When Lynch left the palace, there was a victorious smile on his face. The young nobles around him all let out a sigh of relief.
“Everything went perfectly. His Majesty the Emperor approved our plan and agreed to have the governor and all levels of local governnt cooperate with us…”
Before anyone could ask, Lynch took the initiative to share the outco of his audience with the Emperor.
The Emperor’s approval ant that their money was safe. Even though it would still have to be spent through various channels, it was at least still in their hands—just in a different form, continuing to accompany them rather than vanishing.
That was the best possible outco. When they had first heard rumors that the Pri Minister was targeting them, many had shown signs of despair.
They hadn’t expected a turnaround like this. Now, so of them looked at Lynch with a hint of admiration.
Not everyone could pull this off. If they were honest with themselves, they knew they couldn’t have done what Lynch had.
The mood lightened. Smiles returned. Lynch went on to discuss a few related matters, including so minor requests—naly, governnt cooperation.
Lynch had given the Emperor exactly what he wanted. Naturally, the Emperor was expected to return the favor. That’s politics. Compromise. Transaction.
Politics was never as noble or straightforward as people liked to think.
With the support of the governor and all levels of administration in the Allian Province, Lynch’s dual-core city strategy could be implented more smoothly.
“So… when are we heading to Allia?” the young Count asked eagerly. Unlike others who were still sowhat anxious, he was purely excited.
It would be his first ti leaving Gephra for another country. By Gephran standards, the young Count wasn’t even considered an adult yet.
In Gephra, adulthood began at twenty. Nobles typically went on grand tours after coming of age, but before that, their ti was dedicated to learning.
He was an exception. His father’s sudden death forced him to inherit the title early, pulling him away from the life a young man should have had.
It was rare for him to show the kind of youthful curiosity and excitent he displayed now—the eagerness for an upcoming adventure.
It was a brief glimpse of the youth that had been buried under responsibility.
Lynch checked his watch. It had a small calendar window. “Before the end of the month. We still have one last deal to close.”
The last deal referred to the ongoing struggle between the Pri Minister and the Emperor over financial authority. Lynch already knew the outco, but that didn’t an he was going to side with the Pri Minister.
The Pri Minister likely knew he had won. There was little value in switching sides now, and Lynch’s group wasn’t influential enough for the Pri Minister to take them seriously anyway.
In contrast, siding with the Emperor made more sense. As long as the young nobles followed Lynch’s plan and began developing in the Allian Province, even if the Pri Minister disapproved of their alignnt, there wouldn’t be much he could do.
That brings us to the Governor—a role quite different from a typical provincial governor. The Governor retained characteristics of old-world noble administrators in this new era.
He controlled all of Allia’s administration, finances, and military affairs. Like a feudal lord, he held nearly absolute power over his domain.
Even if the Pri Minister wanted to retaliate, he couldn’t override the Governor’s decisions. And since the Governor was aligned with the royal family, he clearly stood on the Emperor’s side. So once they reached Allia, the Pri Minister’s influence wouldn’t reach them.
Why not pledge loyalty to the Emperor now? Allian Province would surely beco the royal family’s stronghold in the future. Lynch loved these open-book bets.
He had already seen the ending—there was no way to lose.
With the eting between Lynch and the Emperor as reassurance, the young nobles finally felt at ease. Over the following days, they appeared at the Privy Council on ti each day. The council was as lively as a downtown marketplace.
Of course, other things happened during this period as well. The secret police arrested a large group of opportunists influenced by hostile foreign powers. These individuals, in collusion with certain factions, had triggered severe turmoil in the financial markets.
To uphold the law and protect the Empire’s dignity, the Supre Court sentenced the speculators. All their profits were confiscated, and they were fined between two to ten tis the amount they had earned.
Beyond losing enough to bankrupt them, they also faced punishnts ranging from execution to long prison terms.
Overall, public outrage was cald, and the Empire’s decisive actions began restoring order across society.
To the nobles, these events were minor. What truly surprised them was that Lynch and his group weren’t arrested or sentenced.
The Pri Minister had clearly nad Lynch in the Great Hall. Yet sohow, he had escaped unscathed.
A bit disappointing—no good drama to watch.
The nobles were united in outward appearances, but within their ranks, unity was far less certain. Infighting was common, and they loved watching other nobles get dragged into scandals.
Aside from these small matters, everyone’s attention was focused on the Privy Council.
People were speculating on who would beco the next Minister of Finance. The choice had narrowed to a few senior nobles.
So of these families had been around for four or five centuries—longer than the Federal Republic itself, even double its age.
So it’s no wonder Gephrans looked down on the Federation. There were reasons for it.
While others scrambled for influence, Lynch and his group kept a low profile—as if they didn’t exist. That was fine. It helped unify their mindset around Lynch’s leadership.
They already knew the outco. Watching normally composed nobles scramble and posture in the council chamber was like watching a farce.
The nobles’ sudden enthusiasm was astounding. Just before the end of the month, the Pri Minister suddenly appeared at the Privy Council.
The bustling hall fell silent in an instant. The Pri Minister didn’t put on any airs. He smiled, greeted nobles, and even shook hands and chatted warmly with those close to his rank.
Standing on the edge of the crowd, Lynch observed the Pri Minister’s performance with amusent.
Despite the stark contrast between Gephra and the Federation in terms of politics and society, when it ca to acting, politicians on both sides were masters.
The Pri Minister was gentle, approachable, and welcoming. He didn’t reject anyone—not even those of clearly lower status who reached out to shake his hand.Of course, there weren’t many like that—most nobles still cared about saving face and didn’t want to beco the butt of jokes within their circle.
The Pri Minister made his rounds and eventually ca over to Lynch.
“This is our second eting, Baron Lynch…” the Pri Minister said as he extended his hand, surprising the surrounding nobles.
A noble like Lynch, clearly a one-generation titleholder, was the textbook case of noble in na only. There was no chance of a second generation inheriting his title.
Why would the Pri Minister personally offer a handshake?
So nobles suspected sothing was going on. Their gaze toward Lynch subtly shifted.
In a place like the Privy Council, filled with nobles, for the Imperial Pri Minister—one of the most powerful aristocrats—to initiate a handshake with a noble from the Federation, it was politically significant.
“I don’t quite recall our first eting. Could you give a hint?” Lynch replied confidently, showing not the slightest bit of hesitation in front of the future chancellor.
He calmly reached out and shook the Pri Minister’s hand.
His hand was slightly cold—typical for older people whose body temperature tends to be lower—but also soft, like most nobles’ hands.
Most nobles had probably never bent over to lift anything heavy in their lives, and they spared no effort using all kinds of thods to slow aging. This wasn’t unusual.
Neither man let go quickly. In a setting like this, letting go ant the conversation was over.
“When you were ennobled. You may not have noticed —I was just a mascot then.”
The Pri Minister joked at his own expense, making things even harder to read.
Not long ago, he was planning to take Lynch down. Now they were chatting and laughing. Sothing didn’t add up.
Lynch laughed heartily. “That’s not such a funny joke. Even if you’re a mascot, you’re the most dazzling one in the Empire.”
It was a subtle expression of his stance. The Pri Minister smiled politely and lightly shook Lynch’s arm. “Let’s talk more privately soti…”
Lynch slightly restrained his smile. “I look forward to that day.”
They exchanged a look and let go of each other’s hands.
As the Pri Minister moved on to the next group, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Lynch’s mouth. It was just a smile—nothing more.
But in just those few words, much had already been conveyed. It wouldn’t be long before the more impatient young nobles started probing for what really passed between them.
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