Empire of Shadows

Lance has become the spiritual leader of the young people in the Empire District, because in this era, no other peer could do better than him!

Perhaps there were some in the Bay Area, but their backgrounds and foundations were not as clean as his. He was the one who had truly started from scratch.

In the evening, there was a party in a large, temporarily rented villa.

On one hand, it was to celebrate Ethan’s victory in the ring once again. On the other hand, the small-scale screening of the movie had a good response.

Many film critics had given it very high praise. Although the movie had not yet been released, it had already gained a certain reputation and status among the film fan community in the Federation.

In this period, with a lack of media and channels for obtaining information, film critics and newspapers and magazines were the only channels for people to learn about something unfamiliar.

When the film critics said, “This movie is full of incredible miracles,” even if it were a piece of shit, they would still buy a ticket to see if it was really a piece of shit!

And this also made Lance more confident in the box office sharing model.

Tonight, the entire film crew was here, as well as some contracted actors from the film company. This was a good opportunity for them to get in close contact with the management.

Maybe there would be a chance to lie in the bed of some manager, and thus get a better acting opportunity.This was a gathering of young people, so naturally, the young people were the core!

After the convoy arrived, the party officially began.

Lance was the undisputed core of the party. Everyone would come over to have a drink with him, though of course, he only needed to take a sip.

“Hey, Lance!” Barbara walked over quickly from a distance, a charming smile on her face.

She held her wine glass. “I’ve always wanted to say thank you. I didn’t know making movies was so much fun.”

“Thank you, thank you for giving me such an opportunity!”

“I feel like my life will be changed because of this!”

Before she could finish speaking, Lance swapped her wine glass with a glass of juice. “If you don’t want to wake up tomorrow morning with a few strangers next to you, you’d better drink juice all night.”

Barbara was taken aback for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m an adult.”

“Being an adult is not a reason to make things worse,” Lance clinked his wine glass with hers.

Barbara could only take a sip of her juice. “Alright, anyway, I have to thank you. You’ve let me find a new direction.”

Barbara played the female lead in the movie. Because they were all young people, besides Gerard who had filmed a movie before, the others had only learned about it and had never actually filmed.

So you couldn’t say their acting skills were better.

Although movies were not a new thing, they were only truly accepted by the public after the sound film technology matured last year.

You can’t expect a person who is mostly illiterate to understand the plot from a silent film with subtitles, even if some silent film actors had tried their best to remove the subtitles and use body language and plot to let the audience know what they were doing.

The audience for movies was still very limited.

So only after the advent of sound films did the film industry truly usher in a major explosion.

In addition, with the economy not doing so well now, movies had also become a relatively cheap form of entertainment, beginning to replace some other high-consumption entertainment projects and becoming the mainstream in entertainment.

Under these circumstances, people actually didn’t care much about the issue of acting skills, or perhaps people had not yet risen to the level of appreciating acting skills.

The performance styles of drama, stage plays, and opera were not very suitable for movies; they would seem too exaggerated. So even though Barbara didn’t have any outstanding acting skills, it was still not bad.

And her plot mainly revolved around her face and her running. All she needed to do was to constantly show a frightened expression and run around in the woods, and finally be impaled by a branch and hung up. This was all she had to perform!

“When does the next movie start?” she was full of anticipation for her new job.

Lance glanced at the director. “You’ll have to ask the company manager about that. I’m not in charge of arranging the filming schedule.”

After the two chatted for a few more sentences, they separated. There were still many people waiting to chat with Lance.

Everyone wanted to have a word with Lance. Even if there was nothing much to say, just saying “Good evening, I’m glad I could come to your party” was also a good experience.

Everyone had a great time. There wasn’t much of a generation gap between peers, and it was easy for them to have fun together.

Here, Lance also saw someone who surprised him: Arthur.

“Mr. Lance!” Arthur came out of the crowd, holding Corinda’s hand. “I hope I’m not disturbing you…”

Lance bumped fists with him, then glanced at Corinda. Undoubtedly, this girl hadn’t taken Lance’s words to heart at all.

It had to be said that Arthur was very handsome. He had inherited his beautiful mother’s looks, and at the same time, he possessed the special temperament of being born into a family of power.

He and Lance were two different kinds of handsome.

If Lance’s handsomeness now was that of a family head who had proven his value and status through slaughter and blood, full of a majesty that made people not dare to approach casually…

Then Arthur’s handsomeness was like that of a prince!

The education he had received since he was a child, his growing environment, everything he had come into contact with, had given him that princely temperament. In addition to his good looks, what girl could resist dating a prince?

Arthur had never been short of women, from forty-five to teenagers. As long as he beckoned, someone would always stick to him.

Corinda couldn’t resist Arthur’s charm. Lance had expected this, but he had already warned her. If she still wanted to fly into the flame, then there was nothing he could do.

