Blackstone Code

Chapter 178:

"International trade..."

Adlai pondered seriously for a moment, then shook his head. He knew more than anyone else in the room.

At present, the Baylor Federation did not possess the basic conditions for international trade. Other countries were already quite dissatisfied with the Federation's neutral stance during the war, and there were deeper reasons behind this dissatisfaction.

During the world war, as a neutral country, the Baylor naturally became a haven for much capital fleeing the conflict, which inevitably accelerated the Federation's economic development.

While various countries were devastated by the war, their populations dwindling and their lands desolate, the Baylor Federation's neutrality only made it richer and stronger.

This made many of the warring countries feel a hard-to-describe discomfort. Even the victorious countries felt that neutral countries like the Baylor Federation had stolen the fruits of their victory, and thus, they showed no kindness towards the Baylor Federation.

These victorious countries, confident in their triumph over half the world during the war, had no regard for a neutral nation. They refused to honor bonds, deliberately making things difficult for the Baylor Federation.

As for those defeated countries, they half-heartedly honored their obligations in various ways, making their compliance meaningless.

In such a diplomatic predicament, the idea of expanding international trade could only remain just that—an idea.

Perhaps this was indeed a good solution to the Baylor Federation's current problems, but it was not the right time, or the conditions were not yet ripe.

Adlai glanced more at Lynch. This young man was indeed different from the others. He saw through the current situation at a glance. Within the Progressive Party, there were actually similar discussions, and their conclusions were roughly the same as Lynch's views.

Reviving the economy was actually quite simple. It was just a matter of ensuring that the goods produced in the factories had stable buyers.

The domestic market was already saturated, so they had to look at the international market. With 2.4 billion people worldwide, what couldn't be consumed?

But not now. The international community's dissatisfaction with the Baylor Federation's stance made it difficult for Baylor to move forward in international society. Unless there were significant changes in the short term, this situation could persist for a long time.

He casually wrote some symbols only he understood in his notebook to remind himself of certain things.

Adlai had worked as a stenographer when he was young. In this world, where technology was advancing but still lagging behind another world, meeting records were often manually transcribed by secretaries.

The speed of handwriting could never match the speed of speech. To avoid missing words, almost everyone who needed to write shorthand had their own set of "codes."

After finishing his notes, he didn't delve further into Lynch's viewpoints, making the others look at Lynch more kindly.

After another half hour, the meeting ended. Adlai shook hands with everyone, thanking them for their efforts in the evening meeting. If the governor made any decisions, these people would be the first to be informed.

Each participant shook hands and thanked him in return, indicating that this was their duty. At this moment, none of them showed the ugliness of exploiting workers, only grace and elegance.

Lynch stayed there for the night, leaving with the mayor the next day. He naturally had exchanged business cards with others, including Senator Grimm.

Grimm, a state senator, didn't usually reside in Sabin. He returned this time just to provide some assistance and would leave after Adlai.

On the way back, the mayor suddenly broke the silence in the car, "Are you confident about what you told me last time?"

Lynch thought for a moment, then quickly understood what he meant, "Adlai's attitude already told us, didn't it?"

Last night, Adlai discussed the suggestions others proposed with the room, even the most foolish ones, but he didn't discuss Lynch's ideas, nor did he propose new thoughts on Lynch's views.

In fact, from the beginning, Adlai understood this idea thoroughly and didn't need further discussion.

People might discuss foolish things, but they would stop when they realized they had no value. Only valuable things would be delved into, and this problem was no different.

If the idea had no value, the governor's principal aide wouldn't bother to study it in depth.

The mayor stopped speaking, contemplating the feasibility of Lynch's previous suggestions. He thought seriously but still found it tricky, especially since Lynch wanted to change the current employment system, a sensitive area that could lead to significant problems.

He didn't bring it up again, and the car returned to silence, both men pondering how long this situation would last.

With September's arrival and the extensive shutdown of the Listoan Group, Sabin, once seemingly prosperous, quickly fell into decline.

The streets were filled with people with grim faces, wandering aimlessly, sometimes gathering to whisper, making passersby feel a chill.

A luxury car slowly stopped outside a bank. Some children and young people immediately extended their hands towards Lynch as he got out. Lynch casually threw a handful of loose change on the ground.

About seven or eight bucks, maybe ten, all in coins. He didn't care much about it.

Compared to letting these people dirty his clothes worth thousands, this money might not even cover the cleaning fee.

The crowd immediately moved to the edge of the sidewalk and street, bending over or squatting to pick up the coins. As Lynch entered the bank, he heard cursing and cheers from outside, with some people even having physical altercations over the money.

Once inside the bank, everything became quiet and peaceful. Especially the moment the door closed, the noise on the sidewalk turned into a silent pantomime behind the glass wall, hardly catching Lynch's attention anymore.

Declining the teller's assistance, Lynch went straight to Joegleman's office. He was there today for that piece of land.

Real estate in Sabin had always been lukewarm, with land prices continuously falling. Hart thought that after a while, Lynch would reconsider, but even after half a month, Lynch made no move.

Instead, Hart himself grew impatient and decided to agree to Lynch's terms and finalize the deal.

Hart was under a lot of pressure recently, from various fronts. His previous project faced a huge failure, and some investors and creditors began to press him.

His only option now was to secure a stable income quickly to appease their anxious emotions.

Sometimes he felt that doing business with partners was really not easy. When making money, they demanded more; when losing money, they clamored for compensation. They sometimes seemed more like wild dogs than investors, never satisfied.

As soon as he entered, Joegleman was already packing up. The bank wasn't the place for negotiations; they would later go to a private business venue. Lynch came here just in passing, and Joegleman had some personal matters to discuss with him as well.

"Take a seat for a moment," Joegleman greeted him, continuing his work. Lynch casually sat on the sofa.

Watching Joegleman sort through several books that looked like ledgers, he couldn't help but walk over to take a closer look. They were filled with names.

"What is this?" Lynch asked curiously. It didn't look like ledgers, but it shouldn't be passbook records either.

Without pausing his actions, Joegleman quickly signed and flipped through, stacking them together while answering, "The first batch of personal credit loan amounts and approval list."

He casually opened one and explained, "Look, this guy named Tom can get a credit loan of 1,300 bucks from the bank without any collateral. As long as he applies, the money will be directly deposited into his account, and he only needs to pay about 0.2% interest per week."

Lynch curled his lip, losing interest in these things. This was a monster.

Credit loans weren't necessarily a bad policy, but implementing it now wasn't a good idea.

The logic was simple: people had to use credit loans because of poverty, but they still had to pay a not-so-cheap interest. Yet, they had no jobs. Once their cash flow ran out, they might face the harsh reality of having their assets auctioned off.

The bank wouldn't consider if this was humane. The lawyers in the bank's legal department were like devils in human skin; they could even pull out two gold teeth from an old lady's mouth to recover a loan.

At that point, already struggling families might find themselves in even more dire straits. Everyone knew auctions never fetched the original price, especially for second-hand goods. They would lose much more than they gained.

Soon, Joegleman finished his work and left the bank hall with Lynch. The people on the street had been dispersed, with two policemen remaining.Please vote for this novel at /series/blackstone-code/There are advance chapters available nowAccess will be granted 24 hours after the donationTier 1: 7 Advance chapters Link

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