Chapter 1242: Chapter 1240: Cumulonimbus Clouds

The room was very quiet. Faced with the question Lynch had thrown out, these nobles began to calm down and think seriously.

In the tranquil environment there wasn’t a hint of noise. There was no need to worry that a noble’s house might have poor soundproofing; for the sake of certain secrets they always made all kinds of security arrangements, and soundproofing was one of them.

The young Count’s mind was very active. He couldn’t help tugging at his flowered cravat; it made him feel a bit constricted, as if he couldn’t quite catch his breath.

Beads of sweat on his forehead reflected the light from the lamps; it was obvious that everyone was starting to feel uneasy.

The young Count looked at Lynch sitting there quietly, swept his gaze across the others, and finally brought it back to him. "I don’t know how to put this, but I have a very distinct feeling of fear."

Lynch nodded. "Yes, fear. That’s perfectly normal."

"In fact, I’m afraid too."

"This year the Federation’s military budget has more than doubled, and with some upcoming projects it will get even higher. Gafura’s the same."

"In order to gain the upper hand in a war that we don’t know when will break out, we’ve long since poured all the funds that should have gone into social development and improving people’s lives entirely into preparations for war!"

"Our countries are like lunatics at the edge of a gambling table, crazily, relentlessly shoving every chip they can pull out of their pockets into the betting area in front of them."

"The more chips they put down, the more desperate they become to see the outcome."

"Whether it’s good, or bad!"

People nodded one after another. Some of them had experienced that feeling: when winning or losing had already overridden their reason, in a rush of heat they pushed all their money onto the table.

Once the chips were down, the only thought in their heads was "Open"—whether it meant turning over the cards, lifting the cup, or announcing the result, they no longer cared; they just wanted to see an outcome!

After years of ever-increasing investment, various forms of social development had practically come to a halt, and the anger of the people at the bottom of society was accumulating more and more.

If that anger can’t be vented before it reaches its peak, then an internal upheaval will inevitably erupt!

No one can keep their nerves taut forever—not even the merciful Father God!

Lynch looked toward the window. Clearly there were people talking and working outside, yet not a single sound could be heard.

He turned back and went on. "On my way here today I noticed that Gafura’s society as a whole is not much different from a few years ago."

"The signs along the streets are the same ones that already looked old a few years back. You don’t see that kind of satisfied smile with life on people’s faces, only an indifference crushed so low by pressure they can’t lift their heads."

"They can’t wait much longer. If war doesn’t break out within five years, that string will snap!"

"The finances will go bankrupt, and the people won’t be able to take it either!"

The young Count agreed with Lynch’s words; he, too, was thinking hard.

On Gafura’s Main Island, in recent years, apart from some news in the areas of military, technology, and diplomacy, there has been almost no news at all from the middle and lower strata of society.

Everything is so tense, repressed, saturated with the air of twilight!

In contrast, the situation over in Amelia is a bit better; you can still see all kinds of innovations in society, and there is still a look of expectation for the future on people’s faces!

The topic was heavy. In the past, Gafura’s people did not fear war, but now... they no longer saw it that way.

In a naval battle they might not be a match for the Federation, and with the Federation fleet having been intercepted by bombers in the Horn Strait, merely possessing a fleet is no longer enough to gain an advantage in coastal waters!

With the march of the times and advances in technology, Gafura’s advantages are being peeled away layer by layer!

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat stifling. Once war broke out, Amelia would definitely not be able to escape it.

In fact, the Amelia Region was also actively preparing for war now; but as the Empire’s Special Zone and the core of the new economy, it was hard for people to notice the things hidden behind appearances.

The newly rich nobles who had only just tasted the joy of making money had an instinctive aversion to war.

Once war breaks out, their businesses will very likely be ruined!

The young Count was just about to say something when someone knocked on the door.

The young Count’s mother, the former Countess, stood outside the door with a gentle smile on her face. "Everyone’s here, the ball can begin now..."

Gafurans love holding all kinds of balls and banquets. This habit has also been inherited by people in the Federation, so Lynch was not unfamiliar with it.

When the group appeared at the ballroom, the atmosphere became especially lively.

There were many beautiful girls and handsome boys here. Most of them came from various modeling agencies and frequently received invitations to all sorts of gatherings.

These young, pretty girls and handsome, dashing boys were like disposable supplies for such parties.

After they had pleased those important and distinguished guests, they would be casually "thrown away."

They kept showing up at one gathering after another. Even though every time they clearly played a very wounded role, they still never turned down such arrangements.

In a country where class has become completely solidified, climbing upwards is no longer something that can be achieved by hard work alone; you have to pay a price!

It’s possible that all their efforts in the end will bring no return at all, but as long as there is some return, for them, it will mean a complete transformation!

