Empire of Shadows

Soon, someone brought two glasses of water, and the manager placed his hands naturally on the desk, fingers interlocked.

He spread his hands. “So… what brings you here?”

With a range of services offered, some transactions didn’t go through him directly, so he wasn’t always aware of every deal.

Elvin seemed lost for words, but Lance remained calm and at ease.

“We’ve run into a bit of trouble and need some money.”

The manager smiled. “That’s no problem. That’s what we’re here for.”

“How much do you need?”

“Two hundred.”

“Two hundred?”“Two hundred.”

The manager didn’t think the amount was too small. Here, finance companies took on any size of loan—small loans, in fact, often brought in higher returns per dollar. While larger loans like a thousand dollars might come with an annual interest rate of fifty or sixty percent, loans of ten thousand might be only twenty or thirty percent.

Plus, the risk was lower with small amounts. People were more likely to default on a big loan than a few hundred bucks.

Of course, he’d still need to gather some basic information on them; handing out money to anyone who asked wasn’t finance—it was charity.

“You don’t sound like locals,” he observed.

Lance didn’t deny it. “We’re from the Empire.”

The manager sneered slightly. “I read about what’s happening over there in the news—a pretty miserable place. So, what do you have as collateral?”

“You’re not from here, and if you run, it’d be hard to find you.”

“Rather than backing your request, I might as well turn it down.”

Lance anticipated this as an obstacle and calmly began explaining. “We don’t have any collateral…” Seeing the manager’s expression morph into one that screamed, Are you kidding me?, Lance continued quickly, “But we do have the ability to pay you back.”

Seeing the manager’s skeptical expression, he explained further, “There are fourteen of us. We all work here in Jingang City, and since we’re undocumented, it’s not easy for us to move elsewhere.”

“As you probably know, other cities offer fewer job opportunities and aren’t as… tolerant as Jingang City. So, we won’t be going anywhere.”

The manager nodded at this, taking out a pack of cigarettes and offering it.

Lance took one, though Elvin merely looked on and declined.

The manager found Lance’s poise interesting and pushed over a tabletop lighter, a popular model at the time—about the size of a grown man’s palm.

This one was a small clown figurine holding a torch. When you pressed down on the clown’s arm, a spark would light the cotton wick in the torch, fueled by kerosene. 𝙧αꞐȮ₿Ès

Lance held the cigarette to the flame and took a deep drag, visibly relaxing.

Watching him smoke, the manager lit his own cigarette. “So, back to the topic. Explain how you plan to guarantee I’ll get my money back.”

“There are fourteen of us. Even if each of us only makes fifteen dollars a month, that’s still two hundred and ten dollars.”

“We’d pay you half of that, which would settle the debt in a maximum of three months.”

“And even if we lost our jobs, we could work directly for you to pay it off. There’s no need to worry about us defaulting.”

The manager listened and saw the logic but still had a question. “And how do I know I’ll be able to find you?”

“You could take a picture of us.”

A good suggestion, but the manager decided to dig deeper. “Mind if I ask what you need the money for?”

“After all, two hundred dollars isn’t a small sum for you guys.”

Lance didn’t hold back and got straight to the point. “We’re dealing with a problem. Some son of a b*tch is trying to shake us down for money…”

After hearing Lance’s brief explanation, the manager seemed intrigued. “I have a new proposal. Interested?”

Lance flicked his cigarette ash and replied, “Do we have a choice?”

The manager chuckled. “Doesn’t look like it… Here’s the deal: I’ll handle that… son of a b*tch for you, and you’ll still owe me the two hundred, but I can reduce the interest a bit.”

“Honestly, letting me take care of it would be better for you than paying him off yourselves.”

“As per our policy, a two-hundred-dollar loan would typically cost you three hundred fifty over six months, interest included.”

“But here’s the deal: I’ll cut it down for you. You pay three hundred twenty total over six months—fifty-three thirty-three per month. Consider it a reward for your… performance.”

Seeing the manager’s confident smile, Lance neither agreed nor refused immediately. Instead, he countered with a new offer: “How about we pay you two hundred fifty total, interest included, off the books?”

The manager froze for a moment, then burst into laughter, his laughter growing louder and louder, impossible to suppress.

