Empire of Shadows

This was the first time some of the core members of the Lance Family had come to the Lawrence Farm.

Everything here was full of attraction for them, especially when the row of distilleries and warehouses appeared. They were all stunned!

“I always knew that a considerable portion of our liquor was produced here, but I didn’t know the scale here was actually this large!”

Elvin was amazed at the distilleries under the steaming chimneys. The rich aroma of liquor could be smelled even from a distance of two or three hundred meters.

Hubert had a proud smile on his face. “Do you see the open space that’s being cleared over there?”

The group looked in the direction he was pointing. A large piece of land was being leveled.

If it were in the past, they might not necessarily know what would happen, but after the construction of the naval base, they already understood that it was to level and compact the land for construction, and then they might even drive piles.

“We plan to continue to expand and build a larger production workshop to ensure that the liquor can be continuously sent to Golden Port City.”

In fact, the current output was already very sufficient, but Lance had a bigger plan, so he had proposed to continue to expand and continue to produce.

They had to produce both low-end, cheap products for fast consumption, and also high-end products that tasted like the real thing.As for aging, every three months, a batch of liquor would be put into wooden barrels and sent to the underground warehouse next door. There, all the fine whiskey would be fully aged.

What they would finally present to people would definitely not be the kind of liquor that barely passed through blending and conditioning, but the natural aged liquor that had become more delicious after a long period of aging.

Prohibition would not last forever. During the Prohibition period, Lance planned to make Golden Lion Whiskey stronger and bigger. In the future, not only would he have to distribute goods in Likalai State, but also in other places. He wanted to make this brand a “golden signboard that did not fall even during the Prohibition.”

Decades later, its value would be immeasurable!

In fact, its value was also immeasurable now. You could see it from the wrinkled smile on Hubert’s face.

The group followed him into the factory. The cowboys were working back and forth. The stuffy air and the alcohol that was being scattered during distillation made many of the cowboys work with red faces.

“At first, they couldn’t stand the alcohol in the air here. A few of them got drunk and passed out.”

“Now these kids have gradually adapted, but after working for a while, they still need to rest a little.”

Alcohol evaporates more easily, and the equipment here could not completely lock in the alcohol. So working for a long time was also equivalent to drinking.

The group saw the process of liquor production, of course, in a simplified way. In the end, the liquor was put into wooden barrels and sent to the warehouse, and the dregs were sent to the farm as fertilizer.

Not a single bit was wasted.

When they came out of the distillery, everyone’s cheeks were also hot, and they also felt a little tipsy.

Then Hubert took them to other places to look around. The other places were obviously not as interesting as here, because what was produced in the distillery was not liquor, but flowing gold.

“This is the most glorious moment in the history of the Lawrence family!”

The three old men said so after receiving a large sum of money from the sale of alcoholic beverages.

On the first night, everyone gathered together for a bonfire party.

A very rough party, eating barbecue around a huge bonfire, drinking, singing, and dancing. This relaxed and leisurely life made time seem to slow down.

Sitting by the bonfire, the red flames dyed Lance’s face red. At this moment, there were no conspiracies or struggles in his mind, no annoying trivial matters. Everything became quiet.

Patricia was sitting with her sisters, chatting about some trendy topics. Barbara was by her side. The relationship between the two sisters seemed to have improved a lot.

William became the focus of the family. Many people from the Lawrence family, and some old cowboys, gathered around him. After all, he was now the biggest “official” in the Lawrence family.

The people Lance had brought were dancing with the girls and boys from the farm by the bonfire.

There were no special dance moves. Stretching your body as you wished was the most beautiful dance.

Everything was so calm, so peaceful, so peaceful that the life here was like a file that could wear away people’s sharp edges.

Lance drank some wine at night and slept until the next morning.

Lance was dragged by Patricia to go horseback riding. This was her favorite thing to do every time she came back to the farm.

When the little mare saw Patricia, Lance could see that its mood had obviously become much more cheerful. It trotted from the pasture to the side of the fence and rubbed its head against Patricia’s side.

The girl was so amused by it that she kept laughing. After handing over two carrots, she opened the fence gate and led the little mare out.

Previously, Hubert had said that Lance could also choose a horse, but Lance had not chosen one because he did not have the time to cultivate a relationship with these horses.

The horse that Patricia raised was raised when she was in elementary school and was about to go to middle school in the town. It was raised from a foal.

She had spent about five years with it, and then Patricia had gone to Golden Port City.

It’s not just humans who have such a deep memory of the past. Animals are also the same. In addition, Patricia would come back every year for holidays, so the relationship between this horse and her had not become strange.

Lance didn’t have so much time to take care of a foal until it became a big horse. At most, he could ride a horse for a while.

Patricia was riding her horse for a ride. The moment she rushed out on her horse, Lance noticed that two cowboys had also followed on horseback.

