Chapter 821: Hard Work Doesn’t Always Guarantee Results

In a warm room, the Nagarylls sat together, wearing typical Federal attire, speaking in the common language with a slight Federal accent, excitedly sharing their experiences.

Before coming to the Federation, they believed the royal capital was the most prosperous place in the world—nothing could possibly surpass it.

But once they arrived here, they realized the place they had praised so highly was, in fact, garbage.

Everything about the Federation had a deadly allure.

Here, there were no police wielding batons to drive them away from roads or cars.

Here, there was no ground soaked in sewage. Though some streets had trash, overall, everything was very clean.

Here, those in power couldn’t just take away people’s property at will, nor could they beat them. Apart from holding some powers that Nagarylls found meaningless, the authorities here weren’t much more prestigious than ordinary people.

What shocked them even more was that the Federation’s highest leader was actually elected by the people—and they had just experienced such an election firsthand.

It was an election that completely overturned their worldview. People voted for the party and candidates they trusted, and whoever got the most state votes became the nation’s top leader.

This kind of thing was unimaginable in Nagaryll, where all rulers inherited power, freely exploited and beat the common folk, seized their wealth—and even their wives and daughters. People lived without dignity, like the walking dead.

Only here could they feel the joy of living like actual human beings.

They could enjoy everything everyone else enjoyed. No one refused to serve them just because they were Nagarylls or commoners.

In the corner, Akumari quietly watched them excitedly talk about everything—their dreams of immigrating to the Federation, their hopes for the future.

But he was thinking about something else—how to make Nagaryll like the Federation, a place brimming with sweet freedom, where laws had meaning and equality was real.

At the very least, a place where people could live like humans, not animals.

Eventually, the conversation turned to work.

The Federation was great, but the cost of living was too high. Their expenses this trip were covered by the company, with a daily stipend of fifteen Sol—nearly a week’s wages in Ametria.

Even then, it wasn’t quite enough, so the company had also provided free tickets and lodging.

But it came at a cost—photographers followed them around.

Each of them had spent over a thousand Sol during this time, which was why they were genuinely happy.

If they saw how the Federal underclass lived, they might think differently.

If you had money, the Federation was paradise.

If you didn’t, sorry—even breathing here cost money.

Suddenly, the door opened. Two intimidating bodyguards entered first, followed by Lynch’s female assistant Austin, and finally Lynch himself.

The Nagarylls immediately stood and bowed deeply to show their respect.

Lynch appeared friendly and approachable—an odd description for a 23-year-old, but somehow perfectly fitting in that moment.

He walked in with a smile, raised a hand to signal they could relax, and naturally took a seat on the vacant armchair set aside for him.

“I heard you’re leaving tonight, so I came to see you off.”

“I’ve been very busy lately and didn’t have time to talk with you more, but I made time before your departure.”

Everyone acknowledged this. They had seen Lynch frequently on TV—always at the President’s side, even interacting with him on occasion.

For someone of his stature to find time to speak with them was already a great honor.

Everyone was grateful for what Lynch had done.

“Our time is limited, so I’ll get straight to the point…” Lynch didn’t waste time on small talk. “I heard you’ve had a good time here. Is there anything I can help with?”

They looked at each other until finally, a man in his thirties spoke up. “Mr. Lynch, if we qualify for company-sponsored immigration, can we bring our families?”

He explained, “I read that the law only allows the technical immigrant’s spouse and children—not their parents or siblings…”

Lynch shook his head. “Only one family unit is allowed.”

The man pressed on. “Is there a way to expand that?”

“Of course—have your family work for the company,” Lynch replied. Seeing the man still had more questions, Lynch cut him off. “And don’t think only men can work—women can too.”

At this, nearly every Nagaryllan in the room, except Akumari, had an awkward or uncomfortable expression.

In Nagaryll’s social and religious culture, women occupied a strange and ambiguous position.

On one hand, female deities appeared frequently in mythology, and their role in giving birth gave women a slightly higher religious status—especially in religious matters.

But in society, attitudes were the opposite. Women weren’t respected. They were treated as men’s accessories—or not treated as human at all in more conservative regions.

Strangely, though, in many parts of Nagaryll, it was women who supported their families.

Men held inexplicably high status but contributed nothing to society.

Women, despite their low status, made the greatest contributions.

To work for Federal companies was considered an honor now—but for most Nagaryllan men, earning wages from the Federals was a privilege meant only for males.

They would rather their wives, daughters, or sisters earn money through selling their dignity and bodies than let them work formally for a Federal employer.

They didn’t know exactly what they feared—only that they were afraid.

Sitting nearby, Akumari wore a mocking smile. As a fellow Nagaryllan, he understood exactly what they were afraid of.

Nagaryllan men feared losing their status. If women could work and earn money, it meant they could achieve equal—if not greater—standing in society.

Most men did nothing—they just spread their genes and spent the rest of their time eating and being lazy.

The reason they could get away with this was because men held a generally higher status in society.

This was the result of history, society, religion, and culture.

To maintain that status, they couldn’t allow women to work.

Once women could earn money, the status of men would collapse—they’d become inferior to those women.

It was obvious. Hardworking women weren’t just more diligent than lazy men—more importantly, they carried two valuable assets and a secret, and didn’t mind sharing those with Federal men.

The man who asked the question looked alarmed. “Mr. Lynch, I don’t know how to say this, but this clearly isn’t a wise decision…”

Lynch raised his hand and cut him off. “You have no right to question my decision. You can quit the company when you return, or continue to follow its rules.”

He looked at the others. “Anyone else want to talk to me?”

Perhaps realizing a shift was coming, someone asked a new question. “Mr. Lynch, when women work for the company… do they receive the same treatment as us?”

The anxious men perked up at this. If women were treated worse than men, then they wouldn’t need to worry about losing their place in the family or society.

But unfortunately for them, Lynch wasn’t a defender of tradition—he was a disruptor.

“Whoever brings more profit to the company gets better treatment.”

“If any of you can make me a hundred million, I’ll name you my official representative in Nagaryll.”

No one had more questions. All they could think about was how to deal with the shock once they returned.

They felt Lynch was… unreasonable, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Seeing there were no more questions, Lynch dismissed them. Then he turned to Akumari.

“What about you? Any small questions you’d like me to answer?”

He smiled as he said this. In his view, Akumari was different from the others—he was thoughtful and action-oriented. That alone set him apart.

Akumari stood, bowed, and sat on the couch beside Lynch. “Mr. Lynch, I do have one question that’s been troubling me…”

Lynch nodded for him to continue.

“If one day, we do manage to change… will the Federals withdraw from Nagaryll on their own?”

“If not, then what’s the point of our transformation?”