Empire of Shadows

Lance jumped down from the truck and stood in the middle of the crowd. Workers continuously came over to greet him.

With yesterday’s developments, the story of Lance helping them fight against the gangsters had spread completely.

The lower a person is on the social ladder, the less educated and cultured they are, the simpler their reaction is to the matter of “someone being good to me.”

To put it simply, if someone is suddenly very good to a person from the bottom of society, that person will only be very moved and grateful for everything this person has done for them, thinking that when the time is right, they will repay this person.

But if it’s someone from the middle or upper echelons of society, well-educated, with the ability to think independently and quite well at that…

If they are suddenly treated very well by someone, the first thing they think of is not gratitude, but questioning whether this kindness is really what it seems.

They will generate many complex thoughts: is this person after something of mine? Is this person being nice to me for some other purpose? This person is being nice to me…

They could practically develop a persecution complex.

Even if they think it over and can’t find many reasons, they will still treat this kindness with great caution. They might touch it, but they won’t accept it.

When people ask if they need it, they will only say thank you and walk away.People from different classes have completely different ways of thinking and approaching the world.

Lance was very good to these workers, and they wouldn’t think about whether Lance wanted to use them for something, because they had nothing left to be used.

Some even felt that if they had value to be used, it would be a happy thing. At least they still had value to this society. So at this moment, they did not hold back their enthusiasm, constantly greeting Lance.

“Today, I’ve come to give you all clothes for free!”

Lance took a shirt down from the truck. He directly took off his own shirt and put on this summer work uniform, a short-sleeved t-shirt, pure cotton, very sturdy.

Handsome people look good in anything. He tidied his hair, took another shirt, and handed it to the person next to him. “Lend a hand, there’s one for everyone!”

The people around were a bit stunned when they heard this. A set of clothes like this would cost at least fifty cents, but Lance was giving it to them for free? The ones standing at the very front were the worker representatives, all of whom had been helped by Lance to avoid harassment from the gangsters.

They hadn’t been harassed by gangsters yesterday, and they believed this was Lance’s doing. Of course, that was indeed the case.

“Mr. Lance, we… we can’t take these!”

“Actually, we already owe you a lot, for the cheap liquor, and you’ve also helped us a lot.”

Dave stood at the front, wanting to return the shirt to Lance.

Lance didn’t take it, just looked at him and everyone else with sincerity. “This isn’t clothing, this is strength!”

“This is our determination!”

“Worker brothers!”

“When our hearts are tightly connected, we must let them see, let those high and mighty, arrogant masters see, that we are one, that we are indestructible!”

“Everyone has the same wish, the same clothes. When we stand together, we can form a force!”

“An indestructible force!”

He waved his fist. “So, please accept my gift.”

“I actually also came from the docks. I just didn’t work here for long, but my brothers are all from the docks. Elvin, you know him…”

Elvin had also changed into a blue work uniform, and quite a few people recognized him.

Today, Lance had also called Ethan back. He had also changed into an extra-large blue work uniform. He was even more famous on the docks.

Earlier, some people wanted to bully Ethan and his friends, but they were beaten up by Ethan. The “big guy from the Empire” was still a psychological shadow for some people.

But it had to be said, after putting on these clothes, he was indeed very intimidating.

“Put it on, Dave. You don’t owe me anything. We are friends!”

Dave no longer hesitated. He immediately took off the t-shirt he had worn for three years—patched, mended, and washed until it was faded—and put on Lance’s work uniform.

Although he didn’t want to show it, after putting it on and seeing that he was wearing the same clothes as Lance and the others, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but turn up.

He took a dollar out of his pocket and placed it in Lance’s hand. “I can’t take advantage of you anymore, Mr. Lance.”

Lance looked at the money in his hand. This was originally something Johnny was supposed to do, but for some reason, Dave had done it ahead of time. But this was even better.

A natural performance has no trace of acting. He handed the dollar to Elvin and then gave Dave a hug.

“Dave, we haven’t known each other for long. We might have met before, but we haven’t talked much.”

“I know you’re a very direct person, a real man, but don’t you underestimate me either!”

