Darkstone Code

Chapter 1209 - 1207: Don’t Mess with Me

When leaving the Imperial Palace Cinema in the evening, Lynch and the two others received a souvenir.

A book titled "Lynch’s Adventure 2," a message bottle containing a small ship as a craft, a gift voucher, and something that... should also be considered a piece of art.

The voucher is a movie pass. The holder can take three people to watch any movie from Fox Film Corporation in any cinema free of charge within a year. Its value may not be the highest, but it definitely shows sincerity and is very practical.

In the past two years, Fox Film Corporation has released about ten to twenty movies annually. Assuming the ticket price for each movie is one dollar and ninety-nine cents, calculating with fifteen films, that’s thirty dollars. With three people watching, that’s ninety dollars.

In fact, it is worth more than ninety dollars because it can be reused, meaning this ninety dollars can also be reused.

If one’s skin is thick enough, it’s worth nine hundred dollars!

However, I believe most people who can enter here won’t take advantage of this. What they want is the privilege this movie pass brings!

While others need to buy tickets, they just need to present this movie pass to enter and watch. This treatment is enough to make all film critics willing to write a few good words for Fox Film Corporation.

Isn’t this the "respect" they pursue?

As for the item that leaves people uncertain about what it is, it’s actually a western cowboy riding a steed made entirely of one-dollar bills, at least it looks like that.

It is entirely made up of one-dollar bills, approximately one hundred and ninety-nine of them. If you say it’s a bribe, obviously it may not be.

But if you say it’s truly a piece of art, the creator could have used other materials instead of money.

Perhaps in the eyes of the wealthy, among those who wouldn’t notice it’s one hundred and ninety-nine dollars, it is a piece of art.

But in the eyes of those who cannot dissociate it from money, it is just one hundred and ninety-nine dollars!

Returning to the hotel, Lynch and the two girls exercised for a while. Lynch, lying in bed and smoking, watched the news report about tonight’s premiere on the TV screen.

Nelly, lying on his right, suddenly made a somewhat inquisitive request, "Can I try being a director?" she asked.

She can sense that she doesn’t actually have much talent in acting. Unlike Penny, who can immediately dive into the plot anytime, anywhere after reading the script.

Most directors who partnered with Penny praised her, not for her acting, but for her talent.

With such talent, she can acquire acting skills through effort, ensuring she becomes a top star in the Federation.

But Nelly herself can’t do that; she lacks such talent. During this movie shoot, she already felt she has "done her best."

From her perspective, she thinks she could perform better, with more tension and appeal, but she just can’t give herself those qualities.

She’s considering that maybe she could try being a director.

Lynch nodded, "Sure!" without any hesitation.

It’s not that he trusts or favors Nelly so much, but rather because such minor things aren’t worth his consideration.

He doesn’t even feel the desire to think; it’s just small money, not important.

Nelly got what she wanted, smiling more, allowing her to help her former roommate.

Maybe she can carve out a different future on the path to becoming a director.

And it all started because of Lynch.

She quietly snuggled into the quilt, hesitant to find words of gratitude.

After spending two days in Laridemo, Lynch returned to Bupen, with Fox’s listing to be dealt with.

But he isn’t very concerned about Fox’s listing; based on current assessments, its total market value after listing won’t exceed ten million Federation Sol.

Lynch’s shares, diluted, are at fifteen percent, amounting to a little over a million, not very significant to him.

The day after Lynch returned, an unexpected event occurred.

Maybe the "other half of the world," Peng Jieao, and its allies sensed the Federation’s pressure. Not only did they band together, but they did something very special—raising tariffs on certain Federation products.

Raising tariffs essentially tells international merchants, "Don’t damn send these things over here anymore," implying increased costs making them uncompetitive in the market.

Products listed in the tariff adjustment by the Peng Jieao Group involve thirteen categories and more than forty specific products, including cheap and luxury lighters, lamps, lanterns, and some small electronic devices.

It’s not targeting a single country but rather the entire World Development Committee member countries.

So, the next day Lynch attended an economic security meeting as a "Senior Consultant for the Federal Security Committee’s Economic Security Office" at the Ministry of International Affairs.

Before the meeting started, Lynch smoked on the balcony and coincidentally bumped into Mr. Truman; the two gathered together again.

"Their targeting this time is quite strong. We might be separating the world into two halves..." He paused, took out a lighter to light up, and also lit Lynch’s cigarette.

Lynch gazed afar, showing no response to Mr. Truman’s viewpoint.

Until humanity sees a real deterrent tactical weapon, they’ll relentlessly express hostility towards each other; nothing can shut them up or stop their agenda.

Thus, the world has been fragmented from the start, with pieces merging into what we see today.

One half is the Federation and the alliance led by countries like Gafura, the other half is Peng Jieao and other countries’ organization, fully opposing.

Mr. Truman flicked the ash from his cigarette, "Do you think we need to retaliate?"

Lynch’s expression finally changed, turning to Mr. Truman, looking surprised, "Is there someone planning to settle like this?"

Mr. Truman glanced at the balcony door; it was properly shut. Nobody was watching or approaching.

He lowered his voice slightly, "You know, the President fears war..."

Lynch immediately understood.

Yes, the President, he almost forgot about him.

The President is a politician, and any politician formulates their political platform for elections.

Like how the Conservative Party’s platform started to lean towards aggressive and strong positions, discussing proactive issues during state and local elections. Hearing those words, who would believe they’re Conservatives?

Yet they are the Conservative Party, because their political platform is to unite more international allies, isolate international enemies; this can be seen as conservative, in an international sense.

So is the President, a conservative within the Progressive Party, with a fear of war.

Years ago, the Federation’s excessive portrayal of war’s horrors made many fearful, coupled with the society’s lack of self-confidence, people’s distaste for war peaked.

Now things have changed; many have shifted, with younger people changing faster.

Older people are slower.

The President hopes the two world’s largest war factions won’t escalate to local warfare over trade disputes; this seems rather unwise and unsafe.

"We must retaliate, and fiercely!" Lynch finally shared his view, "If we let the Peng Jieao restrain us economically, the people will be disappointed..."

Whether the people are disappointed, politicians have long stopped caring.

No one is disappointment-free; the promises politicians make to people probably include sixty to seventy percent unfinished items if listed.

The public is always disappointed and will continue to be, inevitably.

The "people" Lynch actually meant are those big capitalists; when they are disappointed, the voters "represented" by them will also be.

Mr. Truman clearly understands this, too, "Do you have any good suggestions?"

"What they give us, we return to them!"

Moments later, the meeting officially commenced, with Lynch attending.

After Mr. Truman distributed some documents, they discussed these matters and considered countermeasures.

This is exactly the core responsibility of the Ministry of International Affairs, mainly formulating and responding to international changes.

The tone was set from the start, focusing on competition, opposition, confrontation!

The August sky may seem sunny, yet it inexplicably feels like... a storm is brewing!

Two days later, in the temporary meeting room of the World Development Committee in Sedolas, the Federation’s representative submitted a "sensitive materials regulatory proposal" to all delegates.

In this proposal, the Federation listed multiple sensitive materials that need controlling, and will no longer be sent to non-member countries of the World Development Committee.

As the first proposal of the World Development Committee, it passed unanimously. On the day of the passage, all member countries began selectively halting the export of certain materials.

The Federation simultaneously announced imposing protective tariffs of a minimum hundred percent, maximum five hundred percent on imports from countries like Peng Jieao!

Later, a reporter captured the Peng Jieao envoy leaving the Ministry of International Affairs visibly dissatisfied, yelling at the ministry’s doors, causing tension in the domestic atmosphere!