Darkstone Code

Chapter 1048 - 1046: I Was Just Saying

Lynch didn’t ask about luggage or clothes, such questions might be an issue for some people.

But for the wealthy, it’s just a matter of a phone call.

Whether it’s Anna’s servants or directly calling the tailor shop with her measurements, they can quickly provide a couple of emergency outfits, especially those tailor shops.

Even though they’re rushed, they’re definitely not inferior, much better than regular ready-to-wear clothes—this is the charm and power of money!

"Won’t you familiarize me with each room? After all, I’ll be living here for the next while, I don’t want to barge in while you’re bathing."

Having accomplished her intention, Anna laughed happily. Lynch noticed she actually has a small dimple, not very prominent.

Perhaps out of a sense of humor, Lynch didn’t refuse and first took her to the kitchen—

"This is the kitchen!"

"Okay, I’ve noted it down."

Next was the dining room—

"This is the dining room!"

"Okay, I’ve noted it down."

Then...

After visiting each place, they arrived at the last room on the first floor.

"Is this the lounge?"

Generally, such large villas have a place for the owners to relax.

It’s not the living room, because the living room is for receiving guests, used for socializing, and both its furnishings and decorations lean toward formality.

The lounge is meant for relaxation, where there might be a sofa bed.

Many people enjoy that soft feeling; lying on the sofa is always more comfortable than sleeping on the bed.

There might be some sort of bubble mat, whether sitting on it, lying on it, or pressing against it sideways, it’s a good choice.

There should be some other items too, Anna has seen some nice lounges, where she lives also has one, and it’s quite large, sometimes looking more like a venue, where brothers and sisters gather to daze or read books.

She had considered many possibilities, carrying some expectations. In the moment the door opened, her smile and anticipation froze.

Inside was a restraint chair, a wooden horse that children might like, though perhaps the carpenter made some mistakes during its design.

For instance, installing the unicorn’s horn in the wrong place.

There were things that looked like shackles, only half human-height, and some bizarre items she hadn’t seen before.

The walls were hung with all sorts of frightening tools, making her feel a bit fearful.

"I didn’t know...," she stammered out a sentence, "it would be like this!"

"Yes, I didn’t know it would be like this."

"I’m sorry!"

Such a private space shouldn’t be displayed, and it was Anna who requested Lynch to show her, so despite feeling embarrassed, she had to apologize.

Sometimes reasoning is so unreasonable!

Her face was flushed, she clearly knew what this room was for, mentally raging with all sorts of curses, yet still making an embarrassed attitude.

Lynch curled his lips, "It’s okay, sometimes you might..."

"No!", Anna interrupted Lynch decisively, "Absolutely not!"

Lynch laughed, raising his hands as if in surrender, or soothing her mood, "Relax, no one will do anything to you, I meant sometimes you might see me using it."

"So... you know, getting a preview is beneficial, at least you won’t barge in while I’m doing something, right?"

Anna wished she could lift the carpet and climb underneath; smoke was almost coming out of her head, yet she had to nod in agreement with Lynch’s thought.

Luckily, there was only this one weird room in the villa, and Anna stayed in the last guest room.

Other guest rooms sometimes have other occupants, hence frequent changes aren’t suitable, and it risks mutual disturbance.

A bit later, several new clothes were delivered, Anna seemed to have communicated with Mr. Pato, at least Mr. Pato knew she was at Lynch’s villa now.

"She didn’t tell me she was going to you!", Mr. Pato’s voice was as rigid as ever, it sounded like it was being scraped out by a steel rod on hard metal.

With a metallic quality, devoid of warmth, cold, one might doubt if a doctor were to saw off his leg, he wouldn’t need anesthesia.

"I hope she doesn’t trouble you, Lynch, sometimes she can be quite childish, if she does anything wrong, feel free to speak up!"

This was Mr. Pato calling Lynch personally, this wasn’t small talk, but his genuine thoughts.

Upon learning that Anna went to find Lynch first, he gave his daughter a high evaluation, acknowledging she knows how to pick the right person and then act.

Just for this, she deserves high marks.

Then he dialed this call to Lynch, ensuring Lynch understood, this wasn’t a "scheme", it was not a result of communication between him and Anna.

If it was just Anna’s personal decision, then it’s merely "child’s play", but if Mr. Pato played a role like a "Wise Man", offering advice, then the matter would take a different turn.

Lynch felt Mr. Pato’s sincerity as well, the fact he called immediately indicated that the event indeed exceeded his expectations.

Given both are nobles, the arrogant Mr. Pato would disdain to lie.

The big shots often lie, as if lying has become a hallmark of theirs. However, sometimes they do tell the truth, even though when they do, it seems like they’re still lying.

