Darkstone Code
Chapter 191 - 0189 is not alone

Chapter 191: 0189 is not alone

The shyness of women at different ages gives people different feelings.

When they’re young girls, their shyness seems amusing, and sometimes it draws objections from them through laughter.

In their teenage years, their shyness can make men’s hearts skip a beat, turning into a sweet stream flowing into one’s heart.

Once they’re adults, shyness becomes something else entirely, causing them to emit a unique aura and charm.

Facing Lynch’s gaze, Vera felt her cheeks grow warm but didn’t know how to dispel what she considered an awkward situation. Before she could figure it out, Lynch grabbed her ankle, which startled her slightly.

She even blurted out something she wished she could faint to forget, "Even my husband hasn’t held my ankle like this①!"

She wanted to explain, but after thinking for a moment, she decided against it. The more she explained, the more complicated it would get.

Lynch didn’t overstep. He simply observed Vera’s ankle, gently pinching the swollen area twice. The local temperature was high and was swelling rapidly.

He asked the waiter to bring some ice cubes, wrapped them in a napkin, and applied them to her ankle.

When her skin first touched the ice, it might have felt a bit uncomfortable, but soon the capillaries contracted to stop the pain from worsening, making Vera feel better.

Looking at Lynch sitting beside her, an unnerving sensation spread within her, prompting her to quickly suppress the thought. She found a topic to focus on, "It seems I won’t be able to accompany you elsewhere in the coming days."

Sprained ankles are something most people experience, especially women.

The first time wearing high heels, they’re likely to twist their ankle a few times, with each incident requiring two or three days, possibly a week, of rest in bed.

When movement is necessary, crutches become useful.

Lynch comforted her with a couple of sentences. During this period, their work would take place in the Bupen Grand Hotel.

Firstly, Bupen’s situation was a bit chaotic currently. Lynch had noticed smoke rising from the western buildings earlier; even though it dissipated quickly, it meant the streets were becoming more dangerous.

Don’t assume that everyone living in a developed area is wealthy. Bupen, too, has many poor people, and they’re scarier than poor people elsewhere.

Poor people living in big developed cities face heavier life pressures. When the government and society can barely help them get by, they aren’t too destructive.

Yet, when society and the government fail to care for them, the class hatred fueled by massive wealth disparities can ignite their minds under immense life pressure.

Therefore, it’s not wise to wander the streets rashly. The Bupen Grand Hotel provides reliable security, and the six major banks have branches there, capable of exchanging foreign currency and handling regular deposits and withdrawals.

After hearing Lynch’s explanation, Vera sighed in relief, genuinely fearing that her situation might affect Lynch’s work.

Later, Lynch half-assisted, half-carried Vera into the car, and they went straight back to the hotel.

After settling Vera, Lynch called Jogriman. Jogriman was delighted by Lynch’s call, "I thought you’d forgotten this old friend of yours!"

"Friends don’t disappear over time. Those who do aren’t friends!" Lynch responded, now aware of Jogriman’s peculiar situation.

Their collaboration had earned Jogriman a performance award and a nomination as a regional manager, causing envy among many.

The bank’s inner workings resemble a small society. Jogriman’s minor achievements led to various people gossiping and even writing complaint letters accusing him of job-related crimes.

The Golden Exchange Bank’s headquarters couldn’t ignore the situation, so they dispatched an investigation team and redistributed his signing authority. His position remained, but his power was mostly stripped.

Documents had to be checked by a new assistant before reaching Jogriman. Without this assistant’s signature, the procedures wouldn’t proceed.

This caused Jogriman’s prospects to dim, and colleagues, merchants, and capitalists who used to greet him vanished.

He felt quite dejected, making Lynch’s call a source of happiness, at least proving he still held some value.

"You must need my help. Go ahead and speak, while I’m not yet completely sidelined..." He once found others’ requests annoying, but now he longed for people to remember him.

So much had changed in just a month.

Lynch chuckled, understanding Jogriman’s current predicament, "I need someone well-connected in finance, reliable, too."

Reliability was most crucial, which Jogriman understood well. After a moment’s thought, he gave Lynch a phone number and a name, "This is my college classmate, from the same Brotherhood. We’ve always had a great relationship, and he can help you!"

A college mate and Brotherhood brother relationship in Bail Federal society is even closer than blood relatives②.

Some may find this unbelievable, but that’s the Bail Federal’s societal culture, always has been and always will be.

After hanging up, Jogriman called his friend to explain the situation. Later, Lynch met with Jogriman’s friend.

This gentleman seemed initially unapproachable, likely due to his hooked nose and deep-set eyes, giving off an unfriendly vibe.

After some brief pleasantries, Lynch mentioned a commission after the matter concluded, prompting a smile from the seemingly unapproachable man, softening his features and making him appear more amiable.

In these unprecedented dark times, nothing moves the heart more than money!

When Lynch explained his request, Mr. Manson assured there was no problem, "I’ve always facilitated between investors and banks and have good collaborations with several institutions. Your needs aren’t hard for me to fulfill, though I have a small question: just how many bonds do you plan to purchase, and how?"

Manson’s attitude made Lynch notice a key point: he wasn’t surprised by Lynch’s actions, which implied he may have been surprised before.

"Is someone else also buying back bonds?" It was phrased as a question but came out as a statement.

Manson nodded, "Yes, there are always people buying."

Lynch didn’t foolishly ask why they were buying bonds. They likely shared his thoughts or had some other unusual ideas.

His advantage lay in his confident grasp of global developments, akin to how people now believed planes could never become a mainstream mode of transport, given their limited capacity for three to five people over short distances.

But Lynch knew that in the future, airplanes would undoubtedly become the most important and crucial mainstream mode of transport, carrying three to five hundred people over long distances.

Humans could even travel to satellites, but people didn’t know or believe this at the time.

Some people naturally had foresight beyond their time, a small group often defined as "successors" who could see the future and were willing to gamble, which was normal.

This also meant Lynch’s plan to buy back bonds with scrap paper was void. "How are they buying them back?"

Manson stroked his blue stubble, "At two-point-five to three percent of the face value."

Bonds with a face value of one hundred were bought for two-fifty to three dollars, indicating the bond buyers weren’t small fry, as an investment of hundreds or thousands of dollars wasn’t something small forces could afford—remember, this was a cash transaction!

Lynch nodded, "The price seems reasonable. I need about..." he calculated, "about one million hundred-dollar face value bonds."

He specified the country issuing the bonds, based on his research and analysis.

Manson considered it and nodded, "Specifying bonds might lead to a premium, though it won’t exceed five percent."

Gamblers with similar foresight as Lynch analyzed their best possibilities before making an all-in bet.

Lynch had no objections. After negotiating some transaction details, Manson started working for Lynch.

Manson’s actions didn’t go unnoticed, and soon people realized another person joined this increasingly wild gamble, boosting all gamblers’ confidence.

The logic was simple: the more people getting involved, the more likely it was to turn true. Meanwhile, Lynch’s details surfaced, people needing to know who this new partner was.

However, upon seeing the information, they found it hard to accept the reality, as this young man seemed like a protagonist from a novel—unreasonably young and illogical!

=

① Considering the global context, women, while fighting for equal rights, still live in a society predominantly led by men.

② In reality, only a few remain memorable. Some Brotherhood members fade into obscurity, forgotten by the successful, who remember only those closest and as successful as they are.