Blackstone Code

The celebratory event hosted by the President reached its climax with the arrival of the Vice Chairman of the Progressive Party.

The Chairman of the Progressive Party Committee himself did not attend, instead sending the Vice Chairman to offer congratulations on his behalf. This wasn't due to any discord between the President and the Chairman, since even the party leader was absent.

Both of these figures — the Chairman of the Progressive Party and the party leader — held far greater stature, influence, and reputation than the current President. If they were here, it would have caused considerable discomfort for everyone present.

Would people gather around the Chairman of the Progressive Party and the esteemed party leader, or around the President?

This kind of confusion could create fissures in their relationship — subtle cracks that might not appear immediately but would linger until, one day, an event causes them to erupt.

Hence, the two figures wisely avoided attending the event. Instead, they entrusted the Vice Chairman, who had sufficient status and would not overshadow the President, to represent them in celebrating the President's inauguration.

The crowd remained around the President, their faces full of respect and anticipation, watching as the two conversed effortlessly. Occasionally, laughter erupted in response to a joke that wasn't particularly funny but amused everyone else.

To reach such heights in life — referring to the two figures in the spotlight — one could say it was worth the effort, even if it meant stepping over two billion brothers and sisters along the way.

"Mr. Lynch."

The man appeared to be around forty years old, his beard neatly trimmed, making him look slightly younger than his actual age.

"Hello, I'm not sure we've met…" Lynch responded politely, nodding and extending his hand.

The man also reached out for a handshake and introduced himself, "You can call me Clayton. This is my wife."

"Hello, Mr. Clayton, and Mrs. Clayton."

The two were now acquainted, and Clayton didn't waste time with small talk. He immediately got to the point, "I heard you've been organizing a second-hand goods trade and auction event in York State, and that it's going quite well. Is that true?"

Lynch nodded in confirmation. While many things were kept hidden from the public, nothing was hidden from politicians and capitalists.

Power and wealth are always the highest forms of currency in society, always useful anywhere, anytime.

Anyone with the right to know what Lynch was doing in York State could easily find out, so there was no need for denial.

Clayton continued, "You know, they're all in it together…" He gestured vaguely with his wine glass toward the crowd, mostly pointing to the politicians. "In the place where I'm from, we also want to promote this way of circulating goods, but I've encountered some difficulties. Could you help me?"

Lynch took a sip from his glass. "Why not? Tell me more, and maybe we can discuss it."

"I knew it. You're approachable. We'll definitely become friends." Clayton's enthusiasm left Lynch a bit puzzled. He wasn't sure if this was Clayton's real nature or just a persona he was putting on, but he suspected it was the latter.

In this society, everyone had to find their role and persona, no matter how strange it might seem. But that's the reality.

This applied not only to the upper class but to the lower classes as well.

When people reflect on their memories and impressions of those around them, they always first think of the most striking individuals. Those impressions — that's their persona and role in society, as well as how they perceive society needs them to be.

Some people are great listeners and communicators, and they have many friends. Others, when something troubling happens, are the ones people confide in.

Then there are those who are brash and occasionally rude, and it seems normal to be bumped into by them.

Everyone wears a mask suited to their environment, and what Lynch was seeing now was probably Clayton's mask.

Of course, Lynch had his own mask too.

"I am currently addressing issues related to my city. Recently, the efficiency of our city's police department has improved significantly, and they have cracked down on quite a few illegal fences. However, I've also encountered some trouble in the process.

"I'm getting fewer second-hand goods. Some people do come to sell to me, but their asking prices are too high. We've set clear pricing guidelines for these goods, making it hard to profit from buying and reselling them. How do you handle this?"

Clayton's words were a bit disorganized, but Lynch understood what he was trying to say. Clayton's second-hand market wasn't active, and after selling off their goods, they had nothing left to sell.

At the same time, those selling second-hand items had become more cunning. The auction gave them a clear idea of the value of their goods, so they knew what price they could fetch.

As a result, buying low and reselling at a profit was becoming harder.

There was likely some political pressure involved too. When a policy becomes mainstream, and there's resistance to implementing it, people don't often focus on the public's role in the issue — they would normally question whether the leadership is competent.

After a brief pause, Lynch provided his answer, "You could sell some new goods. From what I know, many warehouses are filled with unopened products. People might be more interested in those."

Clayton frowned. "But the owners of those goods won't easily sell them to me at a low price. Especially lately, with our new President, there's been talk that the physical economy will gradually recover."

"I've spoken to some people, and they all say they won't sell to me unless they're bankrupt." Clayton downed a large gulp of wine, visibly frustrated, while his wife offered a polite, apologetic smile to Lynch and Severella.

This phenomenon stemmed from the Federal government's upcoming international policy. The domestic market was nearly saturated, but the global market was still wide open.

This was the new President's agenda: opening up foreign markets for Federal businessmen. Once that happened, unsold domestic products could be turned into cash, reviving dormant industrial cities.

That's why some were waiting, holding onto their goods until they were forced to sell.

Lynch smiled after hearing this. "Mr. Clayton, if you pay attention to what you just said, you'll realize they've already given you the solution."

Seeing Clayton's confusion, Lynch explained further, "They said they won't sell until the day they go bankrupt. So, make them bankrupt. Banks, the government, unpaid workers — someone can make their financial situation worse. When that happens, they'll either compromise or go bankrupt."

Clayton, expecting a more philosophical solution, was shocked by Lynch's directness. He didn't know what to say.

"We're businessmen, Mr. Clayton. We seek profit and those who can give it to us. Becoming friends with them won't benefit you, but making them bankrupt will solve your problem and bring you significant gains. So why not let them go bankrupt?"

This logic was so compelling that there was no immediate counterargument.

After a long pause, Clayton sighed. "You know, at this moment, you sound more like one of Bupayne's financiers than an entrepreneur."

The financiers of Bupayne were infamous across the Federation, especially some notorious teams who loved to strip companies of their profitable assets, leaving other departments to declare bankruptcy for massive profits.

As for the fate of the other people or businesses, they didn't care. All they cared about was the money they had or were about to make.

This was the unresolvable conflict between traditional entrepreneurs and the new financial elites. For those who manipulated capital and played financial games, a company's value lay in being sold for more profit.

Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, valued legacy — a notion financial elites often found laughable.

This was why traditional businesses were increasingly being left behind by emerging companies.Please vote for this novel at https://www.novelupdates.com/series/blackstone-code/There are advance chapters available nowAccess will be granted 24 hours after the donationTier 1: 7 Advance chapters Link

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