Empire of Shadows

The ash rolled off into the ashtray, scattering into a mess. Lance looked up at the two men, then slowly leaned back. “From now on, all the liquor in Likalai State must be bought from me.”

He placed the cigarette to his lips and gently held it, taking a drag. The smoke, carried by the airflow, rushed into his mouth and entered his lungs.

After making a circle, it was exhaled from his mouth.

In just three or four seconds, the smoke had completed its mission.

The smoke exhaled from his mouth was light and airy, but the words spoken were heavy.

The liquor market in Likalai State was still very large. In fact, no matter which state, if you put the entire state’s liquor market together, it would be an astonishingly tall tower!

Lance wanted to take over the entire state’s liquor business. The ambition he revealed at this very moment, and the composure and calmness he showed as he leaned back on the sofa, made both men feel that he had full confidence in the conditions he had proposed!

The atmosphere became a little tense.

Smuggled liquor was always the most profitable business at present—if you didn’t consider stability, and just from the perspective of pure profit, it was not.

But the demand for liquor was huge, just like the human trafficking business.A girl could be sold for tens of thousands. For some particularly good girls, some were willing to pay hundreds of thousands.

But not every day was there such a rich man, willing to spend tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands to buy a slave.

These girls, once in their hands, had to be kept for a period of time. It was not until the toy was broken that they would consider buying the next one. This span was much longer than the span of “bartender, another round”!

From the perspective of demand, market, and the actual profit brought, the comprehensive profit of liquor was still the highest.

Everyone needs a drink, in this damn era of Prohibition!

And with the implementation of the new tax law, although people’s wages had been raised to a certain extent, the money they could put in their pockets had become less than before.

They needed a drink even more to relax.

The profit of liquor was so great that it had already become the pillar industry of all gangs.

Lance, as soon as he opened his mouth, wanted to monopolize the sale of liquor. They did indeed have some opinions.

Zabri felt that his relationship with Lance was still okay. He couldn’t help but be the first to ask, “Mr. Lance, I have no intention of offending you, but you demand that all liquor must be bought from you. I don’t quite understand.”

Lance tilted his body slightly, changed his sitting posture, and after taking a puff of his cigarette, he placed his hands on his knees. “In what aspect?”

Zabri continued to choose his words carefully. “I know that you produce Golden Lion brand whiskey and some other liquors. We are also selling these liquors, and the sales are not bad.”

Lance nodded slightly. “You’ve made a successful choice. Our liquor is obviously more cost-effective.”

A smile appeared on Zabri’s face. “Yes, but there are also some people who prefer cheaper liquor, grape juice, or beer.”

“They can’t afford whiskey, can’t afford brandy, can’t afford… all the high-priced liquor!”

“Many of these liquors are locally produced and sold. If we get the goods from you, will the price lose some of its advantage?”

“After all, even if the cost is the same, with the addition of transportation costs, it will be very difficult for us to continue to sell fifteen-cent wine at the price of fifteen cents!”

Lance shook his head. “I not only produce my own wine, but I am also the sole supplier of liquor in Golden Port City. I am very clear about the cost and profit of beer.”

“Even with the shipping fee, you still have a profit to make by selling it for fifteen cents!”

He first pointed out that he was not the kind of person who did not know the specific business situation. He had also climbed up from the bottom step by step. He knew this market better than anyone else.

“And, you may not quite understand my meaning. If you inquire about the local bar business situation, you will understand.”

“There are many kinds of wine here, not just ours. But if they want to sell, they first have to send the liquor to me, and then I will sell it to the local bars.”

“To put it simply, if other liquor merchants want to sell their liquor, they have to give me enough profit.”

“It’s the same on your side. you may rely on some local liquor merchants for some categories of liquor. It doesn’t matter.”

“Let them come to me. I will authorize them so that they can sell liquor to you.”

“There won’t be much change in price, and it might even be more favorable.”

“Because our market is starting to integrate, and competition is becoming more intense, the price of liquor is actually more beneficial to the sales terminals.”

Zabri’s head was about to explode. “Mr. Lance, please forgive my lack of intelligence. I may not be able to figure out some of the things in here.”

Lance did not blame him. After all, after doing the work of picking cotton for a long time, his mind had already fallen into a fixed way of thinking.

When he used his brain, besides being able to pop his eyes out, he seemed to have no other ability.

“Go back and tell Mr. Marcus what I said. He will figure it out.”

“If he still can’t figure it out, have him come and find me.”

“I will explain it to him in person.”

Then Lance looked at the second-in-command of the Thorn Gang. The second-in-command was smarter than Zabri. He said thoughtfully, “Mr. Lance, you mean that no matter whose wine we want to buy, he must first hand over a part of the profit to you?”

A lot of smiles appeared on Lance’s face. He looked at Zabri. “Look, his explanation is not so accurate, but that’s roughly what it means.”