They were all cowboys who had been raised on the Lawrence Farm since they were young. Their grandparents were like this, then their parents, and then them.

They had grown up on the farm since they were young, and the education they had received was to work for and dedicate themselves to the Lawrence family.

They would get married here, and then have children. All their needs would be taken care of by the farm, and they would also be paid a salary.

To some extent, they might be one of the happiest people, because from the time they came into this world to the time they left it, they had no worries.

If Patricia did not encounter danger, they would only follow from a distance. If she was in danger, they would rush up.

The farm was too big. There were many wild animals, poisonous snakes, or wolf packs, as well as some Federation lions and Federation leopards.

It might take Patricia more than half an hour to walk her horse, or it might be more. She hadn’t been back for a while.

Lance was originally going to leave, but he saw another old guy from the Lawrence family, who was on the other side of the stable, saying something loudly.

He took the initiative to walk over.

In fact, it had also taken him several minutes to walk before he came to a place not far from the old man named “Schubert.”

This was the second of the three old men. The eldest had already gone to see God. He was the second, named Schubert.

The one before was the third, named Hubert, and there was also a fourth, named “Herbert.”

I don’t know if their father had a thing for “bert,” but this was indeed very characteristic.

A farmer with no education didn’t know what name to give, so he just changed the sound and it was a new name!

“Hey, Schubert.”

Lance was still some distance away from him and took the initiative to say hello. This was a kind of politeness, telling others “I am approaching you.”

Instead of waiting until you are close to say hello, that will make people feel that you are “spying” on his privacy.

Schubert turned his head. When he saw it was Lance, the anger on his face lessened a little.

He went up two steps and bumped fists with Lance. “Here to ride a horse?”

The horse farm had always been managed by Schubert, and at the same time, he was also actively training racehorses for the family.

Last time, Patricia had told Lance that they wanted to train a batch of champion racehorses, but he had not heard of any changes later.

Lance walked to his side, his hands on his hips, and looked at the somewhat restless horse in the stable. It looked obviously more beautiful than the other horses. The muscle contours and lines on its body were clearer, and its fur was also shinier!

The cost of training a racehorse is more expensive than raising a hundred ordinary people!

Lance shook his head. “She took her horse out for a ride. I have nothing to do. What are you doing?”

Schubert was also very friendly to Lance. Lance had brought advanced brewing technology and sales channels, which had made the farm’s funds unprecedentedly abundant, and he could also focus more on training horses.

But now his mood was not good. “Our Black Warrior has encountered some trouble.”

Lance glanced at the two breeders who were checking the racehorse, and his gaze turned back. “Can I know what happened?”

Schubert gestured with his lips. “It’s injured. We couldn’t participate in the last two races of this year.”

The Likalai State Supersonic Open Horse Race would end its qualifying rounds at the end of October. In the end, the top twelve would participate in the championship race in early November.

This horse, Black Warrior, had actually performed quite well this year. According to the horse trainer’s judgment, it was very likely to be able to make it to the last race of this year.

The Supersonic Open Horse Race was the top-level event in the Likalai State horse racing field. Those who could achieve good results in this race, even if they were not champion horses, could still gain a good reputation and promotion.

But just because it was inexplicably injured, all the efforts became meaningless.

Although it could run again next year, the peak moment of a racehorse was only two or three years.

If they missed this year, whether it could run well next year was an unknown.

“That’s really terrible!” Lance sighed. “How did it get injured?”

Schubert’s face became ugly again. “Someone must have hurt it!”

“Fuck, don’t let me find out who it is, or I’ll stick my gun barrel up his ass and give him a shot!”

A very flavorful statement!

The breeders didn’t dare to breathe and could only continue to treat the injury.

But the good news was that everyone knew that its genes were actually not bad. Not getting into the championship race was not a problem of its ability. Even if it couldn’t run well next year, it could still be a stud horse.

Someone had already come to inquire, but the price they gave was not very high, about 500 to 1,000.

If it could get into the championship race and run a good ranking, then at least a zero had to be added to this number!

If it could win the championship, then the income from one horse could support the entire farm!

After Lance had gone back last time, he had briefly checked on these things, about horse racing, because the things Patricia had told him were beyond his comprehension.

People all say that doing illegal and criminal business is the most profitable, but what Patricia said gave him an illusion that breeding champion horses seemed to be more profitable!

Tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands at a time, or even more. Let it have some supplements, twenty times a month, that’s a million, and it’s not illegal, and the money is clean.

Later, the results of his investigation were indeed so. The champions of several major events in the Federation were often bred for two or three hundred thousand at a time.

Every year, the owners of these champions could earn several million or more from the breeding fees.

This was simply fucking incredible!

However, the status and identity of these people themselves would not allow them to do this. For them, a multi-champion was more of an honor. Besides friends, they did not breed to the outside.

