Chapter 128: A Ticket

After breakfast, Ferrell called Lynch to say he would stop by later, so Lynch didn’t rush to leave.

Around ten o’clock, Ferrell arrived at Lynch’s residence in a hurry.

He glanced curiously at Katherine. After Lynch introduced them, Ferrell greeted her, and she returned to her room upstairs.

Once Katherine left, Ferrell didn’t mention her. In the Baylor Federation, respecting others’ privacy, especially their personal lives, is an important courtesy. He only paid slight attention to her.

Then Ferrell brought some answers Lynch wanted—responses from the mayor’s office.

“The city mayor agreed. He can give you five hundred acres, but you need to provide at least 1,800 local jobs or 3,000 jobs within the state.”

In the Baylor Federation, purchasing non-residential land requires meeting such standards: providing jobs or fulfilling economic plans.

If the landowner fails to meet these standards, all non-compliant land under their name will be confiscated, auctioned off, or left idle.

This includes all real estate on the land. So most entrepreneurs and factory owners spend money hiring famous designers to draft plans before enclosing land.

They plan their industrial scale for the short, medium, and long term, then sign a phased land transfer contract with the local government.

This way, factory owners and entrepreneurs don’t face excessive pressure on issues like job creation or wage payments.

Originally, Lynch hadn’t asked for five hundred acres, but the mayor had doubled his plan, leaving no room for negotiation.

Lynch responded decisively, “I can’t meet these requirements in the short term.”

His reaction didn’t surprise Ferrell. Creating 1,800 jobs, paying each worker 200 Sol monthly, means 360,000 Sol in wages every month. Even if Lynch could pay now, he’d be ruined next month.

“That’s just the mayor’s medium- to long-term target—you have two years to meet the employment requirements,” Ferrell lowered his voice slightly. “Actually, you only need to fulfill two-thirds of it. After all, solving two-thirds is still a solution.”

That’s the value of an advisor. Ferrell knew the mayor’s bottom line better than Lynch. Two-thirds means 1,200 jobs.

If Lynch employs 1,200 workers on this land, even if he can’t meet the rest of the requirements later, the mayor wouldn’t kick him out easily, because those workers and their families would cause unrest for the city government.

Lynch nodded thoughtfully. Ferrell didn’t realize Lynch’s reaction revealed a deeper truth: the crisis in Sabin City was worse than Lynch imagined.

At the same time, it added more uncertainty. Ferrell lacked the information and chance to clear the fog and didn’t know the severity stemmed not from society’s development but from the Liston Group and their CEO, Mr. Neo.

After a brief pause, Ferrell mentioned the second matter. “The mayor wants to have dinner with you Sunday evening this week. Adjust your schedule.”

Monday to Friday are workdays, often filled with one or two social engagements after hours.

Saturday is a rest day, but Saturday evenings are typically reserved for formal weekend dinners.

Sunday, the week’s first day, is the only day the mayor can control. He can only spare dinner time that day to meet Lynch; otherwise, it would be at least two weeks before he could schedule a dinner.

Lynch nodded again. Ferrell then pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it over.

“What’s this?” Lynch flipped through the unsealed envelope and opened it. Inside was a small card like a celebrity pass.

He took it out.

It was an obviously expensive card with a slight metallic feel. The stark contrast of black and bright gold gave it an aura of prestige and mystery.

Only a time, a place, and two signatures were written on it—nothing else.

“This is an invitation to an auction. Only with this card can you enter,” Ferrell said with a rare tone of emotion.

Lynch smiled. “What’s being auctioned? Secondhand goods?”

“Something like that,” Ferrell didn’t deny it. Anything at an auction is secondhand, even if unopened.

It’s an auction to divide EverBright Group’s assets. EverBright’s local industries will be auctioned under federal law. The proceeds partly pay heavy fines, with the rest going to local finances.

How much the assets fetch is entirely market-driven—sometimes higher, sometimes lower.

After all, even a giant like EverBright Group operates by evading taxes; some supposedly valuable assets may not be so valuable.

Well, that’s not the important part. The key is Lynch must attend this auction, but he lacks the qualification to bid.

Ferrell’s idea was for Lynch to sneak in and experience the cruelty, coldness, bloodiness, and madness of high society—to see its harshest truths firsthand.

Ferrell was a good man who believed Lynch needed this experience. Though Lynch might impress, his background left him no access to this world’s realities.

Without exposure to this side, it’s like living in a less real world—no help for his growth.

Only by seeing the cruelty would Lynch become cautious and mature.

Wolves treat attacks from their own kind as play unless injured. Only then do they realize play can be deadly, awakening their ferocity.

Lynch raised an eyebrow and carefully kept the card. He never disappointed or offended kindness.

Soon after, Ferrell left. The advisors were busy lately. CEO Neo’s attitude put the mayor and city hall in a passive position, and the mayor refused to compromise.

If the two sides split and Liston Group withdraws from Sabin City, the problems left behind would be disastrous—affecting tens of thousands of families.

Neither the mayor nor CEO Neo expected things to worsen so much.

Their mutual unwillingness to yield made compromise impossible. Neither could back down first. This was no small matter; one step back wasn’t an option.

If the mayor yielded, he could keep Liston Group but lose his political life.

If CEO Neo yielded, he’d lose his position and possibly have shares repossessed by the board.

This was no longer a dispute over interests but a show of power—one must submit.

From the current situation, the mayor clearly won’t bow to Liston Group. He doesn’t see his future limited to mayor.

Neither side would yield. In the wild, retreat isn’t virtue but weakness.

After watching Ferrell leave with a serious expression, Lynch called Katherine downstairs.

In some large houses, each room has its own telephone. To prevent interference when multiple phones are used simultaneously, a semi-automatic switchboard is installed.

It’s not as complicated as people imagine. Each phone has a separate number but can connect directly to other phones in the same segment by dialing a separator, allowing for short dialing.

“Done talking?” Katherine came downstairs in a change of clothes. She hadn’t seen the impressive man from earlier.

A man she knew deeply suddenly felt unfamiliar in some ways—it was a fresh feeling.

Lynch nodded and responded briefly, then said, “Remember what we talked about last night?” The girl nodded. Lynch continued, “Do you have any goals?”

“For example, what major do you want to study, or is there a university you dream of?” He walked toward the entrance. “Let’s get something to eat first, then visit the university you want to see.”

Standing by the door, he looked at Katherine. She couldn’t help but smile. “Is this what high society life is like?”

Noticing the confusion in Lynch’s eyes, she laughed, “Spending every day eating and chatting?”

Lynch paused, then nodded approvingly. “I’m glad you have a whole new understanding of my life now.”