Empire of Shadows

Trade associations are not uncommon.

However, just because they are common doesn't mean they are low-end. Trade associations are anything but low-end.

The people at the table looked at each other, unsure of how to respond. Finally, the oldest gentleman spoke up, "Mr. Lance, if we join this trade association, what can it bring us, and what will we need to contribute?"

"If we don't join the trade association, will there be...?"

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He was worried, but seeing that Lance didn't seem too difficult to talk to, he voiced his concerns.

Lance remained seated, legs crossed, but his body was neither leaning forward nor backward, maintaining a straight posture. This made people listen attentively to his every word.

"I don't intend to find another way to demand wealth from you. As I said, in the Imperial District, in my territory, no one has to pay protection fees."

"If you don't join the trade association, you won't suffer any losses. My people will still patrol the streets and maintain order."

"They won't make things difficult for you or extort you just because you haven't joined the trade association. You can still go to Burton or our people if you encounter any trouble."

"Everything will be the same as it is now!"

"Whether or not to join the trade association is entirely up to you. Are you satisfied with your current situation? Do you still have the desire to do something for your children?"

"Then let's talk about joining the trade association."

"I believe you already have some understanding of trade associations. You should have realized over the years that in the Federation, if we don't unite, we will definitely be bullied..."

Before saying a lot, he always had a subconscious habit of taking a few puffs of smoke, which helped him better organize his thoughts.

He took out a cigarette case from his pocket, a silver and ivory case given to him by Luigi, gleaming expensively under the light.

The frame was made of sterling silver, and the rest was made of the finest ivory, looking as warm and smooth as jade, and feeling comfortable in the hand.

This item wasn't cheap, but it wasn't too expensive either, with a current market price of around one or two hundred dollars.

He pressed the switch, and it popped open with a click, revealing two rows of neatly arranged cigarettes.

These cigarettes were held in place by a total of four silver clips inside the cigarette case. He flipped open one side and took out a cigarette.

Then, after closing the cigarette case, he tapped the cigarette filter against the surface of the case, which would compress the tobacco a bit.

Afterward, he put the filter in his mouth. As he leaned to the side to reach for a match, Burton quickly came over, took out a match from his pocket, bent over, stuck out his rear, and struck it.

Lance glanced at Burton, whose flattering smile looked like a clown's in the firelight, but you couldn't really treat him like a clown.

At least a clown wouldn't have this kind of determination and insight.

He tilted his head, lit the cigarette in the firelight, and patted Burton's hand, "Thank you."

Burton smiled, "You're too kind," then threw away the match and discreetly returned to his seat.

Lance exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. Some of the veteran smokers seemed to sense the signal and couldn't help but reach for their cigarettes.

The atmosphere suddenly became relaxed. Lance casually raised his hand holding the cigarette, "Why don't the Federation people dare to bully the Sumuri people casually?"

"Because they are very united. If you bully one of them, you might have offended someone on their family tree."

"Family honor will make them take a boat from Sumuri Island, cross a third of the world to come to you, and then shoot you."

"They are very united, so the Federation people don't bully them, and they don't dare to bully them casually."

"But what about the Imperial people?"

A rhetorical question silenced everyone.

"Heller, that son of a bitch, started a bad trend by bullying his own people. The Federation people know that we are not united, so they can exploit and oppress us at will."

"They know that no one will take a boat from the Empire to the Federation, come to them and shoot them, telling them that it's all because they extorted one of you."

"Without cost and consequence, behavior becomes reckless."

"I want to change this situation!"

He raised his hand again, pointing diagonally upward. The blue smoke drifting from the cigarette butt condensed into a smoke ring under the not-so-intense spotlight, slowly, gently, continuously expanding.

His gaze swept over the faces of these people, nodding slightly, he continued:

"I want to change this situation. We are not like the Sumuri people, with very special family relationships, and the Empire cannot provide us with any assistance."

"We, who have drifted here, can only rely on ourselves, rely on our brothers and sisters."

"The trade association serves this purpose."

"It's very simple: make money together, stand united against outsiders."

"I, or other members of the trade association, can share some money-making tips or discovered business opportunities."

"You see some businesses, but you can't do them, and then you watch others make a fortune from these business opportunities that you discovered first."

"This situation will no longer occur as long as you join the trade association."

"You don't have money, but the trade association does. We can do the businesses that you can't do. This is the power of unity!"

"If you encounter any trouble, we will help you together, face it together. I believe that as long as we also unite, the Federation people will also value us and listen to our voices."

"Of course, there are many benefits to joining the trade association: regular salons, gatherings, anything..."

"In addition, if..."

He suddenly paused, seemingly considering how to word it. For about a minute or so, he suddenly froze like a statue.

