Empire of Shadows

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Alberto looked at Lance, wondering if he understood what he had just said. “You’re saying the film industry can help us?”

Lance nodded. “I believe you have a lot of money that needs to go into banks.”

Alberto certainly wouldn’t deny this, as Lance himself had over 400,000 that needed to be deposited, but it ultimately wasn’t, because the money couldn’t withstand scrutiny.

In fact, he could totally deposit this money in the bank. Banks don’t care if the money you bring to the counter is ill-gotten gains or earned legitimately; all they want is for you to exchange your money for a deposit certificate that costs them less than two cents.

However, the tax bureau would be interested in this. If the bank told the tax bureau that someone suddenly deposited 400,000, and the tax bureau investigated and found out that this person hadn’t reported high income or paid taxes, they would investigate him.

Then Lance would be in trouble.

In the hands of the tax bureau, no one is innocent.

So, until this money is laundered, it can only stay in a safe, and only a small portion can be taken out when occasionally needed.

Lance’s relatively small amount of money was already such a “pain,” so Alberto and the Pasoretto family, whose main business was high-profit smuggling, had even more dirty money to launder.Alberto nodded. He didn’t deny it. “But what does this have to do with the film industry?”

“A ticket is only five cents. How long will it take us to clean that money?”

“This isn’t three or five thousand, Lance, this is…” He didn’t continue, but Lance could infer from his context that it was at least three to five million, or even thirty to fifty million, that needed to be laundered.

Lance had a different view. “Five cents for one person, but they can buy a bottle of soda, another five cents, and then a two-cent bag of popcorn.”

“If we also introduce a three-cent shoe shine coupon and attract enough people, then one person entering the cinema can provide us with fifteen cents of legitimate income.”

“One theater, four screening rooms, eight hundred tickets, one hour!”

“If we schedule eighteen showings a day, that’s two thousand one hundred and sixty dollars.”

“If you have ten cinemas, you can launder twenty thousand dollars a day.”

“That’s six hundred thousand a month, and seven point two million a year.”

“Instead of paying the Kodak family one hundred and fifty thousand or two hundred thousand to launder my money, I’d rather take out a loan and build a few cinemas first.”

“Moreover, it’s not just cinemas that can launder money; the entire filming process can also launder money.”

“More importantly!” Lance’s tone suddenly became much more emphatic. “Building cinemas can provide job opportunities for society, increase local fiscal revenue, and enrich cultural exchange in society.”

“And it’s impossible to have no audience at all. As long as there are audience members, even if not many, the loss to us will be minimized while the money is being laundered!”

“The most important point is that this is a respectable business. No one can blame you for it.”

“When you and your cinemas are all over the Federation, even in the uninhabited areas of the West, people will respectfully call you ‘Mr. Conti, the Movie Mogul’.”

Alberto felt a little tempted after hearing this. They also had their own money laundering methods.

They would smuggle this illicit money out of the Federation mainland, then take it back to Summuri Island, and through their local influence, a shell company would legitimize the money.

At this point, one million would be reduced to around eight hundred thousand. Each party involved would have received their desired benefit, allowing the money to enter local banks without issue.

Then, this money would be brought back to the Federation through legal channels, either as cash or through transfers. People in the Federation never questioned the method by which money entered the country for investment.

However, this money could not directly enter the Pasoretto family’s account, as this would also draw the attention of the Federal banks and tax system.

Some merchants from Summuri Island would purchase legitimate properties and then “lease” them to the Pasoretto family.

Cars, houses, or other things.

This way, although they didn’t have actual ownership, it also freed these properties from potential legal troubles.

If the Federal Tax Bureau, Federal Police, and Department of Justice cannot prove that these properties are connected to the family, then even if their family encounters trouble, these properties are safe.

This approach seemed good, and the losses weren’t high, but it still carried risks. Just getting the money smuggled out of the Federation was not an easy task.

If they didn’t establish connections, and were caught, all the money would be lost. So, establishing connections to ensure the money could stably leave the Federation also incurred costs and risks.

Overall, after laundering one million, roughly 750,000 to 800,000 would remain. This was the limit; any less was impossible.

Initially, Alberto thought this was already highly efficient, but now, after hearing Lance’s simple explanation, he suddenly felt that Lance’s method seemed better.

“I don’t know much about these things, perhaps you should talk to Mr. Pasoretto personally.”

He paused, then added, “However, we do know people in this field. You can take your friend to contact them, and they’ll give your friend a role.”

Alberto didn’t take this matter seriously; he was only interested in Lance’s idea of laundering money through filmmaking and movie screenings.

