Empire of Shadows

Wealth that is not normally obtainable by one’s own class is always the greatest test and challenge to a person’s humanity.

Unfortunately, Tim had failed in this test.

He stroked the gold bricks, glanced at the unsigned transfer agreement, then turned to the bookcase, opened the door, and slid his hand across the pages of the books on the second shelf, eventually murmuring the name of a book.

“Here it is!” His hand suddenly stopped. The book he was pointing at was the same one he had been muttering about.

He took out the book, then reached into the gap left by it. In a hidden corner of the cabinet panel, there was a metal pick.

He flicked the metal pick hard, heard the sound of a spring lock opening, and then put the book back.

Next, he closed the cabinet door, then came to another bookshelf, and forcefully pulled the door towards himself.

A secret door appeared.

The people of the Federation, or rather, the powerful and influential people all over the world, all liked to have secret doors and basements.

There were some designers in the world who specialized in serving the powerful and wealthy, using visual discrepancies to hide some secret rooms. Among them were some of the best, and their design manuscripts were all sky-high prices.Like the design drawing for the castle specially built for “Queen Mary,” it was worth several million federal sols at auction.

And these design drawings were often accompanied by some special rumors, such as “undiscovered treasures” or “the hidden wealth of a certain nobleman.”

Castle exploration had once been a popular activity all over the world. Of course, this had nothing to do with the Federation, because the Federation did not have such a long history.

And no one was stupid enough to come to this land to build an ancient castle or something.

Especially after the “Secret Treasure of Queen Eslea” was discovered by a group of treasure hunters, a treasure worth hundreds of millions had appeared in the world seventy or eighty years ago, which had triggered a worldwide treasure hunting frenzy!

Of course, this also had nothing to do with the people of the Federation.

Although some people of the Federation would also go to other continents to hunt for treasure, but…

In short, this line of work also had a complete ecological chain, but Tim could certainly not afford to hire such a well-known designer. He used some of the templates that had already been made public and then personalized them.

The secret room was not very large, only about eight square meters, but it was empty, with only some cash in a box, which looked to be about three or four hundred thousand in scale.

This was a part of the money he had made in the three years since he took office. The other part had already been used for socializing and maintaining relationships.

He went outside, lifted the heavy briefcase with difficulty, and entered the secret room. Then he took out the gold bricks and found a special table to place them on.

He liked these golden little things. He would arrange them in this way for a while, and then in that way for a while.

But he could never arrange them into a particularly beautiful or spectacular shape.

It was still too little.

He muttered, and then stacked them up, two by two, in a staggered stack. In the end, it was five layers high, which was actually not very high.

He had an idea in his heart at this time. One day, he would let the gold bricks fill this table!

Then he hesitated for a moment, took the transfer agreement out, and he would have his son sign this agreement.

What made him feel gratified and interesting was that when he had fully unfolded this transfer agreement, some other things had fallen out from inside.

A receipt for purchasing goods, a seemingly old promotional poster, and a winning certificate.

Someone had bought a ninety-nine-cent pack of cigarettes from Lance’s store, and then had participated in their lucky draw and had won a large villa in Manteno!

He had even seen a newspaper clipping of a report, which reported that a certain “mysterious person” had won this grand prize.

In the eyes of many, wasn’t this a typical representative of the Federation dream?

You don’t need to work hard, you don’t need to practice, you just need a little luck, and good fortune will come to you.

He was amazed at how steady Lance was in his work. After all, a house and gold were different.

There was always a way to dispose of gold. In the case of an international war breaking out, the price and industry of gold would only get better and better, and it would become easier and easier to dispose of.

But a house was different. It couldn’t be hidden, and it also needed someone to take care of it, to live in it. This required a suitable and reasonable condition.

Now Lance had added this condition. He didn’t need to worry about anything and just had his son sign it.

After he had come out of the secret room and had closed the door of the secret room again, he sat in his chair and thought for a moment, and then dialed the number of Lance’s villa.

“This is Mr. Lance’s villa…”

“I’m Tim, Tim Perry. I just had dinner with Mr. Lance in the courtyard a moment ago.”

The person who answered the phone immediately reacted. “I remember you, Mr. Perry. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“I want to talk to Mr. Lance.”

“Please wait a moment.”

After about two minutes, Lance answered the phone. “I hope you haven’t left anything behind.”

He made a small joke. Tim also laughed a few times after hearing it. “I’ve seen the gift you sent me. It’s very thoughtful. I like it very much!”

Who wouldn’t like it?

