How happy are rich people?
Their happiness is beyond imagination!
Besides the naked tobacco farmers, Lynch could even choose the workers for every subsequent step. Each lively girl was photographed and placed like merchandise in an album for selection.
This kind of happiness is unimaginable to outsiders.
Some might say these girls are no different from those kept in display cases. That’s completely wrong—these girls in Lynch’s album were free, yet unreachable no matter how much money you spent.
Only those at the upper echelons of society qualify.
After selecting the workers for each step, Lynch finally relaxed. There were so many beautiful girls in the albums, it was easy to get overwhelmed.
After choosing the last roller, Nancy closed the album.
“I’ve recorded all your choices, Mr. Lynch. Thank you for choosing our company’s custom service. If you need anything, feel free to call me—I’ll be your liaison.”
She gestured to the business card on the table. Lynch glanced at it. “Anytime?”
Nancy seemed not to catch any hidden meaning, or maybe there wasn’t any. She smiled sweetly, “Always happy to serve you, Mr. Lynch!”
Lynch was satisfied. Paying for service was what he deserved.
Then he figured it was time to discuss price. “How much do I owe you?”
He didn’t even pull out a check. Federation cash checks weren’t enough. He’d have to arrange a bank transfer or get a cashier’s check.
“Mr. Lynch, just two million Federation Sols will cover it. If, after receiving your custom Coluff, you publicly display it—its packaging and the EveryMoment trademark—you’ll only need to pay 1.5 million Federation Sols.”
EveryMoment was a sincere and strategic company. If well-known figures in Federation high society all used their custom services, it would serve as invisible advertising.
And this kind of advertising worked far better than hiring a celebrity. At the top tiers of society, people weren’t obsessed with stars like the masses were.
To them, celebrities were just toys—alive, but toys nonetheless. And who said living toys weren’t allowed?
Instead, the real idols were top figures: what Mr. Wadrick used, what Mr. Patric used, what Mr. Geruno used…
Whatever they used, the product’s value multiplied. Just a phrase like We always strive to provide the best for Mr. So-and-so would make crowds of people open their wallets.
Sometimes, the only thing separating you from the big players was a shared hobby.
Lynch thought for a moment. “Give me an account.”
Nancy gave him one as requested. Lynch called Golden Exchange Bank and instructed them to transfer two million to EveryMoment’s account.
Nancy then called her company, confirming receipt of the funds, her smile wide.
She’d earn at least a thirty-thousand commission from this deal, and her salary would be promoted—more than before.
After some final instructions, Nancy left.
Austin seemed disdainful of her as she left.
“Do you know her?” Lynch asked, curious. He could tell Austin’s expression was one of contempt.
Austin shook her head. “I don’t know her, Mr. Lynch.”
“Then what about earlier…” Lynch gestured toward the door. “I thought you knew her.”
Austin shook her head again. “I don’t know her, but I know EveryMoment, Mr. Lynch.”
“Tell me,” Lynch said, since there was nothing else to do.
Austin paused, then found an angle she liked and began describing a side of EveryMoment few Federation people knew.
“This famous Coluff production and sales company in the Federation is actually backed by one of Marilo’s biggest warlords. They use profits from the Federation to expand their manpower and weapons, then wage war everywhere.”
“As far as I know, EveryMoment’s CEO is the second son of the Redwood commander in Marilo…”
The full name was Marilo Redwood National Liberation Front, a typical regional warlord with strong power.
Their biggest difference from other warlords was their business sense. This was planned by the commander’s eldest son, who had studied economics and financial management at the Federation’s Saint Harmony Academy. Returning home, he found the right development path.
Behind EveryMoment were warlords, land, and the world’s best Coluff tobacco. Their growth far outpaced other warlords.
This caused weaker warlords to band together against the powerful ones. The country was in constant civil war, but no resolution was in sight.
The weak united, sometimes leaving big warlords like Redwood powerless.
If things got serious, surrounded by enemies on all sides, even Redwood couldn’t withstand the attacks.
Besides selling Coluff, they were involved in human trafficking, arms smuggling, and contraband—anything that made money.
It was a lawless land. Power spoke loudest. Austin had encountered Redwood’s smuggling squads at the border.
There was no chance for negotiation—they fired on sight.
After hearing this, Lynch’s mind formed a vivid image of a chaotic, strange nation.
At this stage, external intervention aside, Marilo could never unify. Power had been fragmented too long; no one wanted to give up control.
Even if unification happened, it might not be any better.
Around 5 p.m., the president’s public speech began.
This time, it was still held in Eminence, but televised and live-streamed. It was too cold outside; aside from some diehard fans attending, most people watched on TV.
The venue was the Federation University.
The Federation University was the first public university in the Baylor Federation, founded in the 42nd year of the Federation.
Before that, there were no universities in the Federation. Even in its first year after establishment, the university enrolled only nineteen students nationwide.
Almost all of these nineteen became top experts in various fields for the Federation’s future. Some say that was the only shining class the public university ever had.
Afterward, public universities rarely performed well; instead, private universities began to achieve outstanding results frequently.
Although Federation University doesn’t rank highly among universities, its status is unique. The president’s choice to hold his speech there was well considered.
On TV, the president walked confidently to the podium, waving to the crowd. The atmosphere was loud.
The enthusiastic fans screamed wildly, mostly under twenty and over fifty years old.
Strangely, the president’s fan base is oddly split by age: very young or very old, with fewer in the middle age group.
This relates directly to the country’s policy shift from conservative to radical. Middle-aged people, as key social pillars during the conservative era, have not adapted to the change as quickly as the young or old.
Simply put, the young and old are more emotionally driven and simpler, while the middle-aged have more concerns and are less likely to become fervent supporters.
After a long time of screaming, the president finally quieted the crowd.
“Thank you. I deeply appreciate everyone coming to this speech. I did not expect so many people. Thank you very much.”
He nodded and looked at the crowd with satisfaction. “I’ve given many speeches recently, each different. Last night, while thinking about today’s speech, I suddenly thought: Let’s talk about the past and the future!”
“We cannot always avoid the past, nor can we endlessly assume the future will be perfect.”
“Forgetting the past is a betrayal of ourselves. Maybe we made mistakes, but at least we recognized and corrected them. By facing our errors, we found the right path!”
“People cannot forget the past, society cannot forget the past, and a nation cannot forget the past.”
“The past, history, everything that happened is like a whip urging us forward!”
“Only by being true to ourselves and facing all our past mistakes can we embrace a bright future…”
The president’s speech was not explicitly targeted. Lynch felt he was trying to rehabilitate the conservative party’s image.
He didn’t mention the absurdities under escapism, but emphasized confronting the past and that through mistakes, the right direction was found.
This made Lynch wonder if the president had made some compromise or deal with the conservative party—perhaps slightly whitewashing their past political mistakes in exchange for their support.
After all, the conservative party had been the Federation’s largest party for over a decade.
Even though they had temporarily lost political influence, their power was still formidable.
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