Lynch had already predicted that Nagaryll would descend into chaos, and he had played a role in accelerating it—such as attending a salon before his birthday.
At the salon, people discussed new business rules. In Magulana Province, these rules were set by Lynch and the Joint Development Company.
Lynch and the company always denied any influence over Nagaryll’s commercial regulations, but no matter how much they denied it, they had already started shaping the local business ecosystem.
At the salon, Lynch appeared impartial, showing no favoritism. Every word he spoke could be examined by the federal Supreme Court’s justices, letter by letter, without fault.
Not just the federation—any country sending experts to analyze his words would find no hidden implications of preferential treatment for anyone.
But here, the greatest fairness was actually the greatest unfairness.
It sounds contradictory, but it’s true—like sending a modern army to attack a primitive tribe. What they call fair competition is inherently unfair.
True fairness would balance the strengths of both sides. But Lynch had no intention of doing that. He was forcing Mr. Simon and other former foreign merchants to leave quickly—this was a paradise for federal traders.
The Preyton era was over. The cunning merchants had fled Nagaryll with all their assets during Preyton’s downfall. What remained were those neither smart nor prudent, only greedy.
Federals were polite and gentle, without aggression—until competition arose. Then federal merchants revealed their ruthless, terrifying side.
Meanwhile, the Nagaryll Youth Party was rapidly growing. A conflict—likely violent—was inevitable.
Staying here was unwise. Lynch had warned Fox and others to stay put in the hotel, which had security and Lynch’s own men to protect them. Other places were unsafe.
Severella was sensible. Unlike some girls who acted stubborn just for the sake of it, she listened.
The afternoon after Lynch’s birthday, Severella took a federal-bound ship. After confessing to Lynch, her heart gradually calmed.
Lynch hadn’t outright accepted her confession, but his words left Severella uncertain. Their relationship was beyond friendship, but not yet lovers. Both had work to do.
Once the unrest Lynch spoke of ended, she would return.
Nagaryll’s calm seemed unchanged, but Lynch’s cement factory and the provincial governor’s estate both increased security and cut down on outings.
Many waited for the inevitable conflict.
“…My men haven’t contacted me for days. They may have been discovered and dealt with. You’re right—they’re no ordinary group.”
In Governor Drag’s room, he discussed the Youth Party with Lynch.
Drag, a local, was curious about this group. Nagaryll hadn’t seen such a rebellious force in centuries. Suddenly, one emerged, spreading nationwide. It wasn’t coincidence.
Nor was it a
wave of history.
It was a planned move. Find their leaders, uncover their origins, and you’d understand their aims.
Lynch couldn’t intervene. As a foreigner surrounded by foreigners, he stood out—there was no hiding it.
So Governor Drag acted. With trusted aides, he infiltrated the Youth Party with
active resistance
operatives, uncovering clues.
The Youth Party’s headquarters was in the kingdom’s capital—the political and economic center. Unexpected, since power was traditionally held by provincial governors.
But it made sense. The Youth Party didn’t rise overnight. From ideological seeds to theory and practice took years, maybe over a decade. They only recently solidified their doctrine and began rapid growth.
To sweep the nation so fast, they needed a widely accepted
goal
and funding.
Passion was valuable, but real effort came from interests and incentives.
They discussed the agent lost in the capital—likely caught and eliminated.
This was no simple matter. Lynch and Drag had suspicions they kept to themselves.
Lynch quickly changed the subject. “How’s the local situation?”
Drag nodded. “Everything is ready. We can mobilize anytime.” He hesitated, “But could this get out of control?”
He felt uneasy. To Lynch, it was like digging up buried explosives and lighting the fuse.
The Youth Party would become a major problem for Nagaryll. Without politics, federal investments benefited the region—jobs, money in pockets, a thriving market fueled by labor.
The Youth Party, seeking to expel foreigners, harmed the country’s progress. Instead of letting tensions escalate into violent eruptions, it was better to expose them early and control the explosion.
They planned to ignite trouble before it became uncontrollable.
Lynch smiled and waved his hand. “Right now, tensions are between locals and foreigners. But if left unchecked, they won’t just target foreign merchants—they’ll go after you rulers.”
His tone was light, almost amused, with a hint of schadenfreude. “Perhaps by then they’ll be shouting slogans like,
Take power back from the dictators!
They’ll smash down the gates, storm inside, kill you, seize your wealth, and take your authority.”
He raised his cup and sipped the region’s special flower tea, no longer looking at Drag.
After a long pause, the governor exhaled heavily through narrowed eyes. “Then we proceed with the plan…”
Lynch set down his cup, nodded. “You’ve made the right choice. And remember—you’re a Federal citizen now.”
It sounded like a joke, but it wasn’t one.
Days passed quickly; nothing seemed to change.
Foreign merchants in Nagaryll prepared to leave. Without Preyton’s protection, they couldn’t secure supplies.
Fairness? Lynch’s version.
Their own country and neighboring nations refused to sell goods to them or send shipments because Nagaryll was the Joint Development Company’s territory.
Even if unspoken, others respected the company’s sovereignty, so no one would risk offending the rapidly growing federal international merchants over a few traders and worthless goods.
Buying from the federals was possible, but they had to pay normal tariffs and wait uncertain months for delivery. If they complained, they’d be told that from order placement to factory production to transport, it simply took at least one or two months.
No goods for one or two months?
The federal merchants would capture the entire market.
If this was fairness, it was deeply unfair.
Most Preyton-era merchants just wanted to clear out their stock and leave—they couldn’t or wouldn’t continue.
Then, unexpectedly, a small accident happened…
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