Even the Smallest Piece of Meat

Lin Qi had only been there for less than half an hour when the Attendant Official of Kuli Lan City was already waiting outside his door. Lin Qi changed his clothes and then received him, although the word "received" was not quite appropriate in this context.

"Hello Mr. Lin Qi, I am Noah. On behalf of myself, I would like to welcome you to Kuli Lan City..." This Attendant Official named Noah looked to be about thirty-three or thirty-five years old. He was very energetic and quite handsome, with an charisma that was impossible to ignore.

People sometimes say that talent and appearance have nothing to do with each other, but in reality, looking at all the official officials and public figures in the entire Federal, there is not a single one who is ugly.

The ugliest one is just an ordinary-looking person, far from being considered "ugly".

From Lin Qi's perspective, he already possesses the qualities of a future leader, at least in terms of demeanor, something Ferral cannot match.

Of course, another possibility is that the local mayor and Noah have already made arrangements, and that Noah will nominate Noah to succeed him regardless of whether Noah is promoted or transferred.

Although nominations don't have much intellectual value, and the mayor is ultimately elected by the citizens, the presence of a previous mayor's nomination means that if the current mayor performs reasonably well locally, the citizens will support their recommendation, greatly increasing the nominee's chances of winning.

This is also the best way out for people like Noah and Ferral, without exception.

Noah's aura likely stems from the fact that the matter has been settled, which allows him to display such charisma and presence.

Lin Qi shook hands with him and invited him into the room.

He stayed in the best suite. In terms of name, there is no difference between a business suite and a business suite, but the price will be different, and these differences lie in some optional items.

For example, if you request a larger living Living Room, more private studies, more bedrooms, or even a butler and secretary, the rooms and environment you move into will be very different once you select these options.

Lin Qi chose one of the best rooms in the Kuli Lan Hotel. Sometimes Lin Qi doesn't care about such choices, but others do.

After the two sat down, the hotel's butler inquired and then had a maid serve them coffee.

Noah enthusiastically spoke to Lin Qi about the current anticipation for the Secondhand Goods Auction in Kuli Lan City, saying, "Since you started your official promotion, the response from our citizens has been very enthusiastic and they are really looking forward to it. If you don't come soon, I don't know how to appease those guys who are always thinking about going to Sabine City!"

This was clearly a joke, but not entirely.

The extremely low prices of the goods are irresistible to many families who are currently struggling financially. Some people are tempted to do so after calculating that they can still save money by traveling from Kuli Lan City to Sabine City to attend the auction, buying the items, and shipping them back.

The "miracle" at the Secondhand Goods Auction has spread throughout the state and even half of the Federal, thanks to the efforts of the mayor of Sabine City. Everyone hopes that such a good thing can happen in their own city.

Many within the Progressive Party are also watching this policy closely. If, after a period of verification, it proves that its existence can indeed address the needs of citizens on some levels without increasing their living costs and pressure, then various similar Secondhand Goods Auction gradually appear throughout the Federal.

Of course, these Secondhand Goods Auction have little to do with Lin Qi, but the mayor of Sabine City can continue to enjoy the political benefits of being the "initiator".

It's even possible that this event will be recorded in history. After all, a secondhand goods trading boom that swept across the entire Federal has value in history books, both in terms of its era and its political characteristics.

The mayor of Sabine City, who initiated the event, will certainly be remembered in history for this.

Lin Qi would also do this, and it would likely be described in a long passage with a sentence like this. "With the help of businessman Lin Qi..."

Lin Qi expressed his gratitude for the support from the local government, saying that without the support of the local City Hall, it would have been difficult to negotiate even the use of the venue.

In this relatively simple and innocent era, there are always some inexplicable sentiments, such as the sanctity of stadiums. Many people will never actually go to a stadium in their lives, let alone participate in a sports activity there, but that does not prevent them from acknowledging the sanctity of stadiums.

For singers, holding concerts in famous stadiums is their most coveted experience.

There were many such cases, so when the Interstellar Trade Company proposed to rent the stadium, it was immediately rejected. They would not allow vulgar commercialism to tarnish the city's most sacred symbol. It was not until the City Hall's support that the stadium agreed to the terms of the agreement.

