Darkstone Code

"I hope the world can maintain peace, and that war and disasters stay away from us..."

Lynch loudly made his wish and blew out the candles. Amid the sound of congratulations, the birthday party came to an end.

After the guests left, those young men and women began proactively cleaning the venue. This part didn’t require Lynch or his maid to do; it was included in the fee charged by the event organizing company.

Their actions were quick and professional, after all, this was their job.

In less than forty minutes, the entire villa was restored to its original state, as if nothing had happened!

Apart from some lingering scents from the birthday party in the air, there was no difference from usual.

At ten o’clock in the evening, Legislator Landon arrived.

Since he would be filling the vacant Senator position after the New Year, it wasn’t quite appropriate for him to appear at Lynch’s birthday party.

No matter how well people understood his relationship with Lynch, as long as he didn’t show up at Lynch’s birthday party, no one could definitively say they were part of any interest group.

In Lynch’s study, after the maid served some coffee and pastries, Legislator Landon seemed to relax a bit.

The enclosed environment provides more security, of course, assuming one doesn’t suffer from claustrophobia.

"Today, the Progressive Party Committee held a high-level meeting..."

Legislator Landon took a sip of coffee, looking somewhat weary, "I was lucky enough, perhaps because next year they’ll adjust the seats, so I was also summoned."

"The attitude of the high-level officials within the party this time was very serious, making it hard to breathe."

Lynch quietly listened without expressing his opinions.

In Legislator Landon’s narration, from the start of the afternoon meeting, the atmosphere in the conference room was very oppressive.

The chairman of the Progressive Party Committee uncharacteristically got angry and reprimanded some senators.

At first, Legislator Landon didn’t quite understand what happened. Although he had heard the Duncan Clan was in trouble, and knew it wasn’t small, he hadn’t realized that this trouble had already affected Congress.

During the meeting, the chairman of the Progressive Party Committee repeatedly emphasized that politicians should ensure their political stance and not constantly change under the influence of capitalists.

In recent years, the performance of the Progressive Party’s Members of Parliament had left the party committee chairman very dissatisfied. Quite a number of them had been corrupted by capital, becoming spokespersons for it.

They forgot why they took the path of politics in the first place, forgetting that the duty of a politician was for the Federation and its people.

He also used a lot of foul language during the meeting, ultimately naming and criticizing over twenty Members of Parliament, among whom fourteen were very directly relieved of their duties for the coming year by the chairman of the Progressive Party Committee.

This means that these fourteen Members of Parliament, eleven of whom were senators, would not receive recommendations or endorsements from the Progressive Party, and they would lose their power!

Without the Progressive Party’s endorsement, they wouldn’t receive party recommendations, making it impossible for them to remain Members of Parliament.

The birth of Federation Members of Parliament comes from two aspects: first, selections from each state, with candidates put forward by the state government and voted on by natural citizens of the state.

Since this voting isn’t always fair or transparent, certain procedures aren’t publicly disclosed, meaning there’s room for manipulation.

In other words, whoever the governor believes most likely to become a Member of Parliament will become the lucky one.

Although, in terms of power structure, the governor holds real power second only to the President, they are also representatives of a political line born within their party, and they must still be responsible for the political group behind them.

To put it plainly, they would comply with the party committee’s unanimous decisions, meaning the nominee list from each state for Members of Parliament is actually provided by the party committee.

Without nominations from state governments, Members of Parliament representing their respective states’ interests must be replaced.

The other part comes from fixed seats weighted by each party. They have different performances at different times, with non-fixed numbers of fixed seats in Congress for each party.

Non-fixed refers to the total number of seats; fixed means these seats are selected internally by the party committee, otherwise, it would be impossible for a minor opposition party like the Socialist Party, which can’t win a single state, to have seats in Congress.

What they enjoy is the treatment of fixed seats.

This is a very complex yet not overly complex electoral system. Among these election methods, the most important factor is the attitude of each party committee.

They provide a large list, and candidates on this list basically become Members of Parliament.

Moreover, as the Federation’s population continues to grow in recent years, Congress will be adding some seats.

However, all of this is based on party-centered political groups, and the opportunities, even those in the lower house, don’t fall into the hands of ordinary people.

