Chapter 516: 0514 made money
In the blink of an eye, it’s almost New Year, and busy people don’t even feel the passage of time as it quietly slips away.
The biggest change in the city recently is that the streets have become clean, with no more garbage everywhere, and even the piles of excrement are rarely seen.
You should know that in this country, public defecation has almost become normalized, including women finding a relatively secluded place to relieve themselves. Of course, some older women don’t care about others’ gazes and relieve themselves anywhere.
With excrement everywhere, along with piles of rotting garbage teeming with countless bacteria, how could it not stink?
But now these problems are gone, with no feces in sight and no piles of garbage scattered about. For the locals, it’s a novel experience.
Spaces once occupied by garbage have been freed, suddenly giving the city more open areas and making it much cleaner.
Ever since foreigners started recycling garbage, this "garbage," which people used to ignore, has become something that’s not so easy to find. Some people even cut down wood from outside the city to use as garbage.
There’s a funny little story in this process. Someone first discovered that dried feces could be approved as burnable recycling garbage, and thus, it became a scarce commodity.
People need to defecate, so they would find a fixed spot, dry the feces, and turn it in for recycling.
They even improved the shape of the feces, patting it into a round form with their hands for easier carrying.
Some people deliberately ate wild grass raw to enhance the fiber structure of feces so they could excrete "formed" and unbreakable feces.
In short, there’s less and less garbage, so little that people would fight over it.
The second biggest change is that a newly built coal plant on the outskirts of the city has been put into use, spewing out a large amount of white smoke every day. Although people haven’t felt changes in their lives brought by the power plant, that day isn’t far off.
The city’s changes have improved the spirits and appearance of those living here, making everything flourish.
The person responsible for making these previously considered impossible things happen, Lynch, is boarding a ship returning to the Federation.
He’s been here for three months; it’s time to go back. There are many things waiting for him in the Federation, such as... the preseason final of Sabin City’s professional football club.
The club Lynch invested in has returned to the lowest level of the men’s professional football league system. The preseason it’s participating in is a warm-up before the main competition.
The preseason coincides with the opening of the transfer window, allowing all teams to adjust their conditions before the new season starts and giving them opportunities to try new changes.
Next comes a two-month off-season, after which begins the official season. Discovering team issues and changing tactics during that process seems too rushed.
Preseason games aren’t very exciting because everyone is making changes, adapting new players, coaches, and tactics—only Sabin City’s team is acting as if it’s on steroids.
While others are discovering issues, they’re out to win, and no one expected it. The club, newly promoted from amateur to the lowest league, made it to the preseason final.
As the club’s chairman, Kane (the club manager) sent a message to Lynch, hoping he could return a few days earlier, as his presence would motivate the boys.
Lynch, having invested a lot of money in the club, naturally wouldn’t refuse. Though he seems wealthy now, making a top champion team is still a challenging task — meaning he doesn’t have enough money.
Moreover, sports’ attention in the Federation is on the rise. Sabin City reportedly even has fans traveling with the team to the finals. Sports are becoming a spiritual support for the city and surrounding people.
Besides that, there are many other matters, like New Year and meeting Mr. Herbs. He’s gathered almost enough money, and the next step is signing contracts and completing transactions.
This sum is so massive that no place outside is trusted for the transaction, so it remains in the Federation.
The cruise ship gently departs amidst the heavy blast of its horn. Lynch breathes a sigh of relief, having excellently completed his work, even exceeding expectations.
There was no direct route from Nagariel to the Federation or even a route ending in Nagariel; it was just a supply point in the East Ocean.
But with a series of Federation actions, shipping companies opened multiple rounds of cruise and any-time freight services, significantly reducing travel time from over a week to about three days.
Ocean travel is boring and tedious, but Lynch discovered some interesting things in this process, as did others who saw workboats laying undersea cables along the continental shelf.
It’s a special skill not possessed by ordinary countries; only three countries can do it worldwide: Gafura, Bail Federal, and another, which is a neutral country.
Once cables are dropped from the tugboat to the seabed, it’s not done; workboats must set positions and secure them, and some places require scaffolds. This is why undersea cables need a continental shelf.
Without a continental shelf, cables suspended in the water are prone to marine damage, but with the shelf, protective measures and proper support reduce frequent failures.
Seeing what might seem like the lazy cable-laying tugboat, cruise passengers waved and cheered inexplicably for this small feat.
So old-fashioned, Lynch thought, but he was in a good mood. The cheers really signified pride and joy in having a strong nation as a support system.
Lynch didn’t reveal his return to others; he didn’t want to act too special.
Upon reaching the Federation, he took a train directly to Benlit, where the preseason final was held.
In recent years, sports events’ popularity and public interest had soared beyond interest in the fashion industry, understandably. With an economic downturn, people focus more on cutting expenses than unnecessary spending, so Benlit, known as the "Southern Pearl" fashion city, is seeing reduced national influence.
This time, after a series of negotiations between Benlit’s mayor and the United Transport Association, undoubtedly spending considerable money, the preseason final was set in a city unrelated to sports.
Reportedly, next year’s Federation Super Cup opener will also be held here. Benlit’s mayor really went all out, but it’s understandable, as state elections are imminent, and any chance to raise chances of winning is worth pursuing.
As Lynch stepped out of Benlit station, Kane eagerly approached, "Mr. Chairman..."
Alongside him was coach Manson, who had done well in this past year, and most importantly, was very obedient.
Earlier, when discussing whether to bring in foreign players, maybe two or three star players to form the team’s core, Lynch dismissed the idea.
For a team struggling in lower leagues to buy real star players would require spending multiple times the money.
Though not knowledgeable in sports, Lynch understands business: To get a top male star in a porn film, offering pay beyond his actual value and additional terms are needed.
Films and sports seem different, but some principles are similar.
So far, the club’s strategy remains "reckless play," clashing desperately, paving future paths using cheap lives.
Look, didn’t they make it to the finals?
Lynch shook hands with the two and then boarded the bus, where a young woman was present.
"Chairman Lynch, hello, I’m the new women’s team captain..." A blonde girl with a broad chest and perfect figure, attractive but somewhat... cheap.
She, like her predecessor, tickled Lynch’s palm with a pinkie during the handshake. She hoped for a shortcut, but Lynch gave no feedback, leaving her a bit disappointed.
After sitting down, the bus slowly started, and Lynch finally asked, "How is the club’s recent income and expenditure situation?"
Economics determine a company’s growth and a club’s future. Balancing income and expenditure may seem straightforward, but in sports, truly balancing it is rare.
The bigger the club and the better the performance, the more extra funding is needed. So Lynch first inquired about the club’s operational status, essential for future progress.
Kane quickly answered, "The club’s financial situation is fantastic! I can’t find other words to describe it now; in short, we have no troubles. It’s made you a lot of money, Mr. Chairman!"
"How much?" Lynch curiously asked casually.
With pride unimaginable to others, Kane said, "Three hundred seventy thousand in a year. If we win the preseason championship, this number may exceed four hundred thousand before next season starts!"