After spending a week with Jania, she joined the delegation for a nationwide tour across the Federation.

They planned to visit cities known for their strong artistic presence, like Lardimore and Bentley, as well as some northern cities.

The delegation’s goal was to explore cultural differences between the two nations, with plans for cultural exchange—though the actual exchange would happen only after the exploration phase.

After Jania left, Lynch returned to his office. Since he was staying in the Federation for a while, it made sense for him to take work seriously instead of running around.

The headquarters building was newly constructed, located away from the city center. In Eminence, land could be described as a pound of gold per square foot.

Even with Lynch’s wealth, acquiring land downtown was nearly impossible. Those who owned property there didn’t need the money.

Blackstone’s building looked like a plain, windowless structure. Its exterior was coated using a new spray-paint technique, creating a slightly uneven black surface.

On the ground floor was a sign reading Blackstone Capital.

The building had several floors, but only three were actually in use.

The first floor was a reception hall with just one young woman who knew nothing and had to ask about everything—followed by an elevator.

The second floor housed small individual offices for the company’s accountants. It might seem like Lynch wasn’t doing much, but daily financial transactions needed to be recorded in detail.

What needed to be taxed, what didn’t—all had to be clearly categorized.

The third floor was entirely Lynch’s office. The thousand-square-meter space contained only a luxurious desk and chair.

No bookshelves stuffed with unread books. No animal-head trophies. No indoor golf setup. No décor screaming expensive.

Just two simple pieces of furniture. Not even a place for guests to sit.

This wasn’t a public-facing office. No one visited Lynch here, and Lynch wasn’t about to host anyone.

He was working—seriously working. Whether he fully understood or not, Vera patiently walked him through his recent financial changes.

Overall, he owed the banks slightly less than before. The company was still operating under negative equity—and the deficit was significant.

Vera knew Lynch held substantial assets through shell companies and offshore accounts, so she didn’t bother warning him about the company’s dangerous financial state.

“We’ve recently…”

“I heard there’s a popular new type of stockings…” Lynch said, running his hand along Vera’s bare leg, worried she might catch a chill from dressing so lightly.

Vera shifted, giving him a sideways glare. Lynch grinned. “Let’s have dinner later. I’ve noticed a lot of new places have opened recently.”

She hesitated. Her son was waiting for her to come home for dinner. Going out with Lynch might mean getting home late.

“Don’t touch me!” she suddenly warned him.

Lynch smiled. “You agreed!”

Her cheeks flushed. She seemed embarrassed, maybe even expectant. “Agreed to what?”

“Dinner!”

Sometimes she felt she had no resistance to Lynch at all. After a brief moment of protest, she always gave in—without much resolve.

She wasn’t the only one. Faced with a young, handsome man in good shape, most people couldn’t resist.

Just then, the phone on the desk rang.

Lynch pulled his hand back and pointed at the phone. “I thought that thing was just for show. It actually rings?”

While packing her things, Vera replied, “When you’re not around, the secretary doesn’t transfer calls up here. I’m going to work. We’ll talk after hours…”

She left quickly, clearly the type of employee who didn’t waste time.

Lynch picked up the phone. It was from York State University.

“Mr. Lynch, this is… Professor. If you haven’t forgotten me!” The voice sounded both unfamiliar and familiar. Lynch quickly remembered who it was.

He caught on quickly, speaking warmly, giving no impression of unfamiliarity. “Of course, Professor. I remember you. What’s up—short on funding?”

The professor laughed. “Not at all, Mr. Lynch. The research project you sponsored has made progress. We’ve completed the first phase of our agreement…”

This professor, from the State University in Kurland, York State, had received Lynch’s funding for a project, which in turn gave Lynch a recommendation slot—he gave it to Katherine.

Students like her, who didn’t go straight to college after high school, found it hard to get in later. Public schools didn’t emphasize academics the way private schools did.

Public school teachers cared only about student safety. As long as no one died or killed anyone, test scores didn’t matter. Public education wasn’t expected to produce many college students—everyone was just getting by.

Learning outcomes depended entirely on students’ initiative. There were even cases where hardworking public school students were reported by teachers and sent to hospitals for forced relaxation.

Without a supportive environment, and having graduated two years earlier, Katherine—busy with work—had little chance of getting into college through exams. Money was the only option.

Paying for college wasn’t shameful in the Federation. In fact, money played a crucial role—just like students who got into top universities because they were sociable or good at chores. Money influenced outcomes.

This was an economic society, where money ruled everything.

“I remember—it was about miniaturizing electronic components, right?” Lynch vaguely recalled. At the time, he just picked a project that seemed semi-reasonable to throw money at.

The professor sounded excited. “Yes, yes, Mr. Lynch! That’s the project we’ve been working on.”

“Recently, we found inspiration from other sources and made a breakthrough. We’ve solved one of the key technical problems.”

“Pocket-sized radios, recorders, camcorders, tape machines… Mr. Lynch, do you realize? This is a revolution of the era!”

“We’ve developed some entirely new research projects and gained fresh inspiration and concepts in electronic components. We’re eager to meet you in person to discuss these developments.”

The professor’s tone was filled with pride and excitement. The miniaturization of electronic components had always been a challenge for all electronics companies. Being able to shrink them meant fitting more into the same space, or reducing the size of existing devices.

Everyone had been working on this, treating it as a critical research focus. Recently, the Federation had made breakthroughs in materials science that solved many problems at once.

It wasn’t just York State University making progress—nearly every lab had seen breakthroughs in this area.

In this unique era, such advances were happening every day. A seemingly minor scientific breakthrough could trigger an entire wave of technological revolution.

More importantly, such breakthroughs often translated directly into wealth—massive wealth.

Think about it: if someone else’s radio fits in their shirt pocket while yours weighs three or four pounds, wouldn’t you feel embarrassed?

What do you do about that embarrassment?

The poor save up or endure. The rich, however, turn discomfort into purchasing power. To avoid falling behind the times, they’ll buy up every cutting-edge product on the market. That’s the wealth and value born from scientific research.

Lynch was a bit surprised himself. After scheduling a meeting with the professor, he hung up.

Every day brought something new. Technology advanced constantly. Especially this year—the federal government had approved 31 military programs, half of which were for procurement.

Vast amounts of funding poured into the accounts of defense companies, and a large portion of that money would flow into research labs.

An arms race had taken shape between the Federation, Gephra, and the rest of the world. The next decade would be one of explosive technological progress.

Lynch would be an observer, a witness—and a participant.

That evening, Vera didn’t turn Lynch down. They had dinner together and talked about some recent changes in Eminence.

“…There have been a lot of Gephra brands opening on the streets lately, and they’re really popular—especially a few handmade shops that quickly became the center of attention among high society.”

As she ate, Vera talked about the unique shops Lynch had also noticed since returning.

Previously, Gephra products were rarely seen in the Federation. Now, he noticed several brands clearly influenced by Gephran style, signaling that domestic market competition had intensified.

Even more interesting was that these Gephran brands weren’t met with hostility—in fact, they were surprisingly well-received.