Darkstone Code
Chapter 194 - 0192 Technology and Support

Chapter 194: 0192 Technology and Support

"This friend seems to have some different ideas!"

Within the crowd, Herbert quickly spotted an "outlier" and noticed the expression on his face that hinted at something unsaid.

Those who can put up hundreds of thousands or even millions to acquire bonds akin to waste paper in this environment are not ordinary people.

Their extraordinariness lies in their demeanor, in facing the very likely loss of everything, this indifference marks them as different from the general populace.

Yet, there was indeed an outlier mixed into the crowd. He wore clothes that appeared half a size too large for his build, from Herbert’s position he could still see the label inside his garment, it was clearly a factory-produced business attire.

Aside from him, no one wore such clothes, which made this "one-size" clothing unpopular among the upper-class society.

It can never fit everyone’s distinct sizes; it’s either big or small; finding the perfect fit is virtually impossible.

This fellow’s eyes darted around keenly, Herbert mentally apologized for the frown he initially made, as he almost mistook him for a sneaky thief.

Until he remembered that a friend had mentioned this guy before, a friend "with some interesting ideas," that’s when it clicked.

The young man Herbert pointed out didn’t immediately come back to his senses, but soon instinctively straightened his spine upon realizing Herbert was addressing him.

He felt somewhat troubled as his ideas indeed differed from everyone else’s here, but Herbert reassured him, finally stating that if he truly didn’t want to speak, no one would force him.

After saying this, the young man felt a special sense of rejection by these people.

Though invisible, this force was palpable; seemingly everyone smiled at him when looking his way and didn’t stand farther away, but he could feel himself becoming more and more an outsider to this group.

It was his first real brush with what people called upper-class society, and as human instinct drove him to remain, he took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat and shared his thoughts.

"Mr. Herbert, Mr. Lynch, and other gentlemen..." he recognized only Herbert and Lynch; the others hadn’t introduced themselves much, he didn’t know their names.

Saying the names he recognized seemed to bolster his courage, making him feel less alone, "Actually, it’s not that I don’t want to speak, but my ideas might be..." his facial features changed slightly, racking his brain, he came up with a term, "somewhat base and crude. I’m not sure if I’m describing it right."

Herbert nodded with a smile, "That isn’t important; the sparks from the collision of thoughts are what we need. Just tell us how you plan to handle the bonds in your possession."

Perhaps Lynch’s previous radical statements about overturning the ruling party’s President Cabinet had emboldened this guy quite a lot; he believed his undertaking couldn’t top overthrowing the Cabinet. He swallowed hard and shared his idea.

"I am in the... ugh... printing business, and I noted the paper used for these bonds is essentially identical to that used for their national currency, then an idea struck me."

He glanced around at the others, their expressions were serious yet attentive, which invigorated him a bit, his voice became more confident, "I can chemically remove the dye from these bonds, pulp them up again, add a small amount of long fibers, and re-create this special use paper."

"Even if we don’t perfectly clean up the color, it doesn’t matter, as we’ll eventually re-stain its surface; as long as the texture doesn’t change much, it’ll suffice."

Herbert abruptly interjected with a question, pulling a twenty-dollar Federation Sol bill from his pocket and examining it, "What about anti-counterfeiting?"

He wasn’t joking, he asked very seriously; this young man arguably provided their plan with its last "safeguard."

If they couldn’t realize their plan, these bonds in their hands suddenly had a new direction, which would be turning them into genuine currency and flooding into the target country.

The young man’s mood improved; he gained confidence, "Last year, the Federation patented a method of using special chemicals to etch metal; we can now more easily manufacture high-precision etched copper plates."

"As for the rest, we have solutions; the paper is actually the hardest part for the technology we possess because this type of paper isn’t sold to enterprises or individuals outside the issuing bank!"

This is the case for Bail Federal as well; Bail Federal’s currency is controlled by the Bail Federal Currency Issuance Committee; these specialized papers are only used for two things, printing money and printing national bonds.

