Darkstone Code

Lynch's words were somewhat... arrogant. More than one person in the room thought so. Achieving personal interests by creating international conflict was something the Federation's merchants had not yet accustomed themselves to, nor attempted as a way to solve problems.

They were somewhat hesitant. If what Lynch said didn't succeed, then those bonds would essentially rot in their hands.

Sometimes, people are contradictory like this. In the past, they could bet a fortune on an almost impossible future, but now they didn't have the courage to gamble again.

Perhaps this is what people often say as "only lose, can't win." Gamblers, even if they lose ninety-nine times at the gaming table, still have the courage to sell everything they can to stake the hundredth time hoping they can win.

But if they make a heavy bet on a small probability, even if the winnings aren't much, they'll lose the courage to go all in like before, becoming indecisive.

The current "victory" and Mr. Herbert's proposal would keep them from losing this sum of money, plus a little profit. Compared to Lynch's more deadly gamble, they started to hesitate.

Seeing the diverse expressions on people's faces, Lynch did not feel disappointment or excitement. He gave them a choice, and how to choose was their business.

He indeed couldn't guarantee that his plan would succeed; he just felt that this was the most likely successful plan of all he could think of and offered the greatest returns.

After speaking, he found a place to sit down. Mr. Herbert, the host and owner of the house, returned to the center of the room, "Mr. Lynch's plan is very..." He choked at this point.

After using several seconds, he finally found a suitable word to describe Lynch's plan, "... very bold, but it cannot be denied that it also has a certain feasibility."

"Facts prove that we have many ways to solve problems, so is there anyone else willing to share their thoughts?"

"We look forward to more plans surfacing and are willing to pay some fees for reliable plans."

The obvious statement strongly suggested that he was willing to pay commissions or something for someone else's plan. Then others naturally must pay commissions for his plan as well; he is a very thoughtful capitalist.

Subsequently, someone indeed proposed some ideas, but overall they did not meet people's expectations. Ultimately, only two plans became the main alternatives: Mr. Herbert's plan and Lynch's plan.

Most people chose Mr. Herbert's plan, as they could afford to lose but not win. Yet, someone else chose Lynch's plan, and that person was none other than Mr. Herbert.

After sending all the invitees away at around nine o'clock in the evening, Mr. Herbert, together with Lynch, sat in his study. He wanted to talk further with Lynch about that plan of his.

This is Mr. Herbert's peculiarity. He made sure to at least not incur significant losses by gaining profits from others, while also eyeing the maximum benefits from Lynch's side. He wanted to eat up both ends, devour everything!

Once seated, Mr. Herbert hesitated slightly and then asked, "Mr. Lynch, are there any risks in your plan that you haven't disclosed?"

He explained his reasoning, "If you can ensure your plan is executed perfectly, you actually didn't need to say it out loud!"

Exactly, the reasoning is this simple. If it's really that lucrative, who would be willing to let others get rich with them rather than acquiring others' capital for themselves to earn more?

Considering Lynch's character role, Mr. Herbert thought that if he were Lynch, having a complete plan, he would reveal nothing and instead propose buying up others' bonds to maximize benefits.

But Lynch said this, indicating there must be some unpredictable risks.

"Everything carries risks, Mr. Herbert!" Lynch neither agreed with nor denied the other's views. This response was very subtle.

"So, there are some issues?" Mr. Herbert wasn't sidetracked by Lynch's answer. He always believed one thing: people's appetites don't lie.

For capitalists, they can't consume not because their bellies are full. Capitalists' stomachs are like black holes, never reaching a limit. What truly prevents them from consuming is their inability to chew the food.

After exchanging glances for a while, Lynch shook his head, saying, "There aren't any major issues, except perhaps time and investment. But these are not problems for us."

"Just as I said before, everything carries risks; none of us knows what will happen after doing this."

"Maybe it will end smoothly as I planned, but it's also possible that nothing will happen; I'm just gambling."

