Darkstone Code

"This place is really huge!" Helen exclaimed as she stood beside Lynch, marveling at everything she saw. Even in the dead of winter, the enormous yard felt like midsummer, and she noticed it wasn't too cold here, as if there was a heating system under the tiles.

Beside the yard lay a colossal swimming pool, where some scantily clad girls were frolicking.

The pool emitted warm steam outward, giving an impression of cold; yet with the help of heating equipment, the water remained at a constant temperature around 28 degrees, not cold at all.

These girls were the kind who could animate the atmosphere, often described as "beautiful vases," and right now, they were proving the phrase true.

They didn't need to perform much during the entire celebration, just be a delight to behold amid the translucent steam.

The whole courtyard was extraordinarily luxurious, causing Helen to sigh in admiration, "This is life, the life of the rich."

Every guest that came and went was polite, money endowed them with superior manners. Even an ordinary-looking assistant would smile and nod in greeting as their gaze met hers.

In this yard was a gigantic screen, broadcasting live signals from the vote counting scene of the state election. People's attention focused on the screen, watching staff counting votes swiftly under extensive supervision, seemingly intensifying the tension.

When the last vote was tallied, and the box emptied and displayed, the outcome was to be revealed. The governor stood under the big screen, his face devoid of a smile, now extremely serious.

No matter how confidently he claimed to believe in the election outcome, he still felt somewhat uneasy before the actual results emerged.

Shortly, two staff handed the results to the Chief Justice, who, after reviewing them, stood up.

At that moment, it seemed the air in the yard thinned slightly as everyone took a deep breath.

Up next was the announcement of the results. As the Chief Justice's hand pressed the statute announcing the governor's re-election, champagne corks shot everywhere, and the entire manor was suddenly immersed in a sea of joy.

People raised their glasses high, loudly shouting, "To the Governor!"

The governor, standing conspicuously among the crowd, also raised his glass and drank the champagne in celebration of his victory.

An expected victory, yet still enough to bring joy; this meant that the interest group surrounding the governor had a few more good years ahead, instead of a hasty retreat.

Politics and capital in the Federation are, to some extent, inseparable, especially at the governor level. Whether politicians want to form an interest group centered around themselves, such a group inevitably exists.

Just like this election, if not for those supporters raising their glasses and their donations in this manor, it would have been unlikely for the governor to amass tens of thousands or millions in funds to run for office.

Without elections to make his political stance and governance policy known to the public, people wouldn't vote for him, leading to a lack of support and ultimately missing victory.

This is a bottomless pit; the governor's salary is far from enough to support such extravagance, but it happens every few years, meaning Federation politicians must have die-hard supporters; hence, politicians and capitalists are hard to separate.

The governor's victory is indeed a triumph for these capitalists, so they are even more excited than the governor, as more favorable policies will allow them to continue living lavishly as before, which is their return on investment!

At this moment, a ringtone abruptly rang out, prompting the governor to make a silencing gesture. He explained with a smile, "It should be the President calling to congratulate my victory, so please stay quiet for a while..."

In the envious and jealous gazes of some, the governor answered the call, his face full of smiles. Although the current situation is indeed poor, and he might face criticisms and attacks in the upcoming term, his rank and prestige have risen once more, outweighing those insignificant losses.

During the brief phone call, people only noticed the address he used — "Mr. President," which prompted them to become even quieter, fearing to disturb the conversation between the governor and the President.

Lynch stood outside the crowd, holding his wine glass, observing the governor putting on a show, with no notable expression on his face — neither envy nor resentment.

Standing beside him, Adelaide couldn't help but explain, "This is a necessary procedure. Previously, it might not have been, but now it must be..."

"Understandable!" Lynch nodded, accepting Adelaide's explanation.

In fact, this practice is somewhat... shameless, but as Adelaide mentioned, people were elected based on their abilities before, and society and the economy had no problems, making whether the President called unimportant.

However, the situation now is not great; after winning, there must be someone stepping forward to criticize some of the governor's initiatives and his victory in the election.

