In this world, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Mrs. Tricia once again took up her wine glass and used the act of drinking to conceal her inner turmoil, as she looked at the golden liquid in the glass, pondering what she could do to reciprocate Lynch.

Only at this moment did she suddenly realize that the handsome young man in front of her was not her nephew, and certainly not a "little dessert"; he was a successful capitalist.

A sudden pang of worry made her take a deep breath, and as she put down the glass, her smile was no longer as natural.

"What do you want?" she asked.

Her gaze was firmly locked onto Lynch, seemingly probing Lynch’s true desires.

Lynch held his glass, gently swaying it but neither putting it down nor taking a sip, "Many people in the Federation have faith, and so do I."

"I’m very interested in these things, you know, once people have money, they start to think about a multitude of things."

"For instance, technology, or...," he smiled, "...religion."

"The history of mankind is always filled with many mysteries; we cannot fully unveil the truths of the natural world with scientific methods alone. Sometimes, we also use religion and theology as research methods."

"I think I might have a conversation with the Shepherd."

"About topics concerning religion!"

Mrs. Tricia suddenly understood that Lynch wanted her to introduce him to her uncle.

She was not sure why Lynch was interested in religion, but after thinking for a while, she agreed.

She did not need to offer much else, only a meeting between the two at a specific time and place would suffice.

She agreed to it, "I’ll persuade him."

This matter would be difficult for most, as the Shepherd’s status is quite unique. The Pope is more of a mascot in the Federation, not even a mascot.

Those who truly wield religious power are the Shepherds of each pasture area. Federation politicians are very wary of religion, hence they employ various methods to dismantle religion.

Just like now in Mariluo, each church is relatively independent, each Shepherd is akin to a warlord, refusing to submit to a Pope or Elder Council without actual control.

A divided religion is better than a unified one, especially since the number of believers in religion in the Federation is indeed quite large. Whether those within religion have ambitions or not, doing so is indeed necessary.

Most people wanting to see the Shepherd can only get a glimpse during religious activities, or perhaps only on television.

Despite the Shepherd seemingly having few tasks, to sit down and talk with him is not an easy task.

Mrs. Tricia can help Lynch connect with the Shepherd, thereby enhancing Lynch’s "armor" even more.

In fact, Lynch’s barbaric growth has reached an expansive scale today, yet he still lacks some time and experience.

A billionaire created by winning a lottery and one who fought with his own hands, carving out a bloody path in the business ocean, do they handle crises in the same way?

Certainly not!

The lottery-winning billionaire’s exposure to high society is limited; beyond having money, he knows no one capable of transforming his destiny.

Perhaps someone might say, isn’t the Federation a society centered around money?

Isn’t having money everything?

This statement isn’t incorrect, but it isn’t free of conditions either; it depends on whose hands the money is in, and how it is used.

Instead of facing substantial troubles by using some of their rewards, why don’t people choose to wait on the sidelines and divide the billionaire’s assets once he fails?

The other kind of billionaire is different, they have extensive networking connections, solving problems by asking one person, and if unsuccessful, asking another.

They might know many diverse individuals, and at this time, money truly reveals its ultimate value.

Yes, to turn money into a golden apple of all trades, it needs to showcase its value, the value of wealth!

Lynch needs to expand his social circle, to expand his influence, and religion is indeed an excellent direction.

The Federation boasts at least forty million believers; among them, some believe partially, not fully, yet many are true believers, many are devoted.

The religion has its own newspaper—the Evangelical Newspaper

It also has its own television channel—the Evangelical Channel

They have produced their own television series—The Complete Bible

Indeed, these groups largely overlap with common groups, but when faced with religious issues, their stance shifts.

Lynch needs to establish some religious image, making him even more invulnerable!

In the past, he perhaps did not need this, as he did not yet rely on a jury.

But now, if anything happens to him, he will definitely need a jury, and the majority of the jury will be people from the lower rungs of society without high academic knowledge.

