Darkstone Code
Chapter 83 - 0082 Culture is an invisible blade of a knife.

However, not everything during an economic downturn falls like the economic index, unable to recover, for example, birth rates and abortion rates.

After the recession, people have fewer opportunities to entertain themselves. Long-term unemployment at home increases certain demands in their restless energy, so newborns will become part of the wave, continuously impacting families that are already shaky. Some families originally planning to have children will abort them due to financial difficulties.

The wave of newborns and the abortion rates aren’t in conflict; this is quite interesting.

Additionally, the crime rate will increase noticeably. Many, pressured by life’s challenges, have no choice but to take risks and engage in illegal criminal activities to obtain life’s basic necessities. Some even actively commit crimes to get free meals in prison.

In such an environment full of pressure and anxiety, the whole society will present a pathological condition, accelerating the flow of wealth upwards from the bottom of society.

Ordinary people lack channels to exchange rewards for labor equivalently. Their money gets squeezed out bit by bit to maintain life, flowing into the capitalists’ hands, breeding and spreading a social awareness of resentment towards the wealthy.

Every time the economy declines and society languishes, it’s when capitalists revel.

Yet, some industries quietly prosper, and their rise is actually related to social forms.

Discount and retail stores, along with some wholesale markets, become hot commodities; people’s spending must be planned, with every penny carefully measured and calculated, including the Middle Class, who can’t enjoy the pleasures and class differentiation wealth once brought them.

This is one of the few opportunities for the Middle Class to interact with the bottom social tier. They don’t drive because fueling a car costs money. They’ll carry baskets and shop like ordinary people they often overlook, weighing each ounce carefully.

Industries related to agriculture will also increase to some extent; many families have started planting some edible food near their residences to supplement household needs. If not for city limits disallowing livestock and poultry, they might even be raising cows.

In the investment projects of many foundations, the proportion of funds flowing into agriculture and animal husbandry has significantly increased compared to previous years. Investment banks and foundations are much more sensitive to market changes; the proportion in agricultural investments nearly reflects future economic trends.

If future economic development is evident, they invest money in suitable industries or financial fields. When they start massively investing in agriculture and animal husbandry, reducing other investments, it signals the cold winter is coming, though many often overlook this issue.

Tobacco, alcohol, and the entertainment industry would also experience rapid and flourishing development.

Cigarettes and alcohol can allow people to temporarily forget their sorrows, while the entertainment industry lets people briefly forget life’s pain; if this happiness isn’t costly, people will squeeze some money to buy joy.

The impending storm will shatter the semi-solid walls of the Bail Federal’s capital ruling class, breaking down some man-made thresholds and barriers, making some less noticeable industries more accessible.

Of course, other than those, the second-hand market will usher an unprecedented boom, which is why Lynch plans to establish a new, state-wide company specializing in second-hand goods transactions and auctions.

He holds timely advantages of location, determined to reap heavily this time. If nothing unexpected occurs, a business genius will rise here after the storm.

Of course, discussing these matters now may seem redundant. He casually explained to the Fox father and son, then touched upon another profitable method behind the entertainment industry.

"The entertainment industry, the truly profitable aspects linked to culture come from two parts. On one side is the regular business revenue..." Lynch raised a finger, "...which I believe you both understand and grasp."

Fox father and son nodded, knowing business revenue, like selling movie tickets, where the box office is business revenue. They continued watching Lynch, who raised a second finger and continued, "The second part comes from Federation Government subsidies..."

Fox father and son exchanged glances; Lynch’s statement genuinely piqued their interest—from fearing the Federation Government to taking the Federation Government’s rice bowl, a father-and-son duo possibly previously implicated in illegal activities suddenly felt a spark.

They just wonder, is the rice bowl provided by the Federation Government tasteful enough?

"Society will very soon become restless and volatile. The massive unemployed population will destabilize each city, compounded by the Federation’s self-exclusivity in international society (maintaining relative independence, with no definite stance), generating some problems. Alleviating social pressure, calming public emotions, and seeking some cultural commonality internationally have become crucial tasks for the Federation Government in the next stage."

Lynch paused briefly here, suddenly asked, "Mr. Fox, if you were to stand beside a foreigner, what would make you accept this foreigner as a friend in the shortest time?"

Mr. Fox thought for a bit and replied, "If our languages could communicate, if he knows what I mention, and I know what he refers to, with common topics or even shared interests, we’d soon become friends."

Lynch pointed at him, "That’s correct, cultural commonality. We seldom have time to sit and seriously read a book from abroad, even if it is a world classic."

"But we can seriously, carefully finish watching a foreign movie, even pondering things behind it. That’s the unique nature of films."

"The entertainment industry not only helps upper society pacify lower-tier dissatisfaction with the social form, reducing some class friction and contradictions, but can also export on an international scale seeking more commonalities and recognition, doing this allows earning openly, receiving Federation Government subsidies without worrying about certain interest groups’ retaliation; this is a future-forward industry."

Lynch said quite a lot, and Mr. Fox felt very moved. Young Fox also felt moved; he studied management, not sociology nor finance economics and didn’t fully grasp it, but he felt Lynch made persuasive points.

He looked at Mr. Fox, seeming to want to affirm Mr. Fox’s attitude, while the latter then asked a rather direct question, "Friend Lynch, if we follow your advice and invest in the entertainment industry, will you join?"

In Mr. Fox’s view, if the entertainment industry truly makes money, Lynch definitely wouldn’t let the opportunity slip by.

During this time, he fully grasped and deeply understood Lynch’s essence as a pure businessman, seeking maximum profit in all his actions, including helping transform from illegal to legal deeds, the process of whitewashing money.

All these efforts Lynch pays derive from his passion for extracting tangible benefits, yet Mr. Fox doesn’t dislike this calculation, nor hate Lynch’s approach.

If it continuously doubles his assets, he’d welcome more people like Lynch with open arms.

The entertainment industry is one he’s not well-versed in; if Lynch genuinely thinks this industry is worth entering, he should also invest.

Seemingly already seeing through Mr. Fox’s cunning thoughts, Lynch shrugged, "Why not?"