Darkstone Code
Chapter 179 - 0177 The astronomy teacher made a contribution

Chapter 179: 0177 The astronomy teacher made a contribution

Amidst brief yet enthusiastic greetings, Mr. Adelaide took the head seat at the conference table.

It’s hard to imagine that a chief of staff, who holds no specific official position and only bears the title of a member of the Progressive Party to serve other politicians, can have such a grand stance or rather, status.

He sat in the foremost seat at the conference table, not Mr. Green, the state senator, not Mr. Landon, the mayor of Sabin City, and certainly not Lynch, but a chief of staff with no "official position."

Yet no one was surprised because the Governor places great trust in this chief of staff, and many policies issued by the state government actually originate from the Governor’s staff team.

Sometimes reality doesn’t feel as real as people imagine, because sometimes the words the Governor speaks, his attitude, his stance, and the expression he shows to the public are all pre-designed by these people, with the Governor merely executing them.

This does not mean the Governor does nothing; he is not a puppet. It’s just that his staff is very capable, significantly reducing his workload, which gives people reasons to respect Mr. Adelaide.

An important figure who can directly influence the Governor’s stance!

"I sincerely thank everyone for being able to come here despite the bad weather. I am truly grateful to each of you!" Adelaide said with a smile. His voice was gentle, not sharp, spoken at a moderate pace, with each word pronounced very clearly and completely.

In different places, there might be different accents, and some connected sounds between words that are unique to localities, but in Adelaide’s words, there were none. Every word he spoke was so standard he could be a broadcaster.

It’s hard to feel any animosity toward such a person, especially when he is so polite.

"The situation we are facing now is like the bad weather outside. Starting this month, all local governments within our state will begin issuing food vouchers, yet we are still facing a significant gap!"

"The state’s average unemployment rate has exceeded thirteen percent, with higher rates in some cities. According to some data I have...," he couldn’t help but laugh, "In fact, areas with less industrialization are coping more easily with the severe economic downturn!"

This issue is a phenomenon that people have just discovered. After excessive rural-to-urban migration, some towns have fewer problems, especially some agricultural towns.

Every household has its land and livestock, and their way of living hasn’t changed much from the best of times. It’s as if now, during the worst times, their life remains the same.

Self-sufficiency has become a new thesis; some believe this approach can alleviate some burdens, but such obviously wrong rhetoric was quietly suppressed before it took shape.

"We have been paying close attention to the second-hand goods exchange in Sabin City during this period. I must say, this method is indeed excellent!" He took some documents from his briefcase and, after saying "Sorry," put on his glasses.

Tilting his neck slightly backward, distancing the documents in his hands, only then did he clearly see what was written, "We conducted a survey, asking some average citizens who participated in auctions and made purchases what they thought of this trading activity, and their answers were gratifying."

"They bought what they have always wanted and what they need for living with less money, saving some to spend on other expenses, thereby lessening their living burdens!"

Adelaide took off his glasses, "Almost everyone thinks this way, Landon, you did an excellent job on this!"

The mayor nodded, showing no apparent joy, while Andrade continued, "I believe a tree won’t bear just one good fruit. This is why we are sitting here; the Governor needs you to express your thoughts freely, as perhaps salvation lies hidden in the collision of these ideas."

"A tree (apple tree) won’t bear just one good fruit" is a popular saying in the Federation, often used to describe continuous good things or a wishful hope for the better.

The mayor did not speak, just lowered his head, focusing intently on the notebook in front of him, and Lynch also remained silent, as it was not his turn to speak.

The silence of these two didn’t mean others would join in silence. It was a great opportunity to get acquainted with people in front of the Governor, and if any of their ideas were adopted, they’d connect with the Governor’s network.

The capable people in society are countless. For instance, the new manager under Lynch, Asir, is not only capable but also charismatic. However, before meeting Lynch, his situation was not favorable.

Having capability is one thing, having a stage to showcase that ability is another, and many people often possess the former but lack the latter.

If they got the chance to connect with the Governor, it would mean having a stage.