Giving money is actually not impossible, but giving gold is better. These politicians are very clear about the value and potential of gold.

Lance also chose his gifts selectively. If he were to give them to people of a lower level, he would just give them money directly.

“I’m glad you like it, so…”

Tim pursed his lips. “It’s like this. There’s something I forgot to tell you when we were chatting tonight.”

“The nearly four million worth of wine has not been completely destroyed. We have actually only destroyed a very small part, less than 5%.”

Lance took out a cigarette case from his pocket when he heard this. He knew that the reward was coming.

“So?” he held the receiver with his shoulder, tilted his head, and lit his cigarette with it in his mouth. He took a drag. “Where is this batch of wine?”

“The situation with this batch of wine is a bit special. The idea on the congressional side is to transfer them, but I have heard from some channels that they plan to cash them in.”

“I feel… you know, Lance, can I call you that?”

Lance said with a laugh, “Of course, we are already friends.”

Tim also laughed. “Yes, yes, we are already friends.”

“I think it’s better for you to dispose of this batch of wine. It’s just that my connection with the congressional side is not so strong, so I can’t take the lead in this matter.”

Lance understood what he meant. On the one hand, it was a kind of return. After receiving his benefit, he naturally had to think of giving some benefits back to him. This was the principle of being friends.

To always take advantage of a friend is not to be a friend.

On the other hand, it was also to see Lance’s influence on the congressional side.

Politicians are always like this, carefully probing. This determines whether Tim can be a good friend with him, or just an ordinary friend.

Lance was not unhappy about this. The people of the Federation are just like this. You say you are very strong, and your friends also believe you are very strong, but they don’t believe it so completely.

It is not until you punch him in the face and break his nose that he will be truly amazed—

You’re fucking strong!

“I see. Thank you for telling me this.”

He paused for a moment. “By the way, is this three million plus its market price, or its cost price?”

It took a while for Tim to react. “I’m sorry, I’m not really clear about this, but I know it’s twenty thousand bottles of whiskey.”

Lance made a simple estimate in his heart. Even if it was fifty dollars a bottle of inferior quality, this was still worth a million.

“I see. Anyway, thank you for the reminder.”

Tim laughed a few more times. “I have some work that I haven’t finished these few days. After I’m done with my work, I’ll treat you to a meal, at my home.”

Lance did not refuse. “It’s a deal.”

He hung up the phone and took two deep drags on his cigarette. He was calculating, calculating how much three million plus of wine was worth.

After a long while, when the cigarette was almost finished, he picked up the phone again.

Logically, at this time, and it was still the weekend, it was indeed not appropriate to harass a senator with a phone call.

But whether it was appropriate or not depended on what it was for.

If it was for a benefit of a million, even if it was three o’clock in the middle of the night, the senator would not be angry.

But if you are just talking to him about official business, he will definitely scold you, and then tell you to be business-like, not to disturb him with official business when he is resting, when he is embracing his private time.

A few minutes later, the call was answered. You could hear that the senator was drinking, and there was a hint of being tipsy when he spoke.

It was not Senator Cleveland, but an executive committee member of the Prohibition Committee, a good friend of Senator Cleveland, and also a partner in interests.

“Is there something?”

His tone was not polite. He was chatting happily with his friends, talking about some scandals about Mr. President, and drinking. This was the most fucking happy time, but he had to answer the phone, so he would definitely be a little emotional.

After drinking some wine, his control over his emotions was a little out of control.

“I hear from Tim that the Likalai State seized more than three million of wine last time. You plan to dispose of it.”

The senator was a little impatient after listening. “You want to get a piece of the action?”

“750,000, and I’ll take it all.”

“As long as you nod, the money will be sent to your designated account tomorrow.”

The senator was stunned for a moment. He wiped his face and turned his back to the living room. “500,000 is not enough, Lance. You also said that that’s wine worth more than three million!”

His tone had already changed. He began to become focused, and was no longer impatient, but more like a haggling merchant.

“That’s the market price, Mr. Senator. Its cost price is only about a million.”

“And if you want to transport them to Golden State or other places, plus the shipping fee and other labor costs, I believe that if they are not openly giving you money, their price will not exceed my price.”

The senator frowned, supporting his temple. As a member of the Prohibition Committee, he was actually also very clear about some of the situations in here.

After considering for a moment, he said, “I’m not the only one who gets a share. This is too little!”

There was a long silence on the receiver, and then Lance’s voice came. “800,000.”

“900,000!”

Lance “considered” for a moment. “A price for making friends. Deal!”

(End of a Chapter)