Empire of Shadows

The distribution of benefits is a very important and rigorous matter.

Who can get how much money from the interest group’s transfer of benefits is all regulated and cannot be wrong.

Once it is wrong, or someone takes money that they shouldn’t have, then there will be problems, and it may even lead to the possibility of the entire interest group disintegrating.

After all, the core of everything in this world is interest.

During this period, news from Golden Port City has been continuously transmitted to Manteno, and the people in Manteno also know what has happened there.

For people of a relatively low level, they would find it somewhat incredible that a gangster could actually appear on the stage like a star politician and be written about in newspapers and media.

It is said that some magazines also intend to interview Lance and want to make him a cover figure, which is simply… incomprehensible.

But for those who have a certain level, they know very well that, in a strict sense, a gang is also a kind of power.

Political power.

The stability of a region’s public order is definitely not something that can be solved by relying on the police alone. Given the current situation where police forces in various regions are covered by dirty cops, whether the public order is good or not purely depends on whether the local gangs are willing to be stable.This has led to the situation where gangs have more of a say in the field of social stability.

The public, influenced by these things, will be more inclined to the information transmitted by the gangs when considering some issues.

Just like the current Empire District, whoever Lance says to vote for, they will vote for. It’s not just because Lance is the only gang in the Empire District and the biggest gang leader in the city.

It is because he represents the foundation for people to achieve a stable life. This is power, this is public opinion, this is political power!

Now this power is being backed by money. Many people have a very absurd illusion that Bandy’s direction of whitewashing might be wrong!

Of course, they would only think about it. No one knows how to wash themselves white in this era.

The news that Lance and Councilman Williams were about to “visit” Manteno had been released a few days in advance. And in these few days, some high-end clubs and other venues in Manteno were immediately fully booked.

And Manteno’s golf courses, opera houses, and the like, all the reservations were full.

This was the first contact between the “new force” of Golden Port City and the state government forces, and also an important specific division of interests. They had to be nervous.

Even if the reserved clubs, golf courses, or whatever were not used, it was much better than having nowhere to go when they were needed.

Councilman Williams might be a little familiar with them, but only a little.

Previously, Councilman Williams was just a municipal councilman. Although he and Councilman Wade controlled the entire internal political power of Golden Port City, it did not extend to the state government level. So for the people here, he could only “know this person, have met twice,” not have become friends with them.

Not being friends, it was not suitable for the first meeting to be in their homes. This did not conform to the social rules of the Federation.

They needed a non-private but at the same time sufficiently private environment to talk about things. Golf courses, relatively closed clubs, these were all good places to go.

The rich people who had come to Manteno for tourism these few days would find that the high-end venues were almost fully booked!

On Monday morning, the train slowly pulled into the station. As the steam quickly spread around, a large number of bodyguards got off the train.

They first checked the station, and then Lance and Councilman Williams got off.

At the steps of getting off the car, Lance also reached out to support Councilman Williams, whose movements were a bit deformed.

He was old after all. Although these steps were just a step for ordinary people, for a man in his sixties, it might be the scythe of the god of death.

“I’m fine, thank you!” Supported by Lance’s hand, he got off the steps. Councilman Williams straightened his clothes.

He looked at the bodyguards around him and couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Such a big scene, is it really necessary?”

Lance replied with a smile, “For safety’s sake, Mr. Councilman, it’s worth it to be more excessive, as long as we can live.”

Councilman Williams pursed his lips but did not refute Lance’s words, although he did not particularly agree with them.

James and the others, who were carrying a suitcase behind him, also got out of the car. The group quickly walked towards the outside of the station.

Lance’s convoy had already arrived here two days in advance. The reason they took the train this time was purely because the train was more comfortable.

The gentlemen of the Federation are a group that knows how to enjoy themselves very well. They have special train carriages with soft beds, huge sofa sets, billiard tables, and even an indoor golf course!

Utterly luxurious, that’s what the life of the rich is all about. And these ordinary people, let alone enjoying it, they haven’t even heard of it!

After a journey of nearly a day in such an environment, it was much more comfortable than being wronged in the small space of a car for a day.

Lance and Councilman Williams were in the same car. Their destination was the best hotel in the local area. They had booked two high-end suites.

They would not stay in Manteno for too long, so the work during this period would be very much, and busy.

“Tonight, we will first visit the lieutenant governor,” Councilman Williams looked at Lance, and also glanced at his son.

“The reason we are not visiting the governor directly is that we need an introducer. The lieutenant governor is a good choice. Of course, the prosecutor’s side is also fine, but the lieutenant governor is a little better. As the governor’s deputy, he is very suitable.”

