Darkstone Code

Chapter 1058 - 1056: Paradise Island

Regarding the import of the Federation Darkstone Airlines’ Qi-I bombers, it is not an easy task.

Initially, these countries all believed they might find it difficult to procure them in large quantities. After all, these kinds of strategic weapons were unlikely to be sold in bulk by the Bail Federal.

Perhaps each country would only have a quota of two or three, or three to five at most.

What they didn’t expect was that when discussing this issue, the Federation’s negotiation special envoy stated that not only would there be no upper limit on their purchases, but there would actually be a minimum purchase requirement.

A minimum of thirty-five, and if it’s below this number, don’t even start negotiations. This made some countries both excited and a bit troubled.

Why would they be so generous in selling strategic national secrets?

Is there something wrong here?

Of course, they were unaware that Lynch took a prototype of a fighter jet and in less than ten minutes "destroyed" a high-speed cruising bomber in the sky, which led the Ministry of Defense to agree to his request.

In addition to this issue, there are other problems, such as alignment issues, international political leanings, confidential exchanges, and so on...

In short, a long list of "cooperative" content, sometimes they were unsure whether it was "cooperation" or "extortion"!

But in any case, they must try to secure this military procurement because everyone knew that missing this opportunity might mean there won’t be another chance like it.

Just at this moment, while everyone was discussing the "extent" of the shared information, a Federation staff member walked in and whispered something into the ear of the special envoy.

After excusing himself, he quickly got up and left, which made the atmosphere in the room a bit heavy.

Every time he left, it meant something bad was happening. At first, they thought it was to seek approval on concessions, but later they realized it was likely to apply more pressure.

Before long, the special envoy returned with a smile that made one’s gums itch.

"Gentlemen, I have good news. We’ve decided to make certain concessions on Clause Thirty-Seven and Clause Fifty-Three..."

Clause Thirty-Seven allowed the Federation’s private and military ships to use member countries’ deep-water ports anytime for resupply, which had been difficult to agree upon, resulting in a stalemate.

Clause Fifty-Three required each member country to open a duty-free city for more convenient trade with the Federation.

These two clauses were essentially impossible to pass, or they must pass in a modified form. For instance, Clause Thirty-Seven required advanced notice and permission for docking under the "protection" of national warships.

That was the bottom line they discussed, everything had to be under the control of the port’s host country.

Clause Fifty-Three turned the one-sided requirement into a mutual one, such as promoting bilateral trade and simultaneously opening mutual duty-free ports.

Or by making further concessions to express sincerity.

With the Federation’s current level of technology and productivity, opening their markets would instantly destroy some local industries through dumping.

Now the Federation suddenly decided to make concessions, which was good news.

Before the envoys could express their surprise, the special envoy’s "However," pulled them back from their not fully realized excitement.

"To express mutual respect, I propose adding Clause Sixty-Two, requiring all military and sensitive export products to be settled in Federation Sol."

"Simply put, if you want to buy our products, no problem, but you must pay in Federation Sol, we won’t accept any other currency."

"But you don’t need to worry, this clause only pertains to military and sensitive goods, not ordinary products."

The envoys didn’t quite understand why such a clause was added suddenly, and they whispered amongst themselves but found no major traps.

It was merely a change to settling in Federation Sol. It was as meaningless as taking off your pants to fart and then putting them back on.

Of course, it might be to prevent someone from gambling on whether what’s coming is just gas or a bomb during diarrhea!

But overall, it was meaningless. They could easily temporarily borrow or exchange some Federation Sol from international banks for settlement.

So after a brief discussion, they deemed this agreement acceptable.

But verbal consent couldn’t be so direct, like a girl already lying in bed can’t rudely demand her hesitating boyfriend "get on with it."

A smart girl would instead say "maybe we should forget it" to create an invisible pressure, portraying herself as pure and reserved.

They cited the need to consult domestically as an excuse to temporarily skip this clause, but the special envoy understood it was essentially agreed upon.

As the temperature cooled with the changing seasons, more people crowded the streets of Bupen.

Some people love tropical vacations in winter, enjoying the sun on the beach while others endure the cold, sipping ice-cold fruit juice, and cooling off in the sea breeze.

Others prefer city life to avoid seasonal sadness in this withering season.

So, in winter, Bupen’s population surprisingly increases.

If one paid attention to the artificial island at the mouth of the harbor, they would notice the huge construction machinery had seemingly vanished.

But not many people paid attention; the sparse vegetation obscured visibility, leaving the current state a mystery.

On such a day, Lynch received an invitation—

Dear Mr. Lynch:

Thank you for making time amidst your busy schedule to read this invitation. I am Horn, the developer of Paradise Island. According to our plan, Paradise Island is complete. You provided tremendous help throughout this process, whether in funds, connections, or otherwise.

We greatly appreciate your assistance. As per our agreement, we have reserved Villa Number 99 for you, and you will be its sole owner.

Additionally—I sincerely invite you and eagerly anticipate meeting you at the first gala on Paradise Island.

Signed, "Horn White"

Lynch paused for a few seconds before recalling the matter.

Over three years ago, this Horn had been pitching the idea to build an artificial island at the harbor’s mouth.

Lynch found the idea intriguing and had his lawyer look into the legal issues, discovering there was no established Maritime Rights Bill at that time in the Federation or the world.

Thus, the artificial island essentially became a private kingdom at Bupen’s harbor mouth!

Many wealthy individuals invested in and supported Horn due to this concept.

Lynch, being an investor, knew that after Horn built the island, the Federation passed laws, claiming maritime areas within a certain sea mile radius as Federation property.

But those previously constructed "private kingdoms" were exempt, as they were built before the law’s effect, making them unique in the Federation!

Stepping onto the island meant leaving Federation territory, quite miraculous!

Initially, Lynch doubted Horn’s ability to manage this project, as it involved many issues, but he succeeded.

Lynch surmised how he succeeded, knowing many desired such a Land Beyond the Law!

These influential figures from high society, possibly even a Chief Justice, wouldn’t openly pursue creating a Land Beyond the Law themselves, would they?

No, impossible, but they could support Horn in doing so.

In case of trouble, they’d eliminate Horn, distancing themselves, remaining as "victims" of circumstances.

Given his invitation, Lynch wouldn’t miss this opportunity.

The carnival was set for the weekend.

Since the invitation didn’t mention "bringing a companion," Lynch could choose whether to bring one. Considering safety, he decided to bring Austin.

"I’m not very comfortable in this outfit..." Austin said with an awkward expression.

She found it more unsettling than battle, where at worst a bullet could blow her head off.

But here, her clothes made her uncomfortable.

Backless long dress with a white marten stole, not much cold, as her border duty between the Federation and Mariluo winters were colder.

It was the outfit that unsettled her.

Backless she could deal with, but the deep neckline reaching her navel was too much.

Worse, for aesthetics, she wore no underwear, risking a wardrobe malfunction with any large move!

Damn!

She felt like she was about to catch fire!

Lynch tilted his head, looking her over, "You look beautiful tonight!"

Austin’s face flushed, "I’m afraid I’ll be exposed any second!"

Lynch gently shook his head, "Trust those tailors’ skills; they’ve tailored for countless socialites. If any strap is out of place, we’ll shut down the shop!"

Maybe Lynch’s confidence reassured Austin. She took a deep breath, calming her subtle unease.

Then, alongside Lynch, slightly behind him, they stepped into Paradise Island!

Suddenly, waves surged, crashing in!