With a stage, would there still be a lack of people who can dance on it?

People began to elaborate on what they thought were beneficial conjectures for the situation, some more reliable, like one guy’s suggestion to implement double taxation standards, outright waiving various taxes for the social underclass, collecting only their insurance fees.

This notion might ease some emotional tensions but holds little value from a broader perspective.

There were many ideas like these, either reliable or unreliable. People also engaged in heated discussions around some views, throughout which Mr. Adelaide maintained a spectator’s stance, constantly taking notes.

He didn’t overtly favor any viewpoint but occasionally posed appropriate questions.

The butler had come twice, opened the windows to disperse the smoke, and time inexplicably approached eleven o’clock.

Everyone in the room remained exuberant and did not feel any fatigue or awareness of time passing.

After concluding one discussion, Adelaide cleared his throat, and the somewhat quarrelsome noises in the room instantly subsided, falling into silence.

He glanced at the mayor, "You’ve listened for so long, do you have any good ideas?"

The mayor shook his head. It’s not that he was at odds with Adelaide; it is because he had heard all these perspectives before from these people, and if anything useful existed, he would have adopted it.

Adelaide wasn’t surprised; he also thought what these people said were nonsense, but he didn’t show it. Then he looked at Lynch, sitting beside the mayor.

"Mr. Lynch, I noticed you haven’t joined our discussion from the beginning. So, do you already have some mature ideas?" With one sentence, everyone in the room focused their gaze on Lynch.

Facing these possibly slightly malicious gazes, Lynch remained unfazed; if such gazes could unsettle him, he wouldn’t have dared to live in a small room.

He smiled slightly, "Of course, Mr. Adelaide. In fact, I’ve already discussed some methods on how we can resolve our current predicament with the Mayor before."

He glanced at the mayor, who also happened to look at him. Their eyes met for a second or two, and then Lynch looked away, "The mayor felt some of my ideas were somewhat immature, but since you, Mr. Adelaide, brought it up, maybe discussing it here and now could help refine these ideas."

Those once malicious gazes softened, and one by one, the fierce shadows disappeared, revealing the gentle looks of little white rabbits.

Adelaide interestingly watched the young Lynch. When he first learned that Mayor Landon’s policies and plans came from a young man about to turn twenty-one, his initial reaction was similar to others.

This young man must have a close relationship with Landon, possibly as a relative or political heir, but investigations showed they had no connection.

Now, watching Lynch again skillfully resolve some atmospheric issues with his incongruent maturity and lead those with unfriendly gazes to at least restrain their malice, Adelaide found it quite intriguing.

If an old man possessed such a calm and influential capability, he would find it normal; but Lynch was too young!

So young that everything seemed unreal, or his youth was overlooked.

In a moment of distraction, Adelaide gathered his thoughts, nodded, "Perhaps you’re right, then let’s hear what solutions you have?"

Lynch smiled and began discussing his ideas. He was well-adapted to this environment and atmosphere; persuading others has been nearly his sole job for the past thirty years. This work continued in this world, familiar and even more skillful.

"We all know the downturn in the substantive economy primarily arises from two issues. First, our goods have no market. Second, our manufacturing costs are rising!"

Those around him nodded in agreement, as this was a problem known to and faced by everyone. Lynch continued, "By resolving these two issues, enterprises could gain adequate profits, business operations would become healthy, and we could maintain healthy operations without closures or bankruptcies. People would have stable jobs and income, and everything would return to the times before."

When he mentioned returning to before, there was a brief nostalgia and distraction in people’s eyes; that was truly a great era, the Golden Era.

Adelaide slightly adjusted his sitting posture; his age made it harder to stay seated like young people, "We all understand these problems must be addressed, but the question is how to solve them. Do you have any mature ideas?"

Lynch’s smile became more amiable, "When I was in school, my astronomy teacher told me not to let our vision be confined to the atmosphere by worldly things."

"And to resolve the current issues we are facing, the simplest approach is ’let’s not let our vision be confined to the domestic!’"