Darkstone Code-Chapter 856 - 854: The Shark Strikes Again [18/?]
The news of Lynch setting up a factory to produce airplanes quickly spread around Bupen, and soon more people were aware of it.
He can now be considered a "star-level" merchant, officially referred to as a capitalist.
This isn’t something disgraceful. From the longing on the faces of those employees who sacrificed their youth for capitalists as they talk about their boss, you can feel this country’s thirst for capital and wealth.
So, the truly famous are the wealthy. Whatever they do, even if they don’t intentionally promote it, it quickly becomes known.
This time, the person interested in this affair was Count Pato.
Star Dream Butterfly is a large, comprehensive consortium with core businesses in natural resource extraction, whether it’s oil, various mineral deposits, or plants — if it exists on the earth, it’s within their business scope.
Apart from these, they have marginal involvement in other areas but nothing too deep.
This is an inevitable phenomenon in every world and every era’s development. Industries controlled by certain people leave no room for newcomers to enter unless they either hit a dead end against a barrier higher than the sky or carve out their own future.
The arms industry is similar; the large, comprehensive arms corporations firmly hold this profitable and violent industry from top to bottom.
Outsiders simply cannot penetrate it.
The weapons they produce have long been designated by the Ministry of Defense and the military as equipment for replacement, and newcomers can only sell their products to ordinary people.
But how big a market can ordinary people have? This isn’t an era where everyone can have a full meal.
Instead of buying a weapon that you might never use, it’s better to consider other ways to improve your life, robbers aside.
Unable to enter and yet coveting the profit inside.
People are always like this.
Until an opportunity appeared.
"Good evening, Baron Lynch..."
"Good evening, Count Pato!"
Seeing Count Pato’s meticulous noble demeanor reminded Lynch a bit of his time in Gafura.
But Pato always carried something strange about him, something hard to describe, a display of presence, lacking something compared to a true noble.
The simplest comparison would be between him and the young Count. Both are counts, and according to Count Pato, the Akiner Clan’s ancestors were also hereditary counts who fled to the Federation due to noble wars and strife.
Clearly, both are counts, but they differ in presence; Count Pato’s presence is much weaker than that of the young Count.
This might be related to the rumors surrounding the Akiner Clan, with people often saying that the Akiner Clan’s ancestor was actually a servant of the noble whom he murdered and then impersonated.
Because there are so many such rumors, some being quite detailed and indistinguishable, it has led them to doubt their own identity.
With doubts comes the loss of a steadfast quality.
One doubts whether they are truly a count, while the other never doubts themselves, which is discernment.
This might also be one of the reasons the rumors have never faded.
Upon hearing Lynch address him as "Count," a slight smile appeared on Count Pato’s lips. After all, no one knows if his nobility is real, but Lynch is a true noble.
Recognition from a noble "peer" is much more affirming than a title given in jest by others.
This was an informal visit, but whether or not it’s formal, a small gift is always needed.
"These are pastries I made myself, I hope you’ll enjoy them!" Anna handed Lynch a small package that exuded a rich milky scent, likely from butter.
It weighed about two-thirds of a pound; Lynch glanced at it and saw adorable little bear cookies. Things related to bears were currently popular in the Federation.
"It smells wonderful. I’ll definitely try them when I have time. Thank you!"
He handed the cookies to a maid and then led the two into the study. Count Pato certainly wasn’t here to watch television; he must have business.
After entering the study, Anna took over the maid’s duties. Count Pato sat in the chair opposite Lynch, adjusted to a comfortable posture, and began today’s conversation.
"I heard you sold the planes to the Ministry of Defense."
Lynch nodded affirmatively, "Yes, they are optimistic about this project."
"But Congress hasn’t approved it yet, right?" Count Pato added.
Lynch nodded again, "That’s right, some are still uncertain about the prospects and future of airplanes. After all, it’s not a small sum, and they need to handle it cautiously since it’s taxpayer money."
"No one wants the money we pay being spent improperly; I can understand that."
