Opposing Sides

"That's it?" The Vice Minister, who was preparing for the evening's banquet at the hotel, stood in front of the mirror and straightened his clothes. Although it had only been a few hours, some minor flaws inevitably appeared on his clothes.

Of course, these problems are not really problems in the eyes of most people. For example, some loose threads appeared at the seams of several pieces of fabric due to excessive body movements, which are absolutely invisible without a magnifying glass.

For example, there is an extra wrinkle on the inside of the sleeve at the elbow.

For example, the shoulder pads look a bit shifted and need to be readjusted.

These are all very detailed issues. For someone who pays attention to detail, no problem should exist. This caused two tailors wearing Reading Glasses to circle around him.

Through the reflection in the mirror, the Vice Minister's gaze lingered on Lin Qi's face for a moment before returning to himself. He tilted his head slightly, seemingly a little narcissistic.

"I think I understand what you mean, Mr. Lin Qi. I appreciate your attention to these matters, but there's no need to tell me about things we should have ignored."

"This is a diplomatic act between two countries. They are just a group of businessmen. They cannot change any of our decisions, nor can they even have an influence."

"However, I still want to thank you, Mr. Lin Qi. I firmly believe that attitude determines all success!"

His words, his tone, and his attitude all silently conveyed the opposite of what he said. He didn't care about any of that, but Lin Qi didn't care either; he was just doing his job.

After watching Lin Qi say goodbye and leave the room, the Vice Minister showed a hint of contempt on his face, but he quickly hid it.

He knew that Lin Qi and Mr. Truman were close, which was why he disliked Lin Qi —it was an instinctive dislike.

Of course, he also felt that the news was unimportant.

Establishing diplomatic relations with Nagaril was a diplomatic order from the Presidential Palace, confirmed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Once the National Power begins to operate, the influence of businessmen will be completely ineffective.

They might have been useful before, but not now.

After leaving the room, Lin Qi went to see Mr. Truman again. He felt it would be better to inform Mr. Truman about the matter, as he sensed a completely different attitude there.

"This is very important!" Mr. Truman, who had been resting all morning enjoying the sea breeze, was now unable to sit still.

He paced back and forth in the room a few times, then stopped and looked at Lin Qi. "This news is very important. Actually, I've been thinking about a question lately: why are some media outlets contradicting our stance?"

He briefly explained his views, saying that while the Federal Government hadn't exactly been actively promoting its relations with Nagaril, it had still been doing so, and the content was mostly positive.

However, some media outlets are constantly downplaying this diplomatic relationship, smearing the Nagaril government from various angles and criticizing the negative consequences of establishing diplomatic relations with a country like Nagaril.

Some even claim that Nagaril will become a major drag on the Federal's development. The Federal already has enough problems; if it has to take care of an even poorer and more backward country, people's lives will become even more terrible! This view is quite popular. There is no shortage of brainless idiots in this world who love to be different and express their unique self-worth by following the counter-trend.

The most common characteristic of these people is that they view everything through the lens of conspiracy theories, whether political or unofficial, and they always believe that the government is, to some extent, very corrupt and that officials are evil.

If you give them some arguments or reasons that they can use to fool themselves, they can cause a lot of trouble, after all, the Federal is a free country.

If, during this diplomatic event, some anti-establishment demonstrations suddenly occur, or even if someone storms the delegation's convoy, or insults these people and their country in some way, they could absolutely and easily sabotage this diplomatic effort.

It doesn't require much cost, just some money, and then you can get a bunch of idiots to fight for you.

"I'll take care of it immediately..." he said, walking to the telephone desk. After picking up the phone, he dialed the number for the Federal National Security Committee of Bayer Federation, saying without looking up, "Remember to close the door when you leave. Also, what's that person's name?"

"Preton!"

While Mr. Truman was contacting the National Security Committee, the Mr. Preton they were discussing had actually already arrived in the Bayer Federation and had been staying in Bu Peien for more than a week.

"I like it here..." He was dressed in a very touristy outfit—a "fashionable" but not formal enough floral shirt and a pair of dress shorts. The word might sound a bit off, but it has to be said that this kind of thing is currently in vogue.

