Empire of Shadows

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The trilling of the telephone startled Mr. Jobav, who was sleeping. Last night, the mayor had a party, and he was invited to attend.

Among the attendees were several state social representatives. The mayor privately told him that these gentlemen not only had a voice at the meeting but also held very high status.

Many people, especially those from the lower strata of the Federation, talk about nothing but congressmen, senators, and the speaker of the house as soon as they open their mouths.

It seemed as if, in their eyes, the political figures of a city or a state were not worth their consideration.

But Mr. Jobav knew that this was because the common people only knew what the top officials were doing and who they were; they were completely ignorant of those in the middle.

They didn’t know who the president of the state senate was, nor the speaker of the house. They might not even know who the lieutenant governor was, let alone the heads and deputy heads of various departments.

Yet, it was precisely these people, unknown to the majority, who truly controlled the pulse of a state, a city, and who genuinely decided the fate of the populace.

Just like the president—he couldn’t decide whether an ordinary person could live a happy life, but a mayor or a governor could.And the ones who could decide who was qualified to sit in these important positions were these representatives.

Although the Federation government was also actively promoting the right to be elected, individual candidates simply couldn’t make a significant impact, at least for now.

These people, whose names might never appear in the newspapers, were in some ways more important than the mayor. He had no reason to refuse.

He had never had such an opportunity before, nor could he have possibly had one. He cherished this chance.

So, naturally, it was his honor and his duty to contribute over five thousand dollars to cover all the expenses for the party.

This sum of over five thousand was one of the smallest expenses he had incurred since aligning with the mayor, and he even had a surreal feeling—They’re letting me off this easy?

It was no wonder he felt this way. When he joined the mayor’s small circle as a “banker,” he took on the role of an extra money bag.

The mayor himself didn’t run a business, nor did he accept bribes. What money could he have?

As for political donations?

That money was obviously not meant for private wining and dining. The mayor was a man of principle, but he was immensely grateful for everything that he had a banker friend named Jobav.

This banker friend was always generous, helping him solve all the troubles that only money could solve, and he never asked for anything in return.

This sincere friendship moved Mr. Mayor so much that no matter what event he organized, he would invite Mr. Jobav.

He exchanged business cards at the party yesterday and could feel that those people still didn’t think much of him. He wasn’t surprised, because right now he was what Lance would call a “whore,” and you can’t respect a whore.

Unless, one day, he was no longer the character who exclusively paid for the mayor, and possessed a higher status, a greater influence.

This was also what he had been actively pursuing. He planned to establish an Empire People’s Endeavor Fund, which would select some Federation citizens from across the Federation each year who were actively striving to realize their social value, award them bonuses, and publicize their deeds.

The people of the Federation would surely love this kind of thing; they would love anything that contributed to governance and stability.

He had actually discussed this matter with the mayor privately, though not formally. The mayor was very interested after hearing about it and asked him to come up with a plan.

This move would not only help him integrate better into the local community, and even into the socio-political circles, but also help him gain significant influence among the Empire’s immigrants.

A win-win.

In a recent dream, he dreamt that he was invited to the presidential palace to give a speech titled, “I am from the Empire , but I have a Federation Dream.” He stood at the podium, speaking with great passion, and even Mr. President and the bigwigs of Congress all stood up to applaud him.

But he couldn’t hear clearly what he was saying. The people in the audience were so damn annoying; couldn’t their applause be a little quieter?

That way, he could copy down his speech from the dream and wouldn’t have to rack his brains to write one in the future.

Just as he was about to reach the pinnacle of his life, the trilling of the telephone rang out in his dream. Everyone’s movements suddenly stopped, and they all looked at the bedside table that had appeared next to him at some unknown point.

There was an enamel telephone. The suddenly silent lecture hall made him feel scared, and also a little angry, because this might be a highlight moment that he would never truly achieve in his lifetime!

At this moment, the dream was shattered by the ringing of the phone. He was on the verge of going crazy, but he still opened his eyes.

The beautiful bed canopy and the curtains were also very nice, but for some reason, he was just very annoyed.

He propped himself up on his elbows to sit up against the headboard, glanced at the phone, and picked it up. “This is Jobav…”

“Sir, it’s me. We might be in a bit of trouble…”

The assistant was currently standing in a public phone booth outside the main entrance of “Jinda Bank.” Jinda Bank was a regional bank in Golden Port and only had a certain amount of influence within the Empire District.

Because this bank belonged to the Empire banker, Mr. Jobav , anyone, as long as they were from the Empire , could open an anonymous account and deposit money, regardless of whether they had a legal Federation identity.

Of course, they also offered check services, but more people didn’t recognize them, so it basically only handled cash deposits, withdrawals, and loan services.

Because Mr. Jobav had great influence among the Empire population in Golden Port, many people trusted him immensely, considering him the “Light of the Empire,” so they deposited all their money here.

