When Lynch realized the importance of the ancient city of Zur-Baha-Sahr, he conceived the idea of reaching out to Chairman Grant.
Not just Chairman Grant, but also the Archaeological Association and the Governor's Office.
Other minor factions were negligible, but these three had to be taken seriously. The Archaeological Association in particular: although a non-governmental organization with little political clout, a rank eight authority Soul Severer was already the highest martial power in Rhine. Everyone else could only look up to him, so no one dared dismiss his stance.
Previously, due to the presence of the evil god's avatar, the Valente family and the hillmen had no choice but to prevent Zur-Baha-Sahr from being excavated, leaving no room for compromise. But now, stopping it was no longer necessary. Having the ancient city dug up actually benefited them. Moreover, the ancient city was located right beneath the Valente family's fief, and its exact location was known only to the hillmen.
That naturally made it a rare commodity to be exploited. The current question was how to help the sellers—the Valente family and the hillmen—maximize their profits. If he couldn't negotiate a top price for them, Lynch felt he would be doing a disservice to his identity as a transmigrator, and even more of a disservice to the ruthless methods accumulated over thousands of years in his previous world.
He was going to make this heartless capitalist bleed profusely.
So Lynch suppressed his anger and said with a cold smile, “It seems we have a fundamental disagreement on certain matters, making a consensus difficult to reach. But that's fine. We didn't come here to make friends today anyway, so let's get straight to business.”
“Business? I wasn't aware we had any business worth discussing,” Chairman Grant sneered. “Since you've already taken the other side, there's no point in further discussion—unless you're willing to cooperate with us. Otherwise...”
“Mhm, we actually are willing.”
“Otherwise, our conflict can't be reconciled... Hm? What did you say?”
Chairman Grant's brain failed to process it for a moment. His mouth remained slightly agape as he stared blankly at Lynch and Miss Valente.
“Cut the nonsense. If you truly thought there was nothing to talk about, you wouldn't have come to this meeting today. Where's Bru? He must have come along too, right?”
“He's eating and doesn't intend to see you. I can represent his views.”
Damn it, I shouldn't have chosen a cemetery. I forgot about a ghoul's diet.
“Fine. Then I'll lay it straight.”
Lynch lit his pipe and took a deep breath of the calming grass aroma, settling his mind. Recalling the business tactics movies he had watched in his past life, he ran through his thoughts in his head before speaking in an unhurried, leisurely tone:
“As far as I know, the Bester Mountain Tunnel project is a matter of life and death for you, and it's equally vital to the ghoul tribe. The ghouls need it to excavate Zur-Baha-Sahr, obtaining archaeological and historical proof to grant them official status as recognized living beings. As for you, Your Excellency Chairman, you've staked your entire life and fortune on the tunnel project because you're responsible for supplying its logistics.”
“Normally, it wouldn't be this precarious. Supply production tasks should have been distributed among the major factory owners in Rhine, pooling everyone's efforts to provide what the tunnel project needed. That way, if something went wrong and the project was canceled, the shared losses would remain within acceptable bounds. But you were too greedy. You refused to share a single penny with anyone else, wanting to keep everything for yourself. You swallowed virtually the entire supply contract alone, resorting to all sorts of methods to expand production just to hit the deadline.”
Chairman Grant pursed his lips without saying a word, his face growing increasingly gloomy.
“Heh, I once heard a saying: hogs that eat alone end up with stomachaches. Clearly, you don't understand that principle.” Lynch chuckled mockingly. “Your greed cost you the chance to spread the risk. If there's any change to the project—even if it isn't canceled, but merely rerouted past another city—all your preparations will have been for nothing. You'll go bankrupt instantly and lose everything you hold now, down to the last scrap. That's why, even though you knew full well what terrifying consequences excavating Zur-Baha-Sahr might trigger, you still cooperated fully with the ghoul tribe at any cost. Am I wrong? A pity greed is a cardinal sin, Your Excellency Chairman.”
