The Shadow Tycoon
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 86: The Permit That Bought an Adviser
“Your consignment auction cannot be held on schedule...”
When William heard those words, he thought of certain television dramas he had seen before. The last line of the episode that aired the previous day never matched the recap at the start of the next day’s episode. There was always a sense of abruptness.
It was like a cow growing a horse’s face, with a severe lack of harmony. His television serial should not be like this. This was not in the script.
Of course, he did not get angry either. He merely looked at the man across the desk and maintained his work attitude, smiling. “Mr. Ferraler, can you tell me why?”
He repeated it. “Why can’t my consignment auction be held on schedule? Perhaps we can solve this problem.”
Ferraler looked at William with some satisfaction. He had thought William would lose his temper, or say something filthy to him, or even rush over waving his fists. He had already prepared himself to handle all that. What he had not expected was that William did none of those things.
He simply sat behind the desk as before, calmly and rationally discussing a solution. Such a person would always give others a very reliable feeling. Even if you did not like him, you would not hate him too much.
Ferraler nodded. “That is exactly why I came here. According to this state’s laws and this city’s regulations, any gathering of more than fifty people in a public setting requires an application to the Department of Social Services in advance. Mr. Carter, you seem to have forgotten...” He pressed his lips together and showed a very regretful expression, the corners of his mouth sinking.
It should clearly have been an unhappy expression, yet William, and indeed everyone, could feel that he was actually smiling. That was the expression of his heart, which also reflected how strange a creature human beings were.
What people saw could not interfere with the subjective feeling in their hearts. It was like a piece of shit made out of chocolate. The eyes could not shake subjective idealist judgment.
As for those who truly tasted it, it was not that their eyes had shaken their decision. They had truly wanted to eat it, even if it was real shit.
Looking at the “smile” on Ferraler’s face, William knew this matter was not that troublesome. “I truly did not know there was such a rule. I thought only marches and demonstrations needed applications in advance.”
“Gatherings too!” Ferraler added again. Then he lifted his wrist and glanced at the watch on it. “There is less than an hour before the Department of Social Services closes for the day. But this kind of application must be submitted at least one week in advance. Your consignment auction is tomorrow. It is too late.”
William pressed his lips together and considered it for a moment. Then he suddenly asked a question unrelated to the matter. “Mr. Ferraler, as you can see, this company of mine, myself included, does not understand some things that may be fairly common knowledge well enough...”
Ferraler nodded. Although this did not quite count as common knowledge, it also could not be called obscure knowledge that was impossible to learn.
The domestic atmosphere of the Baler Federation was rather ... free. At least, that was what the Federation government said. Everyone had the right to organize gatherings. Many people had organized such activities before, but there were also people who did not understand these matters.
The laws and regulations of every region were not quite the same. For example, in some areas, one could not make the sound of splashing water while urinating, and one could not sing while bathing. If someone called the police, one would be arrested.
In some places, when urinating outside, one had to whistle. This was to remind others that someone was relieving himself there, to avoid misunderstandings. If one did not whistle while urinating, one would be arrested ... Different regions and different laws and regulations were enough to make most Federation people dizzy. Perhaps doing something on this side was compliant with the rules, but after taking one ride and doing the same thing again, the police would arrest you.
Sometimes people might realize the uncertainty inside these matters, so they would go to the Department of Social Services to ask. But that place’s attitude and procedures were rather slow, so more people went to consult lawyers.