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Chapter 6: The First Step Towards Legend
"Today's money..."
Mr. Fox looked at the bags of money Lynch had exerted a great deal of effort making two trips back and forth to bring over, and fell silent for a while.
To be honest, his men had been watching Lynch closely, to the extent that he already knew how Lynch had acquired these coins. He felt curious and amazed by Lynch's intellect.
How could someone think of such a method to quickly obtain these coins without causing a noticeable impact in society?
At this moment, he could have followed Lynch's method, thereby saving ten percent in fees. However, he didn't intend to do so.
He realized that compared to the ten percent fee, the real valuable asset was actually Lynch's intellect and his creative mind.
"Do you want to count it?" Lynch straightened up, stretched his body, and let out a sigh of relief. Ungracefully, he sat down on a chair, took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and leisurely took a drag. "I can wait."
Mr. Fox shook his head and instructed his subordinate to take away the coins. Later, these funds would be sent to the federal tax bureau for counting, registration, tax payment, and then deposited into the bank.
For some time now, people like Mr. Fox hadn't had a good way to solve these issues.
Frankly speaking, most people in this line of work were not exactly societal elites. They lacked high education, had little understanding of many professional fields, and some even had limited literacy.
Their business didn't require such knowledge. Anyone who wasn't afraid of death and trouble could do it. However this also led to many problems.
In recent years, both the Baylor Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Tax Bureau had been closely monitoring these people. Besides catching some of their actions, they were also keeping an eye on the money in their pockets.
They didn't have much legitimate business, which caused them a lot of trouble. Having money but not being able to spend it became a silent agony.
Because of this, the Baylor Federal Government introduced a series of legal provisions to restrict large cash transactions. According to these regulations, cash transactions exceeding five thousand bucks had to be reported, and those surpassing fifty thousand bucks needed scrutiny.
Even large cash deposits into banks required prior notification of the source of funds and the intended use, along with sufficient and comprehensive tax payment proof to confirm the money's legitimacy.
With comprehensive restrictions and the strict vigilance of the personnel labeled as "investigators," "detectives," or even "agents" within the Federal Tax Bureau, everyone lived a difficult life.
Despite the vaults being full of cash, they couldn't take it out. Even going out to spend it might result in targeted checks and scrutiny, creating significant challenges in everyday life.
But now, Mr. Fox saw something special in Lynch, more than just simple coin trading. He saw something he had always desired.
He snapped out of his reverie and glanced at Lynch, shrugging. "I should pay you..."
"Round it off, five hundred and sixty bucks," Lynch generously waived off a few bucks to increase mutual trust.
Mr. Fox smiled, opened a drawer filled with banknotes, many of which were in denominations of fifty and one hundred.
When his hand reached for a one hundred buck bill, Lynch lightly coughed. "I think five and ten would be better. What do you think?"
Mr. Fox nodded without hesitation and counted out five hundred and sixty bucks for him.
Hundred-buck bills were rarely used in daily life, mostly confined to corporate settlements and some registered large cash transactions. In this society without networks or electronic offices, there were numerous loopholes in banking.
To avoid some identified issues, businesses still conducted large cash transactions between themselves rather than using phone transfers, especially for inter-bank transfers, which often encountered issues.
If someone spent a hundred-buck bill outside, certain departments would immediately keep an eye on them—never underestimate people's sense of justice.
During official business processes like tax filing, many shop owners received pamphlets or direct oral information on what to do when receiving one-hundred-buck bills and the benefits and drawbacks of their actions.
This made it difficult for hundred-buck bills to circulate in the lower and middle classes. If someone had too many hundred-buck bills, judges would consider approving search warrants even with insufficient evidence.
This was the most painful aspect for people like Mr. Fox—having money but being unable to spend it, and even others might not accept it.
His attempt to take out the hundred-buck bills was a test for Lynch. If Lynch had not spoken up, their business would have been limited to coin transactions only.
Someone unable to discern the situation, lacking awareness, caution, and alertness, wouldn't merit deeper connections. Fortunately, Lynch smoothly passed this test.
Mr. Fox rested his hands on the chair's armrest and slightly tilted his head, looking at Lynch. "This pace is too slow. Do you have a better way?"
Similarly, Lynch pocketed the bills without counting them. "In a few days, there will be more, and soon your treasures will see the light."
Mr. Fox didn't press further; he simply breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm looking forward to that day!"
Lynch was in Sabin City(塞宾市), which ranked toward the bottom among the second-tier cities directly under the Baylor Federation. The total population of this small city was less than eight hundred thousand.
However, this small city managed to sell at least a hundred thousand newspapers every day. In other words, even if they were all local newspapers, it represented fifty thousand bucks in change.
Moreover, in Lynch's plan, there were various other channels for change, including various retail industries.
Currently, the main circulating currency in society consisted of coins and one, two, and five-buck bills. Except for the two-buck and five-buck bills, which wouldn't appear in launderettes, one-buck bills could be found.
As his influence began to expand, he could draw all the change from the entire city. However, this transaction couldn't be sustained for long.
The tax bureau would keep an eye on him, and the investigation bureau would also look into whether he had had close ties with these individuals.
He didn't want to become someone like Mr. Fox, forever hiding in corners and shadows. He wanted to be a tycoon, a legend.
He wanted to stand in the spotlight, receiving people's admiration and respect. That was his life.
All he was doing now was striving for a perfect start.
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