Darkstone Code
Chapter 154 - 0153 Changes Again

Chapter 154: 0153 Changes Again

"Mr. President, we have quite a few troubles at the moment..."

The chief of staff of the presidential cabinet glanced awkwardly at the report in his hand, "The Victorious Nations Alliance, citing a lack of funds, has refused to honor our war bonds, while the defeated countries claim they need more time, possibly several months, to do so."

The President’s stern expression softened slightly, feeling it was good news, "A few months? That’s not a problem, as long as they are willing to honor it, it’s not a problem!"

But the chief of staff was evidently not as cheerful as the President. He forced a smile, "However, some intelligence reports suggest that several core defeated countries are printing more money to combat their current financial difficulties."

The President’s expression grew stern again, even a bit resentful. It was clear that he understood the implications of these words. No one was more aware than him of the series of changes that printing more money could bring. Without a doubt, these defeated countries also intended to renege on their debts, just in a different way than the victorious countries.

Suppose the Bail Federal bought ten billion in bonds of the defeated countries and their currency equaled the Federation Sol. After the war, the defeated countries would redeem these bonds based on the standard when the war bonds were issued, say at a value of twenty billion Federation Sol or some other amount in defeated countries’ currency.

But now, the defeated countries are printing more money, which will inevitably cause their currency’s value to plummet on the international market. Coupled with negative news and inflation, a currency once equivalent to one Federation Sol could become equivalent to one hundred or even one thousand to one.

By the time their money is devalued, the redeemed value of a ten billion war bond might not even reach one million Federation Sol!

The victorious countries can outright refuse to redeem, while the defeated countries have their own ways to avoid more losses. For a moment, this situation caused headaches for the President and the entire presidential cabinet.

Yet this wasn’t the scariest part. They received news that some war bonds from victorious nations had already been redeemed. Some small countries, which had declared their stance during the world war but weren’t on the front lines, received redemption first.

If no one had redeemed their bonds, the Federation Government could argue it was due to internal issues within the Victorious Nations Alliance and their inability to produce enough funds in a short period. After all, the pensions for millions of deaths were already a headache, not to mention the various destroyed cities.

However, the redemption of some bonds made the Bail Federal’s international standing very awkward, giving a direct perception that Bail Federal was being targeted.

With such a comparison, the situation within the Federation could quickly deteriorate, worsened by the isolation policy historically advocated by the Conservative Party. If anyone believed the current situation was caused by the President’s policy, both the Conservative Party and the presidential cabinet would face immense pressure.

Policies previously deemed most suitable for the Federation in the international society could instantly become this president’s cabinet’s gravest mistake due to these international relations.

The people of the Federation, who enjoyed peace and tranquility, wouldn’t sympathize with the painstaking efforts of the presidential cabinet. They might turn to accuse the cabinet of the present dire domestic trend, with the unemployed blaming them for turning the Federation into an "island" due to their isolation policy, leading to the current issues.

The people’s will is never stable; it constantly changes to meet their selfish and narrow demands.

Thinking of countless people demonstrating and protesting outside the President’s Mansion made the President’s head hurt. "For now, don’t let this news leak out, and have our diplomats continue negotiations. Even if we can’t redeem everything, any positive gesture will do."

Right then, the Minister of Foreign Affairs lightly coughed, and the President, displeased, looked over at him. With a bitter smile, he asked, "Mr. President, on what basis should we persuade them?"

With one sentence, the President’s displeasure shifted to a look of pain. He even began questioning whether the isolation policy was right. Although it seemed good a few years ago, now he wasn’t so sure.

The content of the small meeting held inside the President’s Mansion quickly spread out. In Bail Federal, the higher the level, the less of a secret anything becomes. This scenario was actually quite common and realistic.

Behind every official could be a consortium or major capitalist backing different from the President’s forces. These people’s rise might be due to the President’s favoritism, but largely due to agreements among consortiums, consortia, and capitalist groups.

They helped the President obtain victory in the elections, so naturally, they would push their proxies into the presidential cabinet.