Sometimes indeed, there are individuals who participate in state elections for Member of Parliament, but these people often spend money and then fail.

They lack sufficient political force support, making it difficult to compete against these organized and well-planned politicians.

This closed-door meeting of the Progressive Party directly removed eleven senators, creating a sense of crisis for many people.

The fate of these legislators won’t be good. If they’re wise, they should submit their resignation reports now, perhaps securing a stable retirement life.

If they attempt to resist, what they’ll face will be various investigations.

The President always has a constant smile, and so does the Party Committee Chairman, almost all prominent figures do, but this doesn’t mean they are inherently kindhearted.

If people of their level don’t understand the harsh realities of politics, they wouldn’t have achieved these politicians’ ultimate accomplishments!

The President of the Federation.

The Party Committee Chairman.

The Party Leader.

And so on.

Once an investigative committee is established, the things these people may have worked their whole lives to obtain could turn into illusions, and they themselves might face imprisonment.

No Legislator leaves office after a term with a clean slate; it has never happened!

Today’s events left Legislator Landon deeply shocked; when he was the Mayor, he thought... Senators, Governors, were possibly the top-tier politicians.

The idea of becoming the Federation President is not something ordinary politicians generally consider, because the birth of a President is not something human effort can alter; it’s ultimately decided by the party committee, not an individual.

Yet the very top-tier politicians in Legislator Landon’s mind, during a closed-door meeting of the Progressive Party Committee, are dismissed directly if it’s said they should be.

This impact left him somewhat bewildered; he had worked hard up to this day, even at the risk of being seen as Lynch’s political interest spokesperson, or a lackey, only to receive an insecure future, leaving him perplexed in this game of gains and losses.

What he desires is something tangible, not some illusory power that could be erased by others at any time!

Listening to Legislator Landon, Lynch more or less understood his meaning, "Isn’t this the most intriguing aspect of politics?"

He responded with a rhetorical question, for smart people never use declarative sentences to answer others, it is not sophisticated enough.

Legislator Landon remained bewildered, "I don’t quite understand, Lynch."

Lynch crossed his legs, lit a cigarette, "You feel it somewhat... hallucinatory, but to me, this is the most ordinary political struggle."

"The victor takes all, the vanquished lose everything, political struggles have never been gentle."

"In ancient times, those losing political struggles not only lost power and wealth but also their lives and those of their families."

"Now, the worst outcome is just losing power; it’s already quite mild."

"What you are witnessing now are just some losers, but we won’t be losers, Landon."

"At the same time, it reflects how the two parties are beginning to purge groups representing the Duncan Clan’s core political interests; I believe the Conservative Party is doing the same."

"After the year ends, a large number of Members of Parliament will be replaced, dismissing only the most abominable part as a means to warn some people."

"Whether the Progressive Party or the Conservative Party, they took this opportunity to cleanse the ’traitors’ within the party and purify the party stance; it was just an ordinary meeting."

"The scenery of victors announcing the fate of losers is enacted at every moment, isn’t it?"

"Enterprise, government, military, world..."

Lynch shook his head; he could understand the state of Legislator Landon at this moment.

The Federation Government portrays Federation Congress Members as the top politicians; indeed they are, since Federation’s laws and regulations are enacted and voted by Congress.

They can even decide if the President can continue working - the Presidential Impeachment Bill.

For many grassroots politicians, becoming a Member of Parliament is the ultimate goal.

Yet today, when a legislator from the grassroots discovers that his ultimate goal is so ’fragile,’ a certain belief will undoubtedly waver!

From Lynch’s perspective, there’s really nothing substantial about this.

Whether it’s political struggle, financial war, or any other form of human contestation, the outcome is always like this.

Someone stands proudly in the sunlight representing justice, while others shrink in the shadows like abandoned stray dogs, embodying evil!

"I’m just...," Legislator Landon shook his head, "these things leave me a bit at a loss."

"But after what you said, I feel much better."

He had more of a smile on his face, realizing something deep in his heart.

In the grassroots political ecosystem, personal competence might be very important.

He managed to build Sabin City well, even if the Governor was displeased with him, it wouldn’t matter.

But reaching the higher levels, personal competence degrades, and party group consciousness begins to dominate; if everyone says you can do something, you can.

If everyone says you can’t, even if you can, you can’t!