Blackstone Code-Chapter 613: Putting the Noose on You in Person

Before coming here, Mr. Herbes had considered how to convince Lynch to agree to an early termination of their agreement—he would offer Lynch a breach penalty along with as much compensation as possible.

This compensation wouldn’t be in cash, but in material assets, such as real estate and other properties.

Compared to the clearly defined value of currency, determined by denomination and international exchange rates, the value of real estate and investment goods was far more ambiguous—for example, a house.

No one could accurately assess the exact value of a house. They could only give a price range, and even that was imprecise.

Too many factors could influence a house’s value—like the worth of the land it stood on, the potential appreciation due to future city planning, or the fact that a celebrity had once lived there.

A house’s actual worth was shaped by various added values, sometimes driving the price far beyond expectations.

Then there were investment products like gemstones. Collapse a few key mines and prices would soar overnight.

These asset values were prone to external influences—that was Mr. Herbes’s plan. He would use such assets to compensate Lynch, making the loss seem less severe.

In his hands, there were several houses each worth over a million. With a little manipulation, inflating the appraised value by 20% wasn’t difficult. These assets held little value until liquidated, but as debt repayment, they could be elevated in both value and meaning. It was a clever strategy.

Now, Mr. Herbes was playing the pitiful old man, pleading with Lynch:

“I’m only saying all this so you can understand how helpless an old man like me feels right now. I’ve lost, Mr. Lynch. I beg you, please terminate the agreement early!”

Lynch looked at him, while Herbes kept his head down.

Lynch chuckled a few times and took a sip of his coffee. The coffee in Gephra was quite different from that of the Federation.

Federation coffee beans weren’t roasted too heavily, and lots of sugar and milk were added to improve taste. Sometimes, people couldn’t even tell if it was coffee with sweet milk or sweet milk with a hint of coffee.

Gephran coffee, on the other hand, was roasted more intensely, producing a richer, more aromatic flavor. They didn’t usually add much sugar or milk.

Some overly idle scholars believed this was due to historical reasons—sugar had long been a luxury, unaffordable to the lower class in Gephra.

Additionally, Gephrans felt that fresh milk’s odor would ruin coffee’s aroma. Unless customers requested it, sugar and milk were rarely added.

That had started to change. Though still light on milk, some places began adding a bit of sugar, or at least offering sugar packets for customers to use.

With national wealth increasing, sugar had become more accessible, leading to a split among coffee enthusiasts—some favored the original taste, while others supported flavoring to enhance variety.

Lynch’s cup had neither sugar nor milk. The heavily roasted beans left no trace of acidity, fully releasing the aroma. The coffee had a slightly thick texture, with a surprisingly pleasant flavor.

Mature men never craved sweetness; they preferred the bitterness followed by lingering richness that stayed between the teeth and lips.

Setting down the cup, Lynch looked at Mr. Herbes.

“Mr. Herbes, the world is full of surprises. Nothing ever goes exactly as planned.”

“Whether it’s you, or me, or once-great men—or even gods, if they exist—none can control everything perfectly.”

“Two years ago, I had just made some money. You know, for someone like me, making money wasn’t easy. I had to resort to gray methods to earn my first real income.”

“Maybe not legal, but it was fast. I had a detailed plan: what to do, what to expect…,” he waved his hand, like a chess player moving pieces, “…every step, calculated to perfection.”

“Most of the time, things went just as planned. But once—just once—something went wrong.”

Mr. Herbes was already sensing something was off, but he had no choice but to listen.

Lynch’s smile grew ambiguous.

“My plan was to buy a foreclosed property at a very low price through auction. That way, I’d still have a few hundred thousand in liquidity for the next steps.”

“Each step was both independent and interconnected. Any disruption would ruin everything.”

“I thought nothing could go wrong. Then someone appeared—unexpectedly. He forced me to pay over a million more than planned to get what I wanted. That nearly emptied my funds and almost derailed all my plans.”

“In fact—”

“It almost destroyed everything!”

“That man later told me it was just a little trick. He didn’t gain anything, didn’t lose anything—but left me in a passive, miserable position.”

“He even told me—it was my honor…”

Lynch couldn’t help but laugh. He took another sip.

“You should try this coffee. It tastes far better than Federation coffee. I should bring some back with me.”

Under Lynch’s gaze, Mr. Herbes’s expression changed after a short silence.

Just moments ago, he looked like a dying old man on the verge of a heart attack. Now, his face showed sharpness again. He looked up from under his brows at Lynch.

“You’re taking revenge—just because I made you spend a little more money.”

“Revenge?” Lynch laughed heartily. “No, Mr. Herbes, you misunderstand me. I’m not petty. I simply gave you a chance—to become my friend.”

“If you survive this and don’t go bankrupt, then you’ll have earned that right. You should feel honored—not many get my friendship, do they?”

Mr. Herbes was losing control of his emotions. His face turned angry.

“All this over less than a million? You want me to go bankrupt? Are you insane?!”

He raised his voice. To him, this was utterly irrational. It was only a million. That amount meant nothing between the two of them.

Not long ago, the gifts he had given Lynch were worth just as much. Yet over this seemingly trivial sum, he was now on the brink of ruin.

This wasn’t just a loss. Such a failure would cause nearly all his investors to withdraw—international and domestic, including his royal brother and the nobles.

But he couldn’t possibly gather that much money in such a short time. Once international circles learned of his trouble, he wouldn’t be able to sell any assets at a decent price.

His name carried no weight in that arena. The first thing others would do upon hearing of his crisis was suppress him—force his bankruptcy, then buy up his assets at rock-bottom prices.

He was finished. Over a single million.

How could he not be furious?

Lynch, on the other hand, was in a great mood, smiling brightly.

“You’re oversimplifying it. According to you, it’s just a few million—can’t you handle even that?” He glanced at Herbes and chuckled.

“That million you made me overspend nearly destroyed me. Now I’m just doing the same thing back. I believe you’ll survive this, Mr. Herbes. I also believe you want to be my friend. Don’t you?”

Just as Mr. Herbes looked like he was about to explode, Lynch raised a finger and waved it gently.

“Alright, Mr. Herbes. While I can’t terminate our contract early, we can find a compromise.”

Mr. Herbes, already on the verge of rage, didn’t respond immediately. He took a moment to seriously consider it before saying, “I apologize for my earlier outburst, Mr. Lynch. You are a gentleman, and I hope you can understand my current state of mind.”

Lynch nodded graciously. “Of course, Mr. Herbes, I understand. That’s exactly why I came up with a compromise.”

“I can lend you the money. I don’t care how you use it—as long as you pay me back after some time. Just this kind of shorting can already help you recover a good part of your losses. Don’t you think so?”

Looking into Lynch’s sincere eyes, Mr. Herbes suddenly felt a chill rise from his heels, turn into a cold draft up his spine, and shoot straight to his head. His whole body shuddered—something’s wrong.

Was this another trap?

He hesitated, but he couldn’t help being tempted.

After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “How much do you have?”