“Without authorization, it is illegal brewing. I will arrest the seller, and I will also arrest the buyer!”

He leaned back on the sofa, a smile always on his face, but it would not make anyone look down on him because of it. Zabri and the representative of the Thorn Gang didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.

The pressure that was coming at them like a wave of heat made them bear a weight that others could hardly imagine!

“I’m doing this to completely stabilize the liquor market in Likalai State.”

“The liquor market is too chaotic. There is a constant flow of liquor from outside the state, disrupting the local liquor prices.”

“And there are some inferior wineries that use industrial alcohol for blending, creating a batch of wine that is harmful to the human body.”

“People who drink it are prone to all kinds of problems: blindness, hearing loss, paralysis, and even death are possible.”

“In order to protect our own interests, to protect the interests of our customers, to regulate the market is imperative.”

“Only the liquor producers who have been authorized by me can produce and sell their liquor. This is also for the sake of each and every one of us.”

“Of course you can refuse. I’m not that kind of dictatorial tyrant who must have you accept all the demands and rules I put forward.”

“Including the other gangs, or if there are capitalists and the like who are also in the business, they can all refuse.”

“But those who refuse me are not allowed to sell private liquor in Likalai State.”

Very domineering. Both Zabri and the second-in-command of the Thorn Gang fell into silence.

But they couldn’t deny that what Lance had said had a little bit of truth.

The two looked at each other and both felt that this was a matter they could not decide on their own. They then mentioned that they had to go back and discuss it with everyone.

Lance did not stop them from doing this, nor did he force them to make a decision immediately. They could refuse.

They could even not leave Likalai State, as long as they did not buy or sell liquor.

“Besides these three rules, there are no other rules.”

“I will not ask you to provide me with a portion of your income, nor will I ask you to do anything for me. Everything will be as before, just with three new rules.”

“Have a good discussion with your leaders and your cadres.”

“If you’re not in a hurry to go back, you can also go to the casino to play, or go to a local bar for a spin. I will arrange it for you.”

The two had already gotten what they wanted, and even a little more. At this time, they did not linger and stood up to say their goodbyes.

After Lance had signaled for them to leave, the two quickly left with their own thoughts.

After Elvin had seen them off, he returned to the office. “Will they agree?”

Lance asked back, “Do they have the right to disagree?”

As he spoke, a reserved smile appeared on his face. They had no right to refuse.

He paused for a moment. “Have you prepared the things I asked you to prepare?”

Elvin nodded and said, “It’s already prepared. When do you need it?”

Lance glanced at the calendar on his watch. “Two days later. Have someone transport the things over first.”

Elvin stood up and, after saying, “I’ll get to it,” he left the room.

He came to the side of the vault, signed his name, and then pushed a cart out of the vault and came to the parking lot.

Elvin’s subordinates had recently also gained two captains. He had never chosen a captain before. Most of the time, when he encountered something, he would just see who was free, who was on duty, and would find them.

But as things got more and more, he also needed some people who could work for him with concentration.

The two young men were both his fellow countrymen. In the captains, they could also be considered very clever. Their minds were not stupid, and they had both been to high school.

For the people of the Empire who had come to the Federation, high school was almost the limit that all ordinary people could reach.

As for college, you didn’t even have to think about it.

Universities with titles like “Royal” or “Noble” only accepted students with a noble background. Some ordinary universities also only recruited the elite class and the privileged class.

Although there were also some universities that recruited for the common people, their tuition fees could prevent more than 90% of the common people from enrolling.

In fact, the Federation was about the same as the Empire in this aspect, but they had replaced “noble” with “upper class,” and the elite class, the privileged class, had been replaced with the “middle class.”

In essence, there was no difference, but the Federation had one good point: they provided student loans for the common people.

Although if there were no accidents, the borrower would need several decades to repay this loan, at least they had a chance to go to college and change their destiny.

The two young men were named Carl and Walker. They were both great young men.

“Help me put these things on the car.”

The two guys and their respective subordinates followed behind Elvin. The cart was full of briefcases, which were very heavy.

They needed to use both hands to lift them.

“What’s inside?” Walker was a little curious and even shook it.

Elvin glared at him. “You don’t need to know. Anyway, it’s good stuff.”

The young men were not very concerned either. It was nothing more than those things. After the car was loaded, Elvin had Walker lead his men to follow the car to ensure that the things in the car could be smoothly delivered to Lance’s newly bought villa in Manteno.

And Lance would take the evening train to Manteno.

Attorney General Terry was very cooperative with him, and the state police were also very supportive. Whether they were doing it for the sake of Senator Cleveland or not, at least Lance was the biggest beneficiary of this matter.

He couldn’t not show any attitude.

And Dale’s side was also doing not bad. It seemed that he and his new colleagues were getting along very happily. For a long time to come, Dale’s work would be very busy.

After all, those Prohibition Committees and the various Bureaus of Hazardous Materials were the best tools for Lance to crack down on “dissidents.”

