The Guide

The next morning, news about the Secondhand Goods Auction on Saturday became the focus of public discussion.

The economy is sluggish and the unemployment rate is high, but the level of consumption will not and cannot decline, which makes the needs of many families remain only in the planning stage.

Actually, there used to be places to trade secondhand goods in Sabine City and even the entire Federal. For example, in some alleys in the Lower District, people would sell things they had stolen from other places cheaply, mostly clothes.

Antique shops often accept secondhand goods that look relatively new. In addition to antique shops, there are also small shops that specialize in recycling secondhand appliances, as well as genuine pawn shops.

However, the pawnshops in the Bayer Federation are not the same as those in another world. In the Bayer Federation, pawnshops only deal in luxury goods and have no interest in transactions that may only be worth a few dollars.

Therefore, the entire second-hand goods trading industry is still in a semi-barren stage, and many people have not yet realized the wealth in it, which is exactly what allowed Lin Qi to pick up a bargain.

The scale of the Secondhand Goods Auction organized by Lin Qi yesterday was unprecedented in Federal history, immediately attracting public attention.

The core elements that attract everyone's attention mainly consist of two parts.

The first part is Lin Qi's Secondhand Goods Auction. Is it really as the newspapers say, with everything available, a wide variety, and low prices?

The second point that attracted people's discussion was yesterday's transaction volume, which was almost 500,000! This money is subject to taxation, and Lin Qi did not intend to hide it. He generously revealed the truth to the newspapers and the Revenue Service, which immediately shocked the people of Sabine City.

In such a short time, they can generate 500,000 transactions in one afternoon. How much did they actually sell, and for how much money did they make?

Regardless of the discussions and speculations outside, one fact remains unchanged: Lin Qi's Interstellar Trade Company and this secondhand goods auction suddenly became a hit, along with the mayor.

The lunch, which was originally scheduled for the day after tomorrow, was moved by the mayor to noon on Sunday.

He would normally be spending a happy weekend with his family at this time, but Lin Qi's big surprise forced him to take some time out of his lunch break to deal with it.

Their lunch was arranged in a relatively private location. From the countryside to the heart of the Federal, there are all sorts of private establishments that cater to people who need to discuss private matters anytime, anywhere.

It was a simple lunch. Lin Qi arrived at the agreed location ten minutes early, and the mayor arrived shortly after.

The mayor is in his forties, with some gray hair, and looks like he's been working very hard.

He was slightly overweight, but not fat, just a bit plumper than normal, and was about five feet seven inches tall, which was not short for that era.

A person who seems somewhat stern, yet also quite easygoing.

Through Ferral's introduction, the two exchanged greetings and that was it.

Ferral deliberately supervised the chef as he prepared the food for them, leaving the space to the two of them.

The mayor took a cloth bag out of his pocket, inside which was a very nice pipe with golden wood grain, giving it a very precious feel.

"Do you mind?" the mayor asked. Lin Qi shook his head, then stuffed some tobacco into his pipe, lit it with a blowtorch, and took a couple of puffs, looking somewhat relaxed.

"I like this, even though some people say they're unhealthy..." He chuckled, quickly shifting the topic from his pipe to what happened yesterday. "My plan for today was to spend time with the kids, but I saw the news this morning and, to be honest, I was quite shocked."

"A transaction of 500,000—you may have already made history!" The mayor didn't hold back his praise. After the news broke, his staff gathered in his study to discuss the auction.

In their view, a transaction of 500,000 was roughly equivalent to satisfying the material needs of at least one million Sol in the lower classes— the Sol is the unit of currency in the Federal, and Sol is also the name of a person who founded the Federal and was Federal first president.

People called him a hero, and to commemorate him, after a nationwide discussion, it was decided to print his portrait on banknotes, and people also called the money "Sol".

This is a more official term. In real life, no one would say something as silly as "one Federal Sol" in such a formal way. They would just say "one dollar".

One million Federal Sol, if divided equally, could be said to have met the short-term material needs of 10,000 families in Sabine City at yesterday afternoon's secondhand goods auction, which becomes a rather alarming figure.

With further processing and policy guidance, it can be said that this second-hand goods fair, organized under the promotion of the City Hall and the Mayor, has greatly satisfied the aspirations and desires of the lower-class people of Sabine City for a better life and reduced some potential social conflicts. This is definitely an achievement worth mentioning!

He and his staff hadn't expected Lin Qi to do so well; it was beyond everyone's expectations. He could delay other matters, but he wouldn't wait when it came to things that concerned his own interests.

Lin Qi was very modest, saying, "I owe my success to the free market environment of Sabine City and the local policies that are full of goodwill and support for new things, especially you, who have been a great help to me in this regard."

His flattering words, spoken without batting an eye, brought a smile to the mayor's face. He wasn't unfamiliar with shameless businessmen; he had seen plenty of them.

But this was the first time he had ever met a businessman like Lin Qi who could talk so much that he felt he was really that amazing. He suddenly felt that Lin Qi was a very interesting person, at least he was very good at talking.

This is also the main reason why he and Lin Qi moved up the meeting time. He planned to promote Lin Qi and his business as a political achievement led by the local City Hall, which would inevitably attract more scrutiny and criticism from all sides.

He and Lin Qi must keep the same story so that both sides can get the expected benefits and avoid scandals and trouble.

He had thought that Lin Qi, this young man, would not be easy to talk to. Young people always feel that the world would not turn without them. He did not expect Lin Qi to be so sensible, which surprised him. He was not like a child from an ordinary family.

Suddenly, he went from being an observer to a leader. Although this was the mayor's initial idea, the fact that it went so smoothly still made him feel a little guilty, just a tiny, insignificant little bit.

Holding his pipe, he said meaningfully, "I heard you're planning to expand your business across the entire state?"

Lin Qi nodded calmly, "Inspired by your personal charisma, Mayor, I believe we should set aside geographical limitations and take on more social responsibility. We should strive to do anything that is meaningful and good for people."

"Moreover, I will not only sell second-hand goods, but also conduct large-scale recycling of second-hand goods throughout the state, so that some goods that have been left unused, cannot play a role, and cannot generate effective value can be put into circulation."

"Things that may be useless to me for the time being may play an important role in other people's lives. Through specialized trading channels, we can meet the material needs of the lower class without increasing their economic burden."

"They can even sell secondhand goods when they are in dire financial straits to alleviate the enormous pressure on their family finances, which will improve the financial and living conditions of millions of families in the coming years."

"I firmly believe this!"

As Lin Qi spoke, the mayor nodded repeatedly. He had thought of many more things, and Lin Qi's words were very inspiring. If he could do all of what he said, it would undoubtedly be a shining achievement for the mayor during his tenure in Sabine City.

He had a general understanding of the situation, and his smile became even more amiable. "Your idea is excellent. When I was chatting with the governor earlier, he mentioned that the ideas of young people these days are very interesting. If there's an opportunity, I'll introduce you to someone..."

He paused here, then asked meaningfully, "What do you think of the Federal Progressive Party?"

Lin Qi was very enthusiastic, saying, "This is a very good party..."