Empire of Shadows

After the dinner was over, Lance, Mayor Williams, and his two sons went to his study together.

Mrs. Williams did not accompany them, because in the eyes of some older people, the study was a sacred place.

Especially for some politicians, the last things that should appear in a study are dark-skinned people and women!

In some large families, maids could work or serve almost anywhere, but only the master’s study was served and cleaned by the male butler himself.

Apart from the many secret things here, the most crucial thing was that women were not welcome.

Now, the one serving everyone in the study had become Arthur. He continuously brought in pastries, drinks, as well as cigarettes and cigars, and some other service items from the cart pushed by the butler and the maid outside the door.

Mayor Williams looked at the cigar box Arthur brought in and immediately introduced it to Lance, ”Willis brand cigars. Have you tried them?”

This cigar box looked very exquisite and beautiful. Just one glance and you knew its price was very expensive.

The golden lines on the front of the box were probably pure gold threads inlaid on the box. In the very center of the box was its... it should be called a trademark.

A lion crouching on the grassland. Beside the lion was a shield and a sword.Lance shook his head. The lion, this animal, is regarded as a symbol of ”power” and ”strength” in many countries, so it’s normal for many trademarks to use a lion.

”Willis is a cigar brand. You might not pay much attention to it usually, because it’s very niche.”

Mayor Williams had Arthur help Lance open one, personally took it, cut the cap for him, lit the fire, and toasted the foot of the cigar.

”It belonged to a royal member of the fallen Hama Dynasty, specially serving this royal member personally.”

”After the Hama Dynasty fell, this farm was acquired by merchants, and only then could people taste the wonderful flavor of Willis cigars.”

He handed the toasted cigar over. Lance said ”thank you,” took it, took a puff, and felt the continuous change of the smoke’s taste in his mouth.

After about seven or eight seconds, he exhaled the thick smoke, and the entire study was filled with a pleasant smell of tobacco.

In fact, the smell produced by most burning tobacco is not pleasant; it’s pungent, and some people even think these smells are stinky.

Including some of the better cigars, the smell of the smoke they exhale is also very difficult to control.

But the smoke exhaled by this cigar couldn’t be said to be as good as people exaggerated, but at least it wasn’t bad.

Mayor Williams looked at Lance with a slightly expectant look. Lance glanced at the cigar in his hand and commented, ”It’s very average.”

This sentence made both James and Arthur stunned for a moment. They subconsciously looked at their father, while Mayor Williams couldn’t help but laugh out loud!

”Yes, yes, you are absolutely right. It is just like that, very average!”

He laughed so hard that tears were almost streaming down his face. While laughing, he also lit one for himself.

After he had taken a puff and exhaled the smoke, he finally said with a laugh, ”But it is still one of the best cigars in the world. Its merit is not in how much flavor it can provide you, but in its added value.”

”A limited edition of one thousand boxes a year. Sometimes the output can’t keep up, and there are only seven or eight hundred boxes.”

”Think about it, how many rich people are there in the Federation?”

”How many rich people are there in this world?”

”Only a small number of cigars circulate on the market every year. To own it, it’s not enough to just have money; you also need other things.”

”Power, status, influence!”

Mayor Williams took another puff. ”If she hadn’t taken it out, maybe I would have kept it in my collection.”

This was clearly Mrs. Williams’s decision, and the reason she had made such a decision was that Lance had taken the initiative to mention that he wanted to attend Arthur’s wedding, and she was returning the favor.

As he spoke, Mayor Williams glanced at his two sons. ”You two also take one each, especially Arthur. Remember its taste and our evaluation. You’ll use it in the future!”

In Lance’s opinion, this Willis cigar was, at most, at the level of twenty or thirty dollars. It was still some distance away from those top-tier cigars of fifty dollars or more, or even a hundred dollars or more.

But just as Mayor Williams had said, its history had given it more value.

The old tailor’s business in the center of Golden Port City was now incredibly hot. When people knew that he had previously served the nobility in the Empire, he had no worries about business!

Before Lance had left, he had even complained to him that there were too many customers now. The reservations were booked up to a year later.

He was not relaxed now. On the contrary, he had to constantly rush the progress with his apprentices. This was something he couldn’t have imagined before!

There were too many rich people in the Federation. Some people from Manteno would even drive, or take a train, to Golden Port City just to make a reservation, in order to be able, on some important occasion in the future, to wear a set of custom-made clothes ”of the same quality and craftsmanship as the nobility.”

The federal people just like this. It can only be said that the federal people are still too rich.

However, Lance’s attention was not here, but on Mayor Williams’s discipline of Arthur.

Mayor Williams sensed the doubt in Lance’s eyes, and he took the initiative to explain, ”After Arthur gets married, there’s a high probability he won’t develop in Golden Port City. He will go to Golden State, to New Golden City.”

