Chapter 324: An Expedition Without Treasure Is Just an Outing

The federation’s laws have many clauses. Each state and city has its own local regulations. No one dares claim they understand every current law across the federation.

But there is a way to quickly grasp most of the laws and know what is appropriate.

These laws boil down to a few key points, characteristic of the federation—

First, you cannot violate another’s free will or force them to do something against their wishes.

For example, forcing someone out of a car or house, taking money from their wallet, or making them remove their pants—these are all forbidden.

Second, you cannot attack anything—whether person, animal, or even a tree or rock.

Attacking living beings counts as harm, and the federation has strict laws to deal with such acts, including animal abuse.

Damaging inanimate objects, like a roadside stone, can be considered destruction, punishable by fines and imprisonment. Thus, all forms of attack are prohibited.

Third, any action whose legality you doubt should be considered illegal.

For example, if you’re unsure whether spitting on someone is legal, treat it as illegal.

Other examples include urinating or defecating in public, peeping into neighbors’ bathrooms, running around naked, and so forth.

When uncertain about legality, it’s likely unlawful—a self-protective instinct shaped by long-standing social values.

If you follow these three principles, you generally avoid serious trouble—an experience many lawyers have confirmed.

After two or three days of education, the boy—now given a name—entered a new stage. His name was Boloreika, which in the native Nagaryll language means gift.

To better fit into Baylor Federation society, Lynch shortened his name to Rika. Though it sounds somewhat feminine, people are not blind—they won’t mistake a boy for a girl.

Rika had been doing quite well these days. Lynch was experienced with kids like him and had dealt with even more difficult ones. To make them respect authority, he stripped away what they had always taken pride in, making them fragile, even less resilient than ordinary children.

Adam explained the differences between the Baylor Federation and Nagaryll in simple terms: people here respect and obey the law, which is crucial.

Nagaryll also has various laws, though they may have loopholes or imperfections, the fundamental framework is sound.

However, laws there are rarely enforced because two legal systems coexist: secular law and religious canon law.

These systems overlap on many issues. For example, secular law says murderers must be tried and punished. But canon law believes if the murderer admits guilt and sincerely repents (often by donating money), they should be forgiven.

Punishing a murderer means losing two lives at once, but forgiveness saves one.

Almost everyone in Nagaryll is a believer, so canon law often holds more legal weight than secular law. It also aligns better with both the ruling class and the populace.

But in the Baylor Federation, things are not so easy. Rika quickly learned the consequences of actions like forcing a woman against her will or causing injury by violence—these crimes bring huge trouble.

If women’s rights groups stage protests, combined with Rika’s foreign status, he faces over ten years in prison.

This brings up a sensitive social phenomenon: as the federation interacts more with the international community, a disturbing idea spreads quickly.

Some believe foreigners’ status will greatly rise, possibly surpassing that of citizens. Although the president has publicly and privately denied this, people worry that if the girl reports the case, it might escalate politically, requiring federation society to respond.

They would give Rika an unimaginably harsh sentence to show that, past or present, the people’s interests come first.

No joke—stop your unpleasant laughter.

Rika understood reverence now and treated everything carefully, including his attitude.

He no longer acted recklessly or arrogantly, nor did he wave his arms or shout Lynch’s name as before.

Now, he maintained a respectful demeanor, calling out with some fear, “Mr. Lynch.”

If the High Priest saw Rika’s change, he would be relieved. At least one of his many sons was finally behaving like a person.

Three days passed quickly. The exhibition was held as scheduled in a pavilion inside Eminence Central Park.

Normally, such public places are off-limits for private use, but Lynch thanked Mr. Truman, who arranged with the Social Services Bureau to make the event possible.

Shortly after two in the afternoon, media and citizens gathered in large numbers. Lynch appeared with Severella. The crowd cheered and shouted his name. Like a celebrity, he smiled and waved.

This exhibition did not invite certain political figures or celebrities—it was unlike ordinary shows and unsuited to outsiders stealing the spotlight.

The girl beside Lynch watched the crowd’s enthusiasm and the man’s profile with a special look. “You’re very popular,” she said, thinking of her father, who experienced similar scenes whenever she attended events as his companion.

In the Wadrick family, the hostess’s role was weak. Severella’s mother was gentle, not domineering.

Naturally, Wadrick played an important role in Severella’s upbringing and became her support.

She had a father complex. Children raised in such families, especially girls, tend toward two tendencies:

One, the father’s positive role gives security and a natural father fixation, which is normal.

Two, the father’s role is negative, like a dictator, making girls eager to escape, avoid mentioning him, and often fall into rage.

Wadrick was a gentleman.

Lynch glanced at her and joked, “People aren’t cheering for me—they’re paid actors. I hired them.”

The girl laughed. “No need to self-deprecate. You’re handsome and influential. People like hearing your stories. I never noticed before—you can attract crowds without paying.”

“That’s not a story…” Lynch corrected her slight mistake.

“I know, I know, it’s what you’ve lived!” she said, knowing what he meant without him saying more. These legendary adventures were a hot topic in Eminence’s high society.

They reached the first exhibit. The staff pulled away the tarp, revealing a pair of enormous ivory tusks, drawing gasps from the crowd.It was even longer than before. Lynch had custom bases made for it, making it look taller, larger, and more luxurious.

Amid his nonstop boasting, the elephant—dead for who knows how many years—not only came alive again in Lynch’s story, but unfortunately died once more.

After finishing, Lynch moved to the next exhibit. Some people began taking photos with the ivory within a limited area.

The photo service wasn’t free, but only cost one Sol. As Eminence is the center of the Baylor Federation, even in tough economic times, a Sol was affordable.

People enthusiastically discussed each item until Lynch stood beside a heavily guarded platform.

Staff carefully pulled back the tarp to reveal a glass case holding a large, somewhat damaged parchment covered in various symbols.

As people wondered what it was, Lynch gently touched the glass case and said to all, “This is my greatest find in Nagaryll. It concerns a legend.”

“A legend connected to King Shupuayin…”