You could figure it out with your heel: Councilman Williams would not possibly allow Arthur, this favorite younger son of his, to marry a female gangster with no background.

If Corinda had a blood relationship with Lance, or if she had a background similar to the Five Families, then Councilman Williams might have agreed.

This would be equivalent to a political marriage.

But it was only a possibility, not a hundred percent.

She did not have this background and reliance now. In any case, Councilman Williams would not allow Arthur to marry Corinda.

His mother wouldn’t allow it either.

Then this was destined to be a love affair that would have no result, a love affair that was destined to be sad.

But then again, people in love always think that their love can change everything. This is very normal.

“I didn’t know you also made movies. I’m very curious about this too. When can you let me have a look around your company?”

With the several hundred thousand he had knocked from Mr. Jobav’s side, and the several hundred thousand from hoarding liquor, Arthur was now a bona fide rich man.

However, since Mr. Jobav’s death, he had lost a good “partner.” The other people either couldn’t be squeezed for that much money, or they were people he couldn’t easily provoke either.

So recently he planned to start learning to invest, which was also what Councilman Williams had requested.

James would be the core power holder of the family in the future. Arthur was destined to have no gains in this aspect. If he didn’t want to have a competitive relationship with James…

Then the best choice was to go into business.

With James’s help, it was not impossible for his younger brother to achieve some success in business.

And Councilman Williams knew very well that when he took office, there would definitely be a major purge in the Bay Area of Golden Port.

With so much wealth, even if Arthur couldn’t eat much, it would be enough for him to squander for a lifetime.

Lance did not refuse his idea. “You’ve chosen a good project. I’ll have the manager contact you later. We do have quite a few movies in preparation. You can pick one then.”

After chatting about these, he sensibly hid in a corner with Corinda, hugging, kissing, and touching.

Afterwards, some other actors came over to greet Lance. Strictly speaking, Lance was still their top boss’s top boss.

Although these actors were all very young, they were all quite mature.

Several girls hinted that they could go with Lance at night, and would do whatever Lance asked them to do.

This actually also proved another matter—

Living is not easy.

January passed in the cold weather. Just at the beginning of February, a major event occurred.

The Dantra Republic seized two Federation cargo ships that were passing through their surrounding waters, on the grounds that they were transporting supplies to an enemy country. As a result, the millions of dollars worth of supplies on the two cargo ships were confiscated, and the ships were also detained.

The companies that owned the goods and the shipping company immediately lodged a protest with the Dantra Republic, but to no effect.

So much so that while the weather was still very cold, large and small protest groups had already appeared on the streets of the Federation.

This was also a characteristic of the Federation.

When things that are closely related to people break out, they will protest. This is understandable, to convey their demands through protest.

But when things that have nothing to do with them, and at the same time will not care about their protests, break out, they will also protest, as if doing so can change something.

But in fact, not only can doing so not change anything, but it will also make the federal government feel dissatisfied, and have more pressure.

Now the diplomatic relations between the Federation and the Dantra Republic had been completely severed. It was simply impossible to get back those goods and cargo ships through diplomatic means.

When they had expelled Federation people and confiscated the property of Federation merchants, the federal government could do nothing, let alone now.

And these measures by the Dantra Republic made many people feel uneasy. Now they could seize the Federation’s cargo ships and goods.

So does that mean that in the future they might take the initiative to go to sea and plunder passing merchant ships, and even possibly plunder the Federation’s ports?

Congress convened an emergency meeting. After discussion, it was finally decided to establish the “Golden Port Naval Military Base” in Golden Port, where the navy would be stationed.

On the one hand, it was to prevent the Dantra Republic from attacking the Golden Port docks, which were piled high with supplies, in a fit of rage. On the other hand, it was also a deterrent to the Dantra Republic.

In addition, the federal government also issued a request to the public.

It requested that all Dantra people who had not yet been naturalized leave the Federation immediately.

After February 25th, all Dantra people who had not left the Federation would be deported.

This news caused a shock throughout the world. Many newspapers were reporting on the Federation’s measures, among which there were some media outlets that over-interpreted it.

They believed that this would become the “prelude” to a war. The two sides had already expelled each other’s nationals. The Dantra Republic had also confiscated and seized the passing merchant ships and supplies of the Federation. The conflict was constantly escalating.

Did this mean that the Federation might intervene in the war on the Tanfit continent?

The Slade ambassador to the Federation urgently contacted the federal government. It was said that they were discussing an alliance. As for whether it was true, only the parties involved themselves knew.

Lance looked out the window at a group of young people surrounding a few people who had fallen to the ground, punching and kicking them. Some were even waving clubs and hitting them hard.

The few people on the ground had already been beaten black and blue. Some passersby were watching from a distance. A police car was parked nearby, and two police officers were standing not far away, watching with their hands on their hips.

