Blackstone Code-Chapter 642: Collision

This meeting wasn’t about discussing major matters—it was simply a courtesy visit from a guest to the host.

The two didn’t exchange many words. After Governor Sedel issued a warning to Lynch, Lynch left.

Moments after his departure, a bookshelf in the study unexpectedly receded into the wall, revealing a hidden sliding door. A young man who closely resembled Governor Sedel stepped out.

This was the governor’s son and future heir to the title. Nobles invest heavily in grooming their successors—those foolish and absurd heirs only exist in knight novels.

In reality, that rarely happens. Nobles have immense resources: the highest status, vast wealth, extensive networks, and control over 95% of society’s resources.

With all that, the chance of raising an incompetent fool is nearly nonexistent.

Governor Sedel remained seated. His son walked over and sat in the same chair Lynch had just vacated. They exchanged a glance before the governor asked, “What do you think?”

It was a passing down of experience—hands-on mentorship. Noble heirs exposed to high-level affairs from a young age are unreachable peaks to ordinary people.

The young man pressed his lips together, crossed one leg over the other, and rested his hands on his knee. “I think you were too harsh.”

The governor didn’t interrupt and nodded for him to continue.

“Our current situation isn’t good. I’ve heard we’ve faced more than one impeachment in the Privy Council. Right now, we should focus on stabilizing the situation and clearing the trouble here so we can fulfill His Majesty’s grand plans—not push Lynch into conflict with the merchants.”

“The Federation’s involvement drastically improves efficiency. That benefits us.”

The Privy Council is a peculiar institution, originally the Noble Council. After the Gephra royal family seized power, the council lost real influence.

To appease the nobility—or numb them spiritually—the royals renamed it the Royal Privy Council, allowing nobles to join, discuss matters, and bring topics to court via ministers.

It became a venting chamber for noble dissatisfaction. They cursed what displeased them, insulted each other—if others suffered, they felt better.

Over the past year, Governor Sedel had become a favorite target. Calling him a useless pig at every meeting turned everyone into friends.

These nobles repeatedly impeached him to push for his recall—not just from jealousy, but in hopes of creating a vacancy.

If someone steps down, someone else steps up. The next governor could be sitting among them.

A single impeachment might not concern Sedel. But when they do it at every meeting, every day, even the emperor grows weary—and his stance sometimes wavers.

And when the emperor hesitates, the impeachment frenzy intensifies.

From the young man’s view, it didn’t matter who made the money here. As long as Governor Sedel secured his power, they could recoup everything—many times over—in the future.

After hearing this, Sedel smiled faintly, then shook his head. “You still don’t understand how dangerous the Federation is. Do you know why I warned Lynch, and used him to send a message to the other Federals?”

The young man shook his head. “No, Father.”

“Because they’re from the Federation.”

Governor Sedel’s tone sharpened. “The Federation is a frightening place. Its capitalists are even more dangerous because they have no respect for authority.”

He shifted his posture, leaning slightly to the side, his right hand gripping the armrest, thumb and forefinger resting on his chin in thought. “Their political system conditions those arrogant capitalists to despise power. They’re used to profaning it with their wealth.”

“Even their president is elected—how ridiculous is that?”

“If I don’t warn them, if I let them do as they please, we’ll soon lose control. The Federals will upset the balance of power with their disruptive methods.”

“Our own merchants will follow their lead—trying to use wealth to challenge authority. That’s terrifying. So from the start, I must make it clear: this is not the Federation. They follow our rules here.”

Due to the differences in government and society, Gephra and the Federation have fundamentally different ideologies.

In the Federation, capital controls the vote and indirectly influences election results. Even presidential candidates must seek help from capitalists, and repay them after winning.

But to the Gephras, power comes first. No matter how wealthy a businessman is, he ranks below power—second or third tier. He can never stand equal to it.

The governor’s concern isn’t irrational. Amellia, as an imperial enclave, operates differently from the Gephra mainland. Certain unexpected events are tolerated here. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

As long as development aligns with imperial interests, some flexibility is allowed.

Others may bow temporarily to larger interests—but not Governor Sedel.

The young man reflected deeply, then nodded with understanding. “I think I understand now.”

The governor looked pleased. He didn’t expect his son to be wiser than him—just to quickly grasp the intent and consequences behind his actions.

As his son grows older and enters noble politics, these lessons will become valuable.

With the serious talk over, the governor’s mood lightened and he casually chatted about family matters.

Meanwhile, outside the governor’s mansion, Lynch glanced back at the building before getting into his car.

At his order, the convoy began moving slowly toward the empire district’s only international hotel.

It wasn’t safe here. Gunshots had rung out just outside the imperial zone last night. The city harbored not just rebel forces but also thieves, robbers, and bandits.

In such chaos, danger came not only from obvious criminals, but also from ordinary-looking people on the street.

Back at the hotel, Lynch reflected on the governor’s attitude. His hostility toward the Federation was barely concealed—a troubling sign.

When a man in power expresses open malice, his lackeys grow emboldened, barking madly.

No doubt, after seeing this, the local Gephra chamber of commerce would feel encouraged. That might be why Governor Sedel suddenly met with Lynch today.

Yesterday, Lynch had humiliated the merchants. Today, the governor propped them back up—reclaiming their pride, and perhaps hoping they’d bite Lynch in retaliation.

It was no longer a question of whether Lynch and the Federals would follow local rules—but whether the governor’s implicit approval meant the Gephra merchants would disregard them entirely.

After a while, Lynch exhaled lightly. The long mental strain made him feel the urge to eat.

Not hunger—just the desire to put something in his mouth. It didn’t need to be much or particularly good—just something.

A minute or two later, he called over the local liaison. “Are there any projects about to start?”

The liaison, also an employee of Blackstone Security, had been working there for a few months. He nodded and said, “After a sweep of the surrounding area, there are no significant signs of anti-government forces left. The Governor’s Office mentioned plans to rebuild the power plant…”

With help from certain interested parties, the anti-government forces had carried out highly targeted acts of sabotage, focusing on public infrastructure like power and water plants.

Zhuris originally had three power plants, but now only a small one inside the city was still operational.

That small plant couldn’t support the entire city’s power needs. Apart from providing continuous electricity to the Imperial Zone, the rest of the city was limited to three scheduled supply periods—morning, midday, and evening.

With insufficient power, many things couldn’t function. The Governor’s Office planned to rebuild a medium-to-large armed thermal power plant to restore full electricity and production capacity for the city.

Publicly, they stated that the plant must at least meet current power demands and be built at a designated location. The design also had to withstand a certain level of military attack.

Lynch didn’t hesitate. He picked up the phone and dialed Mr. Wadrick.

About two minutes and two transfers later, the call connected. After a brief exchange of greetings, Lynch chuckled and asked, “Are you interested in a thermal power project?”