Every election, be it mayor, governor, or presidential elections, candidates always slander and attack each other, continuing for a long time, which has evolved into a tradition.

Yet this year, the governor's opponent has almost done nothing, becoming a point for attacking the governor — an election conspiracy.

Having a call from the President at this time helps a bit, at least preventing those foolish citizens from being manipulated by some with ulterior motives into attacking the governor and the so-called election scandal like fools.

Lynch had seen through it early on, but as the saying goes, this is politics, abounding with hidden maneuvers everywhere.

Not long after, the governor ended the call and loudly shared the content of his conversation with the President, as well as the fact and blessings of the President congratulating him on his victory, further elevating the atmosphere.

The governor continued mingling through the crowd. Those invited to attend today's celebration were all his supporters who had donated a good sum for him.

He must thank these people, for next time in the state election, he would again rely on them to fundraise to aid his victory.

After about an hour, the governor finally approached Lynch. The governor seemed to have drunk quite a bit, his face somewhat flushed. Before even reaching Lynch, he proactively extended his hand.

Lynch passed his wine glass to Helen and reached out to shake hands with the governor. "Thank you for coming, Lynch!" The governor's hand was warm and hot, giving a feeling of reliability and a sense of security.

Lynch responded with a smile, "There isn't anyone in the state more suitable for this position than you. I'm also grateful that you invited me!"

Upon hearing this, the governor couldn't help but laugh heartily. "I know this is just to make me happy, but I really appreciate you all. Without your support, I might not have won this election!"

The statement was indeed accurate; the governor's opponent's lack of a fighting spirit was one thing, but had the governor genuinely performed inadequately, the opponent wouldn't have given him a chance for re-election.

After skipping over the regular pleasantries, the two released their hands, yet the governor didn't leave and instead engaged Lynch in an off-topic conversation.

"You're doing well in Nagariel; next month or so, I'll arrange for some government personnel from the state along with company heads to form a group to visit Nagariel. It might trouble you to host them."

He then glanced at others celebrating elsewhere, and in a lower voice, mentioned, "The situation in the state remains severe, some areas slightly better, yet still leisurely. Expecting the market to recover on its own seems unlikely, so they'll have to venture outside to seek opportunities."

The governor carried a smile, his eyes firm; waiting for domestic improvements would only lead to a dead end, and only by seeking development opportunities abroad could the domestic situation be salvaged.

And this approach has been proven effective and valuable, thus he would force those unwilling to go out to do so.

"I will cooperate."

"Anyway, thank you, and thank you all!" The governor once again extended his hand to shake with Lynch. "I'll step away for a while; others need my attention. We'll talk more later." He said, glanced at Adelaide and assistant Helen, nodded with a smile, and then bid farewell to Lynch, leaving.

After the governor departed, Mr. Adelaide made an invitation to "walk and talk" and moved with Lynch towards the backyard.

Helen thought for a moment and didn't follow, leaving only Mr. Adelaide and Lynch.

"Recently, some companies have declared bankruptcy again…" Adelaide began with an unpleasant bad news, "Limited orders can't solve the overall environment's issues, so the governor plans to adopt the method you previously mentioned, to develop externally."

"But, as you know, the public always holds certain prejudices against this approach. No matter how we explain it, some believe it's the Federation Government colluding with merchants to transfer assets."

Speaking of this phenomenon, Adelaide had a slight mocking smile on his face, "Therefore, we can't be too obvious and direct; preferably, someone could send an invitation from Nagariel, inviting us to visit. Do you understand my meaning?"

"I'll have someone prepare it. Do you need a province-level invitation, or have their royal family send it?"

Lynch undoubtedly understood this logic — like taking off pants unnecessarily, but don't think taking off pants is superfluous.

When you're healthy, without any problems, you know whether you're preparing for a fart or a pile of excrement.

But when you're unwell, you don't know what the next thing coming out will be, nor dare you gamble, making taking off pants before farting the best option.

Though foolish, at least it avoids a significant mishap.