Empire of Shadows

Between nations, so-called peace is merely a brief state in the absence of a strong driving interest.

When there is a strong driving interest, peace will be broken.

In fact, how can there be true peace in this world?

It doesn’t even exist between people, let alone between countries.

Lance’s answer made Minister Rabour silent for a moment. He was Rapa’s Minister of Foreign Affairs; he actually should have understood this principle better than Lance.

But people are always like this. When faced with some important decisions, or in the face of great changes, they will all have a moment of naivety.

Naively believing that the world can operate in the way they idealize, and then being shattered by reality.

Minister Rabour sighed lightly. He also leaned back on the sofa. This was not a defensive posture, because his hands were hanging naturally at his sides. ”On the way here, I saw those factories being built, and the people maintaining order on the streets.”

”Mr. Lance, I am very curious, what do you plan to do to these places?”

Lance pursed his lips. ”Just as you have seen, maintain order, stabilize society, and then open factories to make money.””We all hope for a more stable society. This will keep our wealth in a stable and safe state. We don’t like accidents, we don’t like chaos.”

”I have invested in many industries here, including the Empire Chamber of Commerce, which has also invested in some industries.”

Minister Rabour continued, ”This is what confuses me the most. Are you really here to invest in Rapa?”

”What is there here that is worthy of your attention?”

Lance took a drag from his cigarette. He tapped the ash on the ashtray on the table with his hand, then turned his head to look at him, a smile on his face that Minister Rabour understood. ”Cheap labor.”

”...Minister Paul, people are the most important, irreplaceable, and relatively high-cost link in the production process.”

”In the Federation, capitalists use illegal immigrants and refugees to work for them, in order to achieve the purpose of reducing costs.”

”However, these employment costs, compared to the labor costs in Rapa, are clearly still much higher.”

”With thirty dollars, you can hire at least five people here, but in the Federation, you can only hire one refugee or one illegal immigrant.”

”The things they produce after training are the same. In other words, if a worker produces one product a day, then in the Federation, the labor cost of one product is at least one dollar.”

”But here...” he smiled, ”...it only costs twenty cents. And the eighty cents of space that is freed up is relatively clean profit.”

”This is enough to make many people go crazy,” he said, pausing for a moment, and took another puff of his cigarette. ”In my opinion, Rapa, Yalan, these regions do not have any industrial foundation, and their agriculture and animal husbandry are not considered developed.”

”But there are rich mineral resources and cheap labor here, which is destined to make it a necessary ’nutrient’ in the process of a certain country’s march towards becoming a superpower.”

”It might be a bit cruel to say so, but this is the fact.”

”Even if there was no federal government, no us today, there would be others.”

”The Empire, Dantra, Slad, it’s all possible.”

When Minister Rabour heard this, the last bit of light in his heart also disappeared. Since Rapa was destined to become a nutrient in the growth and development process of other countries, then defecting to the Federation had, on the contrary, become the best choice.

Geographically speaking, this place was very close to the Federation. A fast boat could get from the Federation to Rapa in just over ten hours.

In the future, with the development of technology, maybe this time will continue to be shortened.

Emotionally speaking, the Yalan region was also within the sphere of influence of the federal culture, especially recently, more of the Federation’s cultural propaganda had entered the Yalan region.

Free movies, various donated books, and also literacy classes.

The federal government and the Yalan United League had agreed on a series of ”aid projects,” which included arranging for some people to help the illiterates in the Yalan region to learn to read.

The Yalan League only needed to bear the basic accommodation, and the teachers would solve the rest themselves.

Zhuolan had two large-scale literacy classes, but now they had been temporarily suspended due to the turmoil.

He had gone to see them before. As a diplomatic project, he certainly had to see how these literacy classes worked.

When he had observed for two class periods, he had found that most of the literacy textbooks they used were filled with content that was beneficial to the Federation.

For example, the first lesson—

”I Love the Federation”

In it, some simple words and dialogues were in the identity of two immigrants, expressing their love for the Federation to each other. They loved and were willing to become federal people.

There were many such texts.

Others might not have much of a concept, but Minister Rabour had a feeling. If people were all saying ”I love the Federation,” then where would Rapa be placed?

He didn’t understand what ”cultural invasion” was, what ”non-military aggression” was, but he could more or less feel the intentions of the federal people in doing this or that.

Everything was already destined. It was not something that one person, or a few people’s power could change.

It seemed that he had made some decision. Minister Rabour’s facial expression had undergone some subtle changes. It had become softer, and his slightly raised eyebrows had also fallen.

He thought for a while, thinking about how to ”calmly” open the conversation. He was Rapa’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. He couldn’t just, because of Lance’s words and his own decision, take the initiative to say ”I want to defect to you.”