Facing Lance’s even more puzzled gaze, he continued, ”The business here in Golden Port City has basically stabilized, and his mother’s meaning is that she hopes he can make a career for himself, in business.”

”We signed him up for a class to study business. After the summer vacation is over, he will go to Golden State for school, and then start a business there.”

Lance turned to look at Arthur. ”Sounds good!”

Arthur smiled shyly. In the eyes of outsiders, he might be an out-and-out devil, for example, to the late Imperial banker, Mr. Jobav.

Arthur had extorted him more than once, and each time he had extorted a lot of money, and he was convinced that Mr. Jobav could do nothing about him.

Borrowing money, getting a loan, or just opening his mouth to threaten and demand. In the eyes of those people, he was like a devil, a scumbag!

But in front of Lance, in front of Mayor Williams, and in front of his mother, he just behaved like a cheerful, big boy.

A kindergarten teacher is very cute, but a kindergarten teacher also needs to eat meat.

”Work hard. If you run into any trouble you can’t solve, you can give me a call, but I won’t necessarily help you!” Lance thought for a moment, but still gave a word of advice.

Although he hadn’t established his own power in New Golden City yet, as a person who had already joined Senator Cleveland’s circle, he only needed to make a phone call to be able to mobilize some power.

He understood Arthur. He was very persistent about sex and pleasure. Lance didn’t think he would cause any big trouble. At most, he would just get a girl pregnant and couldn’t find a place for an abortion.

Arthur scratched his head. ”Got it, Uncle Lance.”

As a child who had been spoiled at home, Arthur also had a place that was not easy for ordinary people to achieve, which was that he was very obedient to his mother and Mayor Williams.

They had asked him to call him ”Uncle,” so he had. He wasn’t embarrassed at all.

Lance nodded slightly. This topic was over. This was probably also what Mayor Williams had deliberately brought up.

It could also be seen from this that he was still very fond of this young son of his. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let him run around the city like a bastard, extorting and causing trouble.

After this topic was over, Mayor Williams picked up his black tea and took a small sip. There weren’t so many complicated ingredients in it, just simple black tea.

The taste of the black tea had made the greasiness from the food just now quickly disappear. He put down his teacup and looked at Lance. ”Has Terry’s side... contacted you?”

This was the real business. Arthur took the initiative to stand against the wall. James also began to concentrate his attention.

Lance nodded and said, ”We’ve spoken on the phone. In a few days, I’ll go to Manteno, and I’ll meet with him then.”

As for what they would talk about, he didn’t say, but Mayor Williams knew. It was about the gubernatorial election.

Then naturally, what they were going to talk about next would also be an extension of this topic.

”Lance, have you thought about some of the follow-up issues of the governorship?” he asked.

He didn’t wait for Lance to answer him, but continued to speak his mind. ”Golden Port City is a very important voting bloc, and there is also the Lawrence family’s side. If you add your personal influence, the influence of the gang, it can be said that you basically control about 30% to 40% of the legal votes in Likalai State.”

”You already have the biggest say in the gubernatorial election. In the future, everyone who runs for governor must respect you, and get your support, before they have a chance to run fairly.”

Mayor Williams picked up his teacup and took another small sip. He looked up at Lance. ”You are more important than you think, in this matter!”

Lance just nodded and didn’t speak, which made Mayor Williams laugh bitterly. ”You are still so cautious!”

He paused for a moment, and then turned his head to look at James. ”You have such a big say in this matter, plus your current career, Lance, you need a stable and reliable base camp!”

”Senator Cleveland and his group will form an interest group, for each other’s interests.”

”In fact, we can also form an interest group, for our interests here!”

”I believe that with some of the subsequent changes, perhaps you can continue to expand your influence in this aspect.”

”I’m already very old. There’s a high probability that I won’t have a chance to run for governor in this lifetime, but James is still young, and William (Lance’s father-in-law) is also very young. Some of the younger generation in the Lawrence family are all very young!”

As he spoke, he glanced at James, who had already widened his eyes. ”It’s a pity I only have two sons, and Arthur’s mother always has her own independent ideas.”

”Recently, James’s wife has become pregnant...” he turned his head to look at Lance. ”If it’s a girl, I hope she can have a chance to accompany Ace.”

Ace was only just over a year old, and he already had a fiancée. It was unknown what those in their twenties and thirties who were still single would think.

Lance knew what Mayor Williams meant. Since Lance had such a strong influence, plus the Williams family and the constantly expanding Lawrence family, they could completely unite and turn Likalai State into their back garden!

Just like those few states that were firmly held by localism, the federal executive orders couldn’t even penetrate!

Those few states were firmly controlled by the local political families and financial magnates. From the governor, the lieutenant governor, the secretary of state, the attorney general, the speakers of the two houses, to almost all the government officials below, they were all their own people!

