"Did I hear you right?"
"Did you just say something about the medal?"
Mr. Trumann suddenly wondered if he was hallucinating, or if Lynch had misunderstood him. Otherwise, how could he relate it to the medal?
Lynch had already returned to the sofa and sat down. He turned on the TV and lowered the volume. He then said in a relaxed manner, "Of course, I sacrificed my personal honor. You know, it's not that easy. I'm a clean freak."
Mr. Trumann laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. After laughing for a while, his laughter gradually stopped. He also gradually understood something. "You're really crazy, but I understand what you mean."
"This matter is not easy to handle. We can't tell the people that you were given a medal because you slept with some people for the country. But I will help you apply for it later."
He was afraid that Lynch didn't understand, so he reminded him, "The aircraft …"
It was already August, and September was coming soon. In October, Lynch would go to Guevra to be conferred the title of Baron of the Empire.
This was indeed deliberately arranged by the emperor of Guevra to annoy Lynch and the president of the Federation, but Lynch had no choice but to accept it.
If he didn't go, it would be tantamount to stuffing a dagger into the emperor's hand for him to hold. Then, he would have to be vigilant against the emperor's possible sudden attack.
Unless he would never again go to Gavra for the rest of his life, or be connected with anything connected with Gavra, he must go.
And once this kind of thing was publicized, for the "country people" of the Federation, they would instinctively think that it was a good thing and a very honorable thing. If Lynch refused, they would not think that it was very patriotic. They would only think that it was a pity, and they might think that it might be dirty.
But once he went, he would be conferred the title of Baron of Guevra. When he came back, it would be a little awkward.
After the excitement, people would think about a problem. What was the meaning of being a member of the Federation and being conferred the title of Baron of the Empire?
This would be one of his advantages. After all, the descendants of thieves, rapists, pirates, and exiles in the Federation still had a natural yearning for nobles. This identity would play a decisive role when interacting with the upper echelons of society.
However, this identity would also become a hidden danger. If someone used this to attack him, it could easily trigger blind patriotism at the bottom of society to create some news.
Sometimes, when he thought about it carefully, it was really a joke. Those who truly loved their country were all at the bottom. As for those at the top, most of them only cared about benefits.
Once the patriotism was manipulated, it would easily lead to continuous conflicts.
If Lynch had a medal, things would be different.
"Lynch has been bribed by Gaffra!"
"I've made contributions to the Federation!"
"Lynch and Gaffra have a relationship!"
"I've made contributions to the Federation!"
The people of the Federation were stupid, but the people of the Federation were strong. Therefore, the best way for Lynch at this time was to get a Federation medal.
Even if it was the most ordinary medal, as long as it was proven that Lynch had made contributions to the Federation, the people would quickly forget about it.
This medal couldn't be given out now. He couldn't give it to Lynch just because he satisfied some of Genia's needs. That would only be an accident. He still had a chance.
When the aircraft was released, he might be able to get a medal.
If the aircraft could effectively counter the submarine as Lynch described, he could even be awarded a "Federation Crystal Heart Medal".
The night was silent.
Early the next morning, Lynch came out of the exercise room after finishing his exercise. He took a shower, changed his clothes, and sat at the table waiting for breakfast.
In the summer, the weather was too hot. Even in the morning, the community health doctor advised all residents to complete their morning exercise before the temperature rose or to do it at home.
Lynch didn't go out. He didn't want to run with a large group of people.
When the servant brought the newspaper over, he opened it and saw that the headline was about Shep's ship.
After the data release of the new submarine the day before yesterday and yesterday, the stock of Shep Shipbuilding Company had increased significantly since yesterday. Today, it was revealed that they had applied for over 100 patents on the engine. It was suspected that they had made a breakthrough in the engine field.
There was no doubt that Shep Ships' stock would go crazy after 9: 30.
Lynch even faintly felt that Shep Ships' rush to announce the Wave II submarine's data was not entirely to deal with the failure of the last joint military exercise.
Their purpose was to pull back the plunging stock price. In the Federation, everything was fake. Only stocks and the money in the pockets of the shareholders were real.
