No chance!

With one word, Mr. Herbs and those around him shattered the last delusion. There is no chance in this matter.

"Thank you for providing us with the most professional consultation services at this time. Goodnight, gentlemen."

The lawyers politely bid farewell to their employers on the other end of the call. As outstanding lawyers, their consultation fees are expensive; half a day of consultation is enough for each of them to earn at least five to six hundred Fla or above one thousand Federation Sol.

No wonder people always envy the lawyer profession; just sitting and talking can earn a lot of money.

After ending the call, Mr. Herbs leaned tiredly on the sofa. He suddenly felt a slight dizziness, and then a strong hunger that made him unable to think.

Only at this moment did he realize it was nighttime, he had missed lunch and dinner. He had to muster his strength, using his cane to stomp on the ground, making a thumping sound to attract others' attention, "Gentlemen, we've discussed all day, shouldn't we eat something?"

"I would hate for Lynch to not have done anything to us, yet we fall ill ourselves!" He was the first to stand up. Sitting all day almost made him fall back, but fortunately, someone beside him supported him in time.

"I will visit Mr. Lynch and perhaps probe his thoughts..." he expressed his idea, which gave others some hope.

After a hastily ended dinner, Mr. Herbs dressed meticulously, selected some luxurious gifts, and brought them to the hotel to visit Lynch.

Though the delegation said they arrived last night, various ceremonies were completed today, meaning they couldn't leave today; their tickets were booked for tomorrow morning, and tonight they would stay here.

Unlike yesterday's joy, everyone appeared somewhat disappointed today because Flower Street was closed. The reason claimed was an incident for protecting the site, temporarily shut down.

Everyone had to return empty-handed. Actually, they knew very well why Flower Street was closed, but some things, once known, should never be spoken aloud.

If you don't speak of them, you're clever. If you do, then you're nothing short of stupid.

They had just returned to the hotel and hadn't changed their clothes when the lobby reception called their room.

The assistant answered the call and asked Lynch, "There's a Mr. Herbs claiming to be your friend wishing to see you..."

Lynch paused slightly, a smile appearing on his face, "Yes, he's my friend. Let him come up."

After hanging up, the assistant was curious and somewhat admiring, "Wherever you go, you have friends. Do you have friends all over the world? How do you know so many people?"

Lynch was in a good mood and teased, "We are friends with money, so we are friends with everyone!"

Helen felt this sentence had a profound meaning; she could sense it but couldn't summarize it, feeling a bit dazed.

Lynch's education level was not high, only high school, yet he could always say profoundly philosophical things, making it hard to believe he was just a high school graduate.

This sometimes made Helen feel a sense of self-denial. Though she wasn't from a prestigious university, she was at least a college graduate, yet she felt inferior to Lynch in every aspect. Is she really so unsuccessful?

Soon after, the doorbell rang, Mr. Herbs had knocked.

The assistant opened the door, received the gifts from Mr. Herbs' hands, and placed them on the coffee table in front of Lynch.

The hotel had equipped each main member of the mission with a separate suite. After all, they had leased the entire floor, plenty of rooms; now, they were in the suite's living room.

Mr. Herbs handed his coat to his accompanying butler while walking towards the sofa, "Just some worthless little trinkets, I heard you like watches and pens, and I happen to have some cherished pieces you might like."

Whether Federation people or nobles like Mr. Herbs, in the world's social etiquettes, there's no such thing as insincere humility, saying "It's too precious, I can't accept it," nor appearing overly polite when they really want it.

The assistant accepted frankly, and Lynch opened them straightforwardly, starting with the watch box, a very exquisite platinum watch.

"Platinum body with Sapphire surface and dial, this is... one of three watches made by the master in... year," Mr. Herbs introduced the watch with a somewhat boastful tone.

It indeed was very precious; its manufacturer is a leading master in the industry. The master only makes three handmade watches every four years, each watch's price can astonish some people.

At the least, tens of thousands, at most, millions; it was already comparable to some corporate market values, yet despite this, each batch of watches was highly sought after, people willing to spend heavily only to put them in display cabinets, perhaps not wearing them once in a lifetime.

