Empire of Shadows

Vaughn is easy to deal with because he's just a vice president.

Watching him put the check in his pocket, Lance knew the union wouldn't bother him anytime soon, but to solve this problem, it had to be done quickly.

Complaints, when blocked, won't dissipate; they'll only accumulate and eventually lead to a qualitative change.

If you're shopping with your significant other and you pass by a snack stall you like, asking if they want a bite and they say no.

But after you buy one for yourself, they not only demand the first bite but a huge one.

Dissatisfaction, annoyance, resentment—these emotions will accumulate.

You might not express anything on the spot, but one day, these things will become sharp swords piercing your partner's heart during an argument!

The dockworkers are the same; now that the union has appeased them, they won't feel everything is fine. They'll just be thinking, "You got lucky this time, but next time, it won't be so easy."

So, other solutions must be found.

Lance immediately had some good ideas. "Does our union have any worker-class sports competitions, like baseball?"

At this moment, Vaughn found Lance particularly pleasing and didn't see him as an enemy of the union. He immediately replied, "We used to have a dockworkers' baseball league with three teams, but it was discontinued after a few seasons."

Talking about this, Vaughn had a lot to say. "The venue is easy to solve, but most of the time, the workers are busy with their jobs. They're already exhausted after a day's work, and making them compete is a bit inhumane."

"And the capitalists won't allow them to take leave to train easily; they'll be warned."

"Lance, after research, we found that to make the competition interesting, participants must be relieved of their duties, which wasn't our initial idea."

There was one thing he didn't say: the prizes for the competition weren't attractive either.

Lance nodded and said, "What a pity," but he didn't elaborate on what was a pity.

"Anyway, we're friends now, Vaughn. If there are any… misunderstandings from the union, you must tell me in time. Federal workers and immigrant workers are both at the bottom of society; there's no need for us to tear each other apart."

Vaughn agreed with this view. "Your point is correct, and I support it, but not everyone understands."

"But I'll try my best to convey your views to them. As for how much I can do, I can only say I'll do my best."

It was almost time, and Lance waved to the waiter. "Pack another twelve iced coffees and send them to this gentleman's office. Remember to pack some extra ice in cups; it's too hot."

He paid three dollars, saying, "The rest is the tip."

The coffee shop at the pier entrance wouldn't have expensive prices. Iced coffee was ten cents a cup, so twelve cups were just one dollar and twenty cents, plus Lance's consumption, totaling only one dollar and seventy cents.

Earning one dollar and thirty cents for one trip made the waiter so excited he wanted to kneel down and kiss Lance's shoes!

Vaughn politely declined, "There's no need, really no need, Lance."

Lance grabbed his hand. "I know you're worried some people will say I'm trying to bribe union staff. You can tell them you bought it."

"I'm not doing this to please you; I just sincerely think you also need humanitarian care. It's too hot!"

Who could refuse such kindness?

The more Vaughn looked at Lance, the more he liked him. "Then I'll thank you on behalf of my colleagues."

Lance shook his hand. "If there's a chance, I'd also like to meet your colleagues. I have other work this afternoon, so I'll leave first."

Vaughn saw him to the door. After watching Lance leave, he found the waiter from earlier. "Add a hamburger, double beef. I didn't eat enough today."

He looked at the waiter standing still. "He paid three dollars; don't tell me the remaining money isn't enough!"

The waiter looked at him for a few seconds, almost piercing the order form with the pen tip. "It's enough, sir."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

After coming out of the coffee shop, Irwin started the car. It was too hot; even in the shade, the car was still very hot.

"Did you settle it?" Irwin asked as he opened the driver's side door. "What's the price?"

"Four hundred dollars a month, plus a series of messy extra expenses, but I think these expenses are worth it."

He took out a handkerchief and wiped his sweat. "This damn weather! The weather forecast said it would cool down these two days."

Irwin drove the car into traffic, casually joking, "The weather forecast's only job is to deceive the public, pretending there will be good weather and making us believe it."

The weather forecasts of this period were not accurate at all, which may also be related to the geographical location of Goldport City.

Coastal climate changes are always rapid, and relying solely on observation and past records to predict the climate is obviously not very scientific.

The heat made people unwilling to talk, including Lance, but before he shut up, he gave Irwin a task: "Find out who is reporting us and the illegal immigrants."