The ball the young Count was throwing for Lynch was in full swing, and in His Excellency the Prime Minister’s study, he was also talking about the guest of that ball—Lynch.

Sitting across from him was a great noble of the Secretariat, a Duke.

Dukes in Gafura were exceedingly rare, and in recent years they had basically stopped conferring ducal titles, especially hereditary ones.

The ducal title held by the man before the Prime Minister dated back to the founding of the Gafura Empire by Emperor Gafura I; back then, his ancestor, as one of the largest Lords, had pledged loyalty to the Gafura Empire in exchange for a hereditary ducal title that would never be stripped.

It has been handed down to this day, incomparably exalted!

"...This is not a good sign!" The Prime Minister’s sitting posture was not particularly straight; it was a bit lazy, his body slightly tilted to one side, his right elbow pressing on the armrest, bearing the weight of his body.

Nobles are very particular about etiquette and bearing; the reason he displayed such casualness was that the person sitting opposite him was extremely close to him.

They were not only "colleagues," but also relatives.

In fact, among the Federation’s great nobles, they are basically all related, and they are also kin to the Imperial Family.

In order to maintain its rule, the Imperial Family would always marry off some Princesses to the Heirs of great nobles; at the same time, some Princes, once they split off independently, would also become great nobles and would in turn take the daughters of great nobles as their wives.

Someone once joked about the infighting within Gafura’s ruling stratum, saying that it was nothing more than internal family squabbles.

No matter who ultimately lost and who won, imperial power would never fall into the hands of anyone outside the ruling class!

Take His Excellency the Prime Minister right at this very moment: tracing back a few generations, his grandmother had also once been a Princess of the Imperial Family.

Putting it that way, he actually counts as the Emperor’s brother.

So whether power rests in his hands or in the hands of the Imperial Family, in fact it still remains in the hands of rulers of imperial blood.

The Empire Duke sitting across from him was the same; his grandmother was an Empress Princess.

His Excellency the Prime Minister closed his eyes and rested for a while. He was too old; straining his eyes made his vision grow overly blurry, and resting a bit could alleviate it.

While he rested, the room remained in complete silence; His Grace the Duke knew he had not yet finished what he wanted to say.

After a dozen seconds or so, the Prime Minister pursed his lips, then spoke. "If we bring Federation people into this upheaval, there will be far too many unpredictable variables."

"We actually should have taken action a little earlier..."

There was a trace of regret in his tone, and a hint of complaint.

His Grace the Duke looked to be around sixty, on the thin side, and appeared very energetic.

He wore extremely luxurious Deep Red noble attire trimmed with gold, which lent him a dignity ordinary people simply did not possess.

"This doesn’t depend on what we want. The Secretariat has yet to reach a unified position. Moving earlier would not have been a problem, but what do we do once the outcome is decided?"

"Do we argue over who will control this country while competing with other nations at the same time?"

As soon as His Excellency the Prime Minister proposed ending imperial rule, the Secretariat had immediately given an enthusiastic response. The way the Imperial Family had once stripped the Secretariat of its powers was precisely how the Secretariat now intended to deliver a final, despairing blow to the Emperor.

But before they could settle on overthrowing the monarchy and establishing a new political system, there was another question that had to be resolved—who would have the final say, and how that final say would be exercised.

Some people advocated the Federation’s electoral system, turning the Secretariat into a Congress, with themselves, these nobles, as Members of Parliament; no matter who held office, they would never outweigh the Secretariat.

It sounded wonderful, but they had some further ideas—for example, a hereditary system for Members of Parliament...

They wanted to clutch these powers forever!

Others proposed simply abolishing the Imperial Family and restoring the system of "noble deliberation," turning the Secretariat into the actual governing body of Gafura.

Everyone had their own ideas, and each faction its own goals; even up to this very moment, they had not managed to unify them.

As long as the nobles in the Secretariat could not reach consensus, they could not launch their final offensive against the Imperial Family.

If the nobles of the Secretariat failed to achieve unity of thought and blindly overthrew the existing monarchy, it would absolutely be a catastrophe for this country!

His Excellency the Prime Minister picked up a small piece of chamois and wiped his glasses. "History has told us countless times that we cannot change the minds of those who stand on a different side from us in a short span of time."

"Reform requires bloodshed; it can be theirs, or it can be ours!"

His Excellency the Prime Minister put his glasses back on. "We’re out of time!"

The Duke then gave a firm response.

That very night, some secret police began to move, and all of it was shrouded under the cover of darkness.

At nine o’clock the next morning, just as Lynch stepped into the dining room, the young Count was already waiting for him.

"There’s a regular noble assembly at the Secretariat today. All nobles in the Imperial Capital have to attend, and you’re no exception..."