Darkstone Code

Chapter 1265 - 1263: Everything Is Negotiable

When the Prime Minister uttered these words, he was clearly very helpless; he didn’t want to immediately tell the Federation how desperately they needed grain.

But the problem was, the person in front of him was well aware of what was happening.

The Prime Minister had been extremely busy lately, sleeping less than six hours a day, which is harsh for an elderly person.

A day or two might not be a big problem, but over time, it’s a heavy burden for an elderly person.

He must maintain high morale and at least appear energetic. As the Prime Minister of the Empire, the highest ruler second only to the Emperor, he couldn’t afford to nap at work.

That would make people seriously doubt his ability and energy to continue bearing this responsibility; only when utterly exhausted would he take a short nap.

Ten, fifteen minutes, at most half an hour, then he’d rub his eyes, pat his head, and resume work.

He now felt extremely fatigued and wanted to rest, but just the thought of the unresolved grain issue kept him awake.

Lynch did not offer any "concession" simply because the Prime Minister was elderly, "Prime Minister, after last year’s extreme cold weather, global temperatures have become very abnormal."

"Such massive changes have led to reduced crop yields worldwide, a disaster for all humanity."

"The Federation is also at the center of this disaster; compared to the total population of Gafura, the Federation’s population has exceeded sixty-two million and is growing at an alarming rate every year."

The Prime Minister raised his hand and waved, "Can we skip this nonsense? I just want to know, can I get the grain?"

"No!", Lynch’s response was direct, without concern for the Prime Minister interrupting his statement.

At the negotiation table, every major representative becomes exceptionally rational because negotiations do not allow for emotions.

The Prime Minister anticipated such a response from Lynch and proposed a new plan, "Can’t we spend a bit more money?"

"It’s not about the money, Prime Minister!", Lynch’s stance seemed firm; spending more wouldn’t work, which meant there was nothing more to discuss.

But if a negotiation ended in just a few sentences, it wouldn’t be a negotiation; the Prime Minister regrouped, "We can cooperate in other fields; there’s nothing impossible or undiscussable in this world."

Lynch seemed to agree with this statement, "If it’s unattainable, it’s simply because there aren’t enough chips on the table."

The Prime Minister paused, frowning slightly; Lynch seemed to wrap up his previous statement, but actually, he was expressing an attitude.

The Federation planned to make an exorbitant demand; they intended to slaughter a fat hog.

Even before making a move, they proactively announced this outcome; it wasn’t a leak, it was an announcement!

"If you wish to get the grain, you will have to pay a heavy price!"

In the Prime Minister’s eyes, that’s essentially what Lynch was saying. He began to ponder and hesitate; was it necessary to proceed this way?

Actually... simply allowing grain merchants to raise prices could immediately solve Gafura’s grain shortage problem.

But this would lead to another new problem—if grain prices skyrocketed, what about the poor?

If they can’t afford grain, are they just supposed to wait for death?

Perhaps providing relief food is a good option, but relief food is ultimately not a solution; that type of food might not easily let people starve to death, but it won’t let them truly "live" either.

It merely barely sustains life for a period; long-term lack of nutrition would make people sick, and ultimately, they’ll die.

Relief food can only delay death but can’t prevent the inevitable end.

It’s a very contradictory choice; after much consideration, the Prime Minister continued, "Tell me your conditions."

Before the negotiations started, Lynch had already obtained certain demands and bottom lines from Mr. Truman.

In its essence, the Federation Government still hoped to help Gafura; does this thinking seem contradictory?

Not at all!

For many years, Gafura had played the role of the world’s big brother; perhaps in the past, global connections weren’t tight, and people mostly moved frequently near their homes, traveling less to distant places, but it wasn’t nonexistent.

Over time, Gafura left a strong impression on the Federation Government and the Federation people, combined with their performance in the First World War; many still believed they were powerful.

Just like Lynch mentioned to Mr. Truman, "The Federation needs victory," the rise of the Federation people’s mindset also required a process.

They couldn’t suddenly transform from bystanders of world development into the world’s big brother; a psychological shift was needed.

Aiding a former strong nation is the most significant signal of the psychological shift the Federation people are seeking.

If someone conducted a survey in the Federation, they’d find that before the First World War, the Federation’s attitude towards Gafura was relatively neutral, leaning towards indifference, and quite unconcerned.

