Blackstone Code-Chapter 271:

"It seems Truman has taken a liking to you." Mr. Waldric teased with a smile. "But being appreciated by him isn't necessarily a good thing. He's not like the rest of us."

Lynch understood that this was a friendly warning. He looked at Mr. Waldric seriously, his face showing a hint of curiosity. "Why?"

"Why?" Mr. Waldric glanced at Truman in the distance. "He comes from a military family—his grandfather's grandfather, his grandfather's father, his grandfather, and his father all served, including him.

"Truman performed exceptionally well during his time in the military. If he hadn't chosen to leave, you'd probably be calling him 'General' by now."

As Waldric spoke, there wasn't any obvious disdain on his face, but Lynch could sense it. The gentleman in front of him, despite his polite demeanor, clearly didn't like Truman.

It was precisely because of this dislike that Mr. Waldric spoke so extensively about him. It was a way of seeking agreement—highlighting someone's most annoying traits to find common ground. It's not a particularly advanced social skill.

"He brought his military style into the presidential office, and people aren't sure if it's a good or bad thing. Did you know, I heard a joke that on Truman's first day in office, he demanded that the presidential security staff do daily drills like soldiers. The chief security advisor even argued with him over it."

Mr. Waldric clinked glasses with Lynch. "His style is hard for people to appreciate."

In mainstream society, it didn't matter if a person was a general or a soldier; the politicians and big capitalists didn't like military people. They stereotypically viewed soldiers as they were hundreds of years ago: thieves, bandits, violent thugs with no culture, impulsive, and only subdued by more violence.

This bias wasn't helped by the frequent scandals that emerged from the military. These scandals made people feel that the military had become a small, independent kingdom for some, hard for outsiders to accept.

What was even harder to accept was their rigid style. Whether politicians or capitalists, when handling things, they were never rigid or uncompromising. Being flexible in how things get done was a widely accepted norm in society. Standards were often seen as mere guidelines, and most people operated just below them. But for soldiers, it was different—standards are non-negotiable. One means one, and two means two.

Waldric didn't realize that the reason Truman left the military, abandoning a promising future, was because he understood that the military couldn't fulfill his ambitions.

Truman was a soldier with an aggressive nationalist mindset, and this attitude was common throughout the military. Over the years in service, he realized that even if he were to become a general or a Marshal of the Federal Army, he still wouldn't be able to make decisions of any real significance. He'd have to follow the Ministry of Defense's directives and comply with the demands of the presidential office, even if he was the highest-ranking officer.

So he decided to quit the military and align himself with the new president. The relationship between the Progressive Party and the military had always been strong, with the military essentially becoming one of the main representatives of the radical faction. As a result, Truman quickly secured a high-ranking position within the party.

He leveraged his military experience, connections, and capabilities to advance rapidly. His analyses of international warfare and geopolitical trends had often been accurate. When the new president formed the Office of International Affairs and Policy Research, Truman was the first person he thought of, making him the head of this crucial department.

Truman had always kept his ambition hidden, waiting patiently. He knew many disliked and even hated him, but he didn't care. He displayed these unlikable military traits on purpose, concealing his true self.

After finishing this topic, Mr. Waldric paused for a few seconds before steering the conversation in another direction. "I heard you have a big plan in York State to establish a secondhand goods exchange center in every city?"

Lynch nodded. "I noticed that federal city planning doesn't include such spaces, and secondhand goods markets often deal in stolen property, which causes issues for buyers. There's a market, and there's demand. I just do what needs to be done—it's that simple."

In the alleys or streets in the lower-income areas where people sold high-end secondhand goods, most of the sellers were burglars or robbers. They didn't have a stable channel to sell stolen goods, so they were forced to sell them on the streets.

If they weren't caught afterward, that would be fine. But if they were, the police would first focus on recovering the stolen goods. Buyers would likely be traced, and the items they paid for would be confiscated and returned to the rightful owners. As for the buyers, the police offered two options.

One was to pretend nothing happened, writing off the money as a loss. After all, the police already did them a favor by not prosecuting them for buying stolen goods. The second option was to sue the thief and let the court order him to pay back the money. However, the legal fees might exceed what they paid for the stolen goods.

Neither choice was easy for the average person to accept, so most opted to let it go.

Mr. Waldric showed some approval. "You've identified a great opportunity. Would you be open to investment?"

"Of course, why not?" Lynch responded quickly.

After a moment of thought, Waldric asked, "If I invest two million in cash, how much equity can I get?"

"If you don't have any other requests, it would be about 10% at this stage."

This company, spun off from the Interstellar Trading Company, had only completed internal capital raising so far and wasn't open to the public. Based on the current funds raised, Waldric's two million would exceed 50% of the company's assets.

But these things weren't calculated purely by numbers. In this kind of deal, part of Waldric's money would go towards buying shares, while another part would increase the company's capital.

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

In simple terms, if all the money was used to buy shares, it would go into Lynch's pocket. This would be a transaction—Waldric buys shares from Lynch, gaining equity while Lynch gets the money. However, the company wouldn't benefit directly.

But if the money was used for both share acquisition and capital increase, part of it would go to the company's assets, boosting its value. This would benefit all shareholders since the company's net worth would increase, making their shares more valuable.

This type of investment was quite common, and investors usually would not have any objections. While at this stage Mr. Waldric might seem to be at a slight disadvantage, from a long-term perspective, he was actually profiting.

Specific details, such as adjustments to the shareholding ratio and additional terms for increasing or decreasing stakes, would be outlined in more detailed contracts. These provisions would ensure that this investment wouldn't result in a significant loss.

Moreover, maintaining a certain rate of capital infusion would effectively and rapidly increase the company's net worth. Before the company went public, this was a highly effective way to boost its market value and improve the appearance of its financial statements.

Mr. Waldric's investment in Lynch wasn't an impulsive decision. While he might be overestimating Lynch's potential, it was not by much.

For someone like Mr. Waldric, investing had become a routine part of life.

It might seem like holding shares in Lynch's company had no immediate benefit, but when needed, he could convert those shares into cash or exchange them for shares in another company or even cash equivalents from others.

To these big capitalists, anything of value had become abstracted into a number. Regardless of its external form, it was all just numbers to them now.

Once the investment was confirmed, Waldric returned to his social engagements, and Lynch, too, had his own matters to attend to.

As Lynch's prominence drew attention, people with similar ideas surrounded him, discussing international affairs and the upcoming wave of international trade.

Unconsciously, the discussion turned into people listening to Lynch. He made the most of his talents, once again becoming the center of attention.Please vote for this novel at https://www.novelupdates.com/series/blackstone-code/There are advance chapters available nowAccess will be granted 24 hours after the donationTier 1: 7 Advance chapters Link

Link

Please do not delete thisHow to find a list of chaptersPlease find the chapter label next to your favorite translator's name, and click the label.