As long as the price was right, treason was a piece of cake for the capitalists.
As he was thinking about the Shep Ships' press conference and the financial market, the sergeant's voice made him turn his head.
"Mr. Lynch, this is Kerman's information..."
The sergeant took a document from a bodyguard and handed it to Lynch.
Blackstone Security's business was still expanding. They not only accepted military outsourcing, but also some investigations, tracking, and investigations that might violate the law but did not violate the Federation's laws.
It was very easy to investigate an inconspicuous fitness coach in a small place.
As he gnawed on his bread, he pulled out a folder that wasn't particularly thick from the file bag.
When he opened the first page, Kerman's picture appeared on it.
Lynch read it carefully and commented from time to time.
"Intentional injury, served prison time..."
"I've even divorced …"
"Kept an ambiguous relationship with more than ten women of different ages..."
Lynch was a little surprised. "It's really hard for this guy to live until now!"
Kerman's past could be described as "magical." When he was 18, he was imprisoned for three years for intentional injury. After 18 months, he was paroled.
According to the information, he was imprisoned because of a girl. After he was released, he registered his marriage with the girl. At that time, he was not even 20 years old.
The marriage only lasted for two years because Kerman did not want to have children and was unwilling to take protective measures. After the girl aborted two children for Kerman, they divorced.
After that, he changed many jobs, but they did not last long. There were many reasons. Until he met a new opportunity in a fitness center and became a fitness coach. After that, his life stabilized.
Sella was just one of his many "mistresses." It was not difficult to tell from the list of names that these women should have good family backgrounds.
"Send a copy of this document to Sela as well. As for what she chooses, that's her business."
Lynch closed the document and returned it to the sergeant.
For him, Sella's choice was not important. She only needed to be happy.
Perhaps for poor people, "cost-effectiveness" was a very important indicator when making choices, but for rich people, the most important indicator was "I f * cking want to".
For the next period of time, Lynch accompanied Jenia to wander around the Federation. If they were not listening to a "rural opera" that was criticized by Jenia for having no merits, then they were watching the most popular movies in the most famous Ruby Theater in the southern city.
Or they were tasting the delicacies of various places. The Federation covered a large area, from south to north, from east to west. The changes in latitude and longitude made each place have its own special food, unlike Gaffra, which was a small island with only one special food.
In the process of playing along, Gevra and many other countries announced the development plans and parameters of new military equipment. The whole world fell into a very strange cycle.
In the past, they competed in the way of war, but now, they competed in the way of numbers, which was very interesting and novel.
Other than that, the delegation also negotiated some cultural exchange projects, signed some contracts for the distribution of books and films, and also bought some contracts for the import of books and films. There were also two theatre companies and opera companies from Gaffra that toured various places and were deeply loved by the people of the Federation.
Anyway, as long as it was related to the nobles, people would inexplicably like it, as if doing this could hide the inferiority that they did not notice.
It was almost the middle of September, and the scheduled visit of Gaffra's delegation was also coming to an end.
"We're going back the day after tomorrow …"
Jenia came out of the bathroom and sat in front of the dressing table while drying her hair.
The things she bought the most in the Federation were various fashionable clothes and cosmetics.
The Gaffra nobles still kept a considerable amount of traditions. The more noble a noble was, the more they would not easily change these traditions. For example, they never used perfume, but they always used aromatherapy.
For example, even now, there were still some noble women who did not use skincare products, but used arsenic to beautify themselves.
It might sound unbelievable, but for some of the conservative noblewomen in Gevra, arsenic had become an essential part of their lives.
Arsenic could make them look whiter, more beautiful, and more translucent. Of course, they had to pay a heavy price for it.
It was difficult for these women to give birth to healthy offspring, and it was even difficult for them to get pregnant. At the same time, their lifespan was very short. Depending on the way and dosage of arsenic was used, their lifespan could range from 30 to 50 years old.
Even if the Gaffra Empire's scientific journal had reported that eating arsenic was harmful to health, there were still some women who did not hesitate.
Vanity was really important. Even if they did not live for long, even if it was very painful, as long as they could live in praise, they would throw caution to the wind!