Empire of Shadows

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On Thursday morning, Luca, dressed neatly, stood outside the Liji Group's office building and took a deep breath.

The monopolistic nature of this group company still brought him a lot of pressure.

The Federation is always able to experience many interesting or worthwhile things for people to observe.

If you go to the countryside to find an ordinary, uneducated farmer and ask him about his views on the Liji Group.

He would say all the dirtiest swear words he knows in his life at this moment to "praise" the Liji Group's shameless actions.

They are not afraid of the Liji Group at all, and may even unite to fight against these interest groups that monopolize the channels between farmers and the market.

But if you are in a big city and find a highly educated middle class and ask them about their views on the Liji Group's bad behavior.

Then they will euphemistically say that all of this is normal business behavior, and may not express more opinions on it.

The higher the education level and the higher the social class, the more cautious they are about capital, and they don't even dare to express their true opinions.

The more you know, the more you fear.

Using the courage to fight against injustice in exchange for knowledge, it is sometimes difficult to say whether you have gained or lost.

Luca is a middle-class man, and his legs are a little shaky now. He actually doesn't really want to come.

But if he doesn't come, he will most likely have no future in his life.

In the past, he didn't care when everyone had no future, but now, William has become a municipal councilor and a "popular person" in the family, and people are starting to revolve around him.

Jack has a certain connection with the senior management of the customs because of Lance, and he will be able to go further in a short time.

Not to mention Patricia, a small transparent person in the family, but because she is Lance's girlfriend, even if she does nothing, she is the focus of people's attention.

Barbara is now going to be an actress, and she may become a big star at any time.

Movie actors and opera actors are the same, as long as someone supports them and is willing to spend money, then they will definitely become famous.

Everyone is working hard to improve themselves because of William and Lance. If he does nothing, he will become a disgrace to the family.

He must prove this point, that he is not a waste.

He plucked up his courage, stomped his feet with his briefcase, and the tacks of his newly bought leather shoes made a crisp sound on the marble floor. He raised his head, held his head high, and walked into the office hall with his briefcase.

The almost mirror-like marble floor reflected the splendor of the place. They even took the step of threatening to kill farmers in order to lower the price of each barrel of wheat by fifteen points.

But here, they spend tens of thousands of dollars on the decoration and maintenance of the floor.

A woman in professional attire ended her conversation with the person next to her and walked towards him with a smile, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Sir?"

Luca, as he had practiced in front of the mirror, took out a business card and handed it over, "I am the manager of Garden Trading Company, and I want to order a batch of grain."

The female manager was stunned for a moment, "Hello, I am very happy to serve you!", she shook hands with Luca and took the other party's business card, taking a look at it.

The business card is very beautifully made, and it costs about three to four yuan per hundred sheets, which is already very expensive.

The gold foil and gold foil pattern make the whole business card look very high-end. She suddenly found that there is also a faint fragrance on this business card, maybe it is more expensive!

The manager of a company that can use four or five yuan per hundred business cards must be a company of considerable size.

While inviting Luca to sit down, she inquired and said, "Mr. Luther (pseudonym), your company should not be on the East Coast, I have not heard of it."

She asked someone to bring two cups of coffee, and at the same time inquired about the company Luca worked for. She really had never heard of it.

It would be really funny if the other party had heard of it. This company has not been registered for a month.

Luca explained with a smile, "We are a new multinational company, you know, recently...", he used a "you know" expression, so that he did not need to explain too clearly, so as to avoid possible errors.

This female manager herself will make up a most suitable and error-free answer.

The female manager showed a look of sudden realization, "Are you specializing in Tanfite trade?"

"It is indeed a good business, so what can I do for you?"

The only thing she can think of is this, making war money, which is the most suitable way for capital to plunder.

If it is peacetime, you want to sell something worth one yuan for three yuan, four yuan or even five yuan.

Others will only treat you as a fool.

But in war, there is a shortage of supplies. Not to mention five yuan, even ten yuan, as long as you have it, someone will always want it.

This kind of unequal trade is causing the national wealth of the countries on the Tanfite continent to be rapidly lost. What they lack is not only food, but also everything else!

This is how war is. Whether the battlefield is on your own territory or not, both sides involved in the war will suffer losses, only in different amounts.

Many trading companies in the Federation are now transporting supplies to Tanfite. The Federal government has actually talked about the possible risks of doing so.

However, in the face of huge profits, that little risk will not be taken into account by the capitalists.

Moreover, even if there is a risk, it is within their tolerance.

After all, it is not them who really go to Tanfite to do business, but their employees and partners.

