Darkstone Code-Chapter 1004 - 1002: Two Conversations

"Anytime."

Lynch’s reply was always so confident, and of course, it was genuine confidence.

It’s just a matter of sketching a self-propelled artillery, even if he couldn’t draw it in detail, a conceptual drawing shouldn’t be a problem.

Don’t forget, he learned to draw in a small room where he had plenty of time to learn whatever he wanted; learning brings joy and can make one forget their worries.

Mr. Wardrick looked at Lynch, his gaze seemed to say, "I knew you had plans," as Lynch’s quick agreement definitely meant he had a series of plans.

Actually, there weren’t any. Manufacturing self-propelled artillery or tanks requires a lot of industrial collaboration, and under Lynch’s hands were either shell companies or companies unrelated to heavy industry.

Even if he had detailed manufacturing plans, he couldn’t produce those things, nor would he have the time to step by step manufacture them.

He had almost forgotten about it—

After all, with airplanes around, these things could be deemed the king of ground killers; who would care about them?

But when Mr. Wardrick brought it up, it wasn’t impossible to do. At least selling it to others would be a favor and could earn some money, so why not?

War and finance have always been the fastest ways to make money, never changed!

Mr. Wardrick had already occupied Lynch for a long time, and after smoking and arranging a time with Lynch, he voluntarily stepped aside; Lynch was today’s "main character," and many others wanted to chat with him.

As Mr. Wardrick moved away, Mr. Pato approached, "That bastard doesn’t look at his watch when he starts talking; he took over ten minutes!"

Mr. Wardrick, not far away, heard this, stopped, and made a shooting gesture with his hand toward Mr. Pato.

Mr. Pato retaliated, it was just a joke.

"It looks like you have a good relationship," Lynch said.

Mr. Pato did not deny it, "People always need some friends, and people like us need them even more."

"You’ll soon understand that the higher you stand, the more you need friends or supporters, whether they’re friends or foes."

This statement was Mr. Pato’s reflection, gained from years of experience; sometimes problems often arise from within.

For instance, other consortium members being dissatisfied with his actions, his direction, just discontent.

Relying on persuasion is not a way to convince these people; the best method is to give them pressure.

And it’s external pressure.

Only when they feel they urgently need Mr. Pato’s support, or else their wealth and status will be in jeopardy, will they cooperate with Mr. Pato’s work.

This is true for Mr. Wardrick as well; his tenure as president has not been satisfactory. If it hadn’t been for Lynch’s benevolent push adding some pressure, Mr. Wardrick might have been removed from the president’s position by the board.

As for why them—The lion’s enemy/friend is always a lion!

Moving past this topic, Mr. Pato discussed something Lynch hadn’t expected, "I heard you’re promoting education reform."

Lynch was slightly taken aback, as not many people actually knew about this. He also lit a cigarette, using the smoking process to think about where this might have leaked from.

Thinking it over, it might have been from Mr. Truman or the President, believing Catherine wouldn’t talk carelessly.

With an idea of the leak, the conversation approach could be adjusted accordingly.

"I have this idea...," he didn’t deny it, "but now doesn’t seem the time, lacking some essential components."

"Money!" Mr. Pato hit the core directly with one word, and he emphasized again, "Money!"

Lynch nodded, "Indeed, money is crucial, affecting whether the plan can be advanced. So, Mr. Pato, are you interested in this aspect?"

The relationship between Mr. Pato and Lynch differed from others, as both were "nobles," which made it interesting.

Regardless of whether the Akiner Clan truly had noble blood, at least Mr. Pato considered himself noble, as did Lynch, creating a natural affinity.

If one can deceive himself to such an extent, whether he’s truly noble isn’t significant.

He didn’t hide his thoughts and nodded, "Yes, unlike him..."

He meant Mr. Wardrick, "Star Dream Butterfly’s industrial consumption isn’t so strong; you know, the type of assets we hold isn’t prone to consumption."

Lynch nodded, noting that early generational capitalists who remained had lands that were genuinely valuable rather than previously undervalued.

The era of land boom due to social development is heating up.

They owned vast lands in various cities and had many real estate projects, which didn’t require much to maintain on a daily basis.

This is akin to owning malls in city centers, aside from maintenance, no other costs are required.

This differs from industries and manufacturing, where consumption includes many costs, but Star Dream Butterfly Group doesn’t have extensive manufacturing and industrial sectors.

This allows Star Dream Butterfly to hold significant funds; previously, these funds could dabble in finance, but after a downturn, people’s enthusiasm for finance wasn’t as crazy as before.

Or perhaps the upper society’s attitude towards finance has begun to change; they enjoy money games but dislike those that can send them into Hell.

So what to do?

Having money with nowhere to invest is also a problem; coincidentally, Mr. Pato heard about Lynch pushing for education reform with the President’s Mansion, thought it was a good opportunity.

He looked at Lynch, quite frankly, saying, "I heard you plan to implement student loans, maybe count me in?"

Currently, the Federation offers "study insurance," simply put, if someone wants to attend university, they buy this insurance, and once admitted, get some premium back.

This insurance needs purchasing from freshman year in high school, but realistically, many buying this insurance and expecting to go to college didn’t have such luck.

After all, attending college in this era isn’t easy; the interview alone could show the stark hostility of the world.

Plus, the return rate on study insurance isn’t as high as imagined, most can’t afford college costs. Even if accepted but give up, the insurance doesn’t pay.

This gave Lynch some ideas, student loans and education funds, how great?

People mortgage themselves with a lifetime loan for a house, but now they might do so for college education.

But it’s okay; soon people will get used to receiving a new, previously unseen bill each cycle, "Please pay the principal and interest on your student loan promptly!"

Lynch considered it’s not an issue, "Why have you thought about this?"

Mr. Pato shrugged, "Nothing lasts unchanged, Lynch, wealth, status, even gold changes."

"Our profit is too single-natured, real estate, services, and retail sectors, these...," he shook his head, "We need to expand new channels."

"They’re all advancing; staying put will eventually make us swallowed by the tidal waves of the era!"

Thought-provoking words, and this mirrored Mr. Pato and many wealthy people’s reality.

To put it bluntly, it’s about transformation.

Every era has its characteristics; in earlier times, resources made money, like steel production. Then factories were profitable, now it’s light industry and research.

The era shifts quickly; post-boom, it’s meager profit, leading eventually to negative profit.

If a consortium doesn’t find new profit points before losses occur, doesn’t transform, it could gradually decline.

For those who’ve tasted wealth, returning them to street life is worse than death.

As for choosing student loans, it’s due to competitive issues.

Compared to established insurance consortiums or corporate groups, even Star Dream Butterfly faces great difficulty entering the insurance or economic-financial markets rashly.

With insurance companies and banks blocking, achieving success is tough; one might end up forced to acquire a firm to self-operate.

It could take one or two decades, or longer, to break even.

Thus, when knowing Lynch and the President’s Mansion pushed student loans, first thought was using this as an opportunity, a catalyst for opening future insurance financial domain.

Using this opportunity as a springboard, even if failed, won’t harm the core.

Moreover, the President’s reform won’t easily fail.

"Not likely this year, but next year or the year after, we’ll try advancing these plans; we can talk about it then."

Mr. Pato nodded slightly, "Of course, I just expressed my thoughts; let me know then."

They exchanged a few pleasantries, Mr. Pato invited Lynch to attend a Saint Harmony Association gathering if he had time, then parted ways.

Next, intermittently, people approached Lynch for a conversation, and then another.

Being wealthy, having status and influence is truly exhausting!

Who could know Lynch had to consider so many social matters daily, he’s busier than the President!