What Lynch said wasn't very gentle, and it could be said it made Simon feel a bit uncomfortable.

He had been doing that kind of stable business without competition for so long that he had forgotten what competition was like.

But it was precisely Lynch's remarks that made him uncomfortable, yet it put Simon's mind at ease to a considerable extent.

Maybe the reality wouldn't be as fair as Lynch described, but even if there were some differences, he didn't think it was a big problem.

Over the years, he accumulated a lot of connections locally. It can be said that during Pretton Trading Company's monopoly period in the Nagariel market, the sales channels were firmly held by people like Mr. Simon.

Only they had goods to sell, and whenever people wanted to buy something better, they had to come to him, as he had a comprehensive sales network.

Even if competition becomes intense in the future, as long as he can keep the prices within an acceptable range, people would not abandon him easily.

This is a clear fact. People are always nostalgic, and before a noticeable gap appears, they might try something new, but ultimately, they still choose the familiar.

"There's another thing, Mr. Lynch..." Mr. Simon's face showed a hint of a smile, "If I want to buy shares in the United Development Company in Nagariel..."

His tone carried a touch of humility, as the woman kneeling on the ground sneaked a glance at her husband and quickly lowered her head.

This was the first time she saw Simon show such a humble attitude before someone other than Mr. Preton. Ordinary people might not notice, but she could feel it.

An arrogant man, even when facing the Provincial Governor, wouldn't be so humble, but at this moment, he swallowed his pride.

This shocked the woman somewhat. She didn't quite understand the current situation in Nagariel; she only knew something seemed to be changing.

Lynch shook his head, "That's not possible. It's not that I'm not allowing you to buy shares. You know, the company is full of big players, and I only hold three percent of the shares..."

He pressed down the cigarette butt that he almost finished smoking. The woman's reaction was quick; she immediately held up the ashtray to meet the cigarette butt. She was already used to serving others like this.

Lynch didn't say thank you. He heard from Asir that when he said thank you to his brother's wife, the whole family thought his brother's wife was seducing him, which even led to them spending a night together.

He didn't want Simon to leave this woman behind, so not only did he not say thank you, but he didn't even glance at her again.

He leaned back, resting against the back of the wicker chair, casually pressing a hand on the armrest.

The originally soft vine had turned hard during manufacturing, yet retained enough flexibility.

They brushed a layer of something like varnish on the surface of these vines, preventing them from being affected by the natural environment, and it felt comfortable to touch, not prickly at all.

"The thing you worry about, you don't need to think about it like this. Please forgive my unintentional offense, even if the company allows you to buy shares, you can't afford much."

Lynch said, somewhat with a smirk, "Each one percent of shares, is ten million Federation Sols!"

Mr. Simon inhaled sharply. He had saved three to four million in profit over the years, with some sent back home, but still plenty left.

This is why he said if he lost his current business, he'd be at his wit's end. Once Lynch and Federation merchants start clearing out existing foreign merchants here, all they need to do is forbid people from buying their assets, which would cause significant headaches for a long time.

His expression now... a bit bizarre, with muscles twitching and eyelids fluttering, probably frightened by the large number Lynch mentioned.

One percent is ten million, and one hundred percent is one billion Federation Sols!

But the blows haven't stopped yet; Lynch didn't mind continuing to say terrifying things to him, "That's just our fundraising price. The current price has increased a lot, just like I said earlier!"

"It's not that we don't welcome you to join the United Development Company; it's purely that our starting point is indeed somewhat high," he said, smiling, "Sorry, I didn't mean anything else."

The words sounded as though Lynch was looking down on Mr. Simon, so he apologized.

"No, it's fine, you don't need to apologize, Mr. Lynch, I understand what you mean..." Mr. Simon waved his hand repeatedly, "You're right, even if I give it my all, I couldn't afford even one percent, not even a tenth of a percent."

Mr. Simon had almost figured it out by now. Having been in monopoly business for so many years, he essentially understood it.

In fact, the market value of the United Development Company in Nagariel is roughly equivalent to their company's medium-term profits in Nagariel.

The previously lenient monopoly group was enough for Mr. Simon to earn tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands annually, but for all of Nagariel?

A nation with tens of millions of yearly profits will only make the stock price of the United Development Company soar higher and eventually break boundaries.

