0097 The Guiding Light

Early the next morning, there was a public discussion about Saturday's Mobile Auction of used goods.

  The economy was in the doldrums, unemployment was high, but the level of consumption was not going down, nor was it likely to, so the needs of many families were always on the drawing board.

  In fact, there had been places in Sabine and throughout the Commonwealth where secondhand goods had been traded before, such as some of the alleys in Lower Township, where people got rid of things stolen from other places cheaply, with clothing being more common.

  Antique stores would often take in used goods that looked newer, and besides antique stores, there were small shops that specialized in recycling used electronics, as well as actual pawn shops.

  But the pawnshops in the Baylor Federation and the pawnshops in another world were not the same thing, in the Baylor Federation the pawnshops only did the buying and selling of luxury goods, and they were not at all interested in those businesses that might only cost a few dollars.

  That's why the entire secondhand goods industry was still in a semi-deserted stage, and many people hadn't yet realized the wealth within, just so Lynch could fill the gap.

  To say that a mobile secondhand goods auction of the magnitude that Lynch organized yesterday was something that hadn't happened in the history of the Federation was an understatement, and it immediately drew the attention of the public.

  There were two main parts at the center of what could attract everyone's attention.

  The first part was whether Lynch's Mobile Auction of Secondhand Goods really had everything, in a complete variety, at low prices, as the newspapers had said.

  The second part that got people talking was yesterday's turnover, which was almost half a million dollars!

  This amount of money was taxable, and Lynch had no intention of hiding it, he graciously confessed the true information to the newspapers, including the IRS, instantly shocking the entire population of Sabine.

  In this kind of economic depression, Time can record an afternoon of half a million transactions, how many things they actually sold, and how much money those things sold for.

  No matter how much discussion and speculation went on outside, it couldn't change the fact that Lynch's Star Trading Corporation and this secondhand goods auction had instantly caught fire, and with it, Mr. Mayor.

  The luncheon, originally scheduled for the day after tomorrow, had been moved to Sunday noon by Mr. Mayor.

  He would have stayed with his family for a happy weekend at that time, but Lynch's big surprise forced him to take some time off at noon to deal with that aspect of things.

  Their lunch date was in one of the more intimate private places, from the countryside to the heart of the Federation, filled with a wide variety of private places of a business nature to make it easier for those who needed it to talk about something private whenever they needed to.

  It was a simple luncheon, Lynch arrived at the appointed place ten minutes early, and the Mayor happened to arrive right after.

  The mayor was in his mid-forties, his hair was a bit gray, and he looked very upset.

  His body type was a bit on the chubby side, but not fat, just a bit fuller than normal, about five feet seven inches, he wasn't short for that era.

  A man who seemed to give off a somewhat stern vibe, but seemed to be easy going.

  With Ferrell's introduction, the two men exchanged greetings for a moment, as if they knew each other.

  Ferrell took it upon himself to keep an eye on the cook who was preparing food for them, deliberately leaving the place to them.

  The mayor pulled a cloth pouch out of his pocket, containing a very nice pipe with a blonde wood pattern that gave it a very golden look.

  "Do you mind?" The Mayor asked, Lynch shook his head, then he put some cigarettes into the pipe, took the torch and lit it, taking two puffs, the whole person looked a little relaxed.

  "I like these, although some people say they're unhealthy ...," he smiled, and the conversation quickly shifted from the pipe to yesterday's events, "My original plan for today was to spend time with the kids, but I saw the news this morning, and frankly I was shocked."

  "With half a million dollars in transactions, you may have made history!" The mayor didn't mince his praise, and after the news broke, his staff gathered in his study to talk about the Mobile Auction.

To them, half a million dollars was roughly equivalent to providing for the material needs of at least a million lower-class Thors - "Thor" was the unit of the Federation's popular currency, and Thor was also the name of the man who founded the Federation and was its first president. (I'm setting the Federation currency to "Thor" and creating a fictional President of the Federation here).

  The people called him a hero, and in honor of this hero, after a national debate, it was decided that his portrait would be printed on paper money, which would also be called "Thor".

  This is the official term, in life no one would say "a federal Thor", they would just say "a dollar".

  One million Thor, evenly distributed, can be said to have met the short-term material needs of 10,000 families in Sabine yesterday afternoon, which is a very frightening number.

  If through some processing and policy guidance, it can be said that this second-hand goods fair organized under the impetus of the City Hall and His Excellency the Mayor, greatly satisfy the pursuit of a better life as well as the aspirations of the people of Sabine's lower class society, reducing some of the potential social conflicts because of it, which is definitely a feat that can be taken as an achievement!

  He and his staff did not expect Lynch to do so well, this is out of everyone's expectations, other things he can delay, but and his own personal interests have to do with things, he will not wait.

  Lynch was modest, "I can have such an achievement thanks to Sabine's free market environment and local politics full of good will and support for new things, especially you, who have given me a lot of help in this regard.

  He said these flattering words without blushing, which made the mayor's face smile even more, it wasn't that he hadn't seen shameless businessmen before, he had seen a lot of this kind of businessmen.

  But it was the first time he had seen a businessman like Lynch who could talk in a way that made him feel like he was really that amazing, he suddenly felt that Lynch was a very interesting person, at least he was good at talking.

  That was the main reason why he and Lynch had moved up their meeting, he was planning to introduce Lynch and his company as a local town hall led political achievement and that was bound to bring more people from all sides to scrutinize and find fault.

  He and Lynch needed to be of the same caliber so that both sides could reap the expected benefits before any scandal and trouble arose.

  He had thought that Lynch, this young man, wouldn't be too nice to talk to, young people always felt that the world wouldn't turn without them, he hadn't expected Lynch to be so understanding, which also surprised him, he didn't look like a child from an ordinary family.

  All of a sudden, from a spectator to a dominant, even if it was the mayor's idea from the beginning, but so smoothly, it still made him feel a little guilty, just a little, a little insignificant.

  With his pipe in his hand, he said, if anything, "I hear you're planning to cover the entire state with your business?"

  Lynch nodded stoically, "Yes. Inspired by the charisma of your personality, Your Honor the Mayor, I believe we should put aside our geographical limitations and take on more social responsibility, as long as it's something meaningful and good for the people, we should strive to do it."

  "And I will not only sell used goods, but I will also recycle used goods on a large scale throughout the state, to turn around some goods that are put aside by people, that can't produce a role, that can't produce an effective value."

  "Things that may be temporarily useless to me will play an important role in someone else's life, and through specialized trade channels, we can meet the material needs of the lower classes of society without adding to their financial burdens."

  "Even they can sell their used goods in times of need to relieve the enormous pressure on their families' finances, which will improve the financial situation and living conditions of millions of families in the years to come."

  "I firmly believe that!"

  The mayor kept nodding his head during Lynch's formulation, he thought of more, Lynch's words were inspiring, if he could do all that he said, there was no doubt that it would become a shining achievement during the mayor's reign in Sabine.

  He roughly had some understanding, the smile on his face became a little more friendly, "Your idea is very good, when I talked to the governor before, he talked about the young people's ideas nowadays are very interesting, if there is a chance, I will introduce you to ..."

  He paused here and asked if he was serious, "What do you think of the Federal Progressive Party?"

  Lynch showed great enthusiasm, "It's a very good party ..."