So now you can often see some people taking out loans to buy supplies to go to Tanfite. As long as they successfully find a buyer, the profit is at least one cup, and no one can refuse this.

Luca opened his briefcase and took out a document, "We need these things..."

The moment the female manager picked up the document, her eyes began to shine. Their staff can also get some commission from the order.

The company will give them a bottom price, which is not to say the low price of the goods, but the bottom price to ensure the company's interests.

The part that exceeds the bottom price is the part of the commission they can get from it.

This is indeed a good job. Capable people can earn tens of thousands of yuan or even more per month, while those who are not capable can only get a base salary of forty yuan.

Seeing so many demands and huge quantities, the female manager was tempted. If this business can be done, this year's profit target can be exceeded!

At the same time, she also appropriately proposed the idea of wanting to verify, "This requires a lot of money, Mr. Luca."

Luca showed a bank draft of 500,000 yuan, and the female manager's breathing became slightly rapid. She asked Luca to wait a while and twisted her buttocks to actively bring the coffee over.

When she bent down to put the coffee cup together with the saucer in front of Luca, Luca suspected that this woman was seducing him.

Because he saw a little something.

Luca is not a virgin who has never seen a woman. He has experienced several girlfriends after graduating from college.

But that's how people are.

You may not like what you can see openly.

On the contrary, those who hide it and occasionally leak a little can arouse people's interest more.

The female manager noticed Luca's subtle changes, and she sat back opposite Luca with a smile on her lips.

"Choosing us is definitely your most correct decision!"

"We have all these things, and the price is very suitable. We can collect these supplies for you anytime and anywhere."

Luca also nodded very reservedly, "So Liji Group is my first choice. I have a request. Our ship will be loaded in Jin'gang City, so I hope the goods can be stored in Jin'gang in advance, so that it is convenient for us to load the ship."

This is naturally not a problem, the female manager did not refuse.

Liji Group also has a transit warehouse in Jin'gang, and it is on the dock!

Half an hour later, the two parties signed an agreement. Garden Trading Company paid 20% of the deposit, and all the grain would be prepared before October 20.

After the inspection is completed on the 21st and 22nd, the final payment will be paid and the ship will be loaded. The price between the two parties has slightly increased compared to the market price, but these are not important.

Lance showed a satisfied smile after reading the complete contract. Luca couldn't help but be a little curious, "What are you going to do?"

Lance put the contract in the safe, "They provided products that do not meet our requirements, and we should naturally ask them for compensation."

Luca shook his head, "I don't understand this, will they pay the money?"

Lance shook his head after closing the safe and said, "They will not pay me the money, but they will pay the bank the money!"

Jonathan and Baihui Bank will definitely be very happy to help Lance and them get more profits from the lawsuit. Ordinary people have basically never won lawsuits against Liji Group.

Not in the judicial sense of winning. As long as people who really have evidence can win the lawsuit against Liji Group, but winning does not mean that they can really get a winner's ending.

Luca didn't know what Lance was going to do, and he was not interested in continuing to inquire further, "The Holy Farmers' Festival is coming..."

Lance looked at him, and he continued, "Maybe Patricia hasn't told you, we have to go back to the farm every year for the Holy Farmers' Festival."

"You are Patricia's boyfriend, you can also go back with us."

Speaking of this, Lance was indeed a little moved. He also wanted to see what the life of the federal landlord class was like, and he also wanted to experience the life of the landlord class.

"It depends on the situation, I will try my best."

“Next, you can go and investigate those multinational trading companies. We will also have multinational trade next.”

“Trade with Tan Fette, and even Naxia (the plate where the empire is located).”

Luca was a little worried, “I might not be able to do these things well…”

It was normal for him to be worried, as he had never been exposed to multinational trading companies and multinational businesses.

Lance said with a smile, “I hadn’t done it before I became the head of the family, but haven’t we succeeded?”

“Luca, the essence of youth lies in the fact that we have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes. Don't waste your youth!”

“Of course, if you think you can't handle it yourself, you can find some assistants to help you. It should be easy to find such high-level talents now.”

The decline of the domestic economy is visibly developing. The financial sector, which has been mythologized in recent years, seems to have hit a ceiling after the outbreak of the war.

The economic development of the entire country has a sense of stagnation, unable to find new growth points or new directions.

Some people have predicted that they will encounter a big trouble, but more people are still touting that the Federation will become the fastest-growing economy in the world.

Those who say these things either stand so high that they cannot see the generally low wages of workers and heavy social and family expenditures.

Or, they are really bad!

Stupid, or bad, one of the two must be true.