To the point that some people even thought at this moment... that he might have suddenly had some kind of illness. Although it was offensive, people still showed concerned looks.

Fortunately, he came out of that frozen state, "For example, I currently have a business that can make a lot of money, and I am willing to share it with you, and then the trade association will do this together."

"If you make money from this business that I shared, then fifteen percent of the net profit you earn needs to be taken out."

"Ten percent goes to the initiator, after all, I am leading you to make money, it is right to get something from you."

"And five percent is handed over to the trade association, as the development fund of the trade association, after all, we need to organize a lot of activities and publicity."

"Then what do you have to contribute to the trade association to join?"

"First, membership fees. This is not a protection fee. Ten dollars a month. This is just the initial fee, and it may change in the future."

"As our operating situation gets better, maybe it won't be long before we completely abolish membership fees and change to a recommendation and review system."

"By that time, it won't be so easy to join."

"Secondly, when one of us needs your help, and you can do it, you must lend a helping hand."

"If you don't lend a helping hand when we are in distress, then don't expect others to lend a helping hand when you are in distress in the future."

"Finally, I need you to unite. Only by uniting together, becoming iron, becoming steel, can we no longer be bullied!"

Lance took the last puff of his cigarette, and Burton had already walked over with the ashtray. Lance didn't like this extremely flattering "Mr. Burton," but he didn't hate him either.

A useful little man, that was his evaluation of him.

"Thank you," he stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray.

Burton didn't seem to think at all that he was acting like a clown, "No, it's not a bother at all. I am sincerely honored to do something for someone with such great sentiments as you."

Lance couldn't help but laugh and patted Burton on the shoulder, "I'll have Elvin make you two suits later."

Burton's face immediately showed a surprised expression. Lance stopped him from the impulse to thank him with a look. Now was not the time.

"Work hard, everything will be better in the future."

He returned to his seat with the ashtray excitedly, his mind full of a bright future.

Giving a little man some benefits doesn't cause you any loss, but it will make the little man think you are a generous person, even if he may think that sometimes you are not doing the right thing, at least he won't harm you.

But if you are cold to a little man, even if you don't cause him substantial harm, just because he thinks his self-esteem has been hurt, he will find a way to retaliate against you.

Lance had seen many such little men, although he wasn't worried about whether this Mr. Burton could cause him trouble under the current rules of the era.

But he didn't mind telling people that as long as it was useful to him, then it had value.

The others were discussing in low voices, deliberating. Lance didn't force them. It didn't matter even if they didn't want to participate, because soon, he would let these people see the benefits of the trade association—betting on grapes.

However, his worries were obviously superfluous. Ten dollars a month, even if it was a protection fee, these people were willing to pay.

At least the people of the Lance family really maintained order on the streets every day, and their figures could often be seen. With the help of these people, some police officers seemed to rarely come here.

In the past, the police would sometimes come to their shops, eat and drink, and then leave without paying a penny, even taking some things with them.

If you argued with them, they would say that these things might be stolen goods.

If you encountered someone with a slightly better temper, they would take away a large box of your goods.

If you encountered someone with a bad temper, your entire shop might be shut down for investigation.

But since Lance's people were all over the streets, the number of times the police harassed them decreased a lot, and even when they did come, they wouldn't go too far.

Soon, these people expressed their willingness to join the chamber of commerce, and Lance asked them to go back and promote this matter to the people in their respective neighborhoods, but he also made a request.

"…I am definitely not forcing you to join. You must make this clear to the people. Whether you join the chamber of commerce or not, we are all Imperials."

"I will take care of you to the best of my ability, not because you joined the chamber of commerce and paid your dues, or didn't pay."

As he spoke, he patted his leg and stood up, and a large group of people also stood up.

"That's it then…"

People took the initiative to step forward and shake hands with Lance, and then said goodbye to him. It could be seen that Lance still had a lot of prestige in their hearts.

Lance didn't mind the trouble. He shook hands with each person in the line and said goodbye.

After they had all left, Lance let out a heavy breath.

Erwin was also here, but he was sitting in the corner, and there were other people sitting in the corner as well.

After the people had left, he came over and asked, "Will it be useful?"

Lance nodded, "It will definitely be useful!"

"I can't guarantee that everyone will think I can change anything, but as long as some people believe it and it actually changes, others will believe it."

As he spoke, staff members had already come to work. The sky outside was beginning to darken, and some dancers, singers, including strippers, began to enter.

They greeted Lance warmly. Now, under Lance's management, the Empire Nights Nightclub was much better than before, at least for these people.

Heller, that son of a bitch, liked to demonstrate his extraordinary nature by trampling on other people's dignity, but Lance wouldn't.

He greeted everyone kindly, which made these people like him even more.

