Darkstone Code-Chapter 762 - 0760 Malicious Federation People and Their Malicious Plan [Violation of Rules 1-10/15]
Lynch didn’t immediately respond. He held the teapot and poured a cup of flower tea for His Excellency the Prime Minister, and poured a cup for himself as well, while saying, "I don’t quite understand what you mean."
As he spoke, he placed the teapot aside and looked at His Excellency the Prime Minister.
Some words spoken by different people can have different effects.
If a roadside beggar says these words, and an Empire Prime Minister says the same thing, they would give people two completely different feelings.
But it must be said, Lynch felt a slight pleasure inwardly, because the person speaking so pleasantly had a different status. Whether he was speaking just to cope or not, he did actually say it.
The Prime Minister didn’t get angry due to Lynch’s evasion; he merely smiled, followed by a slightly worried look on his face. "The Gafura Financial Index has plunged again today. Although the downturn has ceased for now, the outlook remains bleak."
"We can’t rely on the Minister of Finance’s ability to clear up this matter and return everything to normal. We ourselves need to make an effort as well."
As soon as he spoke, it was in an official tone. From start to finish, he never addressed the real core problem, instead expressing his thoughts in another way.
If he encountered someone not so clever, they might find it a bit strange at this moment. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance are clearly political adversaries, and the two have begun to undermine each other. Yet why is His Excellency the Prime Minister saying words that the Minister of Finance would say?
In fact, this is the most normal behavior. Even if everyone knows what a country’s Prime Minister is doing, he would never admit it, much less say it aloud himself.
He looked at Lynch with a somewhat low voice, "Post-war, the situation in Gafura isn’t very good. We can’t drag the entire nation into the mire because of some personal interests. We should work quickly to bring everything back on track."
"You have very unique insights in economics. I need your counsel on how to quickly stabilize this market, and what we should guard against."
Upon hearing this, Lynch understood. He held his tea, took a small sip to wet his lips, and thought for a moment while bowing his head to drink tea.
When he set the teacup down, he had some ideas, "I see, I do have some thoughts, but I’m not sure if they apply to the Gafura Empire."
"You know, the Empire and Federation are two countries. We are different in many aspects. I can only offer some experience accumulated in the Federation. Whether it helps, I am unsure and can’t guarantee."
His Excellency the Prime Minister still wore a kindly smile, "That is the purpose of my visit. Regardless of whether it’s useful, I am very grateful for your help."
Lynch nodded noncommittally, "We all know that finance is essentially the expression of the economy, and the economy is the expression of people’s livelihood."
"Employment rates, consumer indices, the flow of funds in the market—these things can be seen as expressions of the economy in a specific domain."
"And all these expressions cannot be separated from money. In other words, whether it’s the economy or finance, their foundation is only one thing: money."
His Excellency the Prime Minister nodded, not interrupting Lynch, sipping his tea patiently while continuing to listen.
"To quickly stabilize the current situation is simple: just stimulate the market, encourage consumption and production among the populace, and the market will naturally exhibit a positive side."
"Money flowing rapidly through various sectors will bring about positive changes, which will also be reflected in the stock market."
The Prime Minister nodded noncommittally after hearing this, then asked, "So, what should we guard against?"
Lynch’s face showed a peculiar smile, which came and went quickly. The moment His Excellency the Prime Minister saw it, his heart skipped a beat.
When he looked more closely, Lynch’s smile returned to normal, as if the strange smile he saw was just an illusion.
Lynch spoke softly, "While promoting the flow of money in all sectors, we must be careful that the money might run out..."
It seemed the Prime Minister thought of something, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his pupils showed minute changes. He raised a hand but put it down again, raising it once more to finish the tea in his cup.
"I think I understand...", he said, then stood up, extended his hand proactively, "Thank you very much for providing invaluable insights. They are very valuable to us. I have a lot of work to handle, so I won’t stay."
"Be sure to come and chat when you have time. We old men need to embrace some fresh knowledge..."
Lynch did not urge him to stay, and after shaking hands, escorted him to the door, watching him leave.
Back in the study, Lynch’s mouth curled slightly. He thought for a moment, rose again, and headed to the embassy by car.
Due to technical reasons, cross-national telephone service is still manually operated, meaning Lynch might be monitored when using a regular phone, so he has to use the diplomatic line.
