What is despair?

The old King of Nagariel United Kingdom deeply felt a sense of despair at this moment.

When Preton controlled Nagariel's domestic and foreign trade, he was not as desperate, because he knew Preton was just a merchant, merely wanting to make some money from Nagariel.

The impact he caused on Nagariel was not significant; ordinary people couldn't easily interact with Preton nor feel the intimidation of Pretton Trading Company.

For Nagariel at that time, Preton's presence had both advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage was that foreign trade and import business were controlled by others, but the advantage was that equipment that was not convenient for officials to purchase could be obtained through Pretton Trading Company.

As long as there was enough profit, the man known as "Mr. Preton" was willing to take any risk to deliver what Nagariel's rulers needed right to their doorstep.

After Preton's power collapsed, some Provincial Governors began to lean towards the Federation, and the old King was not yet desperate; he had foreseen such matters long ago. Previously, some Provincial Governors colluded with foreign merchants and were closely related to Preton, similar to the current situation.

On this land, there is never a shortage of rulers, and for the old King, it would be best if all the Provincial Governors defect to the Federation and disappear, thus quickly consolidating the royal family's power and truly placing the entire nation under his control.

When Federation merchants flooded into Nagariel, he was not desperate either; Federation merchants came here to earn money, and no matter how they earned it, they needed to employ locals. Large numbers of locals being employed meant that the Federation had to pay wages.

As long as they paid wages, it meant that this large sum of money would forever remain within Nagariel, used to improve people's lives and promote social development.

Not to mention that the treaty they signed stipulated that, after a certain period, all infrastructure facilities and equipment, some basic industrial facilities and equipment, and factories, would be unconditionally sold to the Nagariel government at a certain discounted price.

This was one of the main reasons Nagariel was willing to negotiate an alliance with the Federation before; they were too eager to lay the foundations for industrialization, even if it was just basic.

With these foundations, they could slowly replicate and develop, even if it took a long time to catch up with developed countries; at least, they were on the right path.

Facing the conflict between numerous foreign influences and local people and culture, the old King never interfered excessively; this is something a developing and backward country inevitably encounters.

If you are backward, you get beaten; to catch up, you can't be afraid of pain.

Whether it was some Provincial Governors "forcing the palace" last time, wanting everyone to exchange their money for Federation Sol, or the series of conflicts that erupted later, the old King never felt desperate. He even thought all of this was simply an unavoidable process of cutting away the necrotic flesh.

Once the necrotic flesh is removed and new flesh grows, everything will be better.

But now, he starts to feel despair; the cause of his despair lies precisely in the Federation's endless tactics!

As one of the wealthiest people in the country, the old King could not feel any joy, because Gallier's performance in the foreign exchange market had always been poor. This actually had no impact on Nagariel's domestic economy.

Even if Gallier devalues a bit more, the domestic situation will not change because of it; a market that is almost semi-closed and doesn't interact with the outside world is not as sensitive to currency exchange fluctuations as the open markets of some open countries.

But no one imagined the Federation would actually promote Gallier's appreciation, which is truly... unexpected.

The old King has an almost instinctive perception that this is not a good thing, but a very bad thing; yet he doesn't know how to organize his feelings into coherent language.

It's like someone who has never seen feces, upon seeing it in a dinner plate, despite it being dressed up nicely, will instinctively feel that "this damn thing is inedible!"

Yet when asked why it's inedible, they don't know; it's simply instinct.

The old King has such an instinctive feeling too, that something big is about to happen, though he doesn't know why he feels this way.

Those Provincial Governors, including some people in the Royal Capital, and even part of his own kin, are madly shifting assets; now that Gallier has appreciated, the money which could only buy one house overseas now nearly buys two.

No one knows what the future holds, but now it seems like the best time to transfer assets.

These people don't care about their identity as rulers of Nagariel; in their view, this country is doomed, and leaving before the ship sinks is the most correct decision.

Looking at the crowd gathering outside the plaza, the old King sighed; without knowing the source of the crisis, there's no way to solve it, especially since the real danger's root comes from the Federation's unexpected methods.