Even if he really wanted to fall to the Federation, he believed that he should be in contact with higher-level officials.

It wasn’t that he looked down on Lance, but just that he felt he should be given more importance, like a senator or something.

He now had to show his willingness to ”defect” to the Federation, and at the same time, he could not let his status drop too low.

Lance did not rush him either.

After about two or three minutes, he finally found a suitable entry point. ”Mr. Lance, you are a very outstanding young man, and also a remarkable young man.”

”I don’t have any exaggerated elements. When I was at your age, I didn’t even have these concepts in my mind.”

He had accompanied his words with some of his own body language, for example, trying to wave his hands to strengthen his context. ”Country, international, politics, these, none.”

”At that time, my mind was only filled with alcohol, tobacco, and girls.”

”You are a person who is so outstanding that I feel that my language is lacking. Cassia also praises you in this way!”

Lance nodded with a reserved look. ”Thank you for your compliment.”

Minister Rabour exhaled. ”I have a son. He is also a young man, only twenty-four or twenty-five this year. He’s from a university in Jede, and he’s very clever.”

”After he had graduated from the university in Jede, he has been by my side all along. I have never thought of how to arrange for him.”

”Now I have a not-so-mature idea. I wonder if I can talk to you about it.”

Lance nodded and said, ”We can discuss it,” which was a relatively subtle way of saying. What he needed now was not to show his own strength.

”I hope he can learn more excellent knowledge, but you certainly know the situation in Rapa.”

”I am not considered an outstanding person. The other ministers, including Diego...” he shook his head and did not make any comments. ”But I have seen you, and your excellence, so I hope that he can follow you and learn for a period of time.”

This was tantamount to a ”surrender.” Lance was a little surprised at this Minister of Foreign Affairs’s awakening, and also understood his purpose in doing so, which was to let Lance understand his willingness.

Lance thought for a moment, a very short moment, perhaps only a few seconds. ”If you do this, will it cause some misunderstandings among the high-level officials of the Rapa authorities?”

”For example, Diego. I hear his temper is not good, and it is very difficult for him to be changed by others in the things he has decided on.”

”If he thinks you have betrayed the country’s interests, will it cause you some trouble?”

Minister Rabour had already made a decision, and also had the determination to make these decisions, otherwise he would not have come here, and in front of Lance, to talk about this.

So he had very decisively denied the things that Lance was worried about, and at the same time, had expressed his own weight in Rapa.

He said with a light smile, ”Mr. Lance, you don’t have to worry too much.”

”The Rabour family is also a famous and prestigious family in Rapa. Even if the Ravila family wants to deal with us, they also need to consider the series of consequences that this might produce.”

When he had said these words, Lance could clearly feel that he actually had a bit of a proud component. This also proved from the side that he was not being forced.

Minister Rabour’s voice had lowered a little. ”If it weren’t for our support, whether he would still be the great president is another matter!”

Lance’s expression had changed slightly. In that instant, he had associated many things.

Rapa itself was a group of tribal chiefs who, in order to ensure that their power and influence would not be deprived in the Yalan nation-building movement, had taken the initiative to get together and had announced the establishment of Rapa.

These chiefs all had their own basic foundations. They had their own territory. In their territory, Diego’s words were not so useful.

This had made Lance think that if he could win over more of the ruling group to his side, then his chances of being elected as the ”interim representative” would become even greater.

Of course, these were just the considerations for now, just an outline, a rough idea.

He had quickly returned to his senses from these thoughts, and his thoughts had continued from the topic they had been talking about. ”Paul, I can call you that, right?”

Minister Rabour nodded, not at all annoyed by the fact that a young man, who was about the same age as his son, was calling him by his first name, without even the most basic honorific.

His face was full of an amiable smile. ”Of course. There is no need to be so polite between friends.”

”Sometimes, politeness itself is a sign of alienation!”

This was considered to be an acknowledgment of Lance’s address.

”Paul, for you to have your son follow me and learn, I am not against it, but I have just thought for a moment. I can’t think of what I can teach him.”

”And this might, in front of those ministers, and Diego...” he had made some hand gestures, like drawing a circle, ”...make you not so sociable.”

”So I can’t agree to this request of yours.”

The smile on Minister Rabour’s face had frozen for a moment, and then it had gradually faded. He had not expected this to be the end.

But fortunately, Lance had added very quickly.

”Although I can’t let your son follow me and learn, I can introduce him to go to the Federation for further studies.”

”Whether it’s to continue to go to university, or to intern in some government departments, or to intern in some capital groups, it’s all possible.”

”I am very immodestly of the opinion that the Federation will be the center of the world in the future. There will be the most outstanding group of people in the world.”

”To let your child integrate into the environment of the Federation when the competition is not so fierce, for him, for you, and for the Rabour family, maybe it’s a better choice?”

