Technology and Safeguards
"This friend seems to have a different idea!"
In the crowd, Herbert quickly spotted an "outlier" and noticed the hesitant expression on his face.
People who can afford to spend hundreds of thousands or millions to acquire bonds that are practically worthless in the current environment are no ordinary people.
What makes them extraordinary is their demeanor. Their indifference to the possibility of losing everything sets them apart from ordinary people.
However, there was indeed an oddball in the crowd. He was wearing clothes that looked half a size too big for him, and from Herbert's position, the brand label could be seen inside his clothes. It was clearly a mass-produced formal suit.
No one else wore this kind of clothing except him, which is why this "one-size-fits-all" clothing was not popular with Upper Class.
It can never fit everyone's different size; it's either too big or too small, and finding the perfect size is practically impossible.
The guy's eyes were very bright and darted around. Herbert was already apologizing to himself for frowning so quickly, because he almost thought it was a thief who had sneaked in.
He didn't remember until he recalled a friend mentioning this guy to him, a "friend with some interesting ideas."
The young man he called out didn't immediately snap out of it, but he quickly straightened his back instinctively, realizing that Herbert was referring to him.
He was somewhat embarrassed because his ideas were indeed different from everyone else's. Herbert comforted him and finally said that if he really didn't want to talk about it, no one would force him.
However, after saying this, the young man vaguely sensed something peculiar: he was being ostracized by these people.
It was an invisible force. Even though everyone smiled at him when they looked at him, and they didn't go any further away, he could still feel that he was about to become someone outside of this group.
This was the first time he had come so close to what people called Upper Class. Driven by human instinct, he wanted to stay there, so he took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat and explained his thoughts.
"Mr. Herbert, Mr. Lin Qi, and other gentlemen..." He only knew Herbert and Lin Qi; the others hadn't introduced themselves, and he didn't know their names.
At this moment, saying the name of someone he knows seems to give him courage and make him feel that he is not alone. "Actually, it's not that I'm unwilling to say it, it's just that my thoughts might be a bit..." His facial features changed slightly, and after racking his brains, he gave a word, "A bit lowbrow. I don't know if this description is correct."
Herbert smiled and nodded. "That's not important. What we need are the sparks of ideas that fly when they collide. Just tell us how you plan to handle the bonds you have."
Perhaps Lin Qi's previous remarks about overthrowing the ruling party's Presidential Cabinet gave this guy a lot of courage. In his opinion, what he had to do was certainly not as bad as overthrowing the cabinet. He swallowed and said what he was thinking.
"I work in the printing industry, and I noticed that the paper used for these bonds is exactly the same as the paper used for their own country's currency, and then I had an idea."
He looked around at the other people, whose expressions were serious and who were listening attentively. This gave him a sense of encouragement, and his voice became more confident. "I can use chemical methods to remove the dye from these bonds, then re-pulp them and add a small amount of long fibers to restore this special paper."
"It doesn't matter if we don't clean the color off completely, because we'll eventually repaint the surface anyway. As long as the feel doesn't change too much, it's fine."
Herbert suddenly interjected, pulling a twenty-dollar Federal Sol from his pocket and examining it closely. "How do you prevent counterfeiting?"
He wasn't joking; he asked very seriously. This young man could be said to have provided the final "guarantee" for their plan.
If their plan fails, these bonds in their possession immediately have a new outlet: they can be converted back into real currency and flow into the target country.
The young man was in better and better condition and became more confident. "The Federal had a patent last year that can use a special chemical to corrode metal, which makes it easier for us to manufacture high-precision copper plates with uneven surfaces than before."
"As for the others, we also have ways to solve them. In fact, for the technology we have, paper is the most difficult problem to solve, because this kind of paper will not be sold to companies or individuals outside the issuing bank!"
In fact, the same applies to the Bayer Federation. The Bayer Federation's currency is controlled by the Bayer Federation Monetary Issuance Committee. These special papers are used only for two things: printing banknotes and printing National Bonds.
