Daydreaming in Broad Daylight

"Welcome, it's a pleasure to have you here..." Ms. Tracy seemed to have heard the news from the doorman, and she was already standing outside her house when the car stopped, appearing very welcoming.

Logically speaking, the duty of greeting guests at Family Banquet should be the husband's responsibility, as the Federal has always been a patriarchal society. However, there were no men outside the door, only Ms. Tracy, which made Lin Qi think of her current job.

At the height of the Feminism Movement, women used statements like "women can live alone" and "women should leave men and choose independence" to prove that women can live without men, and many women actually did just that.

Men are no longer a necessity in their lives; women have their own jobs, stable incomes, and can live well on their own.

They can even go to bars at night like men, sleep with different people every day, and not have to bear the condemnation from public opinion, because they are all New Woman, and they have all proven that women can live without depending on men.

That was when Ms. Tracy was young.

Lin Qi smiled and nodded in greeting, shook hands with Ms. Tracy, and the two walked into the room. He had expected that there would be one of Ms. Tracy's children or a maid inside, but instead he saw two little old men who looked somewhat alike.

A man dressed casually sat on the sofa, holding a half-eaten apple in one hand, and was arguing heatedly with a little old man Priest Robe, until Ms. Tracy coughed lightly and the two stopped arguing.

"I'm sorry, you must have seen this..." Ms. Tracy somewhat awkwardly. Anyone who walks into a house and sees people arguing would feel like, "Am I not welcome here?"

Before Ms. Tracy could finish her apology, the little old man in casual clothes interrupted her, "I don't think this is a joke, and the matter we're arguing about isn't a joke either!"

The little old man stood up, walked up to Lin Qi, and extended his hand. "I am this girl's father. You can call me Jackson..." He glanced at another little old man who had stood up. "This is my brother, Jefferson."

As the two shook hands, Jackson mentioned their names, "I know, our names sound a bit..." He shook his head, "But we are really brothers."

In an era that values individuality, parents generally don't give their children names that sound similar. Independence and uniqueness are the essence of the spirit of freedom in the Federal Freedoms. Everyone is unique, but similar pronunciations can sometimes confuse two individuals. The closer the siblings are, the greater the differences in the pronunciation of their names.

Jefferson appeared more gentlemanly, shaking hands with Lin Qi as well and reintroducing himself as if he hadn't heard Jackson introduce him to Lin Qi at all.

He also made sure to tell Lin Qi about his job; he was a pastor, and the people of the Bayer Federation revered and believed in the existence of God, so pastors enjoyed high prestige among the people.

People's devotion to their faith has given pastors some power to intervene in politics, such as "Parish Vote Solicitation."

This is a term unique to the Bayer Federation. Each city has several churches, forming a psychological parish around which the pastor of each church is the core of the parish.

The votes of the parishioners have become an indispensable part of every election campaign, and it can even be said to be a very important part.

Whoever can persuade God to stand on their side will be able to win the votes of a large number of believers.

Don't think this is a simple matter, because it is difficult to persuade a devout pastor to choose whom. They have long since dedicated themselves to God, and they will not waver in their faith and beliefs because of external forces.

But it's not that difficult, because persuading God is very simple. All you need is a check or some promises, God will send down His will for the priests to carry it out.

After shaking hands with the two men, Lin Qi found a place to sit down and waited for dinner to begin.

During this free time, they chatted about recent changes in Federal policies, which is a favorite topic for most men. They could express their opinions and criticize the new policies to show that they were smarter than the president and the people in the Presidential Palace.

As they talked, they inevitably brought up the issue of unplanned troop reductions this year. Many veterans who returned to their hometowns had nowhere to go, and they wandered the streets all day like homeless people, which created a very unstable factor hidden in the stable order.

If these veterans, skilled in various weapons, tactical coordination, and individual or group killing techniques, were to join a gang or decide to commit crimes, it would become the biggest and most pathetic joke in history.

In fact, many gangs have begun recruiting these veterans as thugs. Some people can refuse these invitations under the self-restraint of universal values and morality, but others have joined them.

