Blackstone Code-Chapter 537: People with Ideals

“How long did you wait?”
Mr. Truman, just entering the office, casually tossed the documents in his hand onto the desk. He had his secretary bring in two cups of coffee while loosening his tie and sitting down.
This was the office inside the presidential palace. Truman had been so busy these past few days that he hadn’t found a moment to sit down with Lynch alone.
Lynch shook his head. “Not long, about ten minutes.”
Ten minutes wasn’t exactly short. Frustration showed on Truman’s face. “I have to apologize, Lynch. I didn’t expect them to hold me up this long.”
Lynch made a dismissive gesture, as if shooing flies. “It’s fine. Other than here, I wasn’t planning to go anywhere else today…”
Just then, Truman’s secretary came in with the coffee. Both men thanked her, and she closed the door behind her.
The enclosed room gave a sense of security, but it could also bring unease, depending on the strength of the people inside.
“I heard you made quite a lot of money,” Truman said, sipping his coffee while watching Lynch. “The whole of Eminence is buzzing, saying you’re the one who earned the most.”
The sudden surge in the Valier currency created countless new wealthy individuals. Financial workers in Eminence relived the recent frenzy, excitedly sharing their earnings and guessing how much others made.
Almost everyone was making money. From the start, this was the classic
beating the information speed
scenario. Before news spread throughout the Federation, Eminence’s financial people had already jumped in and earned the most.
When people make money, their spirits lift, and they begin to ask around how much others earned.
Reliable sources revealed that Lynch had started laying out plans for Valier’s appreciation months ago. No one knew exactly how much Lynch made, but judging by the satisfied expressions of the wealthy who entrusted their accounts to Blackstone Capital’s management, they were very pleased.
Gradually, the idea spread that Lynch was the biggest winner in the Valier appreciation event, so even Truman had heard about it.
Of course, Truman wasn’t interested just because Lynch made money. The Financial Regulatory Committee had launched an investigation into Blackstone Capital’s recent operations. According to Federation financial law, insiders are forbidden from trading based on confidential information.
For example, if a financial tycoon plans to acquire a listed company and contacts major shareholders or the board before the news is public, insiders might dump shares at high prices and buy cheaply before announcing the acquisition. Trading solely for profit like this is illegal.
Lynch made money, and naturally some envied or hated him. It’s simple: when everyone’s struggling and one person keeps winning, they become a target.
This hostility wasn’t rare in the Federation but wasn’t constant either. Usually, it came from Lynch’s rivals or those with direct stakes wanting to use the regulatory committee to trip him up.
Once the complaint was filed, whether true or not, and regardless of whether Lynch’s actions were illegal, the committee had to interview involved parties to show their value.
They then consulted higher authorities on how to proceed, which is how Truman happened to learn about the case. He gave his opinion, and the president’s stance was to investigate first and then decide.
The general idea was: if evidence of Lynch’s crime surfaced, great; if not, they’d release an official statement. Truman’s input was influential in this process.
Yet, when facing Lynch, Truman showed none of the firm support for the investigation he had expressed in the presidential office. Instead, he was quite friendly.
After the last painful failure, Truman had lost all trust in capitalists. The richer they were, the more wary he became, Lynch included. But for now, they were still in a honeymoon phase, united by shared goals, allowing seemingly seamless cooperation.
If someday their goals diverged and interests clashed, today’s evidence could easily be used to bring Lynch down.
Lynch smiled and shook his head. “Banks earned far more than I did. Compared to them, I’m insignificant.”
His words caused Truman to frown briefly, then relax. He understood what Lynch meant. Banks seemed uninvolved in this event, but in reality, they were the real beneficiaries—and they made countless profits.
That was why Truman despised these capitalists. They sucked blood from ordinary people, other capitalists, and even the state.
“That’s for later. I called you here to hear your thoughts. Your approach today was too flashy. People will be watching us closely when we handle this money.”
Truman meant Lynch had shown off that 10 billion Valier too openly. People might forget a few hundred or a few thousand quickly, but 10 billion wasn’t something easily ignored.
Such a stunning event stays in people’s memories for a long time, and handling that money later could cause trouble linked back to Lynch.
Lynch shrugged casually. “You know, I arrived at the port five minutes later than planned this morning. Want to know what I did?”
Truman shook his head. He wasn’t omniscient. “What?”
Lynch grinned like a sly fox, eyes crescent-shaped. “I called in a accusing the entry clearance officer of accepting bribes. Because of that, a batch of containers unqualified for entry got through.”
Truman frowned again, confused. “Then?”
“After our plan finishes, you can freeze that money—the 10 billion Valier,” Lynch said lightly. Truman sucked in a sharp breath.
Lynch continued, “Smuggling currency is a serious crime. Confiscating illegal gains and freezing funds shows the Federation’s judicial fairness and the determination of the judiciary to uphold justice.”
“As the direct victim, although reluctantly, I’ll cooperate for the sake of justice.”
Truman was both amused and exasperated. He didn’t care if that customs official was guilty; the decision was already made.
He had to admit, Lynch always found bizarre but effective ways to solve problems that left others speechless.
In truth, the money couldn’t easily leave the Federation. Whether sold off or not, it was part of a plan from the start.
But how to keep the money inside had been a headache for Truman and his aides, with no good solution. The only plausible reason was that the buyer be a Federation citizen—but that went against Federation interests.
They had fretted over this for a long time. If Lynch hadn’t been so flashy, the visual impact would be smaller, and handling the money simpler.
Now the problem was solved.
As usual, discreetly, Truman sighed. He didn’t know if this was
brilliant thinking
. Some credited Lynch’s youth for his strange ideas, but there was only one Lynch in the Federation. Simply blaming his youth wasn’t enough.
More likely, Truman thought it was divine favor—that was the real miracle.
“You should enter politics, Lynch. We think alike on many issues. If you did, you could start as my assistant, and we’d work well together.”
“Some of your ideas could even become national policy, signed by the president. Imagine how exciting that would be.”
If they could bring Lynch into their camp, they could avoid the inevitable clash: politicians and capitalists either collude or become bitter enemies. Truman didn’t see himself as easy to compromise with, so if Lynch remained a major capitalist, they would eventually become enemies.
The stakes Truman offered Lynch were exceptionally high. He wanted to avoid conflict between them, so he gave Lynch a starting position that everyone would respect—the presidential advisory team.
In a sense, Lynch was technically a staff member in the office, not officially part of the presidential advisory group. But Truman, being the president’s most important aide and advisor, made Lynch his assistant. This meant Lynch’s political starting point was higher than 90% of others.
As long as he didn’t make major mistakes, Lynch basically had the qualifications to become a governor, and even a shot at the presidency wasn’t impossible.
This was Truman’s sincerity—he wanted to prevent potential future conflicts and struggles.
But Lynch shook his head. “I appreciate your kindness, but our goals are different.”