Blackstone Code-Chapter 583: Mentor of the Soul

“Come in.”
After hanging up the phone, Lynch waited briefly before calling out. The office door opened, and Akumari stepped in.
He was a short, young local man with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and an honest-looking face. He seemed perfect for playing sacrificial roles—Lynch immediately thought of movies.
A character who naturally gives off a positive impression, without needing extra development from the plot. Ideal to be sacrificed, since such people can stir deep emotional resonance in audiences. But they don’t make good protagonists—not handsome enough, and Federation mainstream culture has no room for protagonists like them.
These thoughts flashed by quickly. Lynch looked at him. “You said your friend was arrested by the police. Do you know what crime he’s accused of?”
Akumari hesitated briefly, then decided to tell the truth. Even if he didn’t, Lynch could easily find out with a phone call. There was no point in wasting credibility on a meaningless lie.
He explained, “They’re accusing my friend of organizing the recent protest, Master Lynch…”
Lynch raised his hand, interrupting. “I don’t know who told you to call me
Master Lynch
, but I have to say—I’m not interested in that kind of address.”
“It humiliates you, placing you in a position of inferiority, and it insults me. I’m not that vulgar.”
“I suggest you call me
Mr. Lynch
, or just
Lynch
.”
Akumari was caught off guard. He had assumed all foreigners liked being addressed that way. After all, whether it was the provincial governor or past colonial masters, they enjoyed the feeling of superiority. But Lynch was different.
He had rejected it, and that made Akumari view him strangely—like a traitor among foreigners.
But he quickly composed himself. “Yes, Mr. Lynch. I know my friend well. He’s just a mechanic who recently learned how to fix cars. We’re ordinary people—there’s no way we could organize a protest like the police claim.”
His voice was sincere. “If we really had that kind of power, we’d already be rich. Mr. Lynch, this is slander. They just grabbed someone at random to be a scapegoat. I beg you to help him.”
When Akumari mentioned the protest charge, Lynch already understood what was going on.
The arrests of the Nagaryll Youth Party members hadn’t caused a major stir. No widespread raids or city-wide police presence. Some people even believed the government wasn’t serious about it. But in truth, the operation never stopped.
Lynch had placed bodyguards with criminal investigation experience into the police force as special consultants to aid in these arrests.
This was why Lynch had pushed for foreign officers to be embedded in local departments—to give his own staff legal identities so they could act freely.
If Akumari’s friend had been arrested, it wasn’t a mistake. Lynch trusted his team—they wouldn’t lie about capturing a major organizer. Unless they were tired of life, no one would risk that.
After hearing Akumari out, Lynch calmly offered a few words of consolation. “I’ll look into it, but before I make a call, I need to make something clear.”
“As a foreigner, even if I hold some influence with certain officials, I still respect the law.”
“If they can’t produce solid evidence against your friend, I’ll protest and get a lawyer to help him clear his name through the legal system.”
“But if your friend is indeed the person they say he is, and they have the evidence…” Lynch shook his head. “Then I’m sorry.”
“I respect your dignity. I respect everyone’s dignity. And I respect your laws. I won’t use my privilege to trample them. I hope you understand.”
He looked at Akumari, speaking words that shook him. “The law is sacred. It exists to judge people’s actions and distinguish right from wrong. In the Federation, and here, the law is above all!”
Without waiting for a response, Lynch picked up the phone and called the police in front of him.
After some mostly meaningless exchange, he hung up and looked at the hopeful Akumari, shaking his head.
“The police have strong evidence identifying your friend as the protest organizer. Multiple witnesses have confirmed he’s a senior member of the local Youth Party.”
“I’m sorry, Akumari. I can’t help you. Your friend is a criminal. The only thing I can do now is help you find a lawyer—maybe your friend will need him.”
After leaving Lynch’s office, Akumari didn’t feel especially defeated. In fact, he had expected this outcome before arriving.
He’d imagined many scenarios—and he’d guessed right, just not about the reason.
Lynch hadn’t rejected him out of arrogance or prejudice—but because of the law.
That made it impossible to resent him. In fact, Akumari even felt a hint of admiration. Lynch truly wasn’t just another foreign businessman.
It was a strange feeling. They were supposed to be enemies. The Youth Party’s slogan was
expel the foreigners
. They were on opposite sides. That hadn’t changed.
Yet he felt no hatred—none at all. From Lynch and his words, he had experienced something completely new: the weight of the law.
In the past, Nagaryll had no real law—or rather, secular law was vastly inferior to theocratic law. This was normal in their society.
For those in power, theocratic law offered more convenience. They could murder and simply pay a fine to be absolved. Why would they follow secular law?
Just to make things harder for themselves?
Nagaryll’s lower class society was dominated by clans and tribes—including so-called “street clans.” Every village and street was a tightly knit unit.
They solved internal issues themselves and resorted to violence for external ones. Vigilante justice was common, and theocratic law supported it. This made secular law almost irrelevant.
At that moment, Akumari suddenly understood—what Nagaryll needed most wasn’t to drive anyone out or seize control. It was to acknowledge the law’s value and purpose.
If people could strictly follow legal rules instead of the vague, manipulable theocratic code, society could be efficient and clean.
Standing by the roadside, he thought deeply. The Youth Party’s charter was far too narrow. If Nagaryll wanted to rise, it had to begin by respecting the law.
He glanced back at the small building, as if his eyes could see through the walls to Lynch at his desk.
A foreigner had done what they themselves could not. And Akumari believed more foreigners probably respected the law—that might be why their nations became strong.
Law is fair. It protects everyone, no matter their status. It’s not a tool for the rich and powerful to oppress others. It’s the foundation of justice and fairness.
He even started to understand why foreigners paid wages when hiring workers. Some called it
contract spirit
or
trust,
but in truth, it was the spirit of the law. Those contracts had legal power. They followed the law and fulfilled obligations.
Akumari had many thoughts. He faintly sensed he had glimpsed a different path—a road to national strength, completely unlike anything others had proposed. A true and righteous path forward.
Lynch had no idea that his casual response had triggered so much reflection in Akumari. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have minded chatting a bit more.
Saying something like
power comes from the people
would’ve made him happy.
But Lynch’s attention was now on Akumari himself. After he left, Lynch called in his sergeant.
“Send two people to follow the short guy who just left my office. Record where he goes, who he meets. Stay hidden.”
The sergeant immediately accepted the order and assigned people to the task, but not long after, he returned. “Boss, we need to talk.”
“About what?” Lynch tossed him a plain-colored Clove cigarette. “You planning to get married too?”