Lance realized what the issue was.

“This company… is yours, isn’t it?”

Still chuckling, the manager nodded, holding his stomach. “You’re hilarious. Trying to bribe me right here!”

“Haha, you’re something else. Not like the clueless guy beside you. By the way, what’s your name?”

“Lance,” he answered, spelling it out.

“A strange name, but you’re an interesting one, Lance.”

“For making me laugh so hard, I’ll lower it to two hundred eighty over six months.”

“This is my final offer. If anyone else had tried haggling, I’d have kicked them out immediately!”

The manager’s pride was palpable. In this cash-strapped era, anyone with cash had no trouble finding borrowers.

Some might not want to bear such interest rates, but plenty of others were willing to take the risk.

Two hundred plus eighty in interest—considering the time and place, that was far from exorbitant.

Lance didn’t hesitate. Stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray, he exhaled the last puff of smoke as he stood and extended his hand. “Glad we could reach an agreement, sir.”

The manager blinked, then shook Lance’s hand. “You’re a fascinating one, Lance. Now I’m your creditor.”

He called out toward the door, “Fordis, get in here!”

A burly man soon entered, standing at attention. “Yes, boss?”

The manager released Lance’s hand and gestured to him. “Follow him and settle a matter with some son of a b*tch. Then, swing by his workplace. And grab some food on the way back.”

He looked at Lance. “You’re not like most people your age. Frankly, there’s something unique about you, and I like that. I have a feeling you won’t be just anybody in the future.”

“Hope I’ll hear your name around Jingang City someday, Lance.”

“Oh, and don’t forget about the money you owe. If you do, I’ll make sure someone comes to remind you—a reminder you won’t like. Got it?”

Though he found Lance intriguing, business was business.

Just like how the street girls didn’t offer discounts for regular customers. If one caught their eye, they might offer to spend the night, but during work hours, every extra request had a price.

After this simple warning, he let them go.

Two hundred eighty dollars meant about forty-seven per month.

But those forty-sevens kept his lifestyle afloat.

Plus, he hadn’t actually loaned any money—he’d solved a problem and gained an intriguing acquaintance.

That sense of dissonance around Lance, a feeling that he didn’t quite fit this world, made the manager a little more forgiving, willing to let things play out.

As soon as Lance and Elvin walked out of the finance company, their friends surrounded them, asking about the outcome.

Lance explained that the matter had been handled but gave them a heads-up, “Each of you will need to pitch in three dollars per month. That’s forty-two, and Ethan can cover the remaining five himself—it’s his mess, after all.”

No one had any objections, and they were all willing to follow Lance’s lead.

Fordis frowned. “We’re on a tight schedule.”

Lance nodded and sent the others off to await further news. Then, he and Elvin got into the company car. Following Elvin’s directions, they drove toward the port.

The guy who’d filed the report on Ethan lived in a workers’ dormitory nearby.

This was Lance’s first time riding in a car in this world. The interior was far more luxurious than it appeared from the outside, with walnut and calfskin trim that gave off an air of understated luxury.

“How much does this car cost?”

Without looking back, Fordis replied, “Twenty thousand.”

Lance whistled and fell silent.

Twenty thousand. He could imagine it, but getting that much would be tough.

The ride was a bit bumpy, lacking good suspension and making for a rather “hard” trip, but it was still a car—and as a man, he couldn’t dislike it.

The car pulled up outside the workers’ dormitory. Fordis followed Lance and Elvin up to the fourth floor, where they knocked on a door.

“It’s you?” The guy—a drunk who reeked of booze—sneered at Elvin as soon as he opened the door. “You got the money?”

Lance pulled Elvin aside, and Fordis stepped in front, speaking in a calm but firm tone. “Go to the station and withdraw your report. This ends here.”

The man, clearly drunk, was in no mood to comply. He shoved Fordis and sneered, “Who’d you hire to act

tough?”

“You smuggled-in rats think I’m scared of some muscle?”

“If you want me to drop it, fine—two hundred bucks in my hand, or…”

He trailed off, realizing Fordis had opened his jacket, revealing a holster and the gun inside. “Wanna see if this thing fires?”

The man sobered instantly, stumbling back with his hands up, retreating to the doorway. “I… I didn’t realize…”

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