The Shadow Tycoon
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 144: Two Major Troubles
“The first problem is this: I plan to go into import-export, but I don’t have an import-export quota...”
Given the Federation Conservative Party’s isolationist policy and its fear of being dragged into the war, they believed that exporting goods to belligerent countries, or importing goods from them, would bring the flames of war back onto their own heads.
In the early days after the World War broke out, this was in fact the common view held by the overwhelming majority of people in the Baler Federation. Even within the Federation Progressive Party, they had been unable to reach a unified position on the question, which allowed the Federation Conservative Party to win the election with almost no difficulty.
And it was precisely because of that isolationist policy that, even today, after the World War had fully ceased, the Federation’s international trade had still not recovered. Only a limited amount of unavoidable trade was still being conducted.
For instance, using certain goods to exchange with other countries for raw materials the Federation could not manufacture on its own, or did not have locally. Apart from this sort of unavoidable foreign-trade policy, ordinary individuals or companies found it very difficult to operate large-scale international trade.
This brings us to a special office under the Cabinet government of the Federation Conservative Party President, the International Trade Approval Office. The International Trade Approval Office was formally under the Department of Foreign Affairs, though the War Department also exercised overlapping authority over it. That alone showed how wary the country still was about foreign trade.
Every year, what goods could be exported and what goods could be imported were decided by the International Trade Approval Office.
For an individual like William, who wanted to go into export business, there was basically no point thinking about it in the short term. It was impossible. He did not even have a chance to try.
The mayor’s brows slowly drew together, then tightened. Creases folded at the bridge of his nose, and his two eyebrows seemed to rise at the same time, giving him a kind of natural authority even before he said a word.
Of course, most of that authority came from his title: His Honor the Mayor.
Had the frowning man been a hobo, he would have met not reverent looks, but curses, and perhaps the spit-smeared sole of a shoe.
“I’ll need to ask around, but the chances are not good. At least in the short term, unless international affairs policy changes, the opportunity is small.”
He quickly gave his conclusion. In fact, quite a few people had already proposed entering international trade, but the World War had only just ended. No one knew whether one accidental exchange of fire along some border might once again sweep the entire world into flames.
So they still needed time to wait and observe. But His Honor, the Mayor, had not told the truth. Inside the senior leadership of the Federation Progressive Party, they had already concluded that the World War had basically come to an end.
It was not because everyone had suddenly become civilized. It was because most of the countries involved had beaten one another’s brains out. They no longer had the ability to keep fighting, unless they truly wanted national extinction.
Judging by the current state of the world, war was a contest of a country’s total depth of strength. Once that depth had been exhausted, once a country could not even afford to manufacture bullets, what was left to fight with?
However, the Federation Conservative Party, which had built itself on isolationist policy and gained certain results from it, did not see it that way. Or perhaps they had reached the same view as the Federation Progressive Party, but because isolationist policy had brought peace to the Federation, and because that policy had brought them political gains, they were not yet willing to abandon it before they had converted all of its influence into political capital. So it still had to continue for some time.
As for the inside, things had already loosened. It was just that this kind of loosening would never be made known to ordinary people. Never mind that the Federation Conservative Party’s President spent all day on television attacking the Federation Progressive Party’s “crooked arguments,” while the leader of the Federation Progressive Party went on television calling the Conservative President a pig. On a certain level, the two parties still shared some consensus.
Ah, and one must not forget, there was also the Federation Socialist Party. But that did not matter. They had already grown used to being forgotten. Sometimes even the newspapers simply said “the two parties” instead of “the three parties.”
If His Honor, the Mayor, truly wanted to handle this matter, it might not be impossible. It was just that if he spent his own favors helping William with it, he would not receive much in return. He did not think that was a suitable choice.
Sometimes politics was a headache. Other times, it was very simple, so simple it was only a matter of comparing size.
William was not especially surprised by this conclusion. He maintained his elegant composure as he cut his steak, and said in a seemingly casual tone, “If I can obtain free-trade rights, I can solve the employment problem left behind after the Ristowan Group’s departure.”
He put a tender, juicy piece of beef into his mouth. As his lips closed and his teeth worked, the juices burst across his tongue. It felt excellent. “Perhaps more than that. We can push the unemployment rate down. I also believe that, under present circumstances, people are more willing than ever to work. Wouldn’t you agree?”