Except for the military, which was not so easy for them to infiltrate, basically, the government level was already all their people.

That was an independent little kingdom. They could formulate regional policies for their own enterprises, and let their financial magnates and political families continue to expand!

What Mayor Williams was thinking of at this time, what he wanted, was this!

A family, how can it compare to a ”prominent family”?

Families are common, but prominent families are not.

James and Arthur both looked over. Lance had not refused, which meant that there was a possibility of cooperation between them.

The father and his two sons all looked at him intently. Lance didn’t give them any statement, but was frowning and thinking about this matter.

In fact, from the trajectory of historical development, whether it was the Federation or other regions’ localism, in the end, it would disappear in the long river of history.

This ”private plot” thing would become weaker and weaker.

But in this period, this era, the local emperors still existed, and the federal government had no good way to deal with these people.

But with the development of the times, and the progress of science and technology, in the end, it would still lead to a situation where the country was strong, and the region was weak.

Lance thought for a long while, and finally nodded. ”If it’s not a girl...”

Mayor Williams couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He looked at James, his eyes filled with an indescribable absurdity. ”Then just let him keep having girls until he does!”

A schadenfreude expression also appeared on Arthur’s face. He knew that James and his wife were also in a political marriage. There was no affection between the two. To have him get on top of someone he had no feelings for, and to keep having girls until he did, was indeed quite a torment.

James, in this situation, also found it very difficult to control his own expression.

Incredulous, absurd, comical, shocked, and in the end, it became serious.

He took a deep breath. ”I will work hard.”

Of course he knew who this was best for. With Lance’s support, in the future, he might not be unable to be a mayor. Even his children would have a chance.

According to Mayor Williams’s current thinking, in the future, the governor would, with a high probability, be rotated between the Lawrence family, Lance’s children, and the Williams family.

This was something they hadn’t even dared to think about before. Now it had actually become a reality, and it also had a high feasibility. How could he, because of his personal likes or dislikes, destroy this cooperation?

Even if his wife didn’t like to sleep with him, he would use a rope to strangle her neck and tie her to the bed, and her family would also be very supportive.

After all, if in the future, they might be the son of a governor, and there was also half of his wife’s family’s bloodline!

Seeing that Lance had agreed, Mayor Williams said again, ”The Harvest Festival is coming soon. Before the Harvest Festival, I plan to make a trip to the Lawrence Farm. We will sit down and have a good talk about these things.”

”And, I think we can invite some more people to join in. After all, a state government has so many positions, posts, and it’s not just the governor’s position.”

Since Lance had already agreed, he would not, on this kind of small issue, stop him. And this was indeed something that was helpful to ”rule.” He had agreed to all.

The two then chatted about some other matters, and did not involve the issue of ”personnel allocation.” This needed to be, at the time of the Harvest Festival, after everyone had sat down, to first have a rough idea.

Whether it was James or William, or others, at least for the next four years, it would be very difficult for them to become governor.

Attorney General Terry had been coveting this position for a long time. As one of the top five people in the state, he had always maintained enough respect for Lance, which showed how enthusiastic he was about this position.

So the next four years would be Attorney General Terry’s four years. As for who could get on after four years, that would depend on how much the interest group, with Lance as its core, could expand in four years.

The father and his two sons... after seeing Lance off, Mayor Williams suddenly felt a little moved. ”In the blink of an eye, it’s been seven or eight years. Seven or eight years ago, Lance was just a small character, but look at him now. Even we need to consider his attitude.”

”In the past, I didn’t believe in the Federation Dream. I had always believed that the Federation Dream was just a clever means of rule. But now, I might believe it, just a little bit.”

He glanced at James. ”I don’t care what your relationship with your wife is. She must give me a granddaughter.”

James nodded and said, ”I know.”

...

After Lance had inspected Golden Port City, he had rested for two days, and then had gone to Manteno. Attorney General Terry had been waiting for a long time.

In Golden Port City, he might not have had such a strong feeling. After he had come to Manteno, he could feel the obvious atmosphere of the gubernatorial election.

The streets were all covered with Attorney General Terry’s campaign posters. He was wearing a brand-new suit, revealing his eight teeth. On the posters, there were also various campaign slogans printed.

In many places, you could see spontaneous, small activities related to the election. Attorney General Terry had, as he had wished, obtained the ”gubernatorial candidate nomination” submitted by the Likalai State Socialist Party’s representative committee. The election had already begun to operate in June.

Now he was still a little anxious, because Lance had been out of the country during this period, and he couldn’t get in touch.

The votes from Golden Port City and the Lawrence family’s side were particularly important. It could be said that these votes would, in the end, decide who could win the election!

Fortunately, Lance had returned.