“This is a government project led by the royal family, and all preliminary preparations are complete. Nothing can go wrong. I wouldn't have made a decision lightly without a seventy percent chance of success,” Chairman Grant said coldly, lowering his gaze. “The entire project is personally overseen by His Highness the First Prince in the royal capital, representing his prestige. If something goes wrong, it's not just a matter of a railway project. Think about what you're standing against. You can't block this.”
“Heh, but that's the overall railway project. No one stipulated that the tunnel must pass through Bester Mountain; there are several alternative routes.” Lynch blew out a puff of calming grass smoke and sneered. “Risks always arrive from angles you never anticipate. That's business, Your Excellency.”
Chairman Grant remained silent for a long moment before asking in a muffled voice, “So? Have you changed your stance? You're not afraid of that thing waking up anymore?”
“Heh, thanks to you and Chieftain Bru, something happened recently that happened to help us find a special method to bypass that issue. It's very troublesome and comes at a heavy cost, but it's not impossible. Since our conflict isn't irreconcilable, everything is open to negotiation.”
Grant lowered his head in thought for a moment, then said in a deep voice, “Go on.”
Nice. He's interested. That's half the battle won already.
Lynch smiled, subtly wiping the sweat from his palms, and said calmly, “We will handle clearing the obstacles and ensuring the tunnel project goes smoothly without a hitch, guaranteeing that the supply contract remains yours, while also cooperating with Chieftain Bru's plan to dig up Zur-Baha-Sahr. In return, you and Chieftain Bru will pay a price that satisfies us. It will be steep—steep enough that you might not make a dime off this entire project and might even take a loss—but at least it won't drive you into bankruptcy.”
“Are you talking in your sleep?” Chairman Grant laughed out of sheer anger. “Who do you think you are? You're just a representative of the Valente family and the hillmen, yet you dare make such assurances? Do you have the authority for that? And you expect me to pay a heavy price? I admit that the Valente family and the hillmen joining forces to block the project is troublesome, but that's all it is. If I really had to pay such a high price, I could spend those resources elsewhere and still resolve the problem.”
“Authority? Who do you think I am? A representative of the Valente family and the hillmen? That's this young lady's identity.”
Lynch narrowed his eyes, an old joke from his past life coming to mind. A reserved, arrogant smile surfaced on his face as he gestured toward Miss Valente:
“I am not. Standing before you is the fully empowered representative of President Olei, the highest martial authority in Rhine City and head of the Archaeological Association, as well as the secret envoy of His Grace Duke Vane, the supreme controller of Rhine City's politics and economy, representing His Grace's will as well.”
“Hm?”
Miss Valente stared with slightly dazed eyes as she listened from the side, but Chairman Grant fell into silence, seemingly unperturbed.
Seeing Grant's reaction, Lynch's mind turned rapidly as he realized what was happening. Maintaining a natural expression, he said, “Heh, it seems Your Excellency Chairman isn't entirely honest either. You have plenty of informants. You must have noticed that President Olei paid a secret visit to my house seven days ago, right? Actually, you misunderstood. Even before then, he had already authorized me to be his fully empowered representative. Don't forget, I come from the archaeological field myself. Our relationship is far closer than most people imagine.”
That's right, a close relationship where he freeloads on knowledge without leaving monthly votes or recommendation tickets. I'm definitely not lying.
Muttering to himself in thought, Lynch looked at Grant's dark face and knew his guess was spot on—the bastard really was monitoring him. After a moment's thought, he added, “As for His Grace the Duke... Heh, it seems I don't need to say more. You have informants in the Governor's Office as well and have caught on to those little secrets between His Grace and me.”
His ambiguous words made the big factory owner, Chairman Grant, look even more distressed. But Lynch stopped looking at him, speaking nonchalantly in a relaxed tone, “So, Your Excellency Chairman, who do you think I am now, and do I have the authority to make these promises? But don't worry. Once you and I reach an agreement, I will naturally arrange a meeting between you, His Grace the Duke, and President Olei. You can take your time considering it then.”
At Lynch's final words, Chairman Grant finally jabbed his cane furiously into the ground and gritted his teeth. “What on earth do you want? Speak!”
Rate on N.U.