The accumulation of a large amount of capital made it easy for him to use money to make more money. Some also said he was secretly laundering money for some nobles from the Empire, but no one knew if it was true.

Now, in front of this bank, which usually wasn’t too crowded, a line had actually started to form.

Listening to his assistant’s familiar voice, Mr. Jobav held the receiver with his shoulder and rubbed his eye sockets with both hands.

After rubbing away some of the gritty sleep from his eyes, he stretched, turned, and sat on the edge of the bed. He wasn’t actually too worried.

Because the him of today was no longer the him of the past.

Even those with some power would have to think twice about whether they could withstand the mayor’s wrath if they wanted to provoke him.

“So, what’s the reason for waking me up before eight o’clock?”

Although he could sense a certain gravity in his assistant’s tone, he had been like this ever since his nephew died, so he really didn’t think anything major would happen.

Until the assistant said the next words—

“Sir, there might be a bank run!”

One second, Mr. Jobav was still considering whether to snooze a little longer; after all, he had nothing on today, it was still early, and he was still a bit sleepy.

But the next second, he was so frightened that he shot to his feet, his skin began to feel hot, and he even started to sweat!

His expression also changed from nonchalant to filled with terror. He hurriedly walked to the window with the phone and looked out at the street.

The house was some distance from the road, but he could still see a little, just a little!

The street didn’t look like anything major was happening. He was a bit confused. “What happened? Why is there a bank run? Are there many people?”

His voice was already a little unsteady. A bank run, once it starts, is unstoppable.

Human nature is like that: you run from fire, and you eat when you see food.

When they encounter something bad, they will find a way to avoid it, and a bank going bankrupt is clearly one of the worst things!

In fact, let alone a bank with unhealthy financial operations, even a healthy bank couldn’t withstand a run during this period!

He knew the situation inside the bank better than anyone else. He couldn’t possibly keep the depositors’ money just sitting in the bank; he would lose a fortune that way.

Therefore, about sixty to seventy percent of the money here was not in the bank. It was loaned out to earn interest, including but not limited to investments, buying real estate at low prices, purchasing gold, and buying Federation bonds.

If the bank run was just on a small scale, he could completely handle it. He could even manage by urgently transferring a sum of money from other banks.

But he was afraid that someone was manipulating this from behind the scenes!

He dialed the mayor’s number while getting dressed.

Compared to him, who was still sleeping just moments ago, the mayor was already at work.

Recently, Mr. Jobav had been very actively and diligently demonstrating his value to everyone, and the mayor’s attitude towards him had softened considerably. After all, he had already “extorted” nearly four to five hundred thousand from Mr. Jobav.

Of course, this money wasn’t completely gone. Rather, it was Mr. Jobav’s investment in infrastructure as a way of thanking Golden Port for giving him a place to settle down.

According to those people, these investments would break even in twenty or thirty years.

But after twenty or thirty years… whether these hundreds of thousands would still be worth that much was another matter entirely.

Coupled with some other investments not related to city construction, the mayor’s attitude towards him was still quite good.

“Is something the matter?” the mayor asked, putting down his pen. The state representatives were here not only to see the specific development situation in Golden Port but also to get a feel for the elections starting at the end of the year across the state.

They had always had a good grip on power in this state, but they couldn’t let their guard down in the election either. They had to better understand the choices of the grassroots voters.

Sometimes, an election is like a tug-of-war. What often decides the outcome is not the overall strength of the two teams.

After all, since they could both stand on the same field for the final match, their strengths were bound to be very close. At this time, if one only considered the average strength of both sides, it would obviously be impossible to accurately predict the correct result.

Because in a closely matched competition, what determines who wins is never the gap in overall strength.

But rather, which side makes a mistake first!

As a relatively important city, observing the election sentiment of the voters here was also a top priority.

Of course, some expenses might be incurred in the process, tens of thousands, or even more.

He certainly wasn’t going to pay for it himself, but he wouldn’t make Mr. Jobav pay for all of it either. After all, there were others willing to contribute.

But at the very least, Mr. Jobav would have to come up with about thirty-five thousand, not counting yesterday’s expenditure.

No one could be indifferent to a future thirty-five thousand, not even the mayor. And thirty-five thousand was just the beginning; there was a long way to go.

Mr. Jobav’s voice was slightly anxious. “I don’t know if someone is up to something, but in short, there’s a run on the bank, and I’m heading over there now.”

“I need some help. Over at the precinct, I’m worried a conflict might break out.”

The mayor frowned. “Is the situation serious?”

Mr. Jobav said while getting himself ready, “I’m not too sure either. I’ll let you know once I figure out the situation.”

After hanging up, the mayor frowned, then dialed the city police department’s number. “Where’s Charlie?”

“Not there?”