Lance was somewhat interested in this industry. It wasn’t that he himself had any horse-raising experience, but that he knew that sometimes, the factor that determined which horse could win was not on the racehorse and the jockey.

“If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know,” Lance took the initiative to mention.

Schubert looked back at him. “You know how to raise horses?”

His tone was filled with disbelief. Lance shook his head. “But I can help you find out who hurt it.”

Schubert considered for a moment and had the breeder come out. “Tell Lance about what happened. It’s best not to leave anything out, or I’ll whip you!”

The breeder could only recount what had happened with a bitter face. The incident had happened in Manteno. Although it was not on Lance’s turf, he would find a way to figure it out.

After watching them train horses for a while, time passed without him realizing it. Patricia also came back from a distance on her horse.

A valiant female knight, which reminded Lance of the theme of the night.

She dismounted from her horse and landed steadily on the soft ground.

Then she took the reins and led her horse around the pasture, then brushed its coat for it before sending it back to the stable.

Now the weather was starting to get cold. If it were in the summer, she would definitely have to wash it.

The day after tomorrow was the Holy Farmer Festival. The people of the Lawrence family had basically all come back. This was an important and traditional festival, and everyone gathered together every year.

In the evening, Patricia transformed into a wild female knight, and finally conquered the wildest Lance.

The next afternoon, Lance had already changed into a suit. The white suit made him look even more handsome.

Patricia had also tried on her wedding dress. It was very fitting and very beautiful.

Tonight, they would hold their wedding at the farm, a bonfire wedding.

Knowing that the little girl of the Lawrence family was getting married, many cowboys had gathered over. Even some of the farmers from the surrounding farms had come over in their tractors with the things they had grown and raised themselves.

For the small farmers who relied on the Lawrence family for a living, this was definitely a huge event.

So there were especially many people. What should not have been a tense matter also made Patricia a little nervous.

Lance had been standing on the platform by the bonfire since early in the morning. The three old uncles had already sat in a row. What Lance found interesting was that they had also arranged for many animals to attend this wedding.

Big white geese, some chickens, cows and horses, and some other animals.

The things sent by the other farmers were also piled up on the side, like a small mountain. It seemed that the wedding on this farm was full of a fairytale flavor!

As William took Patricia’s hand and walked out of the room, the onlookers suddenly boiled over.

Many people cast envious, jealous, and hateful glances at Lance, but there was nothing they could do.

The most beautiful little daughter of the Lawrence family had been picked!

The expressions of the young cowboys were the most complicated. They knew that it was impossible for them to become Patricia’s husband, and they also knew that Lance was the best choice, but at the same time they hated him.

Maybe this was a kind of helpless secret love.

William handed the girl to Lance. The priest who was chatting on the side also came to his position. Everything was like an ordinary but not ordinary wedding. The two sides promised their vows, which were watched and blessed by God.

The moment they said “I do,” the farm, which had been quiet for a long time, suddenly burst into enthusiastic cheers.

Even the old geese flapped their wings and ran while honking. The other animals also started to call out one after another.

“In the witness of God, you are now husband and wife!” The priest, with a smile on his face, closed the Bible, which he didn’t really need, in his hand and took the initiative to leave the focus of people’s attention.

Patricia took a deep breath, pulled Lance to the side of the bonfire, and started to dance. More and more people joined them. The entire farm was filled with happy laughter!

The celebration in the evening lasted until very late. The three old uncles’ unlimited supply of liquor let the cowboys have a good drink…

After the Holy Farmer Festival, they stayed for another two days before Lance took his people back to Golden Port City.

In Golden Port City, there was another wedding.

The location of the wedding was arranged by Lance at the St. Naye Cathedral in the Empire District. After expansion, its scale was large enough to accommodate more guests.

Although Lance did not intend to invite too many people, the number of invited guests also exceeded two hundred, and there might be some other people who were not invited but who wanted to come on their own initiative.

Before nine o’clock in the morning, outside the St. Naye Cathedral, it was crowded with reporters.

They didn’t know where they got the news, but they knew that Lance was getting married today. For Golden Port City, this was indeed a big event.

It was precisely because of this that many people suddenly came back to their senses in a daze and only then did they notice a terrible fact.

Lance was still very young, and had even just gotten married. His era had just begun!

The first to arrive here were the people of the Lance Family. The reporters also took some pictures of them. Then came the people from Wanli Pictures. The director, with the already famous Gerald, and other signed actors appeared at the scene.

This was a good opportunity to get exposure. Several of the company’s key trainees were here.

Then came the people from the Imperial Chamber of Commerce. As the chairman of the Imperial Chamber of Commerce, Lance, they would definitely come.

The police department, the fire department, the prosecutors, various civil servants, municipal councilmen, and even Mayor Williams himself appeared here.

What made people feel most incredible was that there were also two navy captains who also appeared here!

(End of a Chapter)