Not everyone can wear a neat suit to various places in the sweltering heat, especially overweight people. The temperature is already unbearable for them, and if they are dressed in thick clothes, they may suffer from heatstroke at any time.

So a type of formal shorts appeared. It is actually the same as all shorts, with only half a pant leg, but unlike other shorts, its style is made according to formal wear.

This makes it somewhat incongruous, according to Lin Qi, though it's actually quite popular.

Mr. Preton lay on a waterlogged sofa. He patted the sofa, and the ripples created by his hand quickly spread throughout the sofa, making him quite amused by the slight swaying.

There were several other people sitting around, all of whom were important partners or major shareholders of Preton Merchant House.

In fact, Mr. Preton had noticed the young man as soon as Lin Qi appeared in Nagaril; he was different from those who had previously come to Nagaril seeking opportunities.

In a sense, the vast majority of businessmen who come to Nagaril seeking opportunities are losers. They have failed in their own countries and many are burdened with huge debts, forcing them to seek opportunities overseas.

But Lin Qi was different. Mr. Preton immediately inquired about Lin Qi's background, and when he learned that Lin Qi actually had a good business in the Bayer Federation, he knew that he was not a "good kid".

He is a wolf, or some other predator, whatever it may be, he is the carnivore.

Unlike ordinary businessmen who would be content with paying off their debts and becoming nouveau riche in Nagaril, he was certainly aiming for even greater profits.

A third-party test proved this point: Lin Qi was not interested in Preton Merchant House. and making a steady income through "quotas," which meant they were not on the same path.

When some people in Nagaril began to discuss whether it was necessary to engage more actively with developed countries to help Nagaril transition from an almost primitive agrarian society to a partially industrialized one, Mr. Preton knew that Lin Qi must have done something about it.

So he came, and after receiving further information, he came to the Federal.

As a businessman with a certain international reputation, he had some connections here. During this period, he frantically signed checks and gave them to the Conservative Party, the Socialist Party, various news media and Social Activist, advocating that establishing diplomatic relations with Nagaril would be harmful to the development of the Federal.

It must be said that he liked this place, and he wasn't lying.

In Gefra, officials had to live in fear when they saw the checks, worrying about whether the Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs would discover their bribery and whether they would be accused of favoritism. But here, there were no such problems.

As long as everything is donated to a designated account under the guise of "Political Donation," such behavior is not only not illegal, but is even protected by Federal Law —politicians who receive money are obligated to do things for the donors, which is unimaginable for people in many countries with strict laws.

This made Mr. Preton, who was born in a monarchical country, feel very fond of everything here and also envy the merchants here.

"A relaxed environment, people's openness to new things, and a government that doesn't do anything—this place is actually very suitable for business development. Unfortunately, we discovered it too late."

"But that doesn't stop me from liking it here. Look at this water sofa and that waterbed. Remember to remind me to take some back with me when we leave. After sleeping on it, I don't want to touch those spring mattresses again!"

Mr. Preton remarked on everything around him, "If it weren't for these traitors who betrayed my friendship, perhaps I wouldn't be here. Should I thank them?"

The people around him laughed along, but actually, what they said wasn't funny at all.

After laughing for a while, Mr. Preton gradually stopped. He looked at the familiar faces on the television and fell silent.

Mr. Preton has been denying the fact that the Preton Merchant House is the Third Ruling Class after the Nagaril regime and theocracy, but even his denials cannot change this fact.

He was always proud of himself, as politicians and Divine Official would sometimes need his help. But now that pride was about to be shattered, and he would not allow it.

Once Nagaril and the Bayer Federation establish diplomatic relations, Preton Merchant House's position will become very awkward. They can directly place orders with the Bayer Federation, Preton Merchant House will lose its soil and foundation for survival in Nagaril.

The foundation that these people have built over the past ten or twenty years will vanish in the signing of a diplomatic document. How could they possibly allow such a thing to happen?

He will stop all of this from happening, using all his strength!