Chapter 178: Beyond the Country’s Borders

Amid brief but enthusiastic greetings, Mr. Adelaide sat at the head of the conference table.

It was hard to imagine that a chief of staff, a man with no concrete official post, merely carrying the title of Federal Progressive Party member and serving another politician, could have such airs, or rather, such standing.

He sat at the head of the conference table. Not Senator Green, not Mayor Langdon of Sabine City, and certainly not William, but a chief of staff with no “official position.”

Yet no one found it surprising, because the governor trusted this chief of staff deeply. Many of the policies issued by the state government in fact came from the governor’s advisory team.

Sometimes the truth really did not feel as real as people imagined it would. Sometimes the governor’s words, his attitude, his position, and even the expression he wore before the public had all been designed by these people in advance. The governor merely carried them out.

This was not to say the governor did nothing. He was not a puppet. It was simply that his aides were extremely capable and could reduce much of his workload. That gave people reason to respect Mr. Adelaide.

He was an important figure who could directly influence the governor’s attitude.

“Thank you all very much for coming here despite this terrible weather. I am sincerely grateful to each of you.” Adelaide wore a smile. His voice was gentle, not sharp, and his speaking pace was not fast. Every word was enunciated very clearly and completely.

Different regions had different accents, and between certain words there were local forms of linking sounds. But none of that appeared in Adelaide’s speech. Every word he spoke was standard enough for a radio announcer.

It was difficult to dislike a man like that, especially when he was so polite.

“Some of the circumstances we face now are very much like the bad weather outside. Beginning this month, every local government across the state will begin issuing the dole, yet we still face an enormous shortfall.”

“The average unemployment rate across the state has already broken thirteen percent. In certain cities, the unemployment rate is even higher. From some of the data I have received...” As he spoke, he could not help laughing. “By contrast, places with less industrial development are actually finding it easier to face a severe economic recession.”

This was also a phenomenon people had only recently discovered. After the population had over-concentrated in cities, some towns were suffering less serious problems, especially certain farming towns.

Every household had its own fields and livestock. Their lives were not very different even from the best times in the past. Just as now, in the worst of times, their lives still remained much the same as before.