Darkstone Code

Chapter 1105 - 1103: Planting Nails

How do you quickly become good friends with someone?

As long as they have a common enemy!

Akumal doesn’t know much about Gafura, but that doesn’t stop him from applying some of the things the Federation did in Nagariel here, with a role reversal.

It’s very effective, or perhaps the face of an invader is always the same.

No matter how they disguise their ugly face, an invader is always an invader.

With a few uncontroversial words, he gained the goodwill of the people. Akumal breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that this trip would bring more attention to himself and Nagariel.

At this moment, he thought of the words Lynch had said: only with more attention can the rules be followed.

Like being under a spotlight, every movement has nowhere to hide.

Surrounded by the crowd, Akumal slowly blended in, gradually disappearing.

At this moment, in the luxurious suite on the top floor of a hotel not far from the port, Lynch was sitting here.

The room was filled with nobles from both local and other regions who had gathered here because of Lynch, but the topic of discussion was Akumal.

"Now the situation in Amelia has improved a lot, the antagonism between us and the locals doesn’t seem as severe, is he really that magical?!"

This was an exclamatory question. It seemed like he was asking others for their opinion, and also truly marveling!

Yes, ever since the Gafura Empire started spreading some of Akumal’s ideas locally, these nobles were the first to notice the change.

Usually, when sitting in a car driving down the city’s roads, the looks in people’s eyes carried unresolved anger and hatred!

But now, it is different from before.

Because of communication!

For local rulers, the most crucial aspect of Akumal’s ideas is not his theory of non-violence, but his initiative to establish communication!

Communication is important, solving many problems requires communication. That’s why there are boards of directors, shareholder meetings, party committees, and... Congress.

Because everyone needs to communicate and exchange views, some conflicts between the common people and rulers have been resolved through communication.

For example, a current issue raised by the locals is that Gafura people should respect local customs and religious practices.

They never had such exchanges before, and Gafura people even viewed these religious customs as a form of resistance, but now the issue is resolved.

The Governor even allows them to gather in a church or on a square for religious ceremonies during religious days, ensuring no interference with their actions.

This effectively eased the tensions between the local populace and rulers; everyone is making concessions, building a foundation for further dialogue.

The people are no longer full of anger and hatred, and the enthusiasm for economic development is unleashed tremendously.

As social security becomes more stable, people also feel that Gafura’s rulers are not doing nothing.

Everything is changing for the better. After several years, it’s time to let go of grievances and issues and start orderly development.

Continuing to cause chaos won’t yield better returns, only misfortune.

"Lynch, what do you think our next investment should be?" Sitting to Lynch’s left was the young Count, the highest-ranking noble here.

He’s no longer the man of two years ago, with little money at his disposal; now that their investments have paid off here, he has achieved profits.

A man’s confidence and poise often come from two sources: wealth and power.

Now with money in his hands, the young Count exudes the charm a man should have, along with a calm and composed demeanor.

A man with only a dollar standing in a luxury store will be nervous and restrained, losing his sharpness because of his poverty.

But a billionaire standing in a luxury store will point at things he dislikes and ask the staff, what is this garbage!

Lynch thought for a moment, "Labor-intensive industries are good, and labor here in Amelia is very cheap, at least cheaper than on Gafura’s Main Island..."

Everyone nodded in agreement, the labor on Gafura’s Main Island is absurdly expensive, and workers demand better benefits.

But look over here, it’s all cheap labor, hiring them doesn’t cost much, and you don’t have to offer any benefits for them to start working.

Not everyone wants to eat relief food, and Gafura’s relief food tastes even worse.

It’s said that when the Minister of Finance heard of a new budget for relief food for Amelia, he felt it was unnecessary to give such good treatment to common folk, yet the issue couldn’t be ignored.

So, he took out the stockpile that was meant for feeding war horses but hadn’t been used up, and used it as the core ingredient for the relief food distributed to the people of Amelia.

To say... that this stuff isn’t food is clearly a misunderstanding.