"You don’t need to worry about these issues, I can guess some reasons."

Lynch’s words made Mr. Pato breathe a little easier, and his deep Gafura accent sounded a bit more natural.

"Moreover, the matter I spoke to you about last time, what do you think of it?"

Mr. Pato recalled briefly; he always had many things to handle, so it wasn’t possible for him to remember everything as soon as Lynch mentioned it.

He’s not young anymore; people should give some leniency to the elderly.

About ten seconds later, his voice sounded again, "Are you talking about the silver mine within Mariluo?"

Isabella said that the General once discovered a silver mine, as well as a red iron mine.

Because of the chaos of war back then, there wouldn’t be large-scale wars among the warlords, but the small mayhem between them never ceased.

They would sabotage each other whenever possible; after all, they would do anything to weaken the rival forces, absolutely anything.

Blowing up mines was cost-effective and yielded quick results, and many mines in Mariluo had been collapsed because of that, so after the General discovered these mines, he didn’t proceed with mining.

Mining couldn’t last long, and it required various machinery, manpower, and resources, which wasn’t cost-effective.

This is also one of the chips in Isabella’s hand, although Lynch didn’t see it as a chip.

Because those mines were within Mariluo, within the General’s territory, he could easily outline a range and send some exploration teams to roam around, surely they would find something eventually.

But he still conveyed this information to Mr. Pato. The Akiner Clan has been involved in mining for over two hundred years.

It’s rumored that the Akiner Clan is the only clan in the Federation still using slaves on a large scale, but people have never managed to obtain evidence to prove it.

However, judging by their attitude toward the native Nagariel people, this shouldn’t be mere rumor.

After all, deep mining is fraught with danger in this era, and if an ordinary worker dies, you’d have to pay a significant compensation. But if it’s a slave that dies, the risk is far less.

And this precisely serves as evidence of the Akiner Clan’s deep-seated involvement in the mining industry!

"Yes..."

Mr. Pato paused again, "This issue isn’t easy to handle; since a few years ago, someone has been continuously speculating in silver markets, you know what I mean."

"Now, the price of silver has reached half of that of gold, and the silver available in the market is still reducing, and some silver mines also started reducing production."

"Perhaps the price of silver cannot rival gold, but the gap between the two is shrinking indefinitely."

"Now is not the best time to mine silver; if news of a silver mine were to leak, we might be ’besieged’."

"This is a game with stakes of over tens of billions..."

"If you’ve paid attention in this regard, you’d have noticed, for two years now, there hasn’t been a ’discovery’ of a silver mine worldwide."

"Everyone is waiting!"

Lynch gasped, he wasn’t very attentive to this area but could sense the lethal dangers hidden within!

Tens of billions, perhaps, is Mr. Pato’s "humble" claim, and the funds involved may have already surpassed hundreds of billions.

At this moment, if "we have an undeveloped silver mine" were to surface, and the price of silver in the international futures market drops a point, what evaporates may be billions in funds!

If it pressures one or two who can’t hold, leading to a panic in the silver market, whoever initiated it becomes their enemy.

Of course, this is an idealized scenario, and it actually wouldn’t happen unless some greater issue detonates a futures market of tens of billions to hundreds of billions.

At this point, don’t mention discovering a mine, even dumping tens of tons of silver wouldn’t cause a ripple!

In fact, Lynch feels Mr. Pato is already in the game.

"Mr. Pato, you know I’m an outsider, not very knowledgeable in this area."

"I have a question."

Mr. Pato patiently replied, "Please go ahead!"

"When these people reach their ideal price, what will happen?"

Mr. Pato thought for a moment, "A small amount of regular market transactions, to maintain silver’s price at a high point in the long term."

"Then they’ll need to wait for some smart individuals, who might be in Bupen, in Gafura, some members of a royal family, Imperial Family."

"And then these people, pay for all the results!"

Lynch licked his lips, "Then could we possibly preemptively snare them?"

"I’m merely contemplating this as a curious learner. If we shorted silver ahead of time and then exposed there’s a silver mine here, what would happen?"

Mr. Pato pondered again, "The situation wouldn’t become too bad, a silver mine turning into silver, coupled with its mining speed and final product, indeed can cause a slight drop in price."

"If controlled timely, other silver mines curtail production, finding any excuse to slow down mining, the price won’t drop too much and will slowly rise again."

"But doing so would offend everyone, every player in the game."

Lynch chuckled lightly, as if hiding something dreadful in his laughter.

"What if we discover the largest high-purity open-pit silver mine in history?"

"I’m not intending to do anything, just exploring this issue!"