At the outbreak of World War I, the Federation’s attitude towards Gafura transformed into one of caution and a reluctance to offend, which is also why the Federation later chose to join the Victorious Nations Alliance.

Everyone knows that joining a group towards the end of a war is not a good choice, but... the Federation ultimately feared that a neutral stance would draw strong dissatisfaction from Gafura.

Until now.

If someone were to investigate further, they would find that the Federation, which has always maintained a moderate distance from Gafura, suddenly seems to embrace this country more closely in its mindset.

They are willing to establish some form of global cooperative relationship with Gafura and are ready to extend a helping hand when Gafura is in need.

In fact, this mindset is quite simple; it’s just a short-term vanity and flaunting after "wealth."

Look!

The former big brother now needs my help; now, who is the real dad? I don’t need to say more, do I?

Such is the mindset, that even if it means slightly putting themselves through hardship, the Federation people still want to demonstrate this "eternal friendship that lasts like the heaven and earth" relationship!

Even the President hopes that the Prime Minister will call him and say thank you!

This is something Truman specifically instructed Lynch to ensure that the President’s attitude is reflected in this matter and to try to get the Prime Minister to call him and say something nice.

So he can be happy for a long time and become more aligned with Truman in handling some policy discussions.

However, these matters are unknowable to the Prime Minister, which is the reason for the disadvantage in negotiations, the information gap!

Even though the Federation people really want to give, they must express an attitude of refusal. Before knowing what exactly the Federation wants, who dares to act recklessly?

Lynch recalled what Truman told him and proposed the first item, "The smelting formula for special metals, I have a list here that contains twelve metals..."

Gafura is considered world-leading in metallurgical technology, along with the Peng Jieao Empire; these two war-crazed nations have an innate talent in metallurgical technology.

Metallurgy is not an easy task, even if you know what metals an alloy contains, you may not be able to replicate it.

Even a difference of just 0.5% can exhibit different properties.

Even if you know the proportions of metals in an alloy, you still may not be able to reproduce it.

Order of addition, temperature changes, duration, reaction method...

There are too many elements within it that can drive people crazy; every practical alloy is actually a gift from the Lord!

The metals Lynch mentioned are all used in the field of warfare, which also determines that this demand is unlikely to be realized.

The Prime Minister did not immediately oppose with "impossible," thinking that saying "impossible" multiple times later wouldn’t be better than saying it just once after listening.

Seeing that there was no response, Lynch then brought up the second demand, "Some simple research results..."

He mentioned seven or eight items, along with some seemingly excessive demands.

After Lynch finished speaking, the Prime Minister shook his head and said, "We all know these are impossible, but we are also willing to show our utmost sincerity and find points that are acceptable to both parties..."

This is merely an initial intention of negotiation—you tell me what you want, I tell you what I want, then both parties pretend to argue, go back and discuss what their bottom line is behind closed doors.

Then, focus on the bottom line, tightly grip the "price," probe bit by bit, compromise, and give ground, ultimately reaching a result acceptable to both parties.

Most of the time, the outcome of foreign affairs negotiations is quite tentative, and changing time, place, or even the main person responsible can lead to failure in reaching agreements.

Lynch never expected to resolve the matter in a day; they let the staff argue for a while, taking this opportunity, Lynch proactively walked to the chair beside the Prime Minister and sat down.

"I’ve heard that the Federation has many intelligence agencies, and actions to purge might occur. Aren’t you afraid that sitting too close to me in front of so many people would make you a target of such purges in the future?"

Lynch chuckled, "If the Federation people need to purge me, I am willing to submit to justice."

The Prime Minister was slightly surprised, but quickly realized that in the Federation, public opinion is always tied to capital. As long as the public doesn’t oppose Lynch, no one can touch him.

Not to mention, his relationship with the President, senior officials, and even the Progressive Party higher-ups is quite good, and purging is just a joke.

"So what do you want to discuss with me?"

Lynch took out a cigarette, flicked it, picked one, and looked at the Prime Minister. The latter hesitated a bit but eventually nodded and accepted it.

Two people, two camps, two mindsets, people from two worlds leaned their heads together to light the cigarette with Lynch’s lighter.

"Hiss...", Lynch took a puff and slowly exhaled, "Of course, let’s chat about aristocracy!"