Darkstone Code

"As long as I don’t have any issues, you can stay in Congress for at least a few more years."

"Sometimes you have to learn to give and take, Landon. You have to give up some things in order to gain something. If you don’t want to give up anything, then you won’t gain anything."

Lynch made it clear that the reason he became a Senator was not because he was particularly outstanding.

It was because he chose to follow the right person.

In the Federation, there are countless people who can rival Senators in capability. These people are even more capable than the current Senators, including some management personnel from the lower and middle classes of society.

They understand the operations at the grassroots level of Federation Society better than those high-ranking Senators, rather than the macro-level changes.

But why can’t these highly capable individuals become important figures, providing the necessary momentum for the development and evolution of this society?

It’s because they lack supporters!

Without anyone supporting them, they will never have the opportunity to stand in the spotlight. Sometimes reality is just that cruel.

You shouldn’t just stare at a foolish Emperor asking why even a fool can be Emperor while ignoring the father of the foolish Emperor, whose family is the Imperial Family!

So, the higher up in the political hierarchy, the less important it becomes whether someone has the capability to match their position.

If Senator Landon wants to stay in this position, he must cooperate with Lynch, speak on Lynch’s behalf in Congress, or make certain decisions.

The arrogance of capitalists is greatly fueled by these obedient politicians, to the extent that a small group of people forget, even if they can do many things, they shouldn’t do them.

Senator Landon understands this too, let go of some ideas he can’t even identify himself, and begins to work seriously.

In fact, working for Lynch is not a difficult thing. Lynch is not like other capitalists who sometimes make Senators lose face. He never rebukes anyone, always speaking with a gentle smile.

Except for some important matters, he doesn’t interfere with Senator Landon’s decisions, which is much better than most, and he doesn’t feel dissatisfied at all.

After October 10, with the New Year approaching soon, although there are still two months left, the streets already have an atmosphere of preparations for the New Year festivities.

To Federation citizens, the New Year is a very sacred holiday because during this period, they get a rare break.

A week-long holiday, though some workers may still continue to work during this important time, only during this time do the Factory Owners increase overtime wages to attract more workers to the assembly line.

But regardless, it’s a day worth celebrating, whether for the ample holiday or for a substantial overtime wage.

Contrary to the pervasive atmosphere of hopeful anticipation for the future, the Duncan Clan is facing some intense discussions.

During this period, the FBI is relentlessly pursuing the Duncan Clan, leaving Mr. Jeruno unsure of what actions to take.

To go as far as silencing them for a minor issue would surely provoke greater dissatisfaction from the Federation Government.

Moreover, it’s not just one or two people to silence, but many. Some participated in the construction work on Paradise Island, some engaged in the human trafficking trade, and others provided various services for Federation’s notable figures and dignitaries.

These people have all been arrested due to the Paradise Island incident.

Some have already confessed, while others are still holding on, but everyone knows that they won’t last long.

Sometimes interrogation works just when one person speaks, the guilt of others opening up reduces significantly, maybe they won’t speak up immediately, but they won’t resist as much.

It might seem that these are all minor issues, like some money-for-power exchanges, or illegal kidnappings and the like.

But these small issues could potentially lead to big problems.

"Where is Horn now?" Mr. Jeruno exited his pondering state. As soon as he spoke, the previous murmurs in the room ceased.

Horn White is the developer of Paradise Island. He originally just came up with a "concept" and then raised tens of millions, clearing various hurdles and starting the artificial island construction.

At that time, many might have been amazed by Horn’s abilities or his method of convincing the wealthy, but in reality, without the Duncan Clan’s secret support from behind, he would have had no such opportunity.

Not everyone is a fool who believes whatever you say. There must be some reason for these money-makers to believe your nonsense.

And he is also the King of the Paradise Kingdom, though that’s his own claim, and the purpose of all this is to better hide the Duncan Clan behind the scenes.

Now Paradise Island is basically inactive, and Horn is hiding. He has already been wanted by the Federation for kidnapping, murder, and serious injury charges.

