Blackstone Code-Chapter 472: Time Is Not Kind at All

Lynch and Lime shared similar knowledge; Lynch hadn’t hidden any data or information from Lime. However, Lynch was better at using that data and sparking people’s interest.
Lime showed investors parts of his advantages with detailed numbers to appear reliable. In this era, most people lacked strong math skills but trusted numbers deeply. The more precise and numerous the figures, the more trustworthy it seemed.
Lime’s method of showcasing superior data wasn’t wrong but wasn’t suitable for a buyer’s market.
Lynch took a different approach. He didn’t lay out his information alongside others’ and let people compare. Instead, he showed them what they wanted to see, what interested them. That was his brilliance.
Even educators know interest is the best teacher; the same applies to investors. Rather than making them compare, give them what they want.
People were drawn to the bright future Lynch painted: recovering investment in a few years, then making profits—that’s how most ordinary people calculate.
But this calculation was flawed, especially for industries like railways with tangible assets. The investment isn’t gone; it’s transformed into something physical—rails on the ground, which retain value and appreciate with Nagaryll’s economic growth.
In other words, from the moment the railway starts operating, they’re already making money.
And the profits grow quickly—didn’t Lynch say earlier the annual net profit rate was 15%?
People tend to believe only what interests them, accepting it as truth.
Nearby, Penny watched Lynch smiling and chatting with others. Though they were older, in this moment, the roles seemed reversed.
“A remarkable young man…” A lady noticed Penny zoning out and smiled, breaking the silence.
Zoning out during such occasions is rude. If someone dislikes socializing, they should quietly eat in a corner; others will naturally avoid them. But if you join conversations, zoning out shows disrespect.
Thankfully, the lady helped Penny recover from her mistake—not out of favor for the young girl, but for other reasons.
Older women, facing the rapid loss of youth, often dislike young, vibrant girls because they possess what those women once had but lost forever.
This is perhaps one of the few things money can’t buy: youth. And that’s what these women resent most—youth lost beyond the reach of wealth.
The lady helped Penny because of her connection to Lynch. She knew that in bed, a woman’s body can influence men more than logic. Hormones and impulse shape men’s thoughts, especially when…
She studied Penny: young, energetic, beautiful.
Penny, embarrassed, smiled apologetically, unsure how to continue.
“I’ve seen many talented young people over the years, but someone like Mr. Lynch is rare. You should seize the chance and not let him go—or you’ll regret it for life,” the lady said with experience and wisdom.
Everyone loses youth. If you don’t gain wealth or status in exchange, those years are wasted.
Penny was confused. “I don’t know, ma’am, Lynch is different from ordinary men…” She struggled to explain.
Most young men, like pups, think of one thing upon seeing her and try hard to impress her with their strengths.
But Lynch was different. He treated everything playfully. His gaze made her feel like an object, not a person, and herself childish.
The lady laughed, “Dear, once you have control and higher status, you can do that. Watch men show their best sides—they dress themselves up like products for you to choose.”
“Choosing is your power; they must please you.”
“But if your status isn’t high enough, if you don’t dominate the relationship, then you must take the initiative…”
Through the hazy conversation, Penny absorbed much new knowledge and even got a business card—from a famous posture coach in Eminence, a woman.
The lady explained this coach was more like a sex instructor. Women understand women’s limits and men better.
They know how to satisfy men fully—not just physically but mentally, like the feeling of conquest.
They share special techniques to keep men tied to them.
Some agencies studied cases and found that if no major corporation collapsed in a year, the highest financial cases involved divorce.
Thus, an invisible industry formed around rich marriages and families, including agencies training girls to become mistresses.
Where there is money, there are gold diggers—whether in Nagaryll’s mountains or in girls’ beds.
Soon Lime took over hosting again. Lynch chatted briefly and left after opening the floor. Showing too much enthusiasm sometimes makes investors think you’re desperate for their money.
Indifference can make them fear being left behind, making them offer money eagerly.
Tonight’s dinner guests weren’t all investors Lime brought; some were hotel guests staying without clear plans.
This was normal social practice. Well-known hotels in the Federation and beyond invite certain guests to strangers’ banquets.
The hotel’s service department manages this, knowing who to invite.
After about two hours of mingling, it was nine o’clock. Lynch excused himself, a little later than planned.
“Something on your mind?” Lynch asked while loosening his tie in the elevator, glancing at the girl who seemed troubled.
“What?” The girl tilted her head, looking at Lynch. “Yes… no, nothing.”
After two hours of immersion, the girl had made some decisions. She had held similar thoughts before but hadn’t been fully certain. Tonight’s conversations helped her solidify her resolve. Everyone faces difficult choices eventually, don’t they?
Her silence made Lynch say nothing more. He was only there to escort her back to her room. Although they were in a hotel, that didn’t guarantee complete safety; sometimes danger hides in the safest places.
With a soft ding, the elevator doors opened. They stepped out, one after the other, and found the door number of Penny’s room.
The door opened easily. This was before the era of card keys and electronic locks—it still used an old-fashioned key.
Inside, the girl turned around, head lowered, seeming to have something to say. Lynch didn’t leave immediately.
Though he could sometimes act like a jerk, more often he was a gentleman.
He waited quietly, expecting her to speak or say goodbye.
The quiet lasted less than a minute before the elevator dinged again.
As the elevator doors opened, a lady saw down the hallway a pair of hands reaching out from a room. The big young man smiling at her was suddenly pulled inside by those hands.
“Oh, such a lovely young man…” she smiled, as if recalling a memory or sighing in admiration.