Now he can't keep up, nor should he think about catching up in the future.

His gaze at Lynch again was filled with some consideration, a bit of loss, and some confusion.

Lynch was very young, even though his outfit looked old-fashioned, he still gave off an impression of youth.

That's how a young man can already take out thirty million to buy shares in the United Development Company①, while he, known among people as "Mr. Simon", is still worried about that small amount of inconspicuous money.

This is the gap, and the gap brings envy, jealousy, and a sense of loss after comparison, along with a kind of bewilderment.

Then he asked some other things he was quite concerned about, such as stocking goods.

Previously, foreign Merchants like them all got their goods through the Pretton Trading Company, which directly shipped them goods according to their quotas. Whatever was sent, they sold.

Since it was a monopoly business, they didn't need to worry about not being able to sell their goods, and among their customers was the Provincial Governor.

Now, he can directly get goods from the dealership of the United Development Company, taking whatever he wants without many restrictions, including price limits.

Everything seems to be moving towards a direction that Mr. Simon hadn't considered, a positive change, and this conversation left him feeling a sense of relief.

After discussing some local anecdotes, Mr. Simon proactively invited Lynch to his home, and then he left with his wife and children.

Standing in the yard watching the car in the distance, Lynch shook his head and then withdrew his gaze.

These Merchants can't all be let go; they collude with the Pretton Trading Company and rely on monopoly tactics to leech off the Nagariel people.

If it were just leeching, that would be one thing, but they've also turned the market into chaos. If someone could look through some records or have some elders recall, before the Pretton Trading Company was established, Nagariel's commercial atmosphere wasn't as bad as it is now.

A limited yet free trade market had placed the country's trade in a thriving state, where people converted more of what they didn't need into money or what they required.

The rich variety of market commodities brought demand, and people started thinking about earning money to change their lives. That period was almost a pinnacle in Nagariel's development over the years.

If not for Pretton Trading Company's interference, perhaps the current situation could be better.

But the monopolies and power-money transactions ruined it. The market kept shrinking, and the circulation of money began to be restricted; these people were the main culprits.

They've filled themselves with blood and want to leave, but it won't be that easy.

Lynch even thought it through; if Mr. Simon wants to leave peacefully without encountering storms on the sea, pirate remnants, or crew members who might consider robbery, then he'd better return what he has taken.

Of course, throwing such a large sum of money into the whole region at once actually wouldn't be much use, so Lynch will reluctantly establish some kind of Foundation to represent the Nagariel people to manage these illegal gains.

I am fucking noble!

As he turned, the Senior Soldier had already come over.

"Boss, it's all arranged!"

Lynch nodded, "Let's eat first, then we'll leave after lunch."

A silent lunch.

A little past one in the afternoon, three high-chassis cars — these things actually looked more like business travel vehicles, off-road vehicles, or what we call big foot cars.

Their chassis was significantly higher from the ground than normal sedan cars, and the shock absorption was more exaggerated. Such cars are unique to this area.

The city center's roads were rugged with mud; it's better on sunny days, but if it's rainy, it's highly likely that under a seemingly shallow water puddle is a huge pit.

Coupled with rainwater loosening the soil, the condition of the roads hadn't been good, nearly all vehicles arriving in Nagariel needed modifications to move normally.

Aside from several cars, there was also a small truck packed with items.

When the convoy appeared, it drew some curious looks from the locals, and some idle onlookers followed along.

Given the road and environmental issues, the vehicle speed was not fast.

With people trailing behind, the convoy entered a local orphanage, and the emotions of those spontaneously following seemed to have shifted.

Nagariel has orphanages but no elder care facilities; there used to be, but more and more families sent elders to elder care facilities for free food and drink, leading to them closing gradually.

But this didn't stop families from sending their elders away; they stopped sending them to elder care facilities and instead drove them to the streets.

Yet Nagariel has orphanages; children are hope, and even in such a backward place, people know it.

The government annually allocates some financial aid to orphanages across the places, but the funds aren't particularly substantial, merely able to scrape by.

Today Lynch's visit was to give back to society; many reporters from the local newspaper came, wanting to witness this historic moment.

After the vehicles came to a halt, Lynch solemnly got off the car, looking at around fifty to sixty children of various ages in the yard, and seeing timidity in their eyes, his expression turned more solemn.

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