The two chatted for a while longer when Alberto suddenly seemed to remember something. “Do you have anything planned for tomorrow morning?”

Lance shook his head. “The police have been watching me closely lately. They follow me wherever I go, so I don’t have much to do.”

Alberto laughed after hearing this. “You’ll get used to it. They used to watch me often too. We all have to go through these stages.”

“Since you don’t have anything to do, why don’t we watch a baseball game together?”

“You’ll love the atmosphere there!”

Lance thought about it and agreed.

The next morning, Alberto personally came to pick him up. Fordis drove the car, and the three of them went directly to the baseball stadium in Golden Port. This was the home field of the Sailboat Team. The stadium was already packed even though the game hadn’t started!

Outside the stadium, many people were selling snacks, and Lance even saw some people almost openly selling beer. However, the police maintaining order seemed uninterested in what these people were doing.

This also had to do with many people not understanding the Prohibition Act, including many police officers who felt the Prohibition Act was inexplicably implemented, and they were among the resisting groups.

Some police officers even changed into plain clothes and went to nearby speakeasies for a drink after work.

After Fordis parked the car, the three of them entered the stadium. Lance noticed that Alberto was specifically wearing a Sailboat Team jersey and a baseball cap today!

“Our stand has the best view, directly facing the batter. If we’re lucky enough, we might even catch a ball!” Alberto became excited after arriving at the stadium, showing he genuinely loved baseball.

Many others around him were just as excited, all wearing Sailboat Team jerseys, caps, and holding gloves, discussing passionately.

Lance didn’t understand much about this. Fordis chatted with him while drinking beer.

As the players from both teams began to enter the field, the Sailboat Team’s anthem even echoed through the stands. Alberto also stood up, acting so fanatical that he didn’t seem like a Summurian at all.

“Incredible, isn’t it?”

At that moment, an old man sitting behind him suddenly poked Lance’s shoulder. “Why aren’t you singing?”

Lance looked at him with a “what the hell are you talking about” expression. Perhaps feeling that Lance and Fordis next to him were not to be trifled with, the old man finally reined in his temper.

“If you’re sitting in the home stand of the Sailboat Team, you have a responsibility to cheer for the Sailboat Team with us!”

Alberto reacted, putting his arm around Lance’s shoulder, and turning to the old man, he said, “This is my friend. It’s his first time watching baseball. I believe he’ll soon become a fan of David.”

The old man’s serious expression immediately turned into a smile. “Yes, no one can resist David’s charm.” Then he looked at Lance with a “I’m waiting for you to become a fan” expression.

Lance suddenly felt that he shouldn’t have agreed to watch the game with Alberto.

When the Sailboat Team’s main batter took his position and adjusted his stance, all the home crowd stood up.

This forced Lance to stand up as well. He found it difficult to understand their fanaticism, but to avoid the old man bothering him further, he could only comply.

The pitcher was very nervous at this point. The Golden Port Sailboat Team’s home field was certainly not a comfortable environment. The standing home supporters put a lot of pressure on them.

Moreover, fans during this period were not so well-behaved; there were indeed people who would rush onto the field and assault players.

And baseball at this time was also considered one of the high-risk sports.

It wasn’t that many professional athletes died unexpectedly from baseball games, but rather that many baseball players were accidentally injured due to performing too well or too poorly.

David, as a batter who might enter the Hall of Fame, was very popular here!

The pitcher hurled with force, and the baseball, in an incredible arc, landed in the catcher’s mitt. David swung at air, and the umpire called it a strike, causing boos and curses to erupt from the stands.

Of course, they weren’t cursing David, but the pitcher. Actually, the language of the Federation made it difficult to swear in a truly offensive way, but even common greetings, when shouted by so many people, could be unbearable.

On the second pitch, the pitcher’s pressure clearly increased. With a “bing” sound as the bat swung, the atmosphere on the field suddenly exploded!

Watching David race around the field, and the catcher pursuing and trapping him, for a moment, Lance seemed to understand a little why people cheered for the game.

This was indeed a game full of power, speed, and passion. The entire stadium’s gaze was fixed on that “running elf,” as the commentator put it.

But an elf weighing over a hundred pounds… wasn’t that a bit too large?

Alberto was already pumping his fists and swearing, but not out of anger; it was his way of cheering.

It was probably like shouting “Go!” or “Run fast,” but now it was “F*ck.”

This hit was far enough, demonstrating David’s value as a star batter. He reached the final base before they could retrieve the baseball and tag him out.

