Darkstone Code
Chapter 99 - 0098 The pursuit levels of dining

Chapter 99: 0098 The pursuit levels of dining

In a country like the Bail Federal, people always joke with a half-serious, half-helpless tone that taxes and death are things no one can avoid.

In fact, aside from taxes and death, there is another thing people cannot avoid, no matter birth, old age, sickness, or death, and that is political stance.

The Bail Federal has three major parties, as required by the Federation Charter, ensuring that at any time, there must be three parties vying for power.

The Progressive Party, the Conservative Party, and the Socialist Party, in what seems to be a loose and free political environment, sometimes show a very aggressive side.

Even in prison, the court requires people to fill out a questionnaire, which includes the prisoner’s political stance, and then assigns prisons and cells based on the questionnaire.

The Mayor was very satisfied with Lynch’s answers, reactions, and thoughts. Political stance was his last question. If Lynch had a different political stance, he would dilute Lynch’s role here, and might even interview some local capitalists to find ways to replace Lynch and expel him elsewhere.

Allowing a capitalist from another party to grow on the Progressive Party’s turf is simply impossible, unless the Mayor decides to abandon his political future or change camps to help Lynch rise for free.

Politicians and capitalists are always mutually supportive, with capitalists providing sufficient political donations to politicians, offering them job opportunities, and more content related to urban development.

Similarly, politicians will reciprocate to offer capitalists what they want, policy inclinations, and some development plans tailored for capitalists.

This requires both parties to trust each other and be closely coordinated in some cooperation. People cannot trust "outsiders," they only trust "their own."

What kind of people are "their own"?

Clearly, people with the same political stance, united for the same goal, are their own.

Fortunately, Lynch gave an answer that satisfied him, and he didn’t mind bringing Lynch into the Progressive Party, letting the power of capital invade the party, which in the Bail Federal is not considered a scandal, as any well-known politician has the support of capitalists or even consortia.

Without the support of these people, no matter how remarkable a politician is, they cannot accomplish anything on this magical land!

Of course, Bail’s political environment is still loose, at least on the surface. There’s never been political persecution against commoners. Citizens can claim they belong to the Progressive Party in the morning and switch to being supporters of the Conservative Party in the afternoon; no one would criticize them, at most some ordinary people would call them shameless.

Such an environment is indeed very loose, requiring no substantive applications, long reviews, and approvals, just a sentence of acknowledgment to complete the process.

But after leaving the lower social stratum, in the middle and upper layers of society, the political environment becomes relatively strict, making it not easy for capitalists or politicians to change stances, which could easily cause trouble if not careful.

There are other more complex situations involved, but those are unrelated now.

Before attending the banquet, Lynch had looked up some information about the Progressive Party. His earlier words were not just flattering words for the Mayor.

In his view, the Progressive Party is indeed much better than the currently ruling Conservative Party, whose political program focuses on isolated development, which is why isolationism has prevailed in recent years.

To some extent, the fact that the Bail Federal hasn’t gotten involved in more international conflicts and wars and instead focused on developing its technology and industry seems to have contributed to significant progress in some aspects.

However, this has also planted hidden dangers for the Bail Federal.

People may not realize it now, but as technology advances, the concept of the Blue Star will change from a "planet" to a "village."

It takes about one and a half months to travel from the Bail Federal to the farthest Zalisku United Kingdom, involving both land and sea routes. People aren’t interested in such distant countries and don’t believe such countries can affect the Bail Federal.

But when planes or other faster modes of transportation appear in the future, it will greatly shorten people’s perception of distance; one may start in the morning and arrive at the Zalisku United Kingdom by afternoon or the next day.

Today’s rejection of the outside world will inevitably lead to the Federation’s isolation in the future—when other countries begin rapid development through communication, the Federation will gradually fall behind and ultimately be eliminated.

While the Conservative Party still sings the praises of isolationism, the Bail Federal has already begun to encounter some issues, and if these problems cannot be resolved in the short term, they will certainly impact the long-term future.

Compared to the Conservative Party, the Progressive Party’s political program and ideals clearly align more with global development trends and Lynch’s needs for the future.

Integrating internationally is the right choice!

He discussed some of his dissatisfaction with the Conservative Party, which resonated well with the Mayor.

Sometimes you don’t need to praise someone; just by criticizing their opponent, you can earn that person’s appreciation, which can be more gratifying than lightly flattering them.

"Your insights are very progressive..." The Mayor’s smile persisted, and as he paused, the door to the room opened, and Ferrari quickly observed the demeanor of the two, then informed them that lunch was ready.

The harmonious atmosphere between the two relieved Ferrari. Lynch appeared young, sometimes seemingly shy, but in fact, he was very assertive and strong-minded. He feared that Lynch would clash with the Mayor, but now it seemed they got along well.

"Shall we fill our stomachs first?" The Mayor’s slightly consulting tone and smile astonished Ferrari even more. Someone in a position of authority usually wouldn’t blatantly show preference, yet they reveal it through subtle details.

This consulting tone doesn’t often occur in the Mayor’s work and life, making Ferrari increasingly feel that Lynch is a remarkable young man.

Lynch stood up and tidied his clothes, "Certainly, Your Excellency!"

The two entered the dining room, where the table had only two seats and two sets of cutlery. Ferrari’s place was not there, even though he was the Mayor’s personal attendant.

According to the plan, Ferrari should have excused himself for lunch by now, as there were dedicated waitstaff, but he took their job, wanting to hear how Lynch managed to impress the Mayor.

Once the two sat down, the Mayor glanced at Ferrari, who was opening wine, then looked away, feeling that Ferrari was considerate, understanding that some conversations weren’t suitable for others to hear, being a reliable person.

Today’s lunch was a mixed grill of steak and fish fillet, with T-bone steak as the base ingredient. This single dish offered three different styles of food, featuring a variety of flavor changes, which is the joy of the wealthy.

While the poor strive to fill their stomachs, the wealthy pursue more varied flavors, distinct layers of taste, and the lingering aftertaste in the mouth.

For poor people, eating is merely to fill their bellies.

For the wealthy, eating is enjoyment, with putting food into their stomachs being just an indispensable process.