The roller shutter of a shop on the roadside had been completely destroyed. There were still some bloodstains and fallen goods on the ground. From time to time, someone would poke their head in, or just walk in.

Undoubtedly, they were looting and using violence, and the people who were suffering the harm should be Dantra merchants or immigrants.

The car Lance was in was not moving fast, which allowed him to notice more details.

This was not the only shop that had encountered a similar situation. In the distance, there was another place where a similar situation was happening. Three people had been beaten to the ground, and the people next to them were still kicking their heads vigorously.

The three people were lying on the ground, it was unknown if they were dead or alive. A few young men, each carrying a large bag, rushed out of the shop and disappeared into the chaotic streets.

Similar things were happening everywhere. In the city center, there were also Dantra people’s goods being robbed, and the shop owners being insulted and beaten.

The last time they had received this kind of treatment were the Empire immigrants, because of the madness of the Emperor of the Empire.

“Should we have someone stop this?”

Elvin, sitting in the front seat, asked a question. Lance watched for a while and then shook his head. “Sometimes, creating an enemy that has nothing to do with us is more beneficial for us to integrate into Federation society.”

“It’s easy to help these people, but it will inevitably make people feel that there is a problem with our position.”

“Maintaining an indifferent attitude is the most appropriate. Besides, they really have nothing to do with us.”

He paused for a moment as he spoke, took out a pack of cigarettes, and lit one for himself. “How is Ethan preparing?”

Ethan had a boxing match in these two days. His coach had chosen a boxer who was somewhat famous throughout the state for him.

So far, his record had reached ten wins, two losses, and six knockouts. He was another person who completely crushed Ethan in terms of stats, but who would win now was hard to say.

Elvin had blind faith in Ethan. “I just talked to him on the phone. He told me that he is also confident in defeating that guy.”

The convoy passed by the side of the road with a swish. The young people who were beating those Dantra people looked back and then quickly refocused their attention on the Dantra people.

In fact, many times they might not really hate these Dantra people. It was just that they had begun to get used to and use this large-scale “hatred” to achieve some of their own ulterior motives.

Robbery, assault, rape, extortion, blackmail…

The ugly desires were indulged with tacit approval at this moment, and evil would become purer.

The police’s indifference, the pedestrians’ cheers, the onlookers’ incitement—they seemed to have become national heroes at this moment, not a group of criminals.

This made people feel shocked, uneasy, but also felt it was a matter of course.

The weather had been slightly better during this period. Many gang leaders from the Empire had come to Golden Port to see Lance.

Lance’s influence in Likalai State was also constantly spreading. Now people knew that there was a leader of an Empire gang in Golden Port who was very capable.

Not only could he gain a firm foothold in Golden Port, where the Five Families were established, but he could also take out a large amount of liquor to sell to his peers.

In a villa in the suburbs, Lance met with these gang leaders from all over the state.

With his arrival, the people who were originally sitting or standing in the living room all stood up and looked at him, and quickly stood in a line by the side of the living room.

Lance handed his hat and coat to one of his own people who had come to greet him, and then walked with a smile to the leader of the Goldstar City Empire gang, Damon, who was at the front of the line.

“Mr. Lance!” he respectfully shook Lance’s hand and took the initiative to kiss the ruby ring on Lance’s finger.

This was a symbol of absolute submission.

Damon was almost forty this year. It was hard to imagine that he would actually make such a gesture. Some of the people around who knew him also showed surprised expressions.

But for Damon, he felt that this was not excessive.

Lance was already on the same level as the Five Families. In addition, he could continuously provide various kinds of liquor and beverages. For Damon, Lance was indeed worthy of his doing so.

Then the second guy also took the initiative to shake Lance’s hand and, like Damon, kissed his ring and respectfully addressed him as “Mr. Lance.”

Everyone showed extra respect for Lance, because of the strength of the Lance Family, and because Lance could lead them to make money together.

The gang leader at the very end was also a young man. He looked a little older than Lance, but not by much.

He was the leader of the Creek Valley City Empire gang, the leader of a new gang inspired and called upon by Lance.

He said a lot of words to Lance, words of worship and admiration for Lance. He even said that the reason he could become a gang leader was because of Lance.

After meeting everyone, Lance sat in the very center of the living room.

Elvin stood outside the living room, chatting with the trusted followers of the other gang leaders. He would glance at the high-spirited Lance from time to time, a knowing smile on his face.

The better Lance was, the better they would be.

This time, they were mainly here to talk about the transportation and sales of liquor. With the large-scale brewing of the Lawrence farm, Lance’s liquor was already enough to supply the entire state.

When he was weak, he could endure, but now that he had strength, he no longer wanted to endure.

“Liquor, arms, connections—I can provide you with convenience, and even provide you with a batch first.”

“And I only have one request: let our business spread throughout the entire state.”

(End of chapter)

The novel has already been fully translated up to the last updated chapter. You can access it on my Patreon at /caleredhair