Even if he figures out the cause of this crisis, what about the next time?

The time after that?

And the time after that?

"Notify all departments not to escalate the situation; we don't yet understand the circumstances behind this, we need to wait..." the old King waved his hand wearily, and a servant standing in an unnoticed corner bowed and then disappeared.

The Nagariel Youth Party was an institution supported by the old King; even his most favored son was the leader of the Youth Party!

Initially, the Nagariel Youth Party was meant to tackle those from Pretton Trading Company. Once these people overexerted their oppression, the Youth Party could stand up in representation of the people's thoughts, to eliminate those vampire-like foreigners.

Even to completely overthrow Pretton Trading Company's economic colonization of Nagariel, achieving complete freedom once again.

It's unfortunate that Preton didn't enjoy the grand gift prepared by the old King before being chased away by the Federation indefinitely.

Yet the Youth Party did not disband, instead it gradually emerged, because after Preton came a more formidable enemy, Bail Federal.

The old King once had a notion: could the Federation possibly support the Nagariel Youth Party to overturn the local "semi-feudal rule"?

Indeed, there is such a possibility, right? The Federation might let Nagariel people fight against Nagariel people; then, all Provincial Governors, Chiefs, including the King himself, might die amidst chaos, perishing with the rise of national consciousness!

Moreover, this development seems quite likely, which is why the old King continues to support the Youth Party's development. Once what he envisioned becomes a possibility, even if he were to die, his son could still inherit his power.

After all, his son is the leader of the Youth Party!

Yet some things still catch people off guard, as an unexpected conflict erupted when the Nagariel Youth Party's party platform, direction, and methods had yet to be completely revised.

Previously, their slogan was to expel foreigners, given this slogan had circulated within the organization for so many years, it couldn't transform immediately.

Yet they have already promoted new slogans: "Be responsible for oneself, take charge of oneself." From the change in these slogans, one can sense their softening stance towards foreigners, shifting the main point of contention from "foreigners" to the issue of "autonomy and sovereignty."

This clearly corresponds to the Federation's pursuit of free spirit, doesn't it?

When the Federation promotes this massive change, it will not only wipe out the thousand-year-old stalemate of rulers being helplessly divided but also help Nagariel achieve rapid development.

But everything seems to change so quickly.

The old Kingdom sighed deeply; he was tired, very exhausted, wanting to rest, but he couldn't. Without finding better ways to restrain the Federation's brazen exaggerations, he still couldn't rest.

The sounds of protest and demonstration outside grew louder; the old King's face couldn't help but reveal an absurdly comical expression, unexpectedly hearing such "melodic" sounds here.

When Lynch learned of the sudden burst of large-scale demonstrations and protests in Nagariel, it was already three days later. He shook his head after reading the letter.

The undersea cable installation was too slow, slow to the point it wasn't completed yet, which delayed matters; however, this round of protests was within Lynch's expectations.

Originally able to earn one hundred, now only earning sixty, the capitalists telling you they aren't withholding your wages, saying all your demands are unreasonable, how could the people not explode?

Not to mention the people from the Nagariel Youth Party and some from the Federation propelling the events; by then, it would be hard not to have turmoil!

He put away the letter and turned back into the room where Mayor Landon, Ferrari, and some other key City Hall members, along with the mayor's nephew Mark, were sitting.

After the state elections, the list of European Parliament members will change, which is also why Landon wants to conclude work here after the elections; too early or too late would place more pressure, and also more danger, on him and all involved in the entire event.

Resigning at this moment is the best timing; he can directly transfer his records to another state. Then, after a period of work, he could be nominated by the State Assembly to become a Member of Parliament.

Now, they discussed issues of power transition and succession; as Mayor Landon was departing, the interest group formed around him couldn't leave all at once, nor were they planning to.

Once Mayor Landon turns into "Landon House of Representatives Legislator," he will still be able to take care of these old friends in Sabin City.

This is a negotiation during the transition between old and new generations!

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