However, Lynch wasn't entirely truthful. Creating conflict isn't an easy task, and time is quite pressing. If the subject he targets is reluctant to bear the severe consequences and stand up against the current political setup in the Amelia region, he essentially lacks the time to find another target.

These matters aren't suitable for others to handle, as only those with vested personal interests would earnestly engage in such risky undertakings. Therefore, Lynch hoped to use profits as an allure for these people.

But he overestimated their courage and underestimated the impact his seemingly ordinary plan had on the Federation's capitalists of this era. Traces of escapist euphoria still linger in them; to actively create international conflict now?

Not very likely.

Nevertheless, it's okay. He still had contingency plans. If nothing worked out, he would discuss it with Mr. Truman. Presumably, intelligence agencies like the Security Committee could offer him some helpful assistance.

Therefore, when facing Mr. Herbert, he didn't reveal his reasons.

Lynch's apparent "uncooperativeness" caused Mr. Herbert to become suspicious again, "I'm willing to speak the truth. Honestly, Mr. Lynch, I'm willing to pay a commission for your plan!"

Lynch was also hesitant. He still had choices. He could solve this problem by communicating with Mr. Truman, but he didn't want everything tied too deeply with Mr. Truman and official Federation agencies.

Once entangled too much, some situations can gradually spiral out of control. Simply put, if he made too much money with the help of the state, there would always be someone who thinks he's stealing the country's interests.

Even if he could prevent people from thinking this way, some would dislike his approach. Moreover, he couldn't guarantee that the current president could govern for ten years without any opinions or views towards him.

After ten years, if his successor couldn't harbor the same lack of opinions and views towards him, any slight issue could become troublesome.

Currently, his involvement with Mr. Truman and some connections do not involve utilizing state power to satisfy personal interests.

Of course, making some money following state policies and international trends is something everyone tacitly permits, but this matter is different. Hence, he didn't intend to involve Mr. Truman unless he had no choice.

He looked at Mr. Herbert, "I want 33% of your total profits, and you must convince more people to join us!"

A third is a suitable request. After some consideration, Mr. Herbert finally decided to agree, "As long as it turns out as described, I agree to this demand!"

Through the channels of the Deputy Finance Minister of Gafura, Mr. Herbert could probably convert a hundred-dollar bond into about seventy or eighty dollars worth of various materials or offer them some tax-free investment conveniences, with the latter being more likely.

Doing so doesn't involve selling out national interests. Both the former and the latter would benefit Gafura.

But for those bargain-hunters from the Federation, their income wouldn't be as great.

With the former, they'll receive a bunch of materials. Moreover, it's clear that Gafura wouldn't offer them scarce materials as a substitute, only giving them surplus or unimportant, or even unsalable, materials.

With the latter, it does seem like there are benefits, but they have to conduct commercial investments in Gafura first, requiring more money to obtain such tax-free conveniences. It's somewhat unworthy.

But these are indeed the best measures currently. At least they could ensure that they continue making money.

Mr. Herbert understood this too, which is why when Lynch proposed his plan, he was tempted because Lynch's plan wasn't a "compromise" like his but rather one that could turn bonds into money and that money would be several to dozens of times the profit.

So, allocating a third of the total profits to Lynch wasn't something unacceptable.

To acknowledge backwardness, this time Mr. Herbert could pay for Lynch's plan, and he could also look for Lynch or others to charge fees for their plans in the future. This is the rule.

The primary rulemaker must abide by it himself to require others to follow, even if it's only limitedly adhered to.

After the two reached an agreement, Lynch left. Although Mr. Herbert hoped Lynch could stay overnight, Lynch chose to leave. He would now begin preparing for this matter.

After all, the next round of negotiations with Nagariel was in ten days. Once both sides reached a preliminary intention, accompanied by the completion of related negotiations in the following days, they would exchange letters within at most twenty days to establish diplomatic relations.

This also implies that within less than a month's time, the naval war between the Federation and Gafura would begin. If Lynch wanted his plan to proceed smoothly, the Amelia region had to be thrown into chaos before August!

This involves billion-dollar funds; whoever blocks him, he'll take down!