Blackstone Code-Chapter 645: Counterattack
“You’re worried.”
After half a minute of silence, Governor Sedel spoke directly to the heart of the Chamber of Commerce chairman.
Just as he was about to respond, Governor Sedel waved his hand. “Don’t deny it. I understand your concern. My pressure isn’t any less than yours. His Majesty spoke with me not long ago—but I convinced him.”
“I know what you’re afraid of. Now that I’m shouldering the pressure, you all need to win—and win decisively. Only then can we protect our interests in this region. Only then can we…” He smiled faintly. “…protect yourselves.”
If someone had to be sacrificed, the chairman was a perfect candidate.
He had a certain reputation and status. Sacrificing him would appease some factions without affecting actual local power dynamics, and no one would lose face—not even the Governor.
That’s why he rushed over to probe the situation. Too much had changed recently, and he feared he might be the one abandoned.
It had taken generations of effort to accumulate his current wealth and power—he couldn’t bear to lose it.
Hearing the Governor’s reassurance, he finally relaxed and tried to hide his real thoughts. “I’ve never thought about such things. It’s our honor to serve you and the Empire.”
Governor Sedel pointed at him, bluntly exposing the lie. “Hypocrite.”
The chairman didn’t dare get upset. He grinned obsequiously. “Yes, I was a little hypocritical. But now I’m relieved. Your support is the best news I’ve had all year.”
Such is the magic of power. The chairman, who others saw as untouchable, now had to tread carefully before it, fearing the slightest misstep might offend the Governor.
Was this humility driven by love? By duty?
No.
By power.
The Governor’s smile faded slightly. “I’ve already made arrangements. You have a task—win.”
“Win openly and honorably. Secure every project. Let the whole world see that no matter what happened between us before, we will not back down in the face of the Federation.”
The naval defeat had dealt a major blow to the Gephran people and caused unexpected domestic unrest.
When a proud—and even arrogant—group suffers a devastating blow, reactions tend to polarize.
Some refuse to admit defeat, find excuses, and convince themselves it was just a fluke.
Others are shattered, questioning and even denying themselves, sinking into pessimism they can’t escape.
Gephran society was showing both tendencies, but the number of the latter was growing.
These people didn’t want the Empire to confront the Federation.
Understandable—Gephra is a small country with no strategic depth. If its navy can’t secure military dominance, then war will reach its homeland.
For an island nation, that would be catastrophic. Pessimism, insecurity, and fear of war were spreading.
If the authorities in Amellia showed signs of backing down now, it could deepen those fears.
Everyone had seen what happened in the Federation when isolationism prevailed—people feared war and opposed it. That could easily happen in Gephra.
So rebuilding national confidence was crucial.
As a senior official of the Empire and the Governor of Amellia, Sedel knew exactly what needed to be done.
He could ease up on the Federation later. But at the beginning, they needed to understand—this was not a place where capital ruled over power, like in the Federation. Here, everything would proceed according to Gephran rules—not Federation money.
“Be bold. I will support you. His Majesty will support you. The whole nation will support you.”
The chairman, now reassured, quickly took his leave. He had gotten the signal from above and knew what to do.
By late April, the weather was already getting hot. Lynch was in a temporary base, discussing upcoming plans with seven or eight businessmen from the Federation.
To keep everyone comfortable, several electric fans had been set up in the room.
The fans spun steadily, blowing cool air—until, suddenly, they started slowing down. Within a minute, they stopped completely.
“What happened?” Lynch frowned. “Go find out.”
He turned back to the businessmen and smiled. “Probably a wiring issue. Compared to the Federation, this place is underdeveloped. I don’t know if it’s Gephran tech limitations or just neglected infrastructure.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. But soon, a staff member brought unexpected news.
“Mr. Lynch, the wiring’s fine. The issue is a power outage.”
“A blackout?”
“Weren’t we told that the imperial zone would have continuous power?”
The imperial zone wasn’t large, and over 90% of its residents were Gephran nationals. According to Lynch’s earlier info, this area was guaranteed 24/7 electricity.
The staff member hesitated, then under Lynch’s prompting, told the truth.
“The outage is only affecting our block. Everywhere else is fine.”
“How big is our block?” A gleam flashed in Lynch’s eyes. He had a general idea now.
“Five buildings.”
Lynch couldn’t help but laugh. He turned to the slightly tense or concerned businessmen and said with a smile, “Looks like they’re afraid of us.” 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
“This reminds me of a book I once read. There was a couple who disliked the protagonist but were also afraid of him—yet he moved into their house.”
“To protect their interests, they tried everything to drive him out—but subtly, because they were scared.”
“They threw rats into his soup pot, dumped mud in the bathtub—anything to make him leave.”
“Now it’s power cuts. Will it be water next?”
“The more they do, the more it proves they fear our presence. Gentlemen, this isn’t something to be worried about. They know they can’t beat us on a fair battlefield, so they resort to these petty tricks.”
“The more desperate their actions, the deeper their fear.”
A very fitting perspective, especially for the current situation. As emotions in the room began to settle, another staff member quietly entered and said, “Mr. Lynch, the water has also been cut.”
The men in the room looked at each other—not with anger or frustration, but with laughter, as if the news amused them rather than caused any distress.
After the staff left, Lynch let out a slow breath. “I know some people think I’m overreacting—too sensitive, blowing a minor issue out of proportion. They believe it’s just a power plant project, not worth clashing with the local chamber of commerce over.”
“If they want it so badly, let them have it…”
The issues Lynch had encountered in Zhuris had already spread among the overseas Federation business community. People were aware of how hostile—even barbaric—the locals had been toward Lynch, and how forcefully he had responded.
Many didn’t understand his actions. Now, he needed to explain—at least to the Federation businessmen who had come here—why he acted as he did.
“This kind of thinking is foolish, gentlemen. To the people here, we’re nothing more than robbers. Even though we’re doing business, to them, there’s no real difference between commerce and plunder.”
“We barged into their home, guns in hand, and grabbed bags full of money. Now they suddenly say, Hey, put that money bag down.”
“The conflict between us is irreconcilable. If we let go of the money, the next thing they’ll demand is that we drop our weapons, then leave their house, and finally, shut the door behind us.”
“That’s why from the very beginning, we can’t give them any illusions. They need to understand exactly where we stand.”
“Looters don’t negotiate with the looted. There’s no such thing as compromise. We have to show them that our pursuit of profit is unwavering.”
Lynch used simple, clear words to illustrate the true nature of their relationship with the Gephran businessmen and local elites in Amellia. Anyone still clinging to ideas of cooperation and peaceful resolution was simply too naïve to be in business.
At that moment, a Federation businessman cautiously asked, “Mr. Lynch, are we really just going to sit back and let them do this without fighting back?”
“And… is this even necessary? Is it worth it for us—for the Federation?”
Probably many were wondering the same thing: was it really necessary to come into Gephran territory and compete for business and land? If it wasn’t essential, maybe it wasn’t worth the trouble.
Looking at the men in front of him, Lynch didn’t give them a long explanation. He said only one thing:
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch. If you want something, you fight for it. You take it.”