Two days later, Vaughn (Chairman of the Dockworkers Union) called Lance and said that the penalty from the Hazardous Materials Administration had ended, and the workers' club could reopen.

Naturally, this was also something many workers looked forward to.

There are many underground bars in the port area, but the price of drinks in underground bars is obviously higher than in the club. Don’t underestimate the difference of ten or twenty cents, it’s enough to make the workers a little overwhelmed.

Fortunately, the Hazardous Materials Administration chose to unseal the workers' club, and now it can continue to operate.

“I heard that the General Federation of Trade Unions reprimanded you?” Lance asked with a smile.

This news also came from within the labor union. The Labor Federation wanted to promote a larger-scale strike, but Vaughn not only did not cooperate with them, but also suppressed the strike on the dock with Lance and the local police.

This made the General Federation of Trade Unions very angry. Although Vaughn later submitted a report, telling the General Federation of Trade Unions why he did this, and with the mediation of former Chairman Coster, Vaughn's branch chairman position was retained, but he was reprimanded.

Vaughn didn't care at all about Lance's behavior of “picking at his scabs”, “I’m increasingly feeling that the union is changing its flavor, Lance.”

“They always think about using workers to fight for power and profit. I'm not really that upright a person. I don't object to using struggle as a means, but they always have to take into account the fate and situation of most workers.”

“They are becoming more and more like politicians.”

Lance quite agreed with this view, “When you have the power to decide the fate of some people, or even quite a few people, no matter what job you did before, now you are a politician!”

Vaughn asked back, “What about you?”

“Are you considered a politician now?”

Lance nodded in agreement, “When they need me, I am a politician, and I will do what a politician would do.”

For example, suppression.

He didn't say it, but Vaughn could read it.

The two laughed twice, although the joke was not funny.

Soon Vaughn changed the subject back, “Now the workers are very much looking forward to the reopening of the club. I don't think you should give up on them.”

“I haven’t considered giving up on them, I just want to break away from the framework of the union.”

He lit a cigarette, “The union is not likable, so this matter must be done without the union.”

“I was going to say that if the union sees you favorably, and you don’t want to continue to work for the union, then you can follow me.”

Although Vaughn doesn't seem like a member of the working class, he has been on the dock for many years after all, and he knows many people in all aspects, and he also has a certain influence among the working class.

No matter who the next union chairman is, it will not affect Lance's affairs on the dock.

Vaughn considered for a while and did not agree, “If they really force me to the last step, then I will. Now I think my value in the union is greater.”

“In short, now the workers on the dock very much hope that you can reopen the club as soon as possible.”

After hanging up Vaughn's phone, Lance called Derexi over, “The workers' club on the dock can reopen. Go and arrange it.”

“Also, the cards I asked you to print last time, have you printed them?”

Derexi nodded, “They have been printed.”

Now Derexi is in charge of the bar business. He controls the Lance family's temporary warehouses throughout the city and the transportation of liquor, including the work related to the bar, which is basically handled by him and some of his men.

Then he asked someone to bring a sample over. It was a card about the size of a palm, with steel stamps and some anti-counterfeiting marks on the back.

These cards are printed according to the month, from one to thirty-one, or thirty.

For just one dollar, you can get such a card, and you can get a discount on drinks up to once a day.

Depending on the type of drink, the discount ranges from five cents to fifteen cents.

If you only consume the most basic bomb beer, then it can deduct five cents, which is also the choice of most workers.

This also means that after paying one dollar, they can save up to one dollar and fifty-five cents a month, and still earn Lance's advantage.

But in fact, Lance believes that they will not only taste the lowest-grade wine, they may slightly upgrade their consumption to taste whiskey that costs about twenty-five to thirty cents.

Then get a ten-cent discount, so that they can drink a high-proof whiskey with the money they used to only be able to drink beer. He believes the workers will definitely not refuse this!

Calculated in this way, then they can use one dollar a month in exchange for three dollars in discounts.

With a slight increase in the monthly expenditure on alcohol, the quality of the alcohol enjoyed has increased by one level. How can the alcoholics stand this?

It seems that doing this doesn't make much sense, but in fact, this one dollar has a big effect!

Even if some people don't drink every day, they will still pay one dollar to become a member of the “One Dollar Club”.

They will have a closer connection with the Lance family because they have this card, and they will enjoy the respect brought by high-quality service because they spent this one dollar!

They will identify with this one dollar, and identify with Lance and the Lance family.

Identification is always the most terrifying thing, because once you identify with something, even if it is outrageous, you will feel that “it should be like this”!