Lance and James were listening on the side, without speaking. These matters were all personally arranged by Councilman Williams.

Lance was very at ease with this. After all, it also related to Councilman Williams’s own vital interests. Only when their interests were highly bound would he trust this old man.

“Have the gifts we’re bringing to the lieutenant governor been prepared?”

This matter was entrusted to James by Councilman Williams. The latter nodded. “It’s already prepared. It’s in the hotel. We’ll see him as soon as we get out of the car.”

He was very familiar with these gentlemen in the state government. He didn’t even need to inquire much to know what to give to whom.

Lance also participated in the collection of these gifts. This was related to the coordination between them and the state government for a long time to come, so he had to pay attention to it.

Some people think that since the Federation is a mayoral system, there is no need to pay too much attention to the state government. But in fact, the state government controls the state legislature, and the state legislature decides what laws a city must abide by.

The seemingly ramshackle ruling structure of the Federation is actually full of patches, making you have me and I have you.

So these people must be well-connected and well-served.

The lieutenant governor is an extreme conservative, and his ancestors advocated and organized the work of clearing out the natives.

In fact, up to now, almost all political families are that group of people. After all, they snatched this land from the hands of the natives with bullets and explosives, not for any other reason.

They are also extreme in this aspect. The gift given to him was a set of “leather kits.”

It included a leather hat, a pair of leather gloves, a leather backpack, and a pair of leather boots.

Yes, from the current perspective, this doesn’t seem to be anything special, but in fact, they are all works of art.

Lance had bought them from a private museum in a remote place for money. They symbolized the terrible things that the first-generation immigrants of the Federation had done to the local natives.

Their production materials all came from the natives.

This sounds very terrifying. People may not be able to connect these things with the self-proclaimed civilized and polite people of the Federation, but this is precisely the fact.

These things are definitely good things for extreme conservatives. They represent not only history, but also a kind of “ancestral spirit,” a symbol of conquering this land!

For these things, Lance had spent 3,500.

3,500 was not a very large expense. A gift is not only about its value, but more importantly, the sentiment, the satisfaction.

The car soon stopped outside the hotel. The group entered at nine o’clock. After a simple rest, the phone kept ringing.

At six o’clock in the evening, the group came to an agreed-upon, very high-end club, and saw the lieutenant governor here.

The lieutenant governor looked very easygoing, especially his platinum-blond hair and slightly chubby face. He was smiling as soon as they met, which made it difficult for people to have any ill feelings towards him.

He took the initiative to walk up to everyone, shook hands with Councilman Williams, then Lance, and then invited the two to the sofa.

“I don’t know what you like, so I just picked some gifts at random. I hope it won’t be considered offensive.”

Councilman Williams’s words were a little strange. The lieutenant governor became a little interested in these gifts. “What is it?”

James pushed a small cart and walked up to him.

These gifts were all placed in display boxes, so a small cart was needed to push them.

The moment the velvet cloth on it was lifted, the lieutenant governor couldn’t help but show an expression of amazement!

His hand stroked the glass on the surface of those boxes. “They’re perfect works of art!”

“This craftsmanship is at least two hundred years old!”

“I like it very much!”

It could be seen that he really liked it. The “surprise” that burst out at the first sight was definitely not something that could be faked!

Lance sat on the side and found this scene very funny, but he also felt that there was nothing wrong with it, because this was the Federation.

They chatted for a while, and the topic began to turn to the main subject.

“I hear that Lance has already grasped the actual control and operating rights of all the casinos?” The lieutenant governor’s gaze fell on Lance.

He was a little amazed at Lance’s youth. He had just couldn’t help but ask, and also knew that Lance was twenty-two this year, which made him feel a kind of emotion.

Emotion for the years, for everything.

Lance nodded. “Yes, all in my hands.”

Councilman Williams took the topic so that it wouldn’t drop, which would make the atmosphere stiff. “We came this time to talk about this issue.”

After hearing this, the lieutenant governor thought for a while and looked at James, who was standing beside him. “And this is?”

He didn’t know James. In the room now were only him, Lance, Councilman Williams, and James.

The conversation that was about to take place would be very naked. If James was not someone important, then the meaning he was expressing now was to let him leave first.

Councilman Williams said with a smile, “This is my eldest son. He has currently been successfully elected as a municipal councilman and is performing his duties.”

The lieutenant governor’s gaze lingered on James’s face for a moment, memorizing his appearance, and praised, “The young people nowadays are really remarkable. At such a young age, they can achieve outstanding results, unlike our time.”

“Maybe at their age, we were still doing some office work, but he has already begun to express his political will.”

This was of course a modest statement, and it couldn’t be taken completely seriously.

