Blackstone Code-Chapter 679: Seeking Compromise

Early in the morning, after finishing his workout, Lynch changed into a fresh set of summer clothes and appeared in the dining room. While eating breakfast, he watched the morning news.

The impact of television news on the newspaper industry was becoming increasingly obvious. As major TV stations grew more adept at understanding their morning audiences, early editions of newspapers were showing signs of declining sales.

This was understandable. Most people—primarily those from the lower and middle classes—weren’t as interested in current affairs as the upper classes. They didn’t particularly care about accessing valuable news in that window between waking up and heading to work.

To them, something entertaining was valuable. TV news capitalized on this perfectly. Some stations even focused on bizarre stories, satisfying people’s desire to have something to occupy their minds while eating breakfast.

Lynch wasn’t reading the paper—he’d had some drinks the night before and wasn’t in the mood for dense text. He just wanted a bit of amusement.

“…Last night, a sudden fire broke out at a research institute in the suburbs of Eminence. According to the person who called the fire department, it may have been due to improper experimentation. There were no casualties, but the entire institute is now in ashes…”

Seeing the sign that read XXX Electromechanical Research Institute, Lynch immediately knew the Merrick Consortium was starting to clean up the mess.

The key difference between a consortium, a corporation, and an individual operator is that a consortium functions as a whole. They don’t care about the life or death of any one company. Once the Merrick board decides to cut their losses, nothing can stop them.

Lynch continued eating his tender pan-fried steak. Beef takes longer to digest and keeps you full for longer, providing solid nutrition—ideal for those doing heavy physical labor.

Of course, even those not doing manual work could enjoy some beef in the morning. There’s no real downside.

The beef was exceptionally tender, without any of the usual toughness. The meat and sauce were perfectly blended.

While watching the news, Lynch was already certain: the fire would conveniently destroy all the technical data—and, of course, none of it had backups.

The electromechanical institute burned down. Next up would be the supplier, the manufacturing firm. Unless something unexpected happened, it would soon declare bankruptcy. Lynch had already thought of a reason for them: they’d spent huge sums developing new technology, only for it to be lost in the fire, resulting in catastrophic losses.

At the same time, the company would face commercial lawsuits—most likely filed by Merrick Consortium’s own shell companies using “defensive contracts” to seize valuable assets before any other party could take legal action.

Just like that, the problem would be solved. With the institute gone, there was no technology left to compensate for. With the parent company bankrupt, no money remained. All that was left were confused shareholders holding worthless stock, and individuals or organizations with contracts but no liable party to sue.

If those people didn’t give up, endless litigation would follow. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

If Soren had any sense, he’d aim for some simple compensation—like negotiating a discount when buying from the Merrick Consortium in the future, or maybe requesting a small payout.

But if he wanted the 900 million in penalty fees?

It wasn’t impossible—but it would mean years of lawsuits. And this was the Federation, while he was from Gephra. Local protection policies could drag the case out for decades. In the end, the Merrick Group might even counter-sue: We didn’t breach the contract. The plaintiff’s harassment disrupted our company’s recovery plans and damaged our reputation. We demand compensation.

Until the Merrick Group made their decision, shorting their stock was fair play. Once that decision came down, a string of shameless moves would ensure they wouldn’t lose much at all.

“Mr. Lynch, a Mr. Soren would like to speak with you.”

The villa’s temporary butler appeared at the door to the dining room. Since Lynch didn’t live here regularly, there wasn’t a permanent staff. Whenever he stayed, the service company for the villa complex sent a temporary team to look after him.

These staff never pried into the owner’s affairs. They wouldn’t even go upstairs unless necessary—except for the maids, who needed to clean the bedrooms.

Lynch gave a slight nod. Less than twenty seconds later, a man in his thirties appeared at the door. His expression showed surprise—likely at the fact that he had entered the house, yet Lynch was still calmly eating breakfast.

He had curly brown hair and wore a well-tailored outfit—clearly a gentleman of the upper class.

