Blackstone Code-Chapter 378: Once Again, Acting Inhuman

Often, when selecting people in a company or elsewhere, the first consideration isn’t how many ideas they have, but how obedient and sensible they are. Many people have ideas—any industry is full of young newcomers who can talk for hours without repeating themselves. But those chosen, those who earn leadership’s favor, are the obedient and sensible ones. Sometimes those two overlap, sometimes they don’t.

Several screenwriters promised to quickly deliver scripts for Lynch to review. Lynch returned to Eminence the next day, where he stayed for a while, tied to some ongoing matters.

After a day’s rest, the fourth bilateral negotiation began Monday. Both sides had reached a final agreement except for one unresolved issue: the legal currency in circulation.

Led by Governor Drag, the provincial government had hired various scholars and experts for advice. In the federation, as long as you pay enough, experts will provide consultation. This made them realize how crucial official currency is to regional sovereignty.

Merchants, eager for profit, are willing to sell the very rope they might hang themselves with. So, selling some non-treasonous knowledge for a little profit was acceptable to them.

They dug in their heels, more determined than before to oppose using the federation’s sol as Nagaryll’s legal currency. No agreement was reached on this, and negotiations around it were intense.

The Nagaryll representatives proposed a market-based currency exchange system, rejecting official fixed rates for free-floating market rates. They claimed this was already a big concession. Officially, the rate was 44 Nagarylls to 1 sol, but on the black market, 1 sol could fetch 101 Nagarylls.

This shift had accelerated since three months prior, influenced by the Preyton pirate group. The federation exposed how that group controlled Nagaryll’s economy, highlighting Nagaryll’s military weakness and economic dependence.

Until the Preyton pirates were eliminated, people doubted Nagaryll’s future, causing continued currency devaluation, though Nagaryll denied it.

They insisted the official exchange rate was 44:1, but had now changed stance. As long as the federation dropped its insistence on legal currency, they could loosen control over the exchange rate.

This was not Lynch’s plan, nor in the federation’s interest. A morning of intimidation, threats, and bribery yielded no improvement.

“They’re not afraid to stall,” Truman said during lunch, discussing with Lynch. “They’re even happy to drag it out. They can stall, but Gephra and we can’t.”

“Thanks to what you did, Gephra is restless now!”

Truman sounded displeased. On the Amellia front, Lynch’s views and actions clashed with domestic mainstream opinion.

Not to mention the uninformed lower classes, even government elites saw the federation as needing only a limited show of strength against Gephra—not outright confrontation.

Gephra, after all, had benefited from the recent world war and proven its military might. Federation politicians lacked confidence, believing it wasn’t yet time to sever ties.

In truth, there was no good or bad timing—just fear dressed in grand words.

If Gephra sensed the federation stirring trouble in Amellia, relations could quickly deteriorate, causing uncontrollable international conflict.

Truman supported Lynch’s list, obtained through private channels known only to him, one intermediary, and Lynch’s team.

With unrest in Amellia, Gephra’s attention was drawn away from naval confrontations with the federation.

Intelligence reported that Gephra’s First Battle Fleet had partially left port, possibly igniting a naval war with the federation within ten to fifteen days.

They seemed to view fighting the inexperienced Baylor Federation like beating a child, showing little effort to conceal their moves.

They deployed more ships than federation intelligence expected—most of the First Battle Fleet was out, except the symbolic Wansheng Princess and six escort ships.

The federation navy faced increased pressure, as did negotiations with Nagaryll. If no agreement was reached before naval conflict, the federation risked losing the initiative.

Yet, victory might bring absolute control. There was risk either way, but both Truman and the president wanted to settle the matter peacefully before outcomes emerged.

Lynch was troubled. He hadn’t expected Drag and his people to be so low, bribing many federation experts to solve their negotiation problems.

Some agreed issues were renegotiated or had added clauses—minor details compared to the real currency dispute.

“Do you have a list of those consultants?” Lynch shifted topics. “Let the tax bureau watch them. These guys are really something…”

Truman nodded but didn’t answer. He’d already been monitoring them.

If they didn’t slip up, fine. But once they did, it would be a serious mistake.

“What now?” Truman wiped his hands after lunch. “If we don’t resolve this today or tomorrow, and it drags on, the next negotiation might be after the naval battle. We could end up in a passive position.”

Better to secure what’s certain than gamble on gaining more advantage. Avoiding loss was more important.

Lynch paced, then looked at Truman. “How about this—I’ll go back this afternoon and try to persuade them.”

“That’s the only way.”

After a two-hour lunch break, negotiations resumed, and Lynch rejoined the table.

Governor Drag’s expression shifted. The Nagaryll representative noticed Lynch and joked with a smirk, “I thought only the negotiation team could sit at this table!”

He referred to the previous talks when Truman briefly left, and Lynch, using intimidation and bribery, unsettled the other side, who felt helpless.

Truman had explained then that Lynch wasn’t officially on the team, so his presence was unauthorized. Now, seeing Lynch again, the representative mocked that fact.

Drag knew Lynch must have a new role or task to be at the table. The joke aimed to embarrass and provoke Lynch.

“We corrected the oversight,” Truman lied without hesitation. “We checked the roster. Mr. Lynch is indeed a member of the negotiation team. The person responsible for the misunderstanding has been dismissed. So he has the right to be here.”

Diplomacy often means lying, or lying more.

The Nagaryll representative nodded noncommittally. “Baylor Federation always seemed very serious and rigorous. Didn’t expect you to make mistakes.”

“Even gods make mistakes, let alone us,” Lynch added before Truman could speak, silencing him.

The representative tried to respond, but Lynch raised his hand to stop him—rude but effective.

International relations boil down to bullying the weak when possible and protecting your interests when you can’t. The federation was strong here; stopping their speech was no problem.

Ignoring the displeased expression of the Nagaryll representative, Lynch said, “Let’s stop wasting time on meaningless topics. We all have limited time. I’ve already reviewed the morning’s negotiation records. Regarding your demands, I don’t think they’re impossible to agree to.”

Lynch’s words made Truman and all the federation members at the table glance at him sharply. If it weren’t for the fact that Lynch had recently threatened to bring war to Nagaryll, they might have suspected he was trying to betray the country.

The Nagaryll representative paused, then smiled briefly—but the smile didn’t last long.

“But in return, we must add one condition. Only if you agree to this will we consider resolving our differences through bank exchange.”