Darkstone Code

"The rebel organization incited the workers at Mine No. 7. They've blown up the mine, attacked our stationed soldiers, and are now engaging with our reinforcements..."

On the other end of the phone, one could faintly hear the crackling of gunfire, occasionally accompanied by explosions. The caller to the Governor was the Captain in charge of Mine No. 7. His face was ashen, and there were bloodstains on his temple.

The Gafura people are arrogant. They disdain and refuse to live with the lowly defeated ones, hence they have their separate courtyard. This very courtyard is what saved the Army Captain from perishing like others and allowed him to call the Governor.

Both he and the Governor realized the immense trouble at hand. Losing the mine, or the mine being blown up, and the death of some Empire soldiers did not actually matter to him.

The real predicament is that to speed up mining, there are a sizeable amount of explosives on-site, along with some soldiers. These explosives, armaments, could potentially become supplies for the rebel organization!

Once these peace-disrupting maniacs get their hands on those explosives, it's conceivable that the entire Amelia Province will be thrown into chaos.

The Governor immediately made a decision, "Destroy all the military equipment and explosives that cannot be taken away on the spot. Inform the support troops to retreat the same way they came, be wary of attacks on their encampments."

"Furthermore, do not linger, withdraw immediately. The focus of the spotlight does not reveal the darkness outside its beam, your current situation is very disadvantageous!"

The Governor is not a fool who rose up the ranks based on family connections during peacetime. As the top administrative and military authority of the Amelia Region, he has participated in numerous wars of various sizes and was also involved in the final campaign.

He understands very well that, at this moment, the Captain and his soldiers almost have nowhere to hide under the spotlights, whereas the rebels lurk in the dark woods beyond the light beam.

If they do not retreat immediately, they will all be dead by dawn, losing both firearms and explosives.

It's better to destroy as much as they can now and retreat into the darkness. Without the geographical advantage, the rebel army will withdraw.

The Captain quickly began to execute the Governor's orders, and the Governor no longer had the heart to sleep. He understood better than anyone what stability in the Amelia Province meant for the Empire.

At this moment, his face bore an extremely fierce expression. He once hoped to persuade these lowly people with his amicability and kindness, making them understand that as long as they didn't rebel, they wouldn't face danger.

But undeniably, these lowly people and their rebel organization had infuriated him. He would no longer treat them with the mercy he once did.

If kind words don't work, then use death to threaten them!

In the provincial capital of Amelia Province, Mazer City, as dawn broke, the orderly sound of boots startled the residents, followed by loudspeakers announcing last night's events to everyone.

Plus, the Governor issued new orders, reinstating full military control and curfew across the province from this moment onwards. Anyone found on the roads after 5 PM could be shot on sight without reason.

Anyone daring to harbor members of the rebel organization or failing to report their knowledge was also categorized as rebel members.

All Gafura soldiers could demand to inspect any house at any time and search everyone's personal belongings. Anyone daring to resist or prevent them would be considered rebels.

Meanwhile, shortly after seven in the morning, gunfire rhythmically rang out in Mazer City's central square.

Those found outside during the full search last midnight were all arrested as rebels and publicly executed.

One citizen after another, perhaps some were just citizens, while others might have indeed been rebels, but at this moment, there was no distinction.

No matter how they pleaded, Gafura soldiers coldly and mercilessly raised their weapons towards them before loading the lifeless bodies onto trucks.

A large number of citizens were driven out from their homes by soldiers, encircling the square, forced to witness this disturbing display.

Blood seeped continuously through the seams of the trucks, and once the truck was filled with corpses, it would drive away to cremate them. The current weather was too hot; bodies decayed quickly, potentially causing unnecessary trouble, unlike earlier days when the bodies could dry in the wind.

The fresh blood on the ground flowed through the gaps between bricks, forming a bloody river. People watched in anger, fear, and meekness at those Gafura people and their fellow citizens who were suffering or had already perished.

Also, on this day, international reporters reported the events here. In contrast to the criticism from international moralistic nations led by Bail Federal against the Governor of the Amelia Region, Gafura homeland directly sent a telegram praising the Governor's decision.

