Blackstone Code-Chapter 570: Once and for All

From a friend’s comment that sounded like half a complaint and half a boast, Mr. Patric sensed something unusual. It must be said: nothing that successful people like Mr. Patric have achieved comes from mere luck.
His eyes were sharp as he looked at Lynch—he was sure he was right, and a confident smile appeared on his face.
“You have a sharp nose, Mr. Patric!” Lynch didn’t confirm it, nor did he deny it, but his attitude said everything.
Only then did Mr. Patric dial down his pride and arrogance, nodding slightly in acknowledgment of Lynch’s praise.
Of course, he also rather immodestly admitted Lynch had a point.
That’s how Federals are—self-confidence is a core part of their culture.
You might be able to fool the average person with this sort of thing, but not someone like Mr. Patric, the head of a top financial consortium. His network could easily dig up credible inside information from certain players.
The only reason he still needed his aides to analyze things was because he couldn’t currently return to the Federation and tap into his personal network. Besides, there was a chance that related topics might come up during the upcoming board meetings.
If he wasn’t clear on what kind of insider trading was going on here, he could end up at a serious disadvantage.
This also made him suspicious: was the banker friend who leaked that information doing so intentionally, or was it accidental?
He leaned toward it being a deliberate hint. He even prepared a heartfelt thank-you letter for the friend who had
accidentally
let it slip—he figured the recipient would appreciate it.
Now, sitting with Lynch, Patric was driven by a single question: “Why you?”
“I admit you’re excellent, Mr. Lynch, but why you? I’m confused—do you understand?”
His expression was filled with genuine curiosity, matching the tone of his question.
From his perspective, Lynch wasn’t really a major public figure—not in the traditional sense. The media hyped him up, sure, but to reach the level of someone like himself, or Mr. Wadrick, or other financial moguls, Lynch still had many years of accumulation ahead.
Sometimes, society is just that unfair. No matter how well someone from the bottom does, they won’t earn the upper class’s recognition. At best, they’ll say,
Hmph, lucky guy
.
They’re reluctant even to acknowledge you—much less give you a real opportunity. Opportunities are reserved for their own kind, or for others born into the upper class.
But Lynch had clearly made it in. That was what intrigued Patric the most—how had Lynch gotten in, when even he himself was on the outside?
Lynch touched his cheek. “Maybe I’m just better-looking?”
He understood what Patric was getting at, but he didn’t want to reveal the truth: it had all started with him.
He had been the one discussing financial warfare with Mr. Truman, the first to advocate for global economic conflict in Eminence. These ideas earned him credibility, as many of his predictions were later validated by international events.
As a result, the President, Mr. Truman, and other high-ranking officials began to take his theories seriously, using them as the basis to push the entire agenda forward—and Lynch became part of it.
He didn’t want more people to know about the role he played because he was still too young.
Youth was his greatest asset—it gave him time to build his own power base, and to outlast any rivals. But it was also his greatest weakness.
Although the Federation never publicly admitted to valuing seniority, and there were many young officials in government, Lynch was too young.
Mr. Truman had been constantly trying to pull him into politics, even wanting Lynch as his deputy—not just for Lynch’s intelligence and unorthodox thinking, but also as a safeguard.
Keeping him close meant they could stop him if he ever came up with something too dangerous. He was becoming that important.
The outside world didn’t know that Lynch’s lobbying was the catalyst behind the whole operation, which made Patric all the more puzzled: why Lynch, and not him?
Lynch’s joking reply made it clear he didn’t want to continue the conversation. Pushing further wouldn’t get answers—and might even cause friction.
Without knowing who had backed Lynch, or how he’d gotten involved, Patric didn’t want to create conflict. On the contrary, he found Lynch more intriguing—and worth investing in.
“Destroying Nagaryll’s monetary system is an interesting and valuable approach. I’ve heard people there have started using Federal currency as a habit?”
Shifting away from the question Lynch didn’t want to answer, the conversation continued.
Lynch went back to his food and nodded. “Compared to the Valier, which can fluctuate unpredictably every day, holding the Federal Sol is much more stable—and it’s appreciating.”
He speared a piece of beef and nodded in satisfaction. “Kurlik beef. They’re probably not having a great year either.”
This sudden tangent wasn’t him avoiding the topic—just an observation.
Kurlik’s beef cattle are among the world’s best. The breed is excellent, and the environment there ideal for raising them.
A purely agricultural nation with almost no industry, Kurlik had focused on producing high-end beef and dominated the premium meat market.
But with the Federation’s economy struggling, demand had collapsed.
Countries were focused on rebuilding. Orders had plummeted. Now you could even find Kurlik beef in average restaurants—something unthinkable before.
Unless you had a first-class ticket worth four or five grand, don’t even think about eating Kurlik beef.
Patric nodded calmly. “Beef prices have indeed dropped a lot. I heard they’ve bred a new, superior genetic line—fewer in number, not allowed to leave the country alive, only sold to select clients.”
“Marketing,” Lynch said, taking a sip of wine that washed away the meat and grease in his mouth. He put the glass down. “As long as you have the money, you’re on their
priority list
.”
The two exchanged a knowing smile. These days, if you had an order, whatever you said was right.
Naturally, the conversation circled back. Lynch toyed with his food, clearly enjoying his meal. “The Valier has no strength or weight in the global forex market. If we hold large amounts long-term, it’ll cause unnecessary losses. You get what I mean?”
Patric nodded. “Yes, I understand. We currently have over 800,000 employees in Nagaryll. We need to pay them about 500 million Valier a day. Converting it into foreign exchange is also a hassle.”
That number sounded alarming—but it was real, and largely unnoticed.
Lynch had a large number of native Nagaryll workers under his wing—let alone the entire Joint Development Company. That’s when it clicked for Patric.
He frowned and lowered his head slightly in thought. A minute or two later, his expression relaxed. “I think I’m starting to get it. The Valier’s circulation is limited…”
Lynch nodded in agreement. Despite Nagaryll’s large population, the money supply was limited. That was because much of the population still lived in a barter-based system.
They had no access to money, and their lives didn’t require a monetary system. In this bizarre country, money only had circulation value among the middle and upper classes—so the total issuance was never high.
As the Joint Development Company deepened its exploitation of the country, they would inevitably run into one major issue: currency shortage.
In the period before Nagaryll fired up its printing presses, the Valier would appreciate due to scarcity. After all, currency is just another commodity—a standard of value.A currency shortage means the exchange rate will rise. If, during that period, Nagaryll’s government suddenly floods the market with newly printed money, the Federals will suffer significant losses.
Combined with the long-term volatility in exchange rates causing problems in domestic and foreign trade, none of this aligns with the Federation’s interests. So why not just replace it entirely?
Of course, this can’t be done openly—you can’t exactly tell the rulers of Nagaryll,
Hey, starting today we’re abolishing the Valier, and you’re required to use the Federal Sol as the sole legal tender
. That’s impossible.
To many, the Valier is already worthless, but even the right to issue this kind of worthless paper isn’t something people would give up easily. Rather than going back and forth, racking up losses, it’s better to settle it once and for all.
There’s nothing simpler or more efficient than completely destroying the Valier’s monetary system—no transition, just direct adoption of the Federal Sol.
As for the interests and rights of the Nagaryll people?
Didn’t you see the crowds outside the banks exchanging currency?
They were given the opportunity. If they couldn’t seize it, that’s their problem.