Chapter 234: The End of an Era and a New Beginning

Later that evening, Lynch had dinner with the mayor.

It was an interesting phenomenon—just two months ago, it would have taken Lynch a long time to get an appointment to dine with the mayor. But now, he could easily meet with him anytime, even cut the line to sit down and talk or have a meal together.

Was this due to Lynch’s charm, knowledge, or noble character?

No. It had nothing to do with any of those virtues. It was simply because he was wealthy, and because his development was now tied to the mayor’s political agenda. They were bound by shared interests—interests were the real reason behind these miracles.

It was a simple dinner. Instead of eating out, they chose to dine at the mayor’s home.

Dining out wasn’t a wise choice at the moment. A hidden reporter could easily turn a casual meal into sensational news. For example, placing a photo of the indulgent mayor beside a starving homeless man could evoke anger without needing a single word.

To avoid such trouble, the mayor had specifically invited Lynch to his home for a private dinner. Though labeled a family meal, it was far from ordinary.

“I heard from Mark that you’re planning to split up your company. Will this affect some of our upcoming… plans?” the mayor asked directly. After Mark told him about the meeting, he decided to raise the issue with Lynch.

He wasn’t worried about money—so long as he remained in office, helping Mark make a fortune would be easy.

Take the recent negotiations, for instance. Mark had been working with city hall on public transportation issues. The collapse of the public transport company continued to affect citizens’ daily lives, and no company wanted to shoulder the responsibility. That’s when Mark stepped in.

He was willing to take it on, and in return, city hall agreed to squeeze out subsidies from its already tight budget and offer some tax exemptions. All of this was made public to prove there were no backroom deals.

The mayor wasn’t concerned with how well Mark’s business was doing—he just wanted to ensure that his policies wouldn’t be affected.

Lynch patiently explained the situation in terms the mayor could understand.

“After the split, professionals will handle professional tasks. Compared to now, this will create more jobs. For example…” He paused briefly, and the mayor listened intently.

“Right now, I have fewer than thirty partners in each city, enough to handle all the business.”

“But after the split, just constructing a secondhand goods trading center in each city will require hundreds, even thousands, of workers per location.”

“And that doesn’t include the management and operations staff needed later. And this is just one company.”

“There’s also the auction company, and the parent company. We’ll need warehouses—whether renting or building, they’ll all create jobs.”

The mayor seemed to understand and followed up with a targeted question. “With such a large expansion, do you have the funds to support it?”

Lynch shook his head. “There’s no issue. If this were a few years ago, I wouldn’t have dared. Just the projected land costs would’ve bankrupted me. But now…”

He smiled and leaned back as the mayor’s chef brought in steak. He didn’t elaborate, but the mayor understood.

With the financial crisis spreading, the real estate market was hit first. Capital flight and a sluggish economy made urban life increasingly unaffordable. People were fleeing cities—just as they had once flooded in.

Demand for property kept falling, and transaction volumes hit new lows weekly.

A slumping market naturally brought down prices. Like stocks, the selling price sets the trend—lower trends lead to steeper price drops.

Getting land now was far easier than before, and the mayor knew this well.

Realizing Lynch’s plans wouldn’t hinder his policies, the mayor smiled more easily. He had been dealing with problems for weeks.

In good spirits, he said, “The ideas you mentioned last time—they’re starting to take shape. We’ve made some breakthrough progress.”

This was a little reward for Lynch. The mayor mentioned a young man, rising on the diplomatic stage—none other than the president’s own son.

International developments hadn’t yet reached the domestic public, but that day was near.

At a recent international conference, the young man faced hostility. Some mocked him by invoking his father, the President of the Federation: how could an isolationist’s son attend global meetings? Was the president caving to political pressure, or had his son betrayed him?

It was a cruel jab, and people waited to see the drama unfold. But the young man responded with astonishing words:

“Each era makes its own choices. We shouldn’t blame individuals for the mistakes of an age. But as a son, and as a young diplomat, I will prove myself to everyone.”

“What Baylor Federation has lost—what the President has lost—what we have all lost… I will win it back, for everyone!”

His words were powerful and resolute. Unlike past diplomats from the Federation, who either dodged criticism or deflected with official rhetoric, he gave a direct and inspiring answer.

It was a clear signal: the Federation’s foreign policy had changed dramatically.

Meanwhile, the Progressive Party’s vice chairman had secured preliminary international cooperation agreements—with one condition: the current president had to step down.

This shift gave international partners a sense of accomplishment. They had nearly pushed the president out, and if they kept pushing, they risked turning the Federation against them.

The international stage was ready. Now it was time for internal consensus to finish the job.

Public dissatisfaction with the president was surging. Politicians and media had pinned all the blame on him, and people welcomed it.

Many privately knew the truth—social unrest and economic decline weren’t entirely the president’s fault. He didn’t have the power to ruin a nation on his own.

But blaming him allowed people to believe they weren’t wrong—the president was.

After all, isolationism was born from public demand. The mistake had been made. Let someone bear it.

And the more united people were in their hatred of the president, the more cohesive society became. With the second round of impeachment voting just days away, many groups had begun gathering outside the Eminence Capitol, rallying in support of those brave enough to challenge authority.Many believed this would mark a turning point in the Federation’s history.

But Lynch wasn’t as optimistic as the average person. The Federation’s economy had been built on international capital fleeing war—foreign money pouring into real estate and investments had fueled an unprecedented financial boom.

Now that capital had left, and it wouldn’t return just because of a shift in foreign policy. Restoring the previous state of prosperity would take three to five years, if not longer.

The pace of future development would surprise everyone—not because it would be fast, but because it would be extremely slow.

“Once all this is over, we’ll open up free trade to a certain extent,” said the mayor while enjoying his steak. It was one of the things Lynch was most interested in.

But he caught a detail and repeated, “To a certain extent?”

The mayor set down his knife and fork and nodded. “Some experts in the party believe there won’t be another large-scale war within the next ten years. They also think the nature of war might change—from military conflict to economic warfare…”

During the recent world war, economic warfare had started gaining attention—especially in the later stages. Countries found that bombarding commercial and industrial cities brought greater long-term benefits than shelling frontline positions.

The Progressive Party leadership was wary. Fully opening up free trade might invite international predators into countries lacking experience or defenses. So the opening would be limited.

“What about me?” Lynch asked. “How can I qualify for international trade?”