Darkstone Code
Chapter 129 - 0128 A ticket

Chapter 129: 0128 A ticket

When breakfast was finished, Ferrari called Lynch; he would be coming over later, so Lynch didn’t rush to leave.

Around ten o’clock, Ferrari hurriedly arrived at Lynch’s residence.

He curiously glanced at Catherine, greeted her under Lynch’s introduction, and the latter returned to her room upstairs.

After Catherine left, Ferrari didn’t mention the girl. It was Lynch’s private life, and in Bail Federal, respecting others’ privacy and personal lives is a very important etiquette, so he just slightly noted the girl.

Then he brought some responses from the mayor that Lynch wanted.

"The mayor agreed to the land you requested; he can give you five hundred acres, but you need to provide at least eighteen hundred jobs locally or three thousand jobs statewide!"

Bail Federal has such standards for purchasing non-residential land: providing a certain number of jobs or completing some economic plans.

If the landowner cannot meet these standards, all "violated" land under his name will be confiscated, auctioned, or reallocated.

Of course, this also includes all real estate on the land, so most entrepreneurs, factory owners, before land gathering, will pay to invite some famous designers to design a scheme for themselves.

Plan their industrial scale from short-term, mid-term to long-term, and then sign a land transfer contract with the local city hall in this way — phased transfer.

In some issues, this won’t put too much pressure on factory owners or entrepreneurs, such as mandatory jobs and paying corresponding wages.

Lynch initially didn’t want just five hundred acres, but now the mayor has directly doubled his plan, which means the matter is non-negotiable.

Faced with the exceeded plan, Lynch’s response was decisive, "I can’t meet these demands in the short term."

Lynch’s response didn’t surprise Ferrari; eighteen hundred jobs, paying each worker two hundred bucks a month, would mean just wages totaling thirty-six thousand per month, which Lynch could afford now but would collapse next month.

"This is just the mayor’s mid-to-long-term goal; you have two years to solve this employment requirement," Ferrari said, slightly lowering his voice, "You actually only need to solve two-thirds, as you’ve solved two-thirds of the problem!"

This is where the value and benefit of being a consultant lie; he knew better than Lynch the mayor’s bottom line, two-thirds resolution equals twelve hundred jobs.

If Lynch hired twelve hundred workers on this land plot, even if he couldn’t meet later indicators, the mayor wouldn’t easily boot him because those thousands of workers and their families would make city hall restless.

Lynch seemed to ponder, while Ferrari didn’t realize that the information he revealed also divulged more important intel, such as Sabin City’s current predicament being more serious than Lynch imagined.

But at the same time, it presented Lynch with more fog; he lacked more opportunities and information to unveil the fog, naturally making him unaware the dire situation wasn’t developed socially but came from Ristone Group and their president Mr. Neo.

After pausing for a moment, Ferrari said the second matter, "The mayor hopes to have dinner with you on Sunday evening this week; adjust your schedule."

Monday to Friday are workdays; even after work, often one to two social events are unavoidable.

Saturday is a rest day, yet Saturday night tends more towards the classic "weekend," so the dinner on this day is also utilized.

It’s rather Sunday, the "first day" of the week, which is the mayor’s only day under his control; he has only this day to chat during dinner with Lynch, or else it might take at least two weeks to find a time for dinner with Lynch.

After Lynch nodded again, Ferrari pulled an envelope from his pocket, handing it over.

"What’s this?" Lynch flipped the envelope; the seal wasn’t glued, so he opened it and looked inside, finding a postcard-like small card, which he then took out.

This card looked very "expensive," with a slight metallic feel; the strong contrast between black and gold added a certain sense of prestige and mystery.

Only a time and place, with two signatures, were written on it; beyond that, there was no other content.

"This is an invitation card to an auction; only with this card can you qualify to enter the auction." Ferrari’s tone carried a hint of a special emotion.

Lynch grinned, "What’s being auctioned, second-hand goods?"

"You could say that!" Ferrari didn’t argue; anything at an auction means it’s second-hand, even if it hasn’t been unboxed, it’s definitely second-hand.

This is an auction to divide up Henghui Group’s cake; Henghui Group’s property locally will be auctioned following federal laws, with proceeds partially paying off huge fines, and the rest going into local finances.

As to how much these assets will ultimately auction for, that’s entirely uncontrollable market behavior; sometimes a bit high, sometimes a bit low.

After all, even big companies like Henghui Group have to operate through tax evasion methods, maybe some supposedly quality assets aren’t quality at all?

Well, these are just unimportant issues; the important matter is Lynch needs to attend the auction, but he doesn’t have the bidding qualification.

Ferrari meant for him to first blend in and feel the brutality, cruelty, bloodiness, and madness of upper society, considering it a chance for him to feel the most real side of society.

Ferrari is a good person; he thinks Lynch needs to feel such an atmosphere; in his view, Lynch might act "miraculously," yet his foundation is too thin, his background denying him the chance to grasp the real aspects of this society.

Not encountering this side equates to living in a not-so-real world, offering no help toward his development and growth.

Only when he realizes the cruelty and harshness within will he become cautious and mature.

A wolf, before injury, treats attacks from peers as playful; only when injured does it understand at times "playing" is deadly, awakening its ferocity.

Lynch raised an eyebrow, carefully storing the card; he never lets kindness lead to disappointment or offense.

After these matters, Ferrari left not long afterward; these staff officers were busy lately, with Ristone’s president Mr. Neo’s attitude leaving city hall and the mayor passive, plus the mayor not wanting to compromise.

Once divided, if Ristone Group withdrew from Sabin City, the remaining issues must be resolved, or it would become a disaster involving tens of thousands of households!

Neither the mayor nor Ristone Group’s president Mr. Neo expected the situation to worsen this far.

Their uncompromising attitudes affected their inability to compromise; to recycle a saying, neither could first lower their heads, no more minor matter with a person taking a step back.

If the mayor chose to compromise, he indeed could keep Ristone Group, yet he would also bury his political career.

Mr. Neo could compromise, but his concession would lose his presidency, and perhaps the board would start the share recovery mechanism, seizing his shares.

This is no longer a farce for interest distribution, but a power display, demanding one to submit!

From the current situation, the mayor appears reluctant to bow to Ristone Group; he doesn’t believe his future is confined to "mayor."

He doesn’t desire submission; Mr. Neo and Ristone Group also wouldn’t compromise actively; in the wild, concession isn’t virtue but an indication of weakness.

Seeing Ferrari’s solemn departure, Lynch called Catherine from his room, calling her down.

In some large houses, each room has a telephone; to avoid interference from simultaneous use, these houses have a semi-automatic switchboard.

Not really as complex as imagined, each phone has a unique number but can connect to other phones within the same segment through dialing "extensions," achieving short dialing.

"Finished talking?" Catherine changed clothes and came down; she didn’t see the very impressive-looking man earlier.

A man ingrained in her familiarity suddenly became particularly unfamiliar in certain aspects, bringing a refreshing sensation.

Lynch nodded in response, then said, "Remember what we talked about last night?" The girl nodded, so Lynch continued, "Do you have any target?"

"For instance, what major you desire or your ideal university?" he said while heading to the entrance, "Let’s fill our stomachs, then explore the university you want to attend!"

He stood at the door, looking at Catherine; she couldn’t help but laugh, "Is this the high-society life?"

Seeing confusion in Lynch’s eyes, Catherine chuckled, "Spending every day dining and chatting?"

Lynch paused, then affirmed the girl’s perspective, "I’m glad you have a brand-new understanding of my current life!"