Moreover, they mobilized part of the army to the Amelia Region to strengthen control over the entire area.

They originally planned to dispatch the first sequence of the Royal Navy to suppress the unrest, but this idea quickly met wide opposition from most countries. Most nations believed that sending the army could still be seen as a deepening of control over the Amelia Region.

But dispatching the main fleet will inevitably cause panic among some countries, possibly leading to military standoffs on the seas near the Amelia Region, and even accidental skirmishes.

Upon hearing this good news, Lynch couldn't stop smiling all morning; the muscles in his cheeks were even a little stiff.

When he arrived at his newly purchased office, Lime proactively greeted him.

To facilitate some financial operations, Lynch bought an entire floor in an office building in the Bupen Financial Center.

Though the price isn't cheap now, compared to two or three years ago, it has hit rock bottom and isn't a loss.

His office is here, a massive, vast office, with all glass curtain walls transparent, the busiest area in Bupen is right within his sight, at his feet.

"Mr. Lynch, the price of copper ore has risen!" Lime seemed very excited; he was also aware of the events in the Amelia Region where the largest copper mine, also the largest near that area, was bombed, drastically reducing international shipments in a short time. Gafura started stockpiling copper ore, and copper prices began to rise.

Lynch has already started profiting, and it's a frantic profit.

Capital allocation, also called leverage, is used this way. People often talk about fifty times capital leverage, a hundred times capital leverage, even two hundred times capital leverage, most commonly seen in the futures market, less so in the stock market.

Lynch only slightly nodded, displaying restraint, "Indeed, this is good news!"

Lime thoughtfully continued, "However, Fla hasn't shown a noticeable decline..."

This is still a lesson, Lynch kept nodding, "Yes, it won't decline for now. Gafura sent ground forces to the Amelia Region to suppress the unrest and stabilize the local situation. The issue in the Amelia Region hasn't severely impacted Gafura's authority and status internationally, so Fla's price won't change much. There might be a temporary drop, but it will soon recover."

"Right now, we don't need to focus on it. We need to focus on copper prices, have our traders watch the turnover changes in the futures market, and establish hedges when necessary..."

The term 'hedge' is a trending trading technique recently. Simply put, it's setting up two completely opposite accounts, one for buying rising, another for buying falling prices. In theory, this shouldn't result in any loss or profit, might even result in a small settlement loss.

However, at certain times, people can predict upcoming price trend changes clearly and control risks, maybe because of the peak period of a policy or other structural changes.

At this time, selling the losing portion and keeping the profitable one can yield gains.

When the gained profit satisfies the initial investment return requirement, more hedging or reducing can be done to continue avoiding risks.

The advantage of hedging is keeping risks within an acceptable range. But its drawback is sometimes it's too stable, stable to the point of not having much effective return rate.

It's unlike speculation, which always makes hearts race. Some like heart races, others prefer the calmness akin to retirement-style hedging.

Setting up hedges is a good way to control risks, very stable.

Lime took note while Lynch hired some traders through friends, finding independent traders.

The commissions these traders take are far more than people imagine, but this is well-deserved for them.

Currently, the top traders in Bupen take no less than twenty percent of their employer's profit as personal gain, with no upper limit, of course.

However, this comes with conditions; in this world, anything good usually has constraints.

These top traders' contracts are more like betting agreements; Lynch will provide various factors and data, along with a return basis, and only when they meet Lynch's return demand will they gradually trigger those high commission clauses.

For these traders, they will take every trade seriously because if they mess up once, they will be rejected by Bupen.

Overall, Lynch's interests can still be secured, but he hopes to have a few personals on hand rather than hiring independent traders.

The controllability of these traders isn't high, nor are they assuredly safe.

"You need to learn more from them; I hope next year, you'll be able to lead independently!" Lynch stood, walked to the glass curtain wall, and waved to Lime.

When Lime approached, Lynch put his arm around Lime's shoulder, pointing out the Bupen Financial Center beyond the glass curtain wall, "This will be your world!"