The Last Time

After returning from the palace, Lin Qi made a phone call to Mr. Truman.

Out of respect for the Federal and for diplomacy, the telephone line of the Federal embassy in Gefra is secure; simply put, the line is not tapped.

Of course, this is just a statement. Does the Gefra people really mean they won't eavesdrop when they say they won't?

Impossible. They might have been listening to the call from the very first second the line connected. People only use the phone to communicate when there's nothing confidential to keep.

Most of the time, people in the embassy only use this phone to order food or call for escort services—which isn't illegal. Escorting is a legal business in Gefra, and the girls even have to undergo periodic health checks and are subject to exorbitant tax rates.

Consumption in Gefra can also be seen as a benevolent act by the Federal, making an outstanding contribution to Gefra's GDP.

If the content of the call contains confidential information, it will be communicated via coded telegrams. These encrypted telegrams will have their codes changed regularly, and in peacetime, no one would mobilize a large number of personnel to crack such low-value and frequently changing codes.

The content of Lin Qi's conversation with Mr. Truman was not confidential, and even if the Gefra eavesdropped, it would not have any serious consequences, or even any consequences at all.

"I am curious about what kind of person Gefra Emperor is. You know I have never spoken to him face to face, nor have I ever met him. I have heard that he has a bad temper."

Mr. Truman's voice on the phone carried a mixture of curiosity and teasing. Everything was going very smoothly, and he was in a very good mood.

Based on some of the theories provided by Lin Qi, Mr. Truman was the first to propose the concept and theory of "continuous confrontation" to the President and the Department of Defense. The core of this theory was to create a powerful external enemy for the Federal.

When the Federal is developing smoothly and internal conflicts are not intense, this hypothetical enemy will not interfere too much with people's thinking patterns. It will not be so obvious to people, nor will it cause people to have obvious feelings of hatred.

However, when the Federal encounters trouble, especially when internal conflicts begin to erupt and the struggle becomes severe, this external enemy will begin to play its true role.

We all know that the simplest way to quickly end internal strife is to create a powerful external enemy that poses a huge threat to the entire country. For the survival of the group and for the power and wealth in the hands of the vested interests, the whole society will temporarily put aside its prejudices and unite together. This is the role of an external enemy.

In normal times, this external enemy can also provide a target for all walks of life to catch up with, which can prevent people from becoming complacent in the process of social development. It is even possible that when publicizing this enemy to catch up with, the authorities will exaggerate the other party's achievements in some aspects, giving those who are preparing to settle down a sense of crisis.

Gefra is the Federal's biggest hypothetical enemy, and the Federal's top leadership and the Department of Defense have accepted this concept. As an important member of the Federal Government and the Federal President's most reliable partner and advisor, Mr. Truman is very interested in knowing what kind of person their "enemy leader" is.

"I don't have much of an impression of him. I haven't had enough time to get an objective evaluation. But based on my subjective impression, he's a good person."

Lin Qi's voice was gentle, warm, and somewhat magnetic, so that even if one heard something they didn't like, they wouldn't feel too annoyed. "Perhaps it's because he agreed to all the conditions I proposed, so I think he's quite good. By the way, I also have something to tell you first..."

"What is it?"

"I have become a nobleman."

After Lin Qi finished speaking, Mr. Truman didn't react for a moment. After about ten seconds, he asked curiously, "What did you do?"

He had a general understanding of what Lin Qi meant. Gefra Emperor was the one with the power to confer titles on nobles, and Lin Qi's statement that he had become a noble meant that the emperor had conferred titles upon Lin Qi.

What intrigued Truman was how Lin Qi had managed to please the Emperor and persuade Gefra Emperor to bestow the title of noble upon a Federal.

This may sound unreasonable, but don't forget, this is Gefra, a monarchy where the emperor's will is above the state, the people, and the law. As long as he is willing and the ministers do not object, then his will prevails.

Lin Qi chuckled a few times. "I think his main motivation for doing this is to disgust me, and to disgust you all."

He then briefly explained the situation.

When the emperor asked him what price would be paid to ensure the complete safety and stability of Li Ya, Lin Qi offered three conditions.

The first, of course, is to allow Blackstone Group to legally conduct military operations in the Amelia Region, which is the foundation for ensuring stability in the Amelia Region.

The second requirement is that Federal citizens enjoy the same rights and obligations as the Gefra people in the Amelia Region, and the local government must ensure the legal personal safety and property security of Federal citizens.