Standing aside, Anna couldn’t help but smile. She found it amusing watching Lynch blatantly lie, somehow. Perhaps it was because Lynch was so serious when lying, serious enough to make one doubt he was lying, yet Anna knew the truth.
Count Pato nodded in agreement, "I can take care of these problems."
Lynch looked at him calmly, "What do you want from me?"
His words made Count Pato frown slightly because Lynch had positioned himself slightly higher, using phrases like "what do you want" and "get," which are terms of request.
Coupled with his initiative to help, it seemed like he was volunteering to do so in exchange for Lynch’s favor in some area.
Though this was indeed the case, it was not pleasant.
It even suggested that Lynch already knew what he wanted.
Once more, the feeling of facing a fellow capitalist surfaced, the inability to grasp the whole situation being very unfriendly.
His frown quickly softened, "I’m very interested in the planes. Do you have plans to accept investments from investors?"
He tried to change the tone of the dialogue between the two, subtly influencing it with simple, unnoticeable phrases.
"Count Pato, people like you and me never really lack money, but we need to adhere to market rules. I won’t sell too many shares to any one person, I hope you understand."
His expression carried a mix of pride and regret, and he spoke truthfully.
The capital game in the Federation is like that; everyone must comply, including the Duncan Clan. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
If you want to use the rules to strip nourishment from others, you must first open your arms to them.
As for whether they can take the nourishment from you, it depends on your ability to defend your rights, but you can’t refuse to open up out of fear of losing.
According to the Federation’s financial rules, Lynch’s airplane manufacturing plant’s market value will inevitably break past the "billion" level.
For anti-trust and anti-financial crime measures, you either go public to receive the entire capital market monitoring or stop all operations to dismantle and degrade yourself.
This is how the Federation’s financial rules operate, and everyone faces this problem, everyone must choose!
Some might opt for self-degradation, for example, splitting each segment of a factory into an independent factory, splitting a billion valuation factory into ten ten-million ones.
It seems to effectively evade the "go public principle," but what about afterward?
Continue to split?
One day, it will be unsustainable. Once you accept the rules to go public, you will collapse even faster!
Because there are too many aspects to consider, it’s impossible to have a firm grasp on every one.
All consortia in the Federation are publicly listed companies, and everyone must abide by this rule. Those who don’t, who are not as strong, will have a dire outcome.
Lynch doesn’t plan to challenge the entire capital environment of the Federation; even if dissatisfied, he won’t refuse—this is the rule.
When you can’t resist, it’s best to choose a comfortable position for yourself.
"If possible, I hope to secure no less than twenty percent of the shares, the price is negotiable." As Lynch mentioned, the money that is a hurdle for many is no issue for them.
He didn’t even ask about the price, only caring about how many shares he could get.
Lynch shook his head, "Twenty percent is too much, there will be many others joining later. If you each take too much, it will compress my shareholding ratio."
Count Pato quickly followed, "I can compensate you in other ways, such as resolving some troubles you’re facing and boosting the market value."
He was bent on securing his twenty percent shares with great determination.
Lynch was about to persuade him to back down when the phone rang.
He apologized and then answered the call.
Meanwhile, Count Pato voluntarily left the area and went to the window, speaking softly with Anna.
As the conversation went on, Lynch’s expression grew somewhat strange. The caller was Mr. Wardrick, inviting Lynch to the Spring Hunt in a couple of days. But what was implicit in his words also had to do with the planes.
This news couldn’t be kept secret: two hundred airplanes for thirty million, and two thousand for three hundred million. The Federation is so vast, and the world even bigger—selling those two thousand planes shouldn’t be impossible.
Moreover, with inevitable future wars, anything related to war will surely be pushed to a frightening high, and by then, this company might become a new darling in the military industry.
We know that to break through already solidified industry barriers, the simplest way is to pave a new path.
Lynch and his airplanes are undoubtedly leaders in this regard, and with the visible massive profits, these titans surely wouldn’t give up.