After James also responded modestly a couple of times, the topic was considered to have returned to the main subject.

The lieutenant governor held his wine glass and leaned back on the sofa. “I’ll be direct. How do you plan to distribute these benefits?”

Councilman Williams did not speak. He picked up his coffee cup. When drinking coffee, one needs to lower their head, and he took this opportunity to refuse the lieutenant governor’s observation.

Lance, on the other hand, said, “45% of the benefits will be sent to the top. 35% will be left here.”

“And 20% of the profits will remain in Golden Port City locally and will not be transferred outwards.”

The lieutenant governor frowned. This was a little less than what the state government had received when the Bandy family was managing these benefits.

Don’t look at it as just 5%. This was a matter of several million a year.

The higher the status, the more you get. So these losses are magnified under their larger base, and naturally, the losses are also greater.

5% of a hundred dollars and 5% of a million dollars are both 5%, but they are definitely not on the same scale.

He just frowned and didn’t say whether he agreed or not, but this attitude itself was an attitude of disapproval.

Councilman Williams at this time finally put down his coffee cup, pursed his lips, and explained, “The Navy is going to be stationed in Golden Port City. They will definitely have to take a share of the money.”

Hearing the word “Navy,” the lieutenant governor’s furrowed brow relaxed, but then he said something very interesting—

“Those people in the military are much richer than us!”

His tone was filled with complaints and the like. He seemed to be very dissatisfied with the fact that the military could also get a share of the money, but he also knew that there was nothing he could do.

Because the army was stationed in Golden Port City, if those soldiers caused trouble in the casino, as long as it wasn’t too excessive, the military would definitely turn a blind eye.

If the casino’s business worsened, it would be them who suffered the loss. If they could give some to the military to satisfy their greedy appetites and ensure that they would not cause trouble, then this was also acceptable.

It was just that having a little less always made people not so comfortable.

“The military disposes of a large amount of supplies every year. Who knows which are really disposed of and which are fake.”

“Congress should have passed a new bill long ago to control their behavior like this. They can’t just put the taxpayers’ money into their own pockets so easily.”

The federal military did have a corruption problem, and it was a very serious corruption problem. But it wasn’t just the military that had problems; the entire federal ruling class had problems.

Sometimes Lance was also very confused. This government and country, which was full of holes and problems from top to bottom, why could it still continue to exist and grow stronger?

The three of them did not respond to the lieutenant governor’s complaint. It was best not to respond to this kind of thing. For a mature politician, any response to such a matter of stance was a wrong decision.

Maybe you just feel like saying a few words that come to mind, or to please the lieutenant governor, but who knows when he needs someone to support him, he will throw your response out as a bargaining chip.

On a certain day in a certain month of a certain year, when I was talking about this issue with so-and-so, he also expressed his agreement.

Just this one sentence, without you even knowing it, you have completed the siding.

What’s even more annoying is that you are there when you take the risk of siding, but when it comes to dividing the benefits after victory, your share is gone.

So the three of them did not speak. The lieutenant governor did not force them to take a stand either. This was just a complaint.

He paused for a moment, and then said, “Since that’s the case, I have no objection. The list should probably be adjusted?”

Councilman Williams nodded. “You can give us your list, and we will discuss it.”

The distribution of benefits is definitely not as simple as depositing the money into their accounts. What these dignitaries want is not money that cannot be spent. What they want is money that can be taken out and enjoyed openly.

So this money must be able to be deposited into their accounts openly. Then, as the most in line with the characteristics of the Federation, it is the return on investment.

So this money will become the investment profit of certain funds and will be deposited into the fund accounts of these “investors” on a quarterly basis.

It can withstand scrutiny and can be taken out to be spent.

How the foundation distributes this money has already been decided. Everyone has a share that is in line with their status.

It seems that there is nothing to discuss, but who can get it and who can’t is also a problem.

This is where everyone needs to discuss.

The lieutenant governor said a series of his own people’s names. James at the side recorded these names in detail.

If there are no surprises, most of them will be included in the foundation’s list.

But it is also possible that some of them will make Lance or Councilman Williams dissatisfied and thus be eliminated.

After completing the most important matter, the few of them began to enjoy their dinner.

The lieutenant governor was a very witty person, at least after talking about the benefits, he became very witty and also told many dark jokes about the natives.

From this, it can also be reflected that he did indeed like the gift that Councilman Williams had chosen.

When the dinner was almost over, Councilman Williams brought up the matter of having him introduce them to the governor. The lieutenant governor agreed readily.

He even, in front of everyone, called the governor and set a time, which was two days later.

(End of a Chapter)