Blackstone Code

On the second day, which was a Saturday morning, Ferrall once again arrived at the warehouse area. He brought along some items needed for the auction setup.

There were large promotional posters and materials that could connect this trading auction with the municipal government and the mayor's policies. Surprisingly, the local newspaper had articles about the second-hand goods trading auction, heavily emphasizing its connection to the mayor. It stated that this event, driven by the mayor and organized by Lin Qi and others, was established and held under his guidance.

Although it seemed like just a few sentences, the mayor had already taken credit for the success, leaving a mysterious trail about the involvement of Lin Qi and others. It was unclear who these "others" were—maybe three or five people, maybe just Lin Qi alone. However, it was a necessary process to secure subsidies or policy favoritism for Lin Qi.

The seemingly outdated system, in reality, was surprisingly transparent; some things cannot be concealed at all. Since they cannot be hidden, efforts were made to make them appear more in compliance with regulations.

"Next Tuesday at noon, the mayor has forty minutes available. You can have lunch together," Ferrall said while observing the municipal workers arranging the posters and banners related to the mayor's office.

He glanced at Lin Qi, but there was no sign of displeasure or negative emotions on Lin Qi's face.

In Baylor Federation, dinner was the most significant meal of the day. Usually, people compressed their time for breakfast and lunch, saving time for other activities. This made dinner more special, formal, grand, and so on.

In any case, if the meeting was framed as a gathering for the purpose of having a meal together, opting for lunch might give the impression that the other party was underestimating the significance of this meeting.

Ferrall expected Lin Qi to be unhappy or feel underestimated. He was well aware of this feeling, especially among young, successful individuals who hadn't faced significant setbacks. Any failure due to human interference, apart from unavoidable natural factors, would make them angry. The more successful they were, the angrier they would be in such situations. However, Lin Qi's calm appearance made him wonder if he was adept at hiding his frustration or if he genuinely remained calm.

As the bridge between Lin Qi and the mayor, Ferrall dutifully explained, "The mayor originally planned to arrange a dinner meeting with you, but due to scheduling constraints, the next available slot is more than a month away, so..."

He shrugged, hoping Lin Qi would understand how tight the schedule of a politician of the mayor's caliber could be and how complicated it was to make changes.

"I understand," Lin Qi nodded. He didn't explain that he genuinely didn't mind having lunch with a "minor figure" like the mayor at noon.

Before coming to this world, most people Lin Qi dined with represented an era. A mayor from a different world… was just a mayor after all. He respected the mayor, but he didn't revere him.

Lin Qi was unwilling to say more, and Ferrall, naturally, wouldn't elaborate either. He began to habitually embrace his new identity.

To be honest, before leaving work yesterday, Ferrall had various frustrations, confusion, and self-blame. However, this morning, as he saw 5,000 bucks transferred into his account, he suddenly felt at ease. 5,000 bucks wasn't a small amount, even for someone like Ferrall.

It might not compare to the 75,000 bucks simultaneously transferred to the mayor's political donation account, but these 5,000 bucks were his own, not the office's or the mayor's. Once he accepted the perks of this identity, Ferrall began to feel that Lin Qi was a decent young man. Thinking that he might be the first small capitalist to extend a hand of friendship to him, Ferrall considered whether to get "closer" to Lin Qi.

People like Ferrall, mayor's aides, often interacted with many capitalists. They served as channels of communication between power and wealth, but they didn't possess power and found it challenging to acquire wealth. These capitalists would only invest in those who held the scepter of authority. Ferrall could, at best, gain some insignificant additional income in his life and work.

Were capitalists not worried about offending aides by not bribing them properly, leading them to speak ill of them in front of those in power?

Such things were unlikely to happen, because there was also a special group of "intermediaries(渠道)" called "brokers(掮客)." Most of them came from the upper echelons of society, including celebrities and former politicians. They had deep connections in both the political and financial realms. When capitalists needed to persuade someone, they didn't necessarily have to go through aides; they had professional political brokers to handle everything.

This was another drawback of Ferrall's job. Their glory and power were just illusions shown to the public. When their backers made decisions, their opinions and thoughts became insignificant.

Unless they performed exceptionally well, or the politicians they served were at a high level in the federal hierarchy, it was challenging to attract significant investment from capitalists.

The mayor wasn't exactly part of the higher ranks within the federal power structure, so up to this point, Ferrall had only gotten acquainted with local businessmen, becoming somewhat familiar with their faces.

He also needed help.

In no time, these individuals had the venue rearranged, taking less than forty minutes. They were all highly skilled professionals who knew how to make the place better align with the mayor's requirements.

On either side of the platform, two imposing posters stood tall. In the center, the mayor beamed with a brilliant smile, giving two enthusiastic thumbs up. Surrounding him were a variety of products and tempting discounts, creating a scene that felt strangely familiar.

It was a bit exaggerated, but it effectively conveyed the mayor's role in the event. For the lower strata of society, they wouldn't interpret anything beyond the surface. To make them understand that eggs came from chickens, the simplest way was to show them a chicken laying an egg, rather than describing it.

"Alright, let everyone get ready..." Lin Qi nodded, instructing people to oversee the workers in blue overalls moving items out of the warehouse.

Since the warehouse area often experienced theft, these workers needed supervision. While most of the workers in blue overalls were diligent, a few individuals would sometimes tarnish the whole group's image.

Ferrall didn't immediately leave; he planned to stay until the auction ended before going back. He wanted firsthand information to analyze with other aides, determining whether more time and effort should be invested in Lin Qi.

The two had a hasty lunch. Before two in the afternoon, around one thirty, people had already started arriving at the venue.

Holding flyers, they inquired if they could exchange them for a belt, showing the success of Lin Qi's strategy. Giving away items for free was a concept, and society hadn't developed resistance to it yet.

Staff, led by Richard, immediately approached them, dividing the attendees who came for the auction.contemporary romance

Each flyer was unique. If someone paid attention, they would notice a prominent color block in the top left corner on the back of each flyer—some red, yellow, purple, blue, and many more colors.

These color blocks represented their affiliation with different 'sales representatives.' For instance, take Richard; the top left corner of his flyer's back was embossed in gold. He personally paid for this detail to showcase his distinctiveness.

These people were assigned to their respective seats. The transactions of these attendees during the auction would be calculated separately, ensuring the accuracy of each salesperson's income.Please vote for this at https://www.updates.com/series/blackstone-code/

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