The old man behind them laughed loudly, and Alberto, waving his arms, embraced Lance and the guy on his other side…

Without a doubt, the Sailboat Team ultimately won the game, and David delivered a spectacular performance. From a neutral perspective, Lance actually thought the others did well too.

But… stars and their fans naturally have a filter; it’s unavoidable.

After the game, Alberto dragged Lance and Fordis to the exit, hoping to get an autograph, but the players seemed tired. Besides the first few who signed on ball cards, some of the later spectators didn’t get autographs.

Alberto didn’t either, and he was very disappointed.

“You could invite him to dinner and get his autograph then,” Lance didn’t quite understand Alberto’s thoughts and actions; he could easily get David’s autograph.

Alberto put away the prepared ball card and shook his head. “That would lose its true meaning, Lance, you don’t understand this.”

His tone was a bit dismissive, and Lance indeed didn’t understand.

On the way back, he pulled out a card and made a few marks with a pen. Lance leaned in to look, it was a game schedule.

“I’m one step closer to ten million now!”

Alberto put the card away. “So that’s the charm of baseball. Not only can you get the passion and everything you want from them, but if you know them well enough, plus a little luck, you can gain even more joy.”

“Has anyone won a big prize?” Lance asked curiously.

If it was just a single game, he thought it wouldn’t be a big problem, but if it required guessing the entire schedule correctly, even without needing to guess the scores, it would be very difficult.

Even if you knew every team very well, problems would still arise!

He didn’t believe anyone could win. Perhaps someone had, but whether the winner was just lucky or was arranged to win the big prize, he didn’t know.

Alberto gave a few examples; every few years, someone would win a big prize, ranging from the initial two million to the current ten million. Baseball enthusiasts across the Federation were all watching the annual leagues and guessing.

He hoped they were playing fair!

After having lunch with Alberto, a Summurian-style lunch, Lance said his goodbyes.

Alberto needed a nap; the morning’s game had exhausted him, and he needed rest to recover.

Some people always envy the President for his high position and power, but they don’t know that while ordinary people can take a nap and rest, the President still has to be busy with work.

The President was also a loyal fan of baseball. As a sport heavily promoted by the Federation, almost all age groups of men were very fond of baseball.

The President even had several signed championship baseball caps from his hometown team!

But at this moment, he had no leisure to watch a baseball game; he had just finished a meeting.

Now, before him lay a document: the Tobacco, Alcohol, and Hazardous Goods Administration, proposed by Congress and multiple departments.

As soon as he signed this document, the department would be established immediately.

And the job of this new department would be to investigate all smuggled alcohol.

The churchgoers, some capitalists, and politicians were very dissatisfied with the current intensity of Prohibition in the Federation.

Although a complete Prohibition Act had been in effect for about a week, according to their investigations, various semi-open drinking phenomena were rampant almost nationwide.

The so-called prohibition only meant that some lower-class citizens couldn’t afford alcohol due to rising prices and thus couldn’t drink.

Those who could afford alcohol were still drinking excessively, and in some areas, cases of robbery and theft for money to buy alcohol had even occurred.

This severely violated the purpose of implementing Prohibition. Therefore, driven by multiple departments and forces, they finally decided to strengthen the enforcement and management of Prohibition, to eliminate the harm of alcoholic beverages to Federal citizens!

The President held his pen for a while. Several staff members waiting for him to sign the document and execute it were getting a little impatient, but it wasn’t appropriate to rush the President, so they waited quietly.

Perhaps having thought something through, the President finally moved, and the tip of his pen landed on the signature line of the document.

The President’s name appeared on it. After signing, he handed the document to the waiting staff, put away his pen, and said, “That’s it then…”

At 2:15 PM, the presidential press secretary held a news conference. The spokesperson cited examples of individual cases in certain regions where the Prohibition Act had actually led to vicious crimes.

Congress and the President were both strongly dissatisfied, believing that some regions had not fulfilled their due obligations in enforcing the Prohibition Act.

They also realized that they should not add more extra work for city police, so the “Tobacco, Alcohol, and Hazardous Goods Administration” was established, which would be specifically responsible for investigating the circulation, sale, and use of these goods.

Officer Lukar, sitting in his office, was stunned when he heard this news. Before this, the investigation of alcohol had been jointly enforced by the tax bureau and the police department.

But now they were establishing an independent law enforcement department, and he wondered who would be in charge in Golden Port.

As he was pondering this, someone knocked on his office door. “The chief wants to see you.”

Officer Lukar took his legs off the desk, straightened his attire, and quickly went to the chief’s office.

The chief looked him up and down and pointed to the chair opposite. “Sit…”

(End of chapter)