”And to do so will not overly stimulate Diego and the other ministers. Diego, this person, sometimes has a bad temper. His emotions will dominate his reason, and will make him make some inappropriate decisions.”

”This proposal of mine will, to the greatest extent, avoid this situation from happening. No one will know about us...”

”You think about it?”

Although he had completely finished, it had already let Minister Rabour understand what he meant.

Minister Rabour, after listening, had seriously thought for a moment. He had considered this idea before, but it had not been chosen by him.

Because he could, at any time, let his son go to the Federation. To go to the Federation did not represent his ”defection.” On the contrary, to have his son follow a radical approach like Lance’s would clearly be able to show his sincerity.

But Lance had now given him more choices, and it didn’t seem bad.

Whether it was to intern in a government department, or to intern in a financial group, these were all very good choices. And he also admitted Lance’s view on the future, that the Federation would be the center of the world!

Maybe he should also, like Cassia, to bring his family to the Federation, and to completely become a federal person.

He was in the midst of consideration, in his thoughts, but he had already decided on the keynote.

After a long while, he had slowly nodded. ”Then I’ll have to trouble you with this. I have to thank you. You have given me a better choice and an opportunity.”

Lance smiled and waved his hand. ”We are friends. Friends help each other, there is no need to say thank you. We just need to keep in touch.”

Minister Rabour had understood Lance’s words. He had taken out a business card and had handed it over. ”This has my private number on it. You can find me through it at any time.”

”Even if I can’t respond immediately, I will respond to you in the shortest possible time!”

Lance nodded and put away the business card. ”You see when you are free. I can arrange for you and your family to take a trip to the Federation. At that time, there will be a special person to receive you.”

”At that time, I can introduce you to some new friends, such as Senator Cleveland.”

Minister Rabour, after listening, had nodded fiercely. ”That’s great. I have long heard of Senator Cleveland’s reputation. If I can talk to him in person, it would be my honor!”

”You will have this chance!”

Soon, Minister Rabour had left Lance’s manor by car. His purpose in coming here this time had already been achieved, so there was no need to stay any longer.

Just as Lance had said, at a time like this, although the situation already had some signs, it was best not to overly stimulate those staunch ”conservatives” before it was completely clear, so he had left early.

After he had returned, he had not yet sat down and had sorted this matter out again, when Diego’s call had come.

”I hear you went to the federal people’s manor?”

Minister Rabour immediately replied, ”Yes, I went for a trip.”

”I wanted to see what on earth they are going to do. Now people are all spreading this ’Federation Control Zone.’ This kind of an excessive statement has completely harmed our interests and feelings. I think it is unacceptable to us!”

Listening to Minister Rabour’s tone, which was filled with an unconcealable indignation, Diego’s tone had suddenly softened. ”What did he say?”

”Lance White told me that the ’Federation Control Zone’ is just what people are saying. He has no such consideration.”

”He is just spontaneously helping us to maintain the city’s public security situation, because they have invested in and built many factories in the industrial park, and a stable society can help them to produce better.”

”These damn capitalists are so ugly that it’s shocking. At a time like this, they are still thinking about the factory’s production.”

Diego, after hearing this, couldn’t help but laugh out loud. ”These federal capitalists are just like this. No matter how chaotic the situation is, for them, it’s not as important as making money.”

He paused for a moment as he spoke. ”Since it’s like this, then we don’t have to bother him, but what we should protest, we still have to. You follow up on this matter, and complain to their Secretary of State or someone.”

Minister Rabour agreed. ”I’ll call their Secretary of State later. In addition, I’ve heard something.”

”What?” Diego asked.

His mood had already eased a lot, and he was not as suspicious as before.

It was clear that Minister Rabour was still a good person of Rapa, and had not betrayed him and this country!

”The Jede Republic’s side is organizing a new round of negotiations, with the Federation.”

”My idea is that we should be more involved in the negotiations.”

”The previous negotiations were all done by the Jede people. We were just going through the motions.”

”Now the situation in Rapa is clearly inextricably linked with the federal people. I think we should personally go to the Federation and to be deeply involved in the negotiations!”

”We will personally, face to face, question them, about what on earth they have done in our country!”

Feeling Minister Rabour’s strong, angry emotions, Diego’s mood became even better.

”You want to go over personally?”

When he had said this, Minister Rabour still felt his scalp tingle a little. This son of a bitch was still probing.

He immediately added, ”It is we who will go together. I will be your most solid backing, Diego!”

President Diego was finally completely at ease. ”You have a point, but now is not a good time for me to leave Rapa...”

”How about this? I will communicate with the Jede Republic’s side. At that time, you will go with them.”

”Remember, if you have a chance, help me to curse their president a few times!”