it will be a huge progress for him.

He does not seek to hold an important position like Governor, but perhaps becoming a Member of Parliament shouldn't be problematic, right?

Relying on his good relations with some enterprises and having decent private connections with people like Lynch, the committee related to capitalists should have the intention to absorb him, giving him the capital to become a Member of Parliament.

The Congress is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and Members of Parliament come from these two places, but even within Congress and its Members, there are differences.

For example, the position of a legislator holding multiple Congressional Committee positions differs greatly from one with no official positions.

According to the Federation's charter and legal provisions, Congress can only have twenty-four committees at most, eight of which are Standing Committees, always present, including the Military Committee, Development Coordination Committee, and Budget Allocation Committee, etc.

Out of these eight Standing Committees, six belong to the Senate's camp, and two belong to the House of Representatives.

Then each forms eight non-standing committees to handle national affairs.

Committees like the "Healthcare Reform Committee" may end or be established with proposal changes or the President's issues, but overall, the Senate always controls the most critical committees, while the House of Representatives has more members but fewer opportunities.

But whether it's the Senate or the House, Standing or Temporary Committees, money is indispensable!

Money is a wonderful thing!

If his nephew Mark can obtain a large amount of funds through the development of Nagariel and take care of some local large enterprises, gaining support from some capitalists—they definitely wish to have a representative in Congress, even if this person is of little use, just conveying messages.

After all, Congress is Congress, and Members of Parliament are Members of Parliament; this tiger skin works better than being a mayor, and sometimes even better than a governor.

This is why he came to Lynch, to see if he or Sabin City has a chance.

Lynch pondered for a moment; he too needs someone to help him. Every successful businessman, every capitalist, needs their political spokesperson to express their views, a crucial aspect.

He once heard a joke, a group of politicians discussing who should go to the front line to die, and after a whole night, no conclusion was reached; everyone had their reasons not to go, no one could convince another.

The arguments and silence lasted till midnight, with many exhausted, but someone had to be sent to the front lines to die by dawn and they must come to a conclusion.

At this time, an old gentleman, unable to hold it, proposed to pause the discussion to take a break, which naturally was accepted.

After the old gentleman left, someone suddenly suggested, "Why not let this old gentleman represent us?", citing the perfect reason: because the old gentleman was "highly respected".

The issue argued over all night was resolved in an instant, and everyone voted in favor until the old gentleman returned, the "fair and just" voting result was immediately told to him.

This story might not be funny, but it is worthy of deep thought.

Sometimes, when facing enormous troubles, what you need isn't someone who can turn the tide, but just someone who can say "no" for you.

Having or not having is a huge difference; no one cares about the opinions of the silent.

Lynch needs his political spokesman, and those politicians who are already successful have a long list behind them. Plus, Lynch's business won't expand to Bupen anytime soon; perhaps investing in the Mayor is a better choice.

After a brief silence, he presented some of his views.

"We need to abandon some of our current viewpoints..." said Lynch, calmly, "We don't actually possess any visible advantages, in light industry, processing industry — these things can quickly form an industrial chain anywhere with investment."

"Industrial chain, do you understand what it means?"

The Mayor nodded; this term wasn't particularly difficult to comprehend.

"What we have, others also have, and perhaps better. So we need to abandon these industries where we can't gain an advantage and find new directions for development."

"Of course, local products won't change, but in Nagariel, we have to do things differently."

At this point, Lynch asked a question, "What do you think about using human resources?"

This wasn't a very easy question to answer, and immediately made the Mayor think of several periods of social development in Federation history, times when foreign cheap labor was sent to work by various crime organizations.

Their wages were fractions, even tenth of the Federation workers, yet their working hours and intensity were several times that of Federation workers.

These people were consumed as expendables in the wilderness, their bodies laying the groundwork for the country's crucial means of transportation, constructing awe-inspiring rivers and buildings.

But most were deported after the projects ended, as the Federation no longer needed them.

This is a segment of history all Federation people are unwilling to remember; unwilling not due to guilt or remorse they can't face that part of history, but simply not wanting to get their expensive clothes dusty.

Even history books omitted this part; future historians, hundreds of years later, might be puzzled about how railways and canals ever appeared.

Perhaps these would be ascribed to miracles by someone, eventually becoming unsolved mysteries in history.

Currently, people haven't entirely forgotten it, and the Mayor quickly realized what Lynch was talking about, "Do you want to do the population business?", and added, "The international community has banned the population trade; if we do this, we'll face condemnation, not just you and I, but the Federation too."

Lynch shook his head, "No, it's not the population trade, but labor export business. We organize surplus labor from Nagariel to work abroad to earn foreign exchange. I've been observing many places in Nagariel and have very clear ideas."

"Most Nagariel people just wake up, wait for food, then wait to sleep every day."

"You will see many Nagariel people lying by the roadside, idle all day."

"On one hand, Nagariel's women's low status makes men hand over work to them; this may sound laughable."

"On the other hand, aside from temporary jobs, they struggle to find stable, paid work, so they'd rather lie still, conserving their internal energy, than move unnecessarily."

"These are money!"

"Gafura's construction in Amelia is gradually beginning; do you know what their hourly wage is over there?"

The Mayor's attention was quickly pulled back by this question, and he instinctively asked, "How much?"

"Sixty-seven Gafuran cents per hour!"

Gafura's currency is called the "Gafura Cent", but now people only use "Cent" for small money; for large amounts, they prefer the terms "Golden Emperor (one hundred)", "Silver (White) Emperor (fifty)", "Prince (twenty)", "Minister (ten)".

Lynch's answer slightly raised the Mayor's eyebrows; this price exceeds his expectations.