Empire of Shadows

Rapa’s civil war had completely broken out. Diego had sworn to take back everything he had lost from these anti-government armed forces!

But... not many people were optimistic that he could take these things back. Sometimes, when some things are lost, they are lost. To want to take them back is not such an easy matter.

And the ruling group, internally, was also not so united.

Those who had placed heavy bets on Diego, those who were wavering and watching from the sidelines, and those... who had already defected to the Federation, and those who were planning to defect to the Federation.

Minister Rabour came out of his office. A day’s work was over.

He, this Minister of Foreign Affairs, was now actually just a huge decoration.

To communicate with the Federation’s side, he was not needed. There was a Federal Ambassador who could be responsible for the relevant liaison matters.

To liaise with the other countries of the Yalan League, he was also not needed. Diego himself could just make a phone call to solve everything.

He had now become the most idle person in this country. Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be a very important department, he really had nothing to do now.

Others might still be working overtime in their offices to plan for the future development trend of the civil war, but he only needed to sit behind his desk and watch the clock point to 17:00.Then he could pick up his packed briefcase, say hello to the secretary at the door, and then he could go home.

If it had been in the past, he might have felt, more or less, a little dissatisfied. Although his authority was not reflected in his work—

The Rabour family was a very powerful family in Rapa. According to the federal way of dividing regions, they ruled about two states’ worth of land, which also included a part of the primitive jungle.

About 1.4 million people lived on their family’s territory, and the Rabour family could, in a short period of time, mobilize an army of at least 100,000.

They controlled all the resources on their family’s land.

Minerals, water, timber, furs, everything.

This was the true embodiment of his authority, not in his work.

A Minister of Foreign Affairs, in an environment that was as dictatorial as Diego’s, how much power could he carve out from the government?

But I don’t want it, I don’t have it, and even if I had it, I don’t use it. These are completely different things.

In the past, he would have felt a little dissatisfied. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not like Rapa’s number one ministry, the Ministry of Agriculture, which had a very large social influence and the authority given by the government.

A poor and backward country, with almost no diplomacy.

If it weren’t for the Jede Republic insisting on promoting the establishment of the United Alliance of Yalan, his workload might have been even less than now!

Everyone is equal in private, but why, on the issue of his position, has he not gotten any real benefits?

But now he was no longer considering these. After he had returned from the Federation, his mentality had already undergone a huge change.

As a Minister of Foreign Affairs, although he didn’t really like this job of his, he at least had a certain understanding of it.

He also had his own views on diplomatic issues.

In order to understand some of the changes in the world situation more clearly, he also had a certain degree of understanding of the Federation, this country across the coast.

In fact, to say ”a certain degree” was a modest way of saying. He, like Cassia, had a high regard for some of the things in the Federation, so it was not just ”a certain degree,” but a certain depth of understanding.

He knew what a governor in the Federation represented.

Senator Cleveland had, on behalf of Congress, recognized his surrender, and had also, through himself, and some other channels, learned about the Rabour family’s influence in the local area of Rapa.

The senator had promised him that as long as Rapa’s side moved closer to the Federation, and became a part of the Federation, he, on behalf of Congress, had promised to make Minister Rabour one of the governors on the Rapa side.

And he would have an even larger territory than he had now. The land of the two states would be merged and would also annex some of the surrounding territories.

He had seen a map, in Senator Cleveland’s office.

That was a map of Yalan, but it was also different from the Yalan region that Minister Rabour usually saw, because it only had an outline, and was not a part that was cut according to the current national border.

=The senator had told him that this was the regional division of the Yalan region after it had integrated into the big family of the Federation.

The Federation had a total of 19 states, and Congress was planning to divide another 22 states in Yalan. This way, the Federation would have 41 states.

The reason why so many states were planned on the Yalan side was mainly to appease a part of the people who had taken the initiative to come over, for example, someone like Minister Rabour.

To have come over at a time like this, when the situation was actually not yet clear, was certainly not because he really liked the Federation, but purely a kind of a gambler’s speculation.