These measures are taken to prevent counterfeiting, because National Bonds are, to some extent, equivalent to currency, and both need to be able to be quickly and effectively identified as genuine or counterfeit. Therefore, using the same paper and anti-counterfeiting technology is the best choice.
Firstly, the process is already very mature, so there is no need to worry about any unexpected events. Secondly, banks can easily distinguish the authenticity of these bonds, making it convenient to redeem them.
The same applies abroad; the printing process of the bonds in Lin Qi's possession is exactly the same as that of banknotes in other countries, and even the anti-counterfeiting methods are the same.
In the young man's description, this seemingly mysterious industry gradually revealed itself. Moreover, the young man himself owned a printing company, but the current market is not good, and his company is about to go bankrupt.
Once, he got drunk at a friend's party and couldn't help but talk about the terrible business environment in China. He said in a venting tone that if pushed too far, he would print money.
His friend's friend overheard this and took it to heart, and this time recommended that he come here to try his luck.
It has to be said that this is a very tempting idea, but it is also very dangerous. One wrong move could lead to bloody retaliation.
Herbert looked at the young man with a half-smile. "You need to quit drinking, understand?"
Under Herbert's powerful aura, the young man could only nod in agreement. Although his heart was racing a little, he knew he had passed the test.
Others started exchanging business cards with him, which meant he had integrated into the small group.
Herbert made the final decision on this matter. "We shouldn't stand by and watch our friend go down the path of crime; we should help him!"
He looked at the others, and some of them began to express their opinions all at once.
"My company publishes an internal newsletter every month. The printing company we used to work with was a complete jerk; they made way too many demands. Maybe I can hand this job over to our new friend!"
"I have some new packaging designed for some of my new products. Perhaps you would be willing to take this order?"
People enthusiastically sent a lot of orders to the young man, and he was pleasantly surprised to find that the poor performance of the business and the failure of the company were not entirely due to the market. In fact, it was related to the company's leaders.
Even Lin Qi gave this guy an order; he needed some posters and prints to prepare for his next business plan.
This means separating the trading and auction into two separate companies. Herbert would be very interested in this idea if he knew about it, but he wouldn't say anything.
With the addition of this small printing factory owner, the atmosphere became more relaxed, and with the guarantee of a minimum return, the risk was greatly reduced.
It is foreseeable that once their plan fails, a large amount of "real money" will soon flow from abroad into some of the Victorious Country, some of which are so real that even they themselves cannot distinguish them!
However, this is still illegal, and they will absolutely not do it until the very last moment.
Instead of discussing these matters, they quickly turned their attention to the domestic situation, saying, "The President has yet to come up with any effective measures to curb the current situation, which is very disappointing..."
As Mr. Herbert spoke of these things, he glanced at Lin Qi, Lin Qi raised his glass slightly and clinked glasses with Herbert across the distance.
From Herbert's perspective, Lin Qi's earlier statement was actually the most accurate.
The economy is always an extension of politics, and the chances of businessmen succeeding in redeeming these bonds by helping these countries rebuild after the war are extremely slim.
How a country treats multinational corporations will determine how warring nations treat Federal businessmen in the future.
Seizing assets might be the mildest approach, and many people could be buried forever in those countries.
After all, the country has just ended a war, and society is still somewhat chaotic. It's normal for some unexpected events to occur, isn't it? Therefore, the most reliable way to ensure that this bond can be redeemed is through political influence.
The first step is to overthrow the current rule of the president and his Presidential Cabinet.
Herbert started the conversation, and soon people began talking about some of the president's foolish actions, how he had recently abandoned the image of intelligence he had cultivated years ago and started acting stupid.
Lying or trying to cover up the truth is both incredibly foolish.
In particular, he firmly believed that his policies were correct and that things would definitely get better if he persevered; he thought that everything was just external forces targeting him.
This utterly foolish rhetoric further disappointed the public, and the activities of the Progressive Party and the Socialist Party became more frequent, making things increasingly confusing.
Herbert was chatting with people, sharing his thoughts, when suddenly he said, "I heard some very interesting ideas from some special sources. Apparently, someone is planning to impeach the President..."