The warhorses’ rations are actually quite good—soybeans, grains, wheat, duck eggs, and powdered pig bones and meat. Of course, there is also roughage, which makes up the majority.

You might say this stuff is inedible, but you could eat it if you had to. Yet to claim it’s for human consumption is clearly an insult to our intelligence.

Yet the Minister of Finance went ahead and did just that, and surprisingly, the Emperor did not intervene. A large amount of both old stock and new supplies meant for the warhorses was sent to Amelia.

To avoid any accidents, they ground the roughage even finer, adding a little more wheat flour, so that when dried, it would hold together, and when boiled, it would become a thick mush.

After eating like this for so long, the locals would feel nauseous at the mere sight of it. Now that the main issues have been resolved, people are free to move about, and can finally improve their lives somewhat.

With the easing of tensions between both sides, some citizens could go outside the city to hunt, which led many to venture into the wild.

This time, they didn’t vanish into the wilderness but returned with all kinds of food, smiles on their faces.

It seems everything is turning for the better.

"Now you can hire more people and replicate some of the industries from the Main Island here, especially manufacturing."

"Labor is cheap here, which means our goods will be more impactful in the market. If the quality isn’t too different, people will surely prefer cheaper products."

"Moreover, this is the Empire’s Special Zone, and low taxes are our best reliant to make money. We profit from goods, cheap labor, and policy benefits."

"Most importantly, the more locals we employ, the more stable the local society becomes. Even if we cross the line a little, the Governor likely won’t rebuke us."

Lynch’s words opened the eyes of these nobles. Truthfully, it’s not easy for them either. Having barely made it to nobility, there’s hardly any room for them on the Main Island.

A group of nobles who only knew how to play tricks and schemes suddenly needed to earn a living—it’s pretty tough.

This isn’t Gafura’s Main Island, where nobility’s privileges aren’t tied to capital. Merchants won’t just hand over tremendous wealth for a mere "permit."

They must earn their own money, and they must do so quickly.

Capital expansion here isn’t restrained. Capitalists here are more popular than the nobles because they can provide jobs, and jobs mean a high quality of life, at least better than others.

If the nobles don’t work hard, they’ll only fall further behind.

Finally, Lynch pointed out the core of doing business, "Leverage your strengths, use your status and influence on policy to earn money!"

The young Count raised his glass high, "To Baron Lynch!"

Everyone echoed, while Lynch raised his glass, "To wealth!"

People shouted again, "To wealth!" The atmosphere was absolutely fantastic.

They also discussed their investments in the Federation. Many of them invested a bit on their last business development trip to the Federation, with quite a few investing in the film industry.

After all, the vibrant growth and obvious profits of the film industry are evident there. No one considers themselves predestined to fail—they always believe they can turn a profit.

So these people banded together to establish the "Empire Film Company," and it’s almost ready now.

"So we want to offer you some shares; I heard that the Federation’s law requires a company’s market value to a certain scale to undergo market supervision."

"Better to let you in than others."

The Federation’s laws make these imperial nobles uneasy because they can’t monopolize the lucrative business, which is hard for them to grasp, though quite normal.

In Gafura, it’s a power-based system, while the Federation runs on gold standards. A capitalist stabbing themselves to gain more from others isn’t laughable.

If the blood lost from their own stab could be multiplied from others, they’d use an even bigger knife.

Lynch nodded, "I’ll take five percent; how much should I pay for it?"

The young nobles glanced at those who partnered in building the film company, scanning their faces before finally smiling and pausing on Lynch, "Why talk about money? It’s free of charge!"

Lynch pointed at him, "You’re maturing."

The young Count paused, then burst into laughter, "That’s the best compliment I’ve ever heard!"

Growth...

In fact, many things should have been taught by his father, including saying things like "you’ve grown up," but who made the dead old man die so early?

The family fought fiercely for the title; if he hadn’t conceded considerable benefits, he wouldn’t have gained the title.

This is why, even as a notable noble, he’s quite poor.

Noble families aren’t always carefree; sometimes, there are lots of dirty in-fights.

He felt a bit emotional, and so did Lynch.