Chapter 872: Making Money Is Important Too

Originally, Lynch planned to go to the telegraph room first to inform his people of the situation, but seeing the girl beside him, he decided to take her back to her room first.

When a young girl encounters something like this, she might struggle to stay calm. She could act rashly or send the wrong signals, so it was best to have her return to her room.

Once he sent the telegram, he would come back and talk to her about the problems on the ship.

It was rare for Lynch to show such a serious expression. Penny didn’t act on her emotions and obediently followed Lynch back to the room.

“I’ll be back soon. Stay here and watch my things. No matter who knocks, don’t open the door unless it’s me,” Lynch instructed her.

Most people, when faced with this kind of situation, give vague warnings—saying things like it’s dangerous outside or don’t go out no matter what.

But that kind of approach isn’t always effective. Without a clear purpose, people left behind can become anxious and make poor decisions.

Some will sit tight, but others might suddenly think they can change the situation—maybe gather information, prepare weapons, or even attempt an escape.

That kind of thinking is foolish. It can put both themselves and others in danger. The best way to handle it is to give them a task.

Lynch gave Penny a simple one: watch the luggage. It’s easy, clearly defined, and gives her a sense of purpose.

The girl nodded firmly and slowly let go of Lynch’s arm. He kissed her on the forehead and gently said, “Everything will be fine. Trust me…”

He closed the door and instructed Penny to lock it from the inside.

After making sure everything was in order, he let out a breath, lit a cigarette, and walked slowly to the telegraph room.

The telegraph room was small, staffed by two female operators. Their job was to send messages from guests on the ship to people on land using Morse code.

The work wasn’t hard, but it paid well.

“Sir, how can I help you?” one of the girls said sweetly, her smile suggesting she’d agree to anything.

“I need to send a telegram, but I don’t need you to do it for me,” Lynch said, pulling out a few $20 bills and handing them to her. “I’ll do it myself.”

The girl didn’t move, still smiling. “Sir, I’m a professional. Whatever you send, I won’t remember or repeat a word.”

Words like that were nice to hear, but not to be believed. It was no different from what brokers and stock managers in Eminence always said:

Just tell me—I swear on my family, I won’t tell a soul.

And then the entire city would know.

“You can take the money and have a drink nearby. I’ll make sure to mention your excellent service,” Lynch said calmly. “Or, I can call your manager and tell him I’m extremely upset.”

“The choice is yours, ma’am. What will it be?”

Lynch was direct. The girl’s smile faltered, and after a brief pause, she accepted the tip and left.

Lynch sat down, pulled the curtain chain shut with a rustle, and began to work.

The telegraph system was overseen by the Federal Telegraph Bureau. Of course, anyone with the ability could listen in casually. Most telegrams were in plain text and boring.

Interesting ones were usually encrypted, so ordinary eavesdroppers couldn’t make sense of them.

After a few quick adjustments, Lynch began transmitting a plain-text message. Within moments, the nearest coastal city’s telegraph bureau picked up the signal and responded.

As soon as Lynch saw the dial needle start to move rhythmically, he knew the bureau was listening. He identified himself and made his request.

Once they realized it was a telegram from Lynch—the youngest billionaire in the Federation—they snapped to attention, curious about what he had to say.

In this era, the law held real weight, but people’s moral boundaries couldn’t always be trusted.

The telegraph operator, after hearing the full message, didn’t hesitate for a second before reading the telegram:

“Dear Lime, I’ve realized I need a very large warehouse, one that can hold overwhelming despair. You must complete this by tonight, and do so with full effort.”

That was the first telegram. Apparently, Lynch wanted this Lime person to…

The operator scratched his head. He understood every word, but together they made no sense.

What kind of warehouse could hold despair? And why did it need to be done today?

Had he sent the wrong message?

The operator considered asking the other end for clarification, but decided against it. Spying on someone like Lynch could land him in serious legal trouble.

So he moved on to the second telegram:

“Dear Sergeant, I find this place quite interesting. You should get here as soon as possible. If necessary, you may seek help from Mr. T.”

Compared to the cryptic first message, this one was much more straightforward. The operator breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly, the problem wasn’t the telegram—it was his own lack of understanding.

He tore off the slip with the recorded messages and handed it to the messenger.

The messenger picked up the phone and dialed the first number.

At that moment, Lime was in Eminence, watching the stock board. With society developing rapidly again, the Eminence Industrial Index was rising. Combined with some inside information, he had money to work with again.

He had Lynch to thank for forgiving his past mistakes. It made him realize that in the financial world, there’s no such thing as real technique.

All those trend lines and analysis charts? They’re just tools to fool retail investors and lower-tier traders.

For the people at the top, moving a stock just requires one piece of good news.

Even a stock on the brink of delisting could become the hottest blue-chip darling in the market overnight with the right announcement.

Likewise, no matter how well a stock has performed in the past—like the now-defunct Danlemore—just a bit of news can instantly bankrupt it. Even now, its bankruptcy proceedings haven’t been completed.

Rely on analysis?

Can you analyze future federal policy changes from a stock’s price movement over days, months, or even longer? Or predict when the company’s building will catch fire?

No. You can’t. So the only ones who can actually make money in this game are the big sharks.

Once Lime understood this, his respect for Lynch deepened. Lynch was clearly one of those sharks—someone who had the power to change the course of a stock’s future. If you don’t cling to a man like that, what are you going to do—guess?

“Mr. Lime, there’s a call for you.”

The voice of the switchboard girl rang out from across the trading floor. Lime glanced down at the phone in front of him. The blue button was flashing—an outside line.

He nodded his thanks toward the girl, picked up the receiver, and pressed the flashing button.

“Mr. Lime?”

“Yes, this is Lime.”

“Hello, Mr. Lime. This is the city telegraph bureau’s phone line. Not long ago, Mr. Lynch asked us to relay a message to you. You may want to grab a pen. Let me know when you’re ready.”

Lime immediately picked up a pen from the desk and opened his copy of 108 Strategies for the Stock Market, ready to take notes.

“I’m ready…”

Soon, the other end relayed Lynch’s full message. Lime jotted it down quickly and repeated it back to confirm there were no mistakes.

After hanging up, he carefully reread the message and gradually began to grasp Lynch’s intention.

Lynch was telling him to build a short position on EveryMoment stock—but EveryMoment was doing incredibly well right now. Had Lynch miscalculated?

Every year, during the Spring Tasting Expo, EveryMoment stock sees a clear rise. With so many wealthy backers openly supporting the company, how could its stock not go up?

Lime read the message again and again. He didn’t think his own interpretation was wrong, nor did he think Lynch had expressed it unclearly.

And since he already had blind faith in Lynch, Lime stood up from his seat.

Building a full-scale short position like this required coordination with the exchange. Doing it himself, step by step, would take too long—he couldn’t afford to delay Lynch’s plan.

Meanwhile, he secured a 3x leverage loan from Gold Exchange Bank. Since there was no personal request from Lynch, that was the maximum value the bank was willing to extend to Lime.

Just after 11 a.m., while EveryMoment stock was slowly climbing, a sudden, large-scale short order was placed. It immediately sparked speculation across Eminence’s financial sector.

Was something about to happen?

Everyone was waiting. Some thought it was insane—EveryMoment wasn’t going to drop, not at this time of year. It wasn’t summer or fall.

Summer and fall might bring pest outbreaks that could impact supply and lead to a drop. But now it was spring—there was no reason for the company’s valuation to drop. Someone had clearly lost their mind.

But the question was: Had Lynch really lost his mind?