Chapter 1301: Chapter 1300: Hitchhiking
For the influential figures, any matter could never be just a simple isolated event.
When Lynch returned to the city at night, a shareholder of the Future Light Investment Company invited him to a private party.
Actually, calling it a party was just to cater to Lynch’s "youth," as it couldn’t simply be labeled as a private secret meeting or anything else.
Lynch, after all, was still young. People would open up better by catering to the young.
Lynch was happy to accept the invitation, after all, he’s "one of us."
This shareholder was also an immigrant, a "key player" in driving the development of the whole event.
When Lynch’s car stopped at the villa’s entrance, Mr. Skold, the shareholder, greeted him proactively.
"Chairman Lynch..." He spoke with a pure, kind smile, addressing Lynch by his board position, Chairman of the Board.
Some people enjoy being called this way as it seems to highlight their status.
Lynch smiled and shook his hand, "Just call me Lynch. I brought a fish, it’s wonderful..."
A member of Darkstone Security showed the packaged fish he was carrying.
The fish was still breathing, it was still alive, which was also one of Mr. Douglas’s achievements.
Visiting someone’s home, whether actively visiting or invited, certainly requires adhering to the Federation’s etiquette, which means not coming empty-handed.
For a group of wealthy individuals, there is nothing they haven’t seen, so compared to rarity and preciousness, the meaning of the gift is more important.
Mr. Skold expressed his fondness for such fish, then handed it to his deputy, inviting Lynch into his house.
As they entered, he lagged slightly behind Lynch, softly asking his assistant, "Is this thing for eating or for viewing?"
Seeing his assistant puzzled, he rolled his eyes, "Build a fish pond and raise it..."
Afterward, he hurried two steps to catch up with Lynch.
Once they entered the living room, several people stood up and came to greet them.
"Let me introduce you, this is my fellow countryman, also a member of the Progressive Party..." he mentioned a name.
This young man looked to be in his thirties, which is indeed still young for someone living in the Federation.
He shook hands with Lynch, "I am currently working as a staff officer for... Mister, nice to meet you, Mr. Lynch!"
Then moved on to the next, all the gathered people had a very distinct characteristic, they were all Mr. Skold’s fellow countrymen, closely related to him.
Some were capitalists like him, while others were actively engaged in politics.
What Lynch saw here was just a small part of the immigrant community, but indeed a real part.
When facing discrimination, immigrants, even wealthy ones and capitalists, cannot do much.
Yes, perhaps ordinary people cannot discriminate against them, but big capitalists still discriminate against immigrant capitalists.
Mr. Skold had already risked everything by investing in the Future Light Company, nearly putting all his assets into the company.
The good news was that his efforts were rewarding, aside from the dividends already received, he also became one of the core members of the Darkstone Consortium.
Outside, people referred to the Future Light Company as the Darkstone Consortium, centered on Lynch’s Darkstone Group as the core and framework, that is the Darkstone Consortium!
Being alongside Lynch, the pursuit of wealth now became secondary; what Mr. Skold aimed to do was find ways to improve his and his people’s social status within the Federation.
No matter how wealthy, people look down on you, isn’t that more infuriating than poverty?
In poverty, money is still money, but now in their hands, it seemed to have lost its magic power, which was unpleasant.
After shaking hands with everyone in the room, they sat down separately.
"Lynch..." Skold cautiously called out, noticing Lynch didn’t show any displeased expression, not even a change in his gaze.
This relieved him, indicating Lynch wasn’t being polite, but genuinely wanted him to call him by name.
Indeed, this helped build closer relationships, you cannot get close to someone you need to revere.
"It’s like this, some friends learned of what we are doing, they sympathized with our situation and hoped... to join us in doing something."
"I don’t know how to choose, perhaps you could provide some advice?"
There were many immigrants, comprising a quarter of the Federation’s population, but if broken down by specific ethnicities, some might only account for a few percent or even a fraction of a percent of the Federation’s population.
This also meant the rich diversity of the Federation Society’s ethnic groups, though Skold and his people "stood up," it didn’t mean all minority ethnicities and immigrants stood up.
Naturally, some wealthy members of minority ethnicities hoped to join forces with Skold to expand this anti-discrimination movement.
At least make the Federation understand that even though they are immigrants, minorities, they also have their ideas and need respect!
"Personally, I don’t have the narrow-minded views of some individuals. For me, Federation mainlanders, immigrants, minorities—all are Federation people."
"We are all a whole. When you joined this country, we were already inseparable."
"In terms of eliminating behaviors internally damaging our unity, I personally express my support. If you’re asking for my opinion, I would support you in doing this."
After listening, Mr. Skold breathed a sigh of relief; the most troublesome part of organizing these events was having no high-level support from the Federation.
Doing it themselves achieved nothing; initially, many believed the Federation is an equal, fair, and free country.
Only living here confirmed the void of this notion.
If rejected by mainstream groups, even if people witness you being harmed, their first thought will be "why are you harmed" and extend to "you must have done something wrong," which is terrifying.
They previously caused a ruckus, the mainstream media didn’t report it, and it went nowhere.
Now, just a word from Lynch, a few phone calls, and within days it had grown significantly.
Though not known by everyone, at least in mainstream cities, these news began trending, drawing public attention.
With such a clear response, Skold already had plans, then he talked about one of them focusing on seeking solutions politically for the current plight minorities face.
This was also Skold showing Lynch certain information; they were advancing comprehensively.
For Lynch, discrimination or not didn’t concern him much.
Only the lower-middle class cared about these issues; in upper-class tiers, it wasn’t about whether they were Federation people or minorities that determined their value, but themselves.
A simple private meeting, made new friends, and more joined the grand anti-discrimination movement.
Lynch, seeing several friends Skold introduced, gradually stepped into forefront days later, becoming the initiator and leader of this anti-discrimination movement!
This is capital!
Every penny spent aims at gaining more financial returns!
When minority ethnicities participated in elections, minority voters within their range would gravitate toward them.
Coupled with some idle people living out their lifelong equality ideals, they actually held political advantages over the Federation mainlanders!
People might scrutinize them, but even scrutiny is a form of attention.
An increasing number in the minority community joining is favorable, but for the publisher it was... tormenting.
The day before the second trial, his lawyer found him.
The lawyer looked a bit peculiar; he handled many cases, from securing acquittals for rapists to reducing sentences for robbers...
He did many things that seemed devoid of moral ground to ordinary folks, yet this time, he found it hard to speak and awkward.
For about ten seconds, he forced himself to calm his emotions, "You should concede."
The publisher initially didn’t catch what he said, "Sorry, I spaced out. Could you repeat that?"
Indeed, events of this period were troubling him; some local minority folk broke many glasses in his home and company these days, waking him at midnight with stones thrown into his home, leaving him unrested and fatigued.
After another moment of silence, the lawyer said, "Admit defeat; it’s hard for us to win."
The publisher didn’t speak, merely looked at his lawyer with a complex expression. The lawyer seemingly wanted to justify something, saying, "A Member of Parliament proposed a motion concerning minority rights, you know what this signifies, right?"
The publisher wasn’t foolish; being a publisher’s director meant he was cultured.
He knew that once a matter ascends to a congressional motion, it no longer remains simple.
Moreover, this time he was on the losing side!
Regardless of whether the motion passed or needed further discussion, the publisher had already lost, and the lawyer saw no hope.
This was beyond legal matters!
Still silent, the publisher made the lawyer anxious as the trial approached, lowering his voice he emphasized, "If you don’t plead guilty, no matter how I defend you, it’s futile, and there may even be a perception from the judge and society that we are trying to escape justice..."