He is more cunning than the FBI investigators imagined, with a sharper sense. When he sensed something was off, he just vanished.

People don’t even know whether he is within the country or already hiding overseas.

The answer to Mr. Jeruno’s question came from a youngster in the clan who was previously responsible for some follow-up work on Paradise Island, "He’s currently in a town under...state; our people are watching over him without alerting him."

Mr. Jeruno nodded slightly. Horn hasn’t escaped and is still under control, which is very good news.

He thought for a moment and said, "Keep Horn under control, make sure he doesn’t escape from our sight..."

Mr. Jeruno hasn’t really prepared for a head-on confrontation with the Federation Government. He is very aware that an aggressive Federation Government will not allow any domestic non-official forces to challenge the national order.

This is something the Conservative Party wouldn’t do; Mr. Jeruno considers allowing the Progressive Party to become the ruling party as the biggest mistake of recent years.

The term "group frenzy" first appeared in some social behavior research experts’ mouths, meaning when a group of people gathers, a leading consciousness begins to exert influence and gains some benefits from it.

The entire group would then tacitly accept this practice as the most advantageous, and they become fervent.

Conservative Party’s policies are more passive than those of the Progressive Party. If they were in power, they wouldn’t easily confront the Duncan Clan because it involves at least several million job positions.

To keep Federation Society stable, they might even make more concessions.

But the Progressive Party is different; that always smiling President seems to have made up his mind, yet this makes Mr. Jeruno feel a bit tricky.

Because he can’t scare this government with other issues, he can’t be sure of that, so the first thing he thinks of is compromise.

Compromise is not shameful!

And Horn makes for a very suitable "sacrifice," his identity is unique enough, being a wanted criminal.

Of course, they cannot hand him over to the Federation Government intact, only his corpse can be sent, because Horn knows a lot. If he can’t hold on and spills some secrets, it’s a big trouble for Mr. Jeruno.

Thinking of this, he can’t help but sigh. Since the sudden international changes and the outbreak of the First World War, the international society has been changing too fast.

Years ago, about twenty years ago, the world was still supporting slave trading, yet in just those two to three years, the calls to abolish slavery increased significantly.

Then slavery was really abolished, and all of Duncan Clan’s legal business became illegal overnight.

But the market still exists, and this market has grown increasingly robust as the world abolishes slavery.

Previous healthy adult males aged around twenty could be sold for about a hundred and fifty dollars—

If converted to today’s money, it amounts to about a thousand dollars.

If they are strong, they can sell for up to four hundred dollars.

Whereas a female around twenty would sell between sixty dollars to no upper limit based on various factors!

Most looking for labor are to reduce labor costs, slaves just need not be starved to death.

Ordinary female slaves are not popular in the market, they can’t work, nor catch the attention of slave owners, the purpose of purchasing these female slaves is merely to cater to other male slaves’ needs, and if they can give birth to a few children in the process, it saves a bit of money.

In the heyday of slavery, in the eyes of slave owners, slaves were hardly any different from the livestock at home.

But all of this eventually collapsed.

Slave prices soared, and targeted demand increased, so the Duncan Clan had no choice but to continue the illegal slave trade.

Over the years, the Duncan Clan hasn’t stopped trying to transition into other industries, but all attempts have ultimately failed.

This is a problem facing most first-generation consortia and conglomerates. As society develops faster and faster, productivity and technological advancements mean some traditional industries can no longer keep up with the times.

They must make a choice at this time, some succeeded, but more are those who failed.

If... they can survive this crisis, these dangerous industries should all be cut off!

Mr. Jeruno sighed again, he knows deep down, even if they cut off these industries, they may have to walk this path again if they can’t find new opportunities.

And some things aren’t cut off just by saying so, when interests weave a big net, whether you own the net or not, you will be deeply trapped by it.

Your struggles will only make it tighter.

You wish to escape, but you will never have the chance!