They’ve already offered the sweetest parts to the most central figures. Asking for some minister or deputy positions shouldn’t meet any opposition, right?

So, no news in the cabinet can be hidden for long. Soon, some major consortia realized these issues but cooperatively refrained from acting on their plans immediately, instead adjusting their industrial structures together.

Any early action was not allowed. Many major consortiums hadn’t fully pulled back their pace, which could result in them stumbling, so they needed time to shed unnecessary parts and await the starting gun’s sound.

On a Saturday afternoon, Lynch was to attend a small consultation meeting sponsored by the Sabin City Hall.

The City Hall invited local elites to discuss how to change the current situation and explore the city’s future.

This naturally included Lynch and bank staff like Jogriman, as per the uniform request of the Federal Ministry of Finance. The six major banks had begun piloting the new business of "credit loans" to address the current situation.

Based on their social insurance contributions, past behavior in society, and current assets and wealth, individuals would receive a credit score. With this score, they could obtain unsecured credit loans of varying degrees from banks.

This policy aimed to help unemployed individuals facing hardship but with decent past records and some wealth to weather the storm.

As for the homeless or those with nothing, they were not included in this plan.

Before the meeting, Lynch was chatting about his club. Kane had found a relatively professional coaching team for him, and they had started recruiting new players, causing some to regain interest in the club.

People love watching blooming flowers. Of course, some appreciate the buds about to bloom, but few are interested in the steps needed for seeds to become blossoming flowers, preferring to enjoy the result without carrying the process and responsibility. This applies to rugby as well.

People hope their city has a professional sports team, be it rugby, baseball, or any other sport. They want a reason to wave their hats during these sports events.

Previously, they were unwilling to shoulder that responsibility themselves, but now they can start enjoying it since someone else took on the troubles for them.

While discussing whether the Sabin City club had a chance to participate in the professional league next year, Jogriman approached the edge of the crowd. He greeted everyone and then looked directly at Lynch, "Want to smoke?"

Lynch nodded, "Of course..." He promptly apologized to everyone, then stepped outside the meeting room with Jogriman to find a secluded corner to smoke.

This was by no means a meaningless ’appointment.’ Both lit their cigarettes, and after checking their surroundings, Jogriman spoke softly, "If you need any loans, it’s best to settle them before October. After that, the bank will raise risk and approval criteria, making things tougher."

Banks are the most sensitive institutions to policies, national forms, and international agreements. They have more than one dedicated research lab solely studying these bank-related matters.

After news from the presidential cabinet leaked, banks immediately reached a dire conclusion, advising that after Q3 ends, not to easily approve any more loans and reduce all loan amounts to ensure the safety of bank assets.

Jogriman received a separate notification that he would start having oversight on his approval authority starting in Q4.

This news wasn’t because the bank department distrusted him but because he locked in this year’s business awards early. The department’s suggestion was that if he made any missteps, to fix them promptly. Also, because some people gossiped, the department, to show fairness and justice, would start reviewing projects he approved in Q4.

When this situation would end depended on either his promotion or an improvement in the current situation. Otherwise, short-term expectations for change would be unrealistic.

"As for previous ones..." Lynch looked at him while taking a drag.

Jogriman shook his head, "They’ve all been reported to the department and headquarters. It’s in the past. So if you have needs, it’s best to resolve them while I can still have some influence. Later on, I won’t be able to help."

He spoke with a bit of self-mockery, but there was no alternative. In just over two months, his performance skyrocketed from lukewarm to number one, making both internal and external circles believe he used improper means.

After all, his name was mentioned even at the headquarters board meeting, with suggestions that he bypass standard processes and after gaining experience at department and headquarters levels, he could be assigned to be a branch manager locally, to be observed for two years before taking up a regional manager position. How could this not provoke jealousy?

This saved not only seven or ten years’ time but also the years of building relationships and the final ’exam’ phase—it’s normal for someone to report him.

Some people are like that, wallowing in their own muck yet unable to tolerate others’ success.

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