Although the diplomatic line cannot be said to be unmonitored, the possibility is very low. People might eavesdrop but won’t actively monitor; the entire line’s security is in the hands of the Federation, and they frequently check the line’s security status.
The call was directly made to Mr. Truman’s desk. Mr. Truman was at work, and while the joint military exercise was over, it didn’t mean that this grand diplomatic event was over.
During the exercise, the Federation’s Navy equipment showed a leading posture. Various nations hope to further explore the parameters and technology of these weapons under the guise of exchanges and visits, and it would be even better if military sales were possible, to buy some and take them apart for a closer look.
The Federation has more or less some ideas about the technologies of other countries, so diplomatic activities themed around the military are currently being carried out frequently.
The Foreign Minister is currently on "vacation," and several vice-ministers and Mr. Truman are in charge of other diplomatic matters. They have been so busy they barely stop. Lynch was lucky his call went through today.
Upon hearing Lynch’s voice, Mr. Truman naturally broke into a smile. Not only did Lynch complete critical tasks perfectly during his time in Gafura, but he also disrupted the ruling class of Gafura.
The Security Committee, Military Intelligence Bureau, and Ministry of Defense still haven’t figured out how Lynch ignited a conflict, causing the Prime Minister of Gafura to openly vie for power against the Minister of Finance.
This was almost impossible in the past, but now it not only happened, it seems the Emperor might also get involved!
Once the energy of Gafura’s ruling class is spent on such a political rivalry, it becomes challenging to continue developing domestic military and economic stability.
Even if the situation stabilizes afterward, recovery won’t be easy, as this struggle isn’t merely about changing a mayor.
While others believe Lynch isn’t really dominant in this matter, Mr. Truman feels that Lynch must have a crucial, close, and inseparable relation to it, possibly even being its orchestrator!
This isn’t blind trust; the things Lynch has achieved over the years indeed provoke such thoughts. Moreover, he made a considerable sum of money, which must be his handiwork.
"In due time, Gafura’s economy might encounter some issues. If you have any projects you’d like to discuss with Gafura, you can start preparing."
"Also, prepare some funds as they might come in handy later."
Lynch’s words first caused Mr. Truman to pause for a moment, then he asked Lynch to wait a bit, and he recorded everything Lynch had said verbatim.
"I don’t quite understand your meaning. Why is their economy going to face issues? What kind of issues? At least provide clearer explanations." Mr. Truman was somewhat eager; this information is crucial.
Following a period of silence from the telephone receiver, Lynch’s voice sounded, "It’s not suitable to discuss this over the phone. I’ll write you a letter; be sure to arrange someone to receive it..."
Letters can use codes, and various countries use different codes, which remains the safest means at present.
Mr. Truman acknowledged with a voice, then asked, "When are you coming back?"
"Before the New Year. There’s a big play here that I can’t leave for now. But don’t worry about my safety..."
After chit-chatting a bit more, Lynch hung up the phone, and with the ambassador’s assistance, he began writing a letter using cipher.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister returned to his office; he didn’t continue working but pondered Lynch’s previous words.
He already clearly understood the meaning of Lynch’s words, but because he understood, he felt somewhat fearful. Undoubtedly, if Lynch’s tactic were to come into play, it would be equivalent to announcing the Minister of Finance’s "demise"
But there’s another problem in this. Once this move surfaces, the Minister of Finance must inevitably resign, yet the entire Empire’s finance would also suffer significant impact.
Even if he immediately steps up to dispel rumors, even if the Emperor immediately steps up to dispel rumors, it wouldn’t work.
The entire turmoil is bound to last for a while, at least three or five weeks, or as long as two or three months.
If the person proposing such an idea were a Gafura native, he might feel it’s a little... vicious, but wouldn’t think much.
But now, the person presenting this solution is a Federation native. Don’t be misled by Lynch’s Gafura noble status; at heart, he remains a Federation native.
For a Federation person to propose such a vicious solution, could there be deeper intentions?
His Excellency the Prime Minister is quite troubled; he’s unsure whether he should really do this.
After contemplating for a long while, he returned to his desk, pondered again, then buried his head and resumed working.
Although he may not necessarily use Lynch’s method, Lynch’s approach gave him some confidence—an absolute confidence of victory.
Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t proceed with it, he reassured himself.