The greater the risk, the greater the reward should be. A governor, and even Senator Cleveland had hinted to him that this governor could be hereditary, and could be passed down. Then Minister Rabour no longer had a single worry.

He wanted to be a person with progressive ideas. Humanity was originally a collective. Why should it be cut apart by national borders, by nationality?

And the Federation and the Yalan region are so close. Maybe their ancestors had all come from the same place.

Whether it was Senator Cleveland or Minister Rabour, they had both subconsciously ignored the fact that ”federal people” were not ”real federal people.”

But this wrong expression of theirs, on the contrary, had a correct communication ability, which had let each other understand the meaning that the other wanted to convey.

At this time, Rabour was carrying his brand-new briefcase, which he had bought from the Federation. He had just left the office building when he had seen someone running towards him.

It was a young man. He knew him, and their relationship was not bad, because he and this young man’s father were friends.

His father was another minister. Although his family was not considered a top family, in Rapa, he was also considered a member of the ruling class.

”Minister Rabour, if you have nothing else to do tonight, my father would like to invite you to dinner.”

Looking at the sincere smile on the young man’s face, Minister Rabour had considered for a moment, and had nodded. ”Alright, no problem. It just so happens that I don’t have any other arrangements tonight.”

”You drive in the front, and I’ll take my own car.”

The young man had quickly run away and had gotten into a car on the side of the road. Minister Rabour had then gotten into his own car, and had had his driver follow that car.

Soon, the five cars (two for the young man, three for Minister Rabour) had stopped outside a manor in the southern rich district, which had a relatively quiet and private environment.

These people of Rapa, compared to the Federation, were far behind in many fields, such as science and technology, education and culture, finance and economy, industry, everything.

But in terms of enjoyment, especially the enjoyment of the gentlemen, they were able to maintain the greatest degree of similarity.

After the convoy had stopped, Minister Rabour had just gotten out of the car when he had seen the Minister of Industry, who was already standing at the foot of the steps.

When he saw this guy, he didn’t know why, but he had suddenly felt a little like laughing. His muscles had, with a little uncontrollability, undergone some deformation, and had turned into a smile that he was trying to hold back.

This had made the Minister of Industry a little confused. He had even looked down at his own attire, to see if there was anything inappropriate, or impolite.

But after he had looked at it carefully, he had not found anything inappropriate, and only then had he asked in a somewhat probing tone, ”Is there something wrong with me?”

Minister Rabour and his hand had shaken. He had shaken it vigorously. ”No, it’s nothing. You certainly don’t want to know.”

The more he had said so, the more the Minister of Industry had wanted to know. ”Maybe you will want to know?”

Minister Rabour couldn’t help but laugh out loud. ”You see, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Commerce...”

The Minister of Industry was stunned for a moment, and then a few more smiles had appeared on his face, sarcastic, and mocking, but not at himself, nor at Minister Rabour, but at this country, and even at Diego.

”The most useless ministers,” was what they were called. Don’t be fooled by the fact that everyone was a minister. These people, in their hands, really had no power at all.

To say so might be a little over the top. Maybe there was a little, but certainly not much.

The two had let go of their hands. The Minister of Industry had supported Minister Rabour’s arm, and the two had walked up the steps together.

”I have brought two chefs over from Makan. They are good at making Makan’s specialty dishes, so I have specially invited you to come and have a taste.”

Makan and Rapa were about 1,500 kilometers apart. The area of the country was much smaller than Rapa, and the population was not large.

It was also mainly based on agriculture, supplemented by some fishery, but the fishery was not developed. The government did not interfere in this industry, nor were there any large-scale sea-fishing vessels, only ordinary fishermen who were rowing small boats to fish on the sea.

There were some spices in the local area that Rapa did not have, and in addition, the development of the social culture was different, so although everyone could be considered to be from Yalan, the cooking style of the Makan people was somewhat different from that of Rapa.

They would use more of the stimulating spices in the process of cooking, which would give people a very strong sensory stimulation. Some people didn’t really like their dishes, for example, Diego.

But there were also some who were very fond of Makan’s cooking style, believing that a stimulating taste was more conducive to eating.