He gave Dave a punch on the shoulder, not an aggressive one.

“You’re not willing to take advantage of me. Do you think I would take this dollar from you?” “No!”

Lance’s voice was very loud, so that everyone around could hear.

“I’ll take this dollar, but I’ll make it come back to you in another way!”

“I don’t know if the club can reopen, but I won’t let you wait too long!”

“I will open another bar on the docks…”

The workers began to cheer, whistle, and some even shouted Lance’s name.

There was nothing that could make them more comfortable and happy than cheap liquor. They loved alcohol to death. It was the good medicine that allowed them to temporarily forget their current terrible situation. “This one dollar has made me think of many things. You will know what it truly represents when the time comes.”

Actually, Lance had been interested in these local workers on the docks for a long time. Vaughn had talked to him about it before, but the time was not right, so he didn’t show it then.

If he let these people join his firm for no reason, the vast majority of them would not agree, because there was no need. They paid dues to the union every month. If they joined the firm as well, they would have to pay twice, which was not a good deal for them.

And Lance couldn’t just not charge them. If he didn’t charge them but charged the immigrant and illegal immigrant workers, those Empire immigrants would feel that he was also practicing discrimination.

He needed them to join the firm willingly, and to pay the money on their own initiative. Lance thought of a good idea.

A good idea that would be overused in the future, but no one had used it yet: a membership system. After the strike was over, he would announce this system. The dockworkers’ union’s club would not continue to operate. He would open a new one himself on the docks.

To enter the club, you would need to pay a one-dollar membership fee, every month. It would be free for those in the firm.

And every member could get a five-cent discount on their first drink at the club every day with their membership.

This way, if they came for a drink for thirty days, the discounted amount for the month would accumulate to one dollar and fifty cents, exceeding the one dollar they paid.

As the one who had the power to set the price of the liquor, Lance would not let himself lose too much—he had never considered making money from these poor people, because there really wasn’t much money to be made.

They only earned thirty or forty dollars a month. After bills and necessary family expenses, they had at most ten dollars of disposable income.

With so many people on the docks, the most he could squeeze out of them in a month was a hundred thousand dollars. It was really not worth ruining his reputation for a hundred thousand dollars. But if he made good use of this group, the value they generated would far exceed a hundred thousand dollars.

But now was not the time to tell them these things.

The work uniforms in Lance’s hands were constantly being passed to more striking workers. Each of them happily changed into the new clothes, and watching the surroundings constantly turn “blue,” a force from within was emerging. If they were asked to change back into their colorful clothes now, they would definitely be unwilling.

“You look much more spirited!”

Everyone also noticed this. More people gathered around. Besides the clothes, Lance was also attracting them.

“Now is a very special time. They will use all sorts of methods to force us to compromise.”

“If we bow our heads this time, who knows how long it will be before we can raise them again.”

“We are not sandcastles on the beach that collapse with a single wave. We are steel, we are iron, we are full of determination and strength!”

“If they do not agree to our reasonable demands, then we will exercise the rights given to us by Federation law, and no one can take them away!”

“I support you unconditionally. Whatever difficulties you have, come to me!”

“As long as I can solve it, I will definitely handle it for you!”

The reporters frantically took pictures of Lance waving his fist in the crowd. On the periphery of the crowd, some managers also committed Lance’s appearance to memory.

Some of them vaguely decided that this young man might be able to provide some ideas for resolving the strike.

The manager of the dock management company was also watching from a distance. His legs felt a bit weak. Today was the last day the board of directors had given him.

But he had no clue.

Not only did he have no clue how to quell the strike, but the group of workers, which was constantly turning into a blue ocean, had erupted with something that he found astonishing just by changing their clothes. He didn’t even dare to look anymore.

“Damn strike!”

“Damn Lance!”

Of course he knew Lance. There was even a time when he thought Lance was a very good person.

Because Lance’s firm provided the docks with more cheap labor, both those with work cards and those without.

Especially those without work cards, which had cut labor costs in half. He had received praise from the board of directors for this.

But now, he no longer thought so.

(End of chapter)

You can support the translator and get advanced chapter by join his patreon at /caleredhair