Without him spending a single penny, the law enforcement system that the Federation had built with a huge amount of money could be used by him privately. Sometimes you can’t understand at all whether this is the advanced nature of the Federation’s system, or its failure.

In the afternoon, Lance went to visit William and Emily. It was just the weekend, and both of them were at home.

After hugging the couple, Lance took a few steps back and looked at William with a hint of doubt. He looked so much that William felt a little uncomfortable.

He kept looking for something out of place on himself and even asked Emily for help.

Emily didn’t find anything wrong either. The two of them looked at Lance at the same time.

“You seem to have gotten fatter.”

“What the fuck?”

“This is the most hurtful thing I’ve heard in my life, bar none!”

William, in disbelief, took a few more steps back. He was like he wanted to prove something by buttoning up his suit, but in the disbelieving eyes of himself and Emily, the button didn’t button!

He had really gotten fatter!

“I didn’t feel it at all!” he was still in a state of self-shock.

Emily seemed to have thought of something, and her face turned a little rosy. “I’ll choose new clothes for you. I’ll go and get some drinks first. What do you want to drink?”

“Black tea!” After Lance had said that, he patted William’s arm. “Alright, you’ve just gotten a little fatter.”

The two came to the living room and sat down. William was still a little incredulous, but soon he seemed to have also thought of something, and his expression also became a little embarrassed.

You know, milk is very nutritious, whether it’s animal’s, or…

As long as the mother’s nutrition can keep up, there will be a large amount of fat and protein in the milk. This is an absolute killer of weight!

Think about it, a newborn mammal can gain dozens of pounds in a short period of time just by relying on milk. For William to have just gotten fatter by a not-so-obvious circle, it was actually nothing.

Patricia was also here. She liked her little brother very much and treated him like a small animal.

Seeing Lance, she came over and rubbed her face against Lance’s, and then ran upstairs again.

“She has been a great help here during this period,” William explained. He thought Lance had come to find Patricia.

Lance shook his head. “I just came to visit you. If there’s anything you need, you can tell me. I’m going to Manteno tonight.”

“What for?” William subconsciously picked up a cigarette, and then looked at Lance and asked him if he wanted one.

Lance looked back and glanced at Emily, who was brewing black tea, and signaled for William to go outside to smoke.

Emily didn’t like him smoking, because every time he finished smoking, she had to wash it again.

But as an old smoker, it was not an easy thing to quit smoking.

If it weren’t for the fact that this matter couldn’t be done by others, Emily would have already been looking for someone else.

Victor was just fucking born. He can’t smell of smoke, can he?

After coming out from the side door and standing in the yard, William took a deep drag on his cigarette, his whole person seeming very relaxed.

“I hear you’ve dealt with the Holy Bell Party?” His news was very well-informed. After reaching a certain social status, someone would take the initiative to share with you some of the latest news that you didn’t know.

Lance nodded and also took a puff of his cigarette. “He has dealt with me several times. I don’t intend to tolerate him anymore.”

What William was thinking about was another matter. “So do you have any big plans?”

“Why do you ask?” Lance was a little surprised, and also a little curious. “What have you thought of?”

William shook his head. “Actually, from my point of view, this place is very far from the Holy Bell Party. you can slowly free up your hands to deal with him, instead of with such a big momentum.”

“I think you’re in a hurry, so I have such a guess.”

Lance did not deny it. He was silent for a moment. “There’s a fool I don’t know who is waiting for me to bring him back.”

William sighed and did not continue to ask. “Be careful.”

Lance nodded.

Then Lance went to see little Victor. A newborn just eats and sleeps, so he only saw Patricia, who was fussing over him.

The little baby had made her maternal love overflow.

After dinner in the evening, Lance left. He still had a nine o’clock train.

In the blink of an eye, it was the evening of the next day. After a day of fast travel, Lance finally arrived in Manteno.

Dale had been waiting on the platform since early in the morning.

When he saw the train head pulling only three carriages enter the station, he knew that Lance had arrived.

Lance got out of the car and hugged him. The relationship between the two of them was now very good.

The thing about interests is really wonderful. Even enemies can become friends under the effect of interests.

“I have already told them. They are all very willing to accept your invitation.”

After getting into the car, Dale took the initiative to say one of Lance’s purposes for this trip. He wanted to meet the people of the State Prohibition Committee.

They certainly would not refuse. After all, whether it was Lance himself, or the congressional side, they would always have to bow their heads to one side.

Lance was very satisfied with Dale’s actions. He then asked another question, “There won’t be any particularly upright ones, who are unwilling to bend down, will there?”

“I certainly don’t want this meeting, which should be happy, to be made very unpleasant by some people.”

Director Dale shook his head. “Don’t worry. There are indeed such people, two committee members, but I did not invite them.”

“The ones I have invited are all those who can be friends with you!”

(End of a Chapter)