This is done for anti-counterfeiting because national bonds can effectively be equated to currency from a certain standpoint; they require rapid and effective authenticity verification, so selecting matching paper and anti-counterfeiting techniques is the best choice.

Firstly, the process has matured, so there is no concern about unexpected occurrences, and secondly, banks can easily distinguish between genuine and fake bonds, facilitating redemption.

This is so abroad as well; Lynch and his colleagues hold bonds whose printing techniques are completely identical to their own country’s banknote printing techniques, even the anti-counterfeiting methods are the same.

Through the young man’s description, the veil over this seemingly mysterious industry slowly lifted, and moreover, this young man ran a printing firm himself; it’s just that the current market is bleak, and his company is on the brink of collapsing.

At a gathering hosted by a friend, once he drank too much and couldn’t hold back, he lamented the dire business environment domestically, venting that he was driven to the point of printing money.

His friend’s friend overheard this and remembered it, conveniently recommending him to try his luck here.

Undeniably, it was a tempting thought, but also dangerous; one mistake would trigger bloody retaliation.

Herbert looked at the young man with a half-smile, "You need to quit drinking, understand?"

Under Herbert’s powerful aura, the young man could only nod and agree, though his heart was pounding, knowing he had met expectations.

Others began exchanging business cards with him, implying he had integrated into this small circle.

Herbert made a final decision regarding this matter, "We shouldn’t stand idly by as our friend walks the path of illegality; we should help him!"

He glanced at the rest; some began expressing their support.

"My company publishes an internal periodical every month; the previous printing plant was too troublesome, demanding too much. Maybe I can pass this work to our new friend!"

"I’ve designed new packaging for some products; would you like to take this order?"

People eagerly sent a great many orders to the young man, who was surprised to discover that economic failure and business collapse weren’t solely due to market conditions; leadership was a factor.

Even Lynch gave the guy an order; he needed some posters and prints for his upcoming business plan.

That plan involved splitting trading and auction into two separate companies; if Herbert knew about this, he’d certainly be quite interested, though Lynch won’t talk.

With the joining of this printing plant’s small boss, the atmosphere lightened considerably, with backing secured, the risk significantly reduced.

It’s easy to foresee that if their plan fails, soon a huge amount of "real money" would flood into some victorious nations, money they themselves couldn’t discern as real!

Still, this matter remains illegal, and until the very last moment, they’d never execute it.

Beyond this, they soon returned to discussing the domestic situation, "The President hasn’t yet come up with any effective means to curb the current state of affairs, which is disappointing..."

As Herbert spoke of this, he glanced at Lynch, who slightly raised his glass, clinking it with Herbert’s from afar.

From Herbert’s viewpoint, Lynch’s previous sentiment was most accurate.

The economy is always an extension of politics, and merchants hoping to gain opportunities for bond redemption through aiding these countries’ post-war reconstruction stand an infinitesimal chance of success.

Domestically, how these transnational companies were treated serves as a premonition of how these war-torn nations would treat Federation merchants in the future.

Asset seizure might be the kindest outcome, potentially resulting in many laying forever buried in those lands.

After all, the countries just concluded war; society still chaotic, unexpected occurrences are expected, aren’t they?

Therefore, the most reliable way to redeem these bonds lies in utilizing political influence.

And the first step is to overthrow the President and the current President’s Cabinet’s rule.

Herbert set the stage, and people swiftly began to discuss several silly actions by the President, who recently developed a foolish streak, opposing the clever impression he once gave years ago.

Whether lying or attempting to cover certain truths, it’s all truly foolish.

Particularly his staunch belief that his policies are correct and that improvement is inevitable if he perseveres, insisting everything is merely external forces targeting him.

Such foolish rhetoric left the populace increasingly disappointed, the activities of the Progressive Party and Socialist Party started intensifying, causing everything to become enigmatic.

Herbert, while chatting and discussing ideas, suddenly remarked, "I heard from some unique channels of intriguing thoughts; it’s said there’s a plan to impeach the President..."

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