The thing they are most exposed to might be religion.

During difficult times, each community church provides relief, and some of them survive the toughest moments with the church’s help. Their faith and devotion to religion are much stronger than those in the upper society.

And these people are often the easiest to choose when selecting jury members.

They do not possess high education and do not think about maximizing benefits through different choices.

These people have some small personality issues, perhaps extreme, perhaps persistent, possibly rough and quick-tempered.

But it is precisely these people who will become the most straightforward jury members, who will not consider a person on the defendant’s stand to be innocent just because he is a big capitalist.

There are very few things that can influence them, but despite being few, as long as there are some, there will always be a way.

And what Lynch has to do is merely a phone call to him.

After sending off Mrs. Trish, Lynch called the Green brothers.

When it comes to killing or protection, Darkstone Security is absolutely top-notch.

But when it comes to doing dirty work, they can’t match the Green brothers.

From the moment they dared to attack and kill the newspaper head, Lynch knew they would be useful one day.

As the Green brothers set off to deal with this matter, their investigation target was also discussing their opponent — Mrs. Trish.

"She doesn’t have a big advantage, although there seems to be a high demand for electing a female governor, it doesn’t mean much."

"Her administration track record isn’t impressive. People aren’t so sure about her competence to manage a city. We just need to continue expanding our publicity, questioning her ability to get voters on our side."

A professional campaign office has a more professional campaign team who think they are wasting resources planning the governor’s campaign.

However, if Conservative Party supporters are willing to pay for these people’s services, then who would mind having more money?

Even a governor’s campaign involves millions or even tens of millions in campaign funds, and this money... is still money!

That’s definitely not an idle statement.

The candidate sitting at one end of the oval table is very pleased with these campaign strategies, leisurely toying with the pencil in his hand, not nervous at all.

This is the highlight of his life, and soon he will become governor. There is nothing more exciting than this moment.

He is enjoying everything now, relishing in the joy of defeating the enemy and claiming the victory from the "corpse" of the enemy. He likes everything happening now.

"So, does this mean we’ve won?" he tossed the pencil back onto the table and asked.

The head of the campaign team cautiously neither nodded nor shook his head, "Our winning probability is very high now. According to public opinion polls, we are already ahead. Four months remain until the election, and by the time we launch our full attack, she won’t be a match for us."

"But we must also be careful to guard against the opponent playing dirty tricks," the head of the campaign team looked at the candidate. "Is there anything about you that we don’t know, something that can be held against you?"

"If there is, speak out early. I don’t want things to come up at the last moment that would hurry us to respond, wasting our six months of work."

The candidate thought seriously for a moment and shook his head, "No, nothing!"

He has a few small quirks, but these small habits... he doesn’t consider them to be his Achilles heel.

He once had a masochistic tendency, but the other party was his wife. This little fun between husband and wife he does not see as a problem, much less something that would affect him.

As for the rest... he shook his head again; his military background binds him to certain rules.

The head breathed a sigh of relief, "If that’s the case, that’s the best. Next, what you need to do is more actively show your enthusiasm to serve the people..."

"The large strike has just erupted. You should more actively pay attention to these issues, which can earn you the working-class votes..."

"You should try to praise your opponent as much as possible in media and public occasions, especially Mrs. Trish. This will make female voters have a good impression of you."

"We don’t require all of them to vote for you; just having them rank both of you or simply abstain is fine!"

"And you should focus on..."

Four months remain, but the election work has already started. Every time six months to three months before various elections, it is the most active time for politicians.

If one day, a politician in high-end formal attire walks into the factory workshop and he can bear the messy, wet, hot, and noisy environment without disdain and still warmly shake hands with the workers.

Even if the motor oil stained his cuffs, he wouldn’t make a fuss. Rather, he would chat with the workers with a smile; then there’s no need to think much, the election must be nearby!

Only during such times can politicians get so close to the lower echelons of society.

Once they truly win the election or lose it, they will again become "the people on TV"!