The third demand is to honor the bonds held by Lin Qi.

In fact, these three demands are essentially no demands at all. Whether it's the first or the second, they are all just common sense. In the past, the Gefra might have dared to manipulate the Federal on these social issues, but after the naval war, the Federal has gained the respect of the Gefra. The main reason is that they can't defeat the Federal, which is very important.

Such a foolish act as harming Federal would exacerbate the conflict between the two nations. Gefra did not intend to waste its energy on military confrontation with the Federal before the start of Second World War, so necessary concessions and patience were only natural.

As for the third point, it was already in the plan. It was just a matter of cashing out some of the money in advance and then issuing an announcement. The emperor agreed almost without hesitation. He seemed to have forgotten that he had been persuaded by the Minister of Finance to suspend these exchange operations.

After listening to Lin Qi's request Gefra Emperor probably felt that Lin Qi's request was too simple, or perhaps he found Lin Qi pleasing to the eye, so he decided to confer upon Lin Qi the title of Baron of the Gefra Empire.

The lowest rank of nobles, but they are still nobles, true nobles. This news will be released later along with the results of the business negotiations between the two countries.

"He wants us to be wary of you," Mr. Truman said with a chuckle after listening to Lin Qi's description. "However, it's clear he doesn't know much about our situation. I'll speak with the President and other departments beforehand."

Lin Qi smiled and thanked Mr. Truman for his kindness and actions, which was why he had spoken up.

Although Gefra Emperor agreed to all of Lin Qi's conditions, he also set a trap for Lin Qi. Combined with Lin Qi's previous statement that he was "a decent man," the image of an emperor who was two-faced and secretly used intrigues and tricks vividly appeared in Mr. Truman's mind.

After a brief chat about the next steps, the two hung up. Lin Qi's work was far from over; he still needed to discuss fees with some other people.

Using Blackstone Security's services will definitely cost money. How much and how to pay are things we'll have to discuss later...

Meanwhile, Mr. He Bosi had returned to the Federal and completed the handover procedures.

He was even more haggard than when he was in Gefra. In order to obtain this cash loan of 10 billion Galil, he had mortgaged almost everything he could to the bank.

Actually, his relationship with the senior management of Jinhui Bank wasn't bad. They had cooperated many times on short-term international currency lending. But this time, he clearly sensed a kind of malice, an undisguised malice! He owned a house on the hillside in Bu Peien, a villa worth nearly three million, with huge potential for future appreciation. Even today, if he lowered the price slightly, he could easily sell it for two million.

However, the bank's valuation for it was just over one million, less than fifty percent of the market value.

The bank's professional appraisers believed that the house's decoration style and layout were too outdated, and if someone else bought the house, it would likely have to be demolished and rebuilt. They also found a termite nest, so in short, it wouldn't fetch a good price.

There are countless similar cases. He owns a huge estate in another neutral country. It's worth about seven million, but the bank only valued it at a little over two million, citing the old and unsafe buildings as the reason. In short, they overcharged him too much.

This inevitably led Mr. He Bosi to believe that Lin Qi had also manipulated the banking process, but given the current situation, he had no choice.

He could indeed get a higher price by selling it himself, but the problem is that he lacks time, so he has no choice but to mortgage it all to the bank.

He brought out everything he could, and finally got a contract from the bank for 42 million, obtaining 10 billion Galil in cash.

He will return about one-tenth of it to others, and the remaining nine billion will be sold in batches to some international speculative groups for 27.5 million Federal Sol.

After Galil completely collapses, he will buy back the Galil and return it to Lin Qi, then pay some interest and get his collateral back. In this way, he can make a profit of about 24 million.

With a safety net of 24 million, he can basically recover the losses he incurred in the previous contracts. Even if he loses several million or tens of millions more, it doesn't matter; he can make up for it by selling some of his assets.

This was his entire plan. He didn't know if there was some kind of trap in Lin Qi's willingness to lend him money, but whether there was or not, he had no choice now.

Watching the bank staff load the money into containers and transport them to the port under the escort of numerous police officers and bodyguards, he had already booked a cargo ship, with Armed Escort Ship on the high seas, so the money could leave port as soon as it arrived.

But a problem arose in this aspect, which he had never considered before.

The Federal has banned the money from leaving the port because of procedural issues.