Blackstone Code-Chapter 448: People and the Masses

Lynch spoke passionately among the crowd. Nearby, a few young men with distinctly different demeanors observed him.

If one had to pinpoint their difference, it was as if everyone else was a pile of dirt, while they were solid stones.

Demeanor is hard to describe; many don’t even believe it exists, yet it’s very real.

Two brothers with similar appearances—one rich, one poor—stand before you. Even without a word, you could likely tell who is wealthy and who is not.

A person’s demeanor is an internal quality that radiates outward. These young men exuded strength and resilience. Their eyes were not aimless or lost in the bleakness of life like the others’.

“What do you think?” asked one young man who seemed to hold a certain status within the group. The others gathered around him, clearly recognizing his authority. “This foreigner.”

He meant Lynch. Earlier, he had been sneering at Lynch, seeing him as just a showman, doing more than other foreigners but all an illusion.

His perspective was still immature, which led him to ask why Lynch only donated supplies instead of money.

But Lynch’s answer made him feel ashamed and suddenly aware of the wisdom behind it.

He would even say that if Lynch donated a large sum publicly, thieves and bandits would swarm the orphanage that very night looking for the money.

Killing the defenseless director and some frightened children during the chaos would be just collateral damage.

From that perspective, Lynch had thought things through better, which unexpectedly made the young man feel a vague sense of respect toward him.

Another young man, standing to the first’s left, said coldly, “He’s no different from those other foreigners. They’re all foreigners.”

“We’re so poor here. Do you really think he or any other foreigner genuinely wants to help us?” He shook his head. “No, they only want to plunder our wealth—just like those who came before!”

Then another young man sneered, “What could you possibly have to plunder?”

“Your worn-out shoes?”

“Or your ragged clothes?”

They argued quietly, neither able to convince the other with proof or logic. The first young man stayed silent, staring toward Lynch in the distance.

They were all young—one already with considerable wealth and status, the other still struggling in the mud trying to stand. Comparing people was maddening.

Inside, the first young man felt a spark of anger again. If it weren’t for Nagaryll’s system and the greed of those in power, the country might not be like this now.

This was exactly why he and many others united: to overthrow the decaying system and build a government and nation that serve the people’s interests.

“Let’s go. There’s no excitement here anymore,” he led the way, while his two companions continued bickering, shifting from foreigner attitudes to their personal grievances.

The leader wasn’t discouraged or disheartened. Instead, he felt excited. Being young, would he be any less capable than others?

Lynch’s charity event ended to applause. He had planned to adopt a child—somewhat startling given his age.

Adopting a child would speed up his acceptance because he would have a Nagaryll-born child.

This idea was strange, almost a phenomenon. People didn’t fully understand how it worked, but it was effective.

Foreigners like Mr. Simon integrated smoothly into society by having children with Nagaryll blood—at least on the surface.

People believed that when such foreigners died, their estate would become part of Nagaryll’s wealth, which fostered tolerance toward them.

Lynch wasn’t ready to marry or have a Nagaryll wife first.

He bore no contempt for Nagaryll people and didn’t discriminate, but he disliked the smell of cumin.

In the end, he gave up on adoption; the kids weren’t that cute, and he had no time to care for them.

Later, Lynch met Nail.

Nail had arrived about a month earlier to prepare, managing a construction team. He wasn’t good at major projects but was solid on preparations.

Nail showed none of the despair he displayed back in the Federation when he felt the world was collapsing.

He even thought Lynch had sent him here as punishment for his mental betrayal—Nail had a girlfriend back then, with some vague flirtations but no serious development. R̃áℕỖʙЕs

Lynch knew about it but didn’t interfere with his parents’ lives, fully aware Nail’s father wasn’t a good man.

He had the common trait of many men of that era: chauvinism.

When wielding absolute power, he was the hardest to deal with at home, venting his frustrations on his wife. Serra’s life hadn’t been easy.

Marriage, to the wealthy and powerful, was a pursuit of happiness. For the poor, it was merely a way to survive.

Women needed men to work and support them, while men hoped to return home after hard work to food and a warm, free body.

Children were often the result of unprotected sex and a basic social responsibility to continue the lineage.

As Lynch knew, as both he and Nail grew wealthier, Nail and Serra’s relationship had become distant.

Serra socialized extensively in their community, trying to reclaim the hard life fate dealt her by becoming a lady.

She spent her days attending events, doing hair, shopping, reading magazines, and exercising with other ladies, integrating more easily than Lynch expected.

Nail, meanwhile, flirted openly with his secretary, occasionally taking advantage of her. Their paths diverged sharply as they got richer, no longer intersecting.

Lynch did not interfere or demand they show affection simply because he provided them with wealth. That would have been cruel.

Things were better now. Lynch’s only condition was that if Nail decided to separate from Serra, he must resolve everything first before living with or having children with any new partner.

According to Federation law, children born outside divorce proceedings could inherit part of the family estate.

In other words, children born outside of marriage during the marriage period have legal rights to inherit family property. This clause was pushed through legislation by women’s rights organizations.

If Nail has a child now, that child could even claim a share of Lynch’s money.

So Lynch absolutely won’t allow that. Nail must divorce first. Only after Lynch becomes an independent individual with no property division ties can Nail have new children.

In short, this family situation is a bit troublesome.

Over a month later, when they met again, Nail no longer looked gloomy. He seemed to be doing well here.

Lynch tossed him a cigarette. Nail said thanks, lit it naturally, and took a drag. “I’m ready. When do we start?”

Lynch sat beside him. “We’ll hire a few more people first, but you can start preparing.”

“First, we need a cement factory. Transporting cement from the Federation isn’t realistic—too costly.”

“Then we must secure resource mines that produce raw materials for cement, and get the necessary production equipment in place. Once we start, there’s no stopping.”

Transporting cement domestically isn’t impossible, though expensive. Lynch could easily convince the parliament to pass export subsidies for such infrastructure materials.

Other shareholders in the Joint Development Company would also cooperate. This legislation would benefit the Federation itself.

But it’s just too far. The money loss is minimal, but what about the time?

Manufacturing locally, although slower, is more efficient because the products are immediately available, much faster than shipping from home.

Besides, Nagaryll needs development too. Their treaty with the Federation includes provisions where Federation merchants help Nagaryll build factories and establish industrial foundations. In return, Nagaryll doesn’t tax these factories.

After a certain number of years, the Federation will completely transfer ownership of these factories to Nagaryll’s designated teams, individuals, or joint government.

So building factories locally has far greater advantages.