Some people were enduring the high temperature, but others were enjoying air conditioning.

After two buses arrived at City Hall, a large group of people came inside, where the mayor had already prepared to receive them.

When he saw the governor's assistant, he immediately ran over and shook his hand vigorously.

The governor's assistant was also a Socialist, and there were rumors that he would consider running for governor after the governor's term.

The Socialist Party had a strong political presence in this state, and many people regarded Goldport City as the most shining fruit of the Socialist Party's economic reforms in the central federation, so the next governor would definitely be a Socialist.

There were only a few Socialists within the state qualified to run for governor, and the governor's assistant was one of them.

Regardless of whether he could win, it was certainly right to build a good relationship with him now.

Mr. Lawrence stood aside and participated in the reception work, but only as an inconspicuous small role, not even qualified to introduce himself to the governor's assistant and the entourage, only able to stand aside.

The mayor and the governor's assistant had a decent private relationship. Goldport City was the largest city in the state and also the place with the best economy, holding a very high position in the state government.

As the mayor of this city, he was naturally not comparable to those small cities.

After the two shook hands, the governor's assistant began to introduce other personnel to the mayor, starting with the church personnel.

Although God didn't say people couldn't drink alcohol, he didn't encourage drinking too much.

In recent years, the church has been pushing for abstinence and prohibition, with some extreme sects internally modifying or deleting the original meaning, eventually forming a force to promote prohibition, while providing strong religious and moral basis and support for prohibition.

Next were some members of the Alcoholics Anonymous. The governor's assistant introduced these people with great importance. These people might look inconspicuous, but they had close relationships with the federal upper class.

For the upper class, prohibition was a grand sociological experiment, and any experiment would have an initiator, then connect all parties.

They undertook such a role, able to reach from a city councilman in a remote area to the presidential palace.

Moreover, this force was no longer limited to prohibition; they could also promote the prohibition of other things.

The mayor shook hands and greeted everyone warmly. The group then began to visit the prosperity of Goldport City according to the itinerary.

Other things were hard to say, but in terms of prosperity, Goldport City was definitely unmatched.

However, these people were also very dissatisfied with the bars and taverns all over Goldport City. One of the ladies said to the mayor, "If people used the time spent on drunkenness and intoxication on work and study, our work efficiency and the country's education level would increase greatly."

"They not only waste money and time on meaningless things but also cause violence and crime due to drunkenness."

"The harm of alcohol to humans is far greater than other things. Prohibition in Goldport City is imperative and must begin as soon as possible."

The mayor showed no different emotional changes to this, only constantly saying yes.

In fact, the various economic benefits brought by alcoholic beverages every year were also very amazing, but now the whole country was prohibiting alcohol, and this was a matter of concern to the upper echelons, so the small mayor did not have the ability to oppose it.

The team stayed here for two days, completing their visit to Goldport City by visiting some old photos and modern wharves.

On the morning of St. Farmer's Day, under the gaze of people from all walks of life, the governor announced in the state government that the state would join the Prohibition League, effective immediately, completely prohibiting alcohol!

The entire state was in an uproar!

But a large group of people fell into revelry!

As the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages were regarded as serious criminal acts, did the entire state's alcoholic beverage industry seem to fall into despair?

Why would a declarative sentence turn into a strange interrogative sentence?

Because storing, possessing, and drinking were not crimes!

In other words, the price of the large quantities of alcohol hoarded by various forces before began to skyrocket!

The Copper Brand Whiskey, which had already sold for nearly two dollars on the market, directly rose to nearly three dollars. It seemed like the increase wasn't too high, but you had to know that its lowest price was only sixty cents.

When it slowly rose some time ago, it always maintained a price within one dollar, but now, it rose to three dollars!

In bars, a glass of Copper Brand Napoleon Whiskey now costs thirty-five to forty-five cents, and many people can't afford it anymore.

So, the bars added a new service: beer mixed with whiskey, only 19 points, and sales were excellent.

Of course, these bars had all transitioned into underground bars. In Jincheng, besides the skyrocketing prices of alcohol, basements began to surge in popularity.

Various remote places saw the emergence of gatherings, all alcoholics drawn by the scent of alcohol.

Perhaps the government's revenue related to alcoholic beverages, whether direct or indirect, decreased, but for those selling alcohol, an era of immense profits had arrived!