Noah smiled. "I didn't help much, I just made a phone call..." He paused for a few seconds, giving Lin Qi ample time to interpret the meaning behind his words.

It wasn't someone else who made this happen; it was Noah himself who made it happen. He didn't want to openly take credit, so he used this rather humble way to claim the credit for himself first.

After a moment, he continued, "May I inquire whether there will be any special items at this auction?" He then added with a smile, "I'm just curious."

He wasn't curious about any special products, but rather whether it could cause another sensation. In fact, what really caused a sensation at the auction was the concept of "buying a downtown apartment for one yuan".

Even the 《Transaction Newspaper》 devoted a tiny corner to reporting on this, a testament to the shock this sensation caused in this era! If similar items existed in Kuli Lan City, the auction would undoubtedly have been a success.

Lin Qi nodded. "We have prepared two apartments and two new cars, for the second and third phases of the auction, respectively."

Noah smiled, as if he had satisfied his curiosity, and his topic became more in-depth, "I heard from some sources that you plan to split the auction into two separate businesses: 'trading' and 'auction'?"

Lin Qi glanced at him twice. Few people knew about this, but he didn't really care.

If two people know about something, one of them will definitely leak it. It's either this person or that person, and besides, this isn't something that needs to be kept secret.

He nodded directly, "I plan to split the auction business into two separate businesses. The auction itself will continue with the current system, but the trade fair will undergo some changes..."

Noah listened attentively and did not question Lin Qi's statement at all because of his youth.

"I've noticed that every city has actually had some scattered secondhand goods trading spots over the years, mostly on the sidewalks of some streets. If you don't happen to see them, many people don't even know where to buy them."

He avoided a more detailed situation: those street vendors who set up stalls on the sidewalks, seemingly selling secondhand goods, were actually selling stolen goods.

Thieves often have no good way to sell their stolen goods. Antique shops can reduce the price of a hundred-dollar item to ten dollars and even threaten the thieves.

Real pawnshops don't buy such worthless items. In the Bayer Federation, pawnshop-like establishments only buy and sell luxury goods and secondhand luxury items; they have no interest in ordinary goods.

This forces many thieves without access to resale to set up stalls to sell their stolen goods. They don't have fixed times or locations unless they feel too safe.

This behavior also leads to uncertainty and instability in spontaneous secondhand goods transactions, and sometimes even involves legal issues.

"I have an idea to establish a distribution center specializing in the trading of second-hand goods. This would be easier to manage and more centralized, so that anyone who needs goods but is under financial pressure can easily find suitable goods in our trading center."

"As a provider of venues and some content services, we only charge management fees to people who come to set up stalls and trade. At the same time, we also run some buying and selling of goods, including the recycling of some goods."

Noah's expression remained serious throughout. He nodded and asked, "Then building such a place must require a very large area, right?"

Lin Qi nodded. "It depends on how many people in a region have a demand for second-hand goods, but generally speaking, it would require at least tens of thousands of square meters of space."

Tens of thousands of square meters is just a general concept. In reality, if it is divided into upper and lower floors, or one, two, or three floors, or even more, it will not be so noticeable.

Noah was actually interested in something else entirely. He would indeed be nominated for the local mayor, just as Lin Qi had guessed, because the mayor was his uncle, and he had already begun to exercise some of the mayor's powers.

This has been going on locally for several years. In the eyes of many people, Noah is just a "mini-mayor," but he is very capable, and people's attitudes and feelings towards him are positive.

His motivation for facilitating this was not only because it was a policy promoted by the mayor of Sabine City, but also because he valued the actual worth of the secondhand goods market and the jobs that would be created by the land.

It's not just Sabine City that's having a tough time; people across the country are struggling, with persistently high unemployment rates becoming a major headache for Federal politicians.

Even if the "open-air" market, covering tens of thousands of square meters, only provides a few dozen or a hundred jobs, it is still a result of the efforts of the authorities for the citizens.

As long as he tries his best, even if the result isn't great, no one will blame him!