As more and more people arrived, it was no longer appropriate for Lance to stay downstairs, so he went upstairs with Erwin and the others.

Heller's office had been renovated, removing the bar and bookcase, making the space larger and allowing more sofas to be arranged for people to sit down.

After everyone sat down, looking at the dozen or so good brothers around him, Lance said the thoughts he hadn't said downstairs.

"I plan to unify the entire Imperial District, so that there are no other gangs or families here."

At first, they didn't react, but soon Hiram showed an excited expression!

"Are we going to war again?"

Currently, the Red Dog Gang still controls about thirty percent of the Imperial District. In fact, their business operations don't overlap much with Lance's side.

The Red Dog Gang mainly sells smuggled alcohol and provides pimping and erotic services, and also provides security services for some bars.

After all, security guards with a large gang background are more likely to intimidate people than the bar's own security guards.

Just like when Lance and his men went to the bar to find someone before, the first thing the security guard said after being restrained was, "I'm with the Red Dog Gang."

If it were someone from a smaller gang, they might have been intimidated.

But even though there are no conflicts between the two sides, and the overlap in business operations is not high, it doesn't mean that they don't affect Lance's overall plan.

Controlling the entire Imperial District is actually a firm statement, just like how there is only one Pasreto family in the entire Sumuri District. You could say that this is a symbol of "status" or "strength."

Otherwise, if there are two large gangs and some messy neighborhood families in just one Imperial District, no matter how well Lance performs, others won't think he's that great.

If you can't even manage your own home, how can you convince others to agree with you on certain things?

Moreover, this can also increase the confidence of Imperial immigrants in him.

Although the Camilla Gang later became a mess, in the early days, they did hold up the banner of standing on the side of the Imperials to fight against other gangs.

Even the Camilla Gang at its peak was not able to unify the Imperial District, but Lance did, so he can represent the interests of the Imperials in Goldport to a greater extent!

Actually, if you think about it carefully, there are so many things that can be done, but no one has stood up to do them. Perhaps they are too short-sighted, or perhaps they really can't see these things.

Just like Mr. Chobaf, he has never thought of subsidizing the poor for so many years. Perhaps the capitalist's desire to obtain profits makes him unable to see the benefits of giving, but this just happens to benefit Lance.

As for whether to immediately go to war with the Red Dog Gang, Lance shook his head slightly, "It's not necessarily necessary to go to war. It would be best if they could take the initiative to back down."

"We can talk to them first, but if they are unwilling to back down, then we can only drive them out."

"The unification of the Imperial District is something we can't avoid and a cause that must be completed. Its priority is on par with the Imperial Chamber of Commerce!"

Morris leaned against the corner of the sofa. He was not tall. If he sat on the sofa, it would give people the feeling that "a child has been mixed into a group of adults", so he hated sitting on the sofa.

But he could accept sitting on the back of the sofa.

"I'll send someone to keep an eye on their people right away."

Lance nodded, "What's the name of their boss again?"

"Bill."

"Right, keep an eye on Bill, and then the senior executives who are active in the Imperial District. It's best not to go to war, but if we really have to go to war, we need to disintegrate their resistance in the shortest possible time."

As he spoke, he looked at Erwin, "Have you recruited any soldiers?"

Erwin nodded, "The news has spread. Some people in the Empire want to come and join us, but they need some money."

"The situation inside the Empire is very corrupt now. There is a bit of a problem within the rebel army, and many people want to come to the Federation."

"Not only the Imperial Army, but also some rebels want to come over."

The Imperial Emperor was forced to run around, and was about to become a joke in history, but some conflicts broke out within the rebel army.

It is said that His Majesty the Emperor sent a message that he planned to surrender, but he didn't know who to surrender to, and needed the rebel army to give him a candidate.

These "private messages" are actually public, and with some of his conspiracies, people clearly realize that whoever His Majesty the Emperor surrenders to, that person is likely to be the next emperor!

The rebel army is not one force, but many forces. Everyone started the uprising with the idea of overthrowing the tyranny of the Imperial royal family.

But now that the fruits of victory seem to be within reach, a problem has arisen that they had not thought of before, and that is who will pick this fruit!

For a time, the situation within the Empire changed again, and Lance found it extremely exciting, but soon his attention shifted away from this.

No matter how well the Imperial Emperor plays, that is the Imperial Emperor's business and has nothing to do with him.

What he needs now is to solve the problems in front of him!

"Arrange for some people to come over as soon as possible. We need some militarized training, and we need to recruit a few more people. We're a little short on manpower again."

"Although I don't want to go to war, we must be fully prepared for war."

"There can only be one voice in the Imperial District, and that is my voice, Lance's voice."

"And there can only be one family, and that is our Lance family!"