This watch is moderately priced, only around six hundred thousand, but now its value has risen to over a million, and it will continue to rise.

Lynch nodded with satisfaction, took it off, said "thank you," then put it back on the stand and opened another box.

The pen, encrusted with sapphires all over, costs eighteen thousand Fla. This pen is also handcrafted, with its maker's family having served the Gafura imperial family for generations. The Emperor's pens come from this family.

Someone once joked that signing a name with a pen of this brand is indistinguishable from the Emperor's signature, showing its nobility.

Lynch also likes collecting these pens. He always thinks bringing along two pens gives him more of a scholar's aura, a bit more elegance, even though people here don't understand what elegance is.

He expressed his thanks again, noting that Mr. Herbs put a lot of thought into choosing these two gifts, both things Lynch liked. Giving away gifts worth a million was certainly generous.

"I thought you would be on vacation in the Federation or elsewhere..." Lynch put the pen back, looked at Mr. Herbs, whose smile was more enthusiastic than usual, but in Mr. Herbs' eyes, there was something chilling about it.

"...Didn't expect us to meet in Gafura. Did you come just to wait for me?" Lynch looked at him, asking in a tricky way that made Mr. Herbs' scalp tingle slightly.

His purpose here was to maximize external factors, but he couldn't say that, as it would deeply offend Lynch. Mr. Herbs reacted quickly, "I came to witness a historical moment."

He cleverly avoided directly answering Lynch's question, "Once the Federation and Gafura reach a cooperation agreement, it will mean the world's two most powerful nations uniting together, just like the newspapers say, advancing world peace a step further."

"Once the Federation and Gafura achieve these cooperations, it will mean more opportunities will arise, and that's my goal."

"And you know, someone like me can't stay idle; today I'm here, tomorrow I'm there. It's really surprising to see Lynch, sir. Before I saw the news, I didn't even know you came to Gafura; I thought you were still in Nagariel."

He cautiously probed, smiling while observing Lynch to see how he would respond.

Lynch responded quickly as well, "This time our main task is to discuss some business cooperation and some private bidding, so some merchants are needed; I'm just one of them."

"The United Development Company's current development momentum is good, the board's directors and chairmen treat me well, seeing I'm relatively young, and let me come to broaden my horizons."

An expletive flashed through Herbs' mind. He suddenly realized he might be falling into Lynch's trap, it's related to his appearance.

This sneaky little brat's appearance is too deceptive; you can never guard against a smiling young man in his twenties, looking as pure as white paper—he underestimated him!

Mr. Herbs dryly laughed, "I heard a funny joke recently..."

He looked at Lynch, and Lynch cooperatively asked back, "What interesting joke? Why not share it with me?"

"Someone said our recent lending deal is a trap you set up, intending to swallow both principal and interest. Don't you think such a joke is laughably absurd?" he said, laughing out loud, as if really treating it as a joke.

Lynch also laughed, with deep meaning, "Of course it's absurd. I wouldn't do such a thing to a friend!"

Mr. Herbs did not feel relieved by Lynch's answer; instead, he felt something was amiss because Lynch had never clearly stated that they were friends.

He looked at Lynch warmly, filled with anticipation, "Are we friends?"

Lynch smiled and replied, "Of course, we are the best partners!"

He didn't answer directly, leaving Mr. Herbs unsure, yet Lynch's demeanor made him wonder if he was being overly paranoid, thinking too much?

He felt puzzled, doubtful, yet had to leave it at that. He couldn't force Lynch to say exactly what he wanted to hear; that would be too deliberate.

"I have some friends here. When the time comes, I'll host a party for you," Mr. Herbs said affectionately, "I've lived in Gafura for a long time, very familiar with every aspect here, almost like a local. You must give me a chance to show off!"

Lynch nodded, "Okay, give me a time and place..."

Mr. Herbs didn't stay long, and after they agreed on the time and place for the party to be held in the Imperial Capital, he left.

After sending Mr. Herbs and his butler out, the assistant curiously asked, "Are you good friends?"

Lynch smiled without directly answering, "That's why I prepared a big surprise for him."

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