After settling the issue with Vivian for the time being, Lynch called Asil over. This time, he arranged to meet him at a high-end café.
In the past, there would be a lot of people here, but now, there were not many customers. Everyone was thinking about saving money, and they were no longer as willing to spend on expensive and unnecessary things as before.
As a result, there were not many people in the café. It was very quiet.
Asil arrived quickly, and Lynch asked him to sit across from him. "Don't be nervous. I don't have any specific work to do. This time, I asked you to come here because I want to talk to you about your hometown."
"My … hometown?"
Asil's expression froze for a moment, and his eyes lost their luster and focus, as if he was trying to recall something.
This memory lasted for a very short time, and he quickly returned to reality. He apologized for being distracted during the conversation, and was also confused by Lynch's question.
"Mr. Lynch, my hometown is not a rich place. It doesn't have the advanced technology system of the Federation, and it doesn't have any industrial foundation. It's just a poor place. This is why we came here."
Speaking of his hometown, Asil was very emotional. It was indeed a poor place. Not only was it backward, but it was also very poor and ignorant.
Until now, people still believed that they would go into the arms of God after death. The God they believed in created this world, and every breath this God took was the birth and destruction of the world. In short, he was a very powerful God.
Any country with a higher theocracy than a secular regime would be very backward in the development of science and technology because they spent a lot of time, energy, and financial resources on how to please the gods who did not exist and would not give them any feedback.
Ignoring the advancement of technology and society, Asil's hometown was nothing special in his eyes.
If the religion and the natural beauty of the natural environment due to the lack of technology and industrial foundation were some of the few advantages, then this was the only advantage left.
However, since Lynch brought it up, Asil more or less talked about his hometown. He and his family kept in contact through letters, but every time they contacted each other, it would take a long time.
"Tell me about the distribution of political power in your country, its general structure, social class situation, economy and so on. Anything will do."
Lynch's further exploration confused Asl even more. "Mr. Lynch, no offense, but may I know why you're interested in this?
Or tell me what you're interested in, so that I can find the things you want in more detail. "
Lynch smiled. "You know, the new president is coming to power. We'll be ushering in a brand new era. In the past, when we closed the door, no one knew whose side we were on."
"Now that we have opened the door and let people see our position, it will bring us many opportunities that have never appeared before!"
"I often talk to you about social responsibility. This kind of responsibility is not only the Federation's social responsibility, but also the responsibility of the international community. We have to bear it."
Asil knew very well how to spell each word in these words and how many meanings they had. However, he was puzzled that his comprehension ability seemed to be faulty. When these words were put together, he could not understand a single word.
But it wasn't embarrassing even if he didn't understand. Asr, who worshipped Lynch, began to talk about his hometown without hesitation. Society, economy, culture, and the biggest conflict there — the struggle between the government and the theocracy!
The two sat there for forty to fifty minutes. During this time, the waiter refilled their glasses many times. Asil's mouth was dry by the time he finished, but he maintained his composure in front of Lynch.
Lynch was deep in thought as he listened to him. After a few minutes, he asked another question. "Asr, if there's a chance, would you be willing to go home?" Asr nodded. "Asr, if you have the chance, would you be willing to go home?"
Asil, who was originally very relaxed, suddenly became nervous. His expression turned uneasy. "Go home?
No, Mr. Lynch, did I do something wrong? "
In his mind, going home had become the biggest punishment in his life. One must know that now that he was able to settle down in the Bailey Federation, his family had also received a lot of preferential treatment.
That backward country was relatively backward in the international community. They had an innate fear of powerful countries, but it was also because of this that they worshipped religious power more and more.
This sounded very … hard to understand. Shouldn't they unite to research and develop technology?
Actually, that was not the case. When a place was too backward, when people faced advanced technology, it was as if they were facing something out of a myth. At the same time, in order to consolidate their power and influence, the religious power supporters would instill the wrong idea in the people's minds — that faith could defeat material things.
Of course, the people at the bottom were already fooled by their lies, but the ruling class was still relatively clear-headed.
When Asil received a residence permit from the Bailey Federation and a social security number, he became a legitimate "foreigner". His parents and siblings were much more assertive when talking to people, and their social treatment was also better.
If he were to go back now, his parents, siblings, and all the preferential treatment and respect they had received from society over the years would not be as simple as giving them back with interest!
Looking at Asil's anxious expression, Lynch slowly picked up his coffee and took a small sip. "Asil, my friend, you're too nervous. Haven't you considered the other possibility?"
He put down the cup very slowly. The coffee cup and the plate did not even make a sound. "You're not the only one going back. I'll go too. I'll go back to do business."
"Do business?"
Asil's eyes widened even more. "I'm sorry, Mr. Lynch, I don't understand at all. That backward and poor place, what could possibly catch your eye?"
Lynch slightly ticked. "You're wrong. Your hometown is full of all kinds of amazing wealth, but you and those people can't see it."
"Gold, gems, spices, precious ores, some plants, and even some animals and their fur. As long as these things are transported out of your place, they're all money!"
This was also the most basic way an advanced society plunder a backward society. Some things could be turned into money, but because the technology was not up to standard, they could only be exported to earn a very small profit.
It was even possible that because they could not be transported out, they could not earn much money.
This was a very good time. The whole world was busy rebuilding and developing itself. Their eyes were not looking at the whole world, and people would not care about the changes in a poor place. This made it very convenient for Lynch.
Asil thought about it, and it made sense. His memories of his hometown were a little blurry, but there were still some things that left a deep impression.
For example, the high priest in every village who wore gold and silver, the dense forest that was so dense that one would get lost, and the various ores that were hidden underground but could not be mined.
These were all money, but …
"What about transportation?
Mr. Lynch, if we transport those things out, they might cost more than if we buy them locally. "
Asher once again raised some of his opinions. When the transportation technology wasn't developed enough, the cost of transportation was also a headache when it came to cost control.
Lynch said casually, "Then we'll settle it locally. The value of a meal of gold ore and a meal of gold are completely different. If it's a ton of gold, I believe that even if we spend money to transport it back, we'll still make enough profit."
Wasn't that right? Wasn't turning rocks into finished gold ingots enough to make money?
Without waiting for Asil to continue asking, Lynch continued, "This is also one of the responsibilities of the international community that I mentioned. As a developed country, we should help some backward countries develop their technology. I believe that if I bring equipment and funds to your hometown to invest, they will give me some benefits. What do you think?"
Asil could not refute this. Although his hometown was poor, backward, and ignorant, the ruling class was not that stupid.
They would greedily allow Lynch to do whatever he wanted there, so that Lynch would lower his guard. Then, slowly and quietly, they would change things until they took away Lynch's assets there.
Asil felt that he should tell this to Lynch, but Lynch only smiled and did not answer him. He even told Asil that this matter had basically been decided. It was the main direction and plan for this year's development.
As long as he could deal with the president and that damned new department, he would immediately bring people to Asil's hometown.
As for why it was Asil's hometown, it was simple. It was poor, backward, and ignorant, but naturally rich in minerals and natural resources. At the same time, he had a reliable local, Asil, as a guide.
With this help, all that was left was some simple work.
If those natives wanted to give it a try, he did not mind letting them and their gods know the pronunciation of the word "bullet", its meaning, and the fear of it.
Plundering was never righteous or benevolent. Every large-scale plundering between civilizations was bloody. Some people could not adapt and would be eliminated, while those who could adapt would become part of the interest groups surrounding Lynch!