But Lynch paid him little attention, continuing to eat and watch the news.

This silence lasted about seven or eight minutes before Lynch finally finished his meal.

He stepped out of the dining room, looked at the man, and extended his hand. “This is our first time meeting, isn’t it?”

Soren stepped forward, shook his hand, and smiled warmly. “Yes, Mr. Lynch. This is our first meeting.”

“I like Gephrans. You’re passionate, polite, and respectful of etiquette. That’s why I like your people,” Lynch said bluntly, pointing at Soren.

As they walked toward the living room, Lynch continued, unafraid to touch on sensitive topics like race. “I met a lot of people during my time in Gephra—Jania, and some other nobles.”

“Every one of them was courteous and well-mannered. They rarely lied and never took advantage of the weak.” As they reached the sofa, Lynch gestured for Soren to sit. “You know the phrase kick a man when he’s down? You might not be familiar with it—it’s a proverb.”

“It means, A true gentleman never challenges an opponent who’s already injured.”

Lynch looked directly at Soren. “You’re that kind of Gephran noble, aren’t you?”

Soren looked a bit awkward but still nodded. “Yes.”

“Good, good.” The smile on Lynch’s face shifted quickly—more genuine now, perhaps? Or just more radiant. The pressure he exerted was intense. Despite his youthful appearance, Soren felt like he was standing in front of an elder.

It was absurd—being pressured by someone even younger—but the feeling was real.

“Now, let’s talk about why you’re here…” Lynch paused and looked to the butler. “Tea or coffee for our guest?” He directed the question to Soren, who asked for coffee—light sugar, no milk.

Soren sat down, clasping his hands together, then releasing them. Tilting his head slightly, he spoke with a look of apology. “I want to apologize for the misunderstanding between us, Mr. Lynch.”

Lynch gave a half-smile that made it hard to tell what he was thinking. “If I recall, we just introduced ourselves. This is our first time meeting.”

“How can there be a misunderstanding between two people who’ve never met?”

His gaze was so piercing that Soren had to look away, as if Lynch’s eyes were blades cutting into him.

Lynch had learned something from some past conversations: if you want to put someone on the spot, don’t let them off easy—no matter how they try to save face. Otherwise, you’ll seem like someone who can be easily manipulated.

If the Governor of Sedel and his son could get off with just an apology, people would start thinking, Maybe I can cross Lynch and just say sorry later.

It’s not that forgiveness is bad. Forgiveness should come from absolute authority. Only when you have power over someone’s fate does mercy carry real weight—otherwise, it’s just stupidity.

After a few seconds, Soren lowered his head again and admitted his and his father’s mistakes. “Mr. Lynch, we made a foolish error. Arrogance and contempt clouded our judgment. We realize now how wrong we were and want to make amends…”

Lynch nodded slightly. “And how do you plan to do that?”

Soren hesitated, fidgeting with his hands. It was clear he was still struggling internally.

Just then, the butler brought in the coffee. Soren used the act of drinking to mask the emotions that had already begun to show on his face.

In truth, the situation in the Amellian region was even worse than expected. Both the Federation and the home country had publicly announced a new round of military initiatives—clearly targeted. With upcoming military exercises, nearly all ships from Gephra to Amellia had ceased operations.

Restoring shipping capacity would take at least three more months—until autumn. In other words, before then, any supplies from the mainland would have to be transported overland.

And overland transport… was even more troublesome. Rebel forces were constantly sabotaging railway lines. It was a nightmare. Trains would often have to stop for emergency repairs after traveling only a short distance. What used to take just over ten days was now being indefinitely delayed.

Without supplies, Amellia wouldn’t last until autumn—unless Governor Sedel chose to abandon several less important cities and concentrate troops and resources in a few key urban centers.

But relinquishing control, even over seemingly insignificant cities, signaled a rapid decline in Gephra’s authority in Amellia. It would give rebel forces the illusion: We can win!

A sudden military exercise had thrown everything into chaos.