When Jackson talked about these things, he mentioned some things that Lin Qi didn't know. "Many people think that the continued reduction in military size represents peace, but people don't know that the president just signed a new executive order that doubles the Military Expenditure budget this year compared to last year, and some military modernization plans are also on the agenda!"

This marks the first increase in military budget and the update of standard equipment after six consecutive years of military budget cuts and no large-scale equipment replacement.

No wonder the Federal Industrial Index has been trending upward these days. Some experts at Bu Peien believe this is an obvious benefit of "internationalization," but in reality, it is just a few Weighted Stock that have driven the overall index up.

Of course, the public did not show any resistance to the issuance of this decree, because this is the Progressive Party. Just as the Conservative Party campaigned by claiming that it would suppress the military after taking power, the Progressive Party's rise to power meant that the military's good days were coming.

However, the connection between these factors and disarmament feels somewhat perplexing.

Soon, the cook at Ms. Tracy's house had prepared dinner, and the family, along with their guest Lin Qi, sat down at the table. Lin Qi had brought a gift for his visit, so he wouldn't make a mistake without being reminded.

A bottle of wine, already opened, sat on the table. Their conversation shifted from serious political news to more ordinary topics, such as recently released movies and the activities of some celebrities—all very light and casual conversation.

After dinner, Lin Qi and Ms. Tracy went to her study and sat on either side of the desk. She personally picked up the teapot brought by the maid and poured Lin Qi a cup of Flower Tea. "I need your help, Lin Qi..."

"Those people at the United Sports Association are not good people, and they are not easy to deal with. Our individual strength is very weak, so we need to unite. Just like I will support your ideas, will you support me too?"

In response to Ms. Tracy's words, Lin Qi slowly picked up his teacup, sniffed it, and then took a sip. "Of course, madam, but I must first clarify that this is on the premise of not compromising my personal interests, and I hope you can understand."

Tracy nodded. Lin Qi's statement relieved her, but she also felt something indescribable.

Lin Qi's undisguised emphasis on his own interests sometimes makes it hard to associate him with his age. Only an old man like Jackson could shamelessly advocate "Private Interests First" (doing everything on the premise that his own interests are not harmed). Young people often have a strange emotion; they will do anything to conform to people's perception of them, even if it means suffering losses themselves.

It's stupid, but it's also easy to exploit, for example, young girls and boys.

Lin Qi is an outlier! The atmosphere then became more relaxed, Ms. Tracy brought up some of her ideas, wanting the Women's Rights Protection Association to take a more important role in the Women's Professional Sports.

This approach is similar to how Labor Union demand their presence and a crucial role in the labor-management relationship; their aim is to enhance their own status and indispensability.

The main objective is to secure a larger share of broadcasting rights and to gain control over the entire industry.

"Ms. Tracy, have you thought about how much funding you'll need to allocate to running this business?" After chatting with her for a while, Lin Qi suddenly asked a very important question.

During their discussions, Ms. Tracy kept talking about the future. She talked about very high-level and abstract things, without touching on any specific operational details, such as funding.

Setting an industry standard or opening up a new field cannot be achieved simply by talking; ultimately, it requires money, which is precisely the biggest weakness of the Women's Rights Protection Association.

In terms of wealth, ten Feminist Association can't compare to the United Sports Association. The reason the confrontation between the United Sports Association and them has continued to this day is simply because the United Sports Association doesn't want to touch the bombshell of feminism, not because they can't shake off people Ms. Tracy.

Ms. Tracy seemed to have never considered this issue, but Lin Qi continued, "What you said before is actually based on the premise that we have a sufficient budget to set industry standards, get others to listen to your ideas and opinions, occupy a higher position in new fields, and obtain more power. First of all, you need to have money."

"Let me give you some simple examples. Once our new organization starts operating, there will be initial publicity costs, competition organization costs, prize money at all levels, and wages for relevant personnel across the country..."

"This is a large sum of money, possibly tens of millions, Ms. Tracy. If I agree and also give you an important position, how much can you contribute?"

"Or rather, how much money can the Federal Women's Rights Protection Association allocate to run this?"