“There might be a malicious bank run and a disturbance at Jinda Bank in the Empire District. Have your people and the Empire District precinct send someone over to maintain order, and while you’re at it, find out what Mr. Jobav’s needs are.”

He didn’t tell them to listen to Mr. Jobav —that wasn’t something a mayor should say—but by telling them to understand the other party’s needs, he had actually made himself very clear.

Soon, the wailing of police sirens pierced the morning tranquility of the Empire District. Four or five police cars converged in the cold wind, finally stopping outside the entrance of Jinda Bank.

The crowd, which had been queuing relatively quietly, suddenly became restless.

The disadvantaged people from the Empire felt an instinctive fear upon seeing these police officers. These weren’t police from a civilized country; they were Federation police!

Mr. Jobav had also just arrived. He saw Bruce, but he didn’t know the police captain sent from the city police department. Luckily, Bruce made the introduction for him.

During this time, some people also greeted Mr. Jobav, but he just forced a smile and dealt with them perfunctorily. This, plus the police officers by his side, made others reluctant to approach.

The three of them then entered the bank. The line stretched from the main entrance to the counters. There were only three counters to begin with, and all were crowded.

When the assistant saw Mr. Jobav, he proactively opened the security door of the counter and let them in.

“What’s going on?” As soon as he entered, he pulled his assistant into a corner.

The assistant shook his head. “I’m not too sure either, but I asked a few of them, and they said they needed the money for something urgent.”

“Urgent need?”

“How urgent can it be, with so many people!”

He glanced outside again. “Find a way to stop them from forming such a long line. It could easily cause panic among others. Have them come in different time slots!”

With that, he looked at Precinct Chief Bruce and the captain from the city police. “You two, please rest for a moment. Perhaps the problem here can be resolved soon.”

He went to the vault, opened it, and personally pushed out a cart full of money.

The cart wasn’t actually that big. It had a tray on top, and the tray was piled high with cash.

The money looked like a lot, but if someone were to count it carefully, it was only about three to four hundred thousand.

But the visual impact it created was far more powerful than its actual value!

“I need you to do me a favor!” Mr. Jobav said. Precinct Chief Bruce and the captain certainly wouldn’t refuse.

Before long, the people in line saw Mr. Jobav himself come out pushing a cart of money. He told everyone who came to withdraw money that there was more than enough cash here.

Even if they all withdrew their money, it wouldn’t matter.

But considering how cold it was, he was worried everyone would freeze, so he invited them all to a nearby coffee shop for a drink and a couple of donuts.

“My treat!”

Those who were already a bit swayed were tempted when they heard they could get a free cup of coffee and free donuts. For these people, who were not well-off, it was a compelling offer.

When the first person, an old woman in a knitted hat, walked out of the line with a smile on her face, Mr. Jobav breathed a sigh of relief.

“After you’ve filled your stomachs and warmed up, I’ll arrange for staff to come find you.”

“You don’t need to wait in the cold wind!”

“Mr. Jobav, you truly are a benevolent and generous man!”

The people in the queue started to move. Mr. Jobav quickly called over his staff to escort them to a nearby coffee house, telling the owner to put it on a tab, which he would settle before noon.

Soon, the line of people on the street waiting to withdraw money disappeared. But to prevent similar incidents from happening again, Jobav instructed his assistant to handle everything according to this new procedure.

Anyone who came to withdraw money and couldn’t be served immediately was to be sent to the nearby coffee shop first.

Having been in the banking business for decades, Mr. Jobav knew very well that once panic set in, it would be too late for anything!

His business was centered in the Empire District; it wouldn’t take long for people from around here to show up, and he would be finished!

Although he would lose a little money now, it wouldn’t cause the bank to close. And compared to the appetites of the mayor and his circle, he didn’t feel the sting of this loss at all!

“A very clever move, Mr. Jobav!” the captain from the city police department praised. “Since you’ve resolved the situation here, can I get back to work?”

“Today is the first official workday for the Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Dangerous Goods, so we’re a bit busy…”

“But Bruce will stay here to continue assisting you, right?”

The “right?” was directed at Bruce, who nodded repeatedly. “I’m not going anywhere until the problem is solved.”

Mr. Jobav nodded, extended his hand, and shook the captain’s. “Thank you for making the trip. If you’re free tonight, we could get something to eat together.”

The captain smiled and declined. “Our whole week is fully scheduled, so…”

“There will always be another chance!” Mr. Jobav added.

Soon, they drove away, leaving only Imperial Precinct Chief Bruce.

They actually knew each other from before. In the past, when Mr. Jobav faced Bruce, he didn’t exactly feel that the other man was his superior, but he was ultimately afraid of trouble.

Now, he no longer felt that way.

“Care for a drink? I can get some coffee and food for your colleagues as well…”

(End of this chapter)

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Additional chapters: /caleredhair