Just to have found two new chefs was not enough to be the motive for inviting Minister Rabour over. He must have a deeper, hidden motive.

But he didn’t say it now, and Minister Rabour himself would not take the initiative to ask.

If he had asked, he might have lost the initiative, but if he had pretended to be confused, he could have firmly grasped the initiative.

The two had come to a relatively small reception room.

To say it was relatively small, but in fact, it was also two or three hundred square meters. Compared to the other large reception rooms, this place was indeed relatively small.

”What do you think of the current development trend of the domestic war?”

After the two had washed their faces, and their hands, and had sat down, the son of the Minister of Industry had helped them to bring in the coffee. The Minister of Industry had, taking the opportunity, opened today’s chat topic.

Minister Rabour sat there. He did not answer the other party’s question, but had taken out a pack of cigarettes, and had handed one to the other party. ”Try it. I brought it back from the Federation.”

”This small pack, it can be sold for about...” in his mind, he had done a quick conversion, ”...about 220 Paras.”

The Minister of Industry, who had heard this number, was suddenly a little surprised. He had taken the cigarette and had smelled it. ”It doesn’t seem to be anything special.”

As he spoke, he had taken out a lighter and had lit it for himself, and had then taken a deep drag.

The thick smoke had, as if it were substantial, entered his lungs, and had, after spinning for a circle, only then been slowly exhaled. An incredulous expression had appeared on his face.

After a few seconds, he had finally licked his lips, and had felt the change in the taste in his mouth.

”It’s a little sweet, and there’s also a nutty aroma and a taste of milk!”

”I’ve only felt this kind of a change in taste in some high-end cigars!”

An incredulous expression had appeared on his face. To do this on a cigarette, is it appropriate?

But soon he had been relieved.

A pack of cigarettes is only twenty. On average, each one costs ten Paras.

To be able to clearly perceive the other party’s shock, Minister Rabour had pursed his lips and smiled. ”This kind of cigarette is actually also very expensive in the Federation, but ordinary people can afford it.”

”We don’t have this style of cigarette here yet, so I brought some back, and also some other things.”

”Next time, I’ll have my butler send some over. I hope you will like it.”

The Minister of Industry nodded. He did not speak immediately, but was in thought.

He was thinking about Minister Rabour’s use of this, which seemed to have no relation to his own question, to answer him. Was there some other purpose or intention?

He thought for a moment, and was a little unsure. Then he had continued with his previous question. ”Now Diego has a large number of troops in his hands. Have you not found that his attitude towards us, in this period, has already had some changes?”

Minister Rabour tapped his cigarette ash. ”The changes you’re talking about, what kind of changes?”

The expression of the Minister of Industry had not changed much either, as if he were talking about a very ordinary matter. ”If it had been in the past, and he had wanted to let the Jede people enter the Presidential Palace to work, or to intervene in the work of other departments, he would definitely have discussed it with us before making a decision.”

”But this time he did not discuss it with us at all, and had directly finalized this matter, and had even told us what had happened after it had been implemented.”

”The him now has had a great change from the him in the past. He has become a little difficult for me to understand.”

He laughed twice as he spoke, and took another puff of his cigarette. ”People all say he is a dictator. Does he really think of himself as a dictator?”

This question actually had a lot of depth, because what the public saw was not necessarily the real thing. They could only, in the limited intelligence and news they had obtained, to get a one-sided result.

But they, these people of the ruling group, knew very well that Diego still could not reach the step of becoming a real ruler.

This sentence of his, besides being a complaint, was actually also a probing of Minister Rabour’s attitude.

Minister Rabour nodded slightly. ”He indeed did not do this very well. Such a big matter, even I, this Minister of Foreign Affairs, did not know. This is really too inappropriate.”

”And the Jede side also did not notify me. I had no idea what had happened. Just like you, I only knew when he had announced it.”

The Minister of Industry nodded. The two sides had reached an agreement on this issue. He then said, ”I always feel that Diego, after he has expanded his army, has gradually deviated from the ’course’.”

”Now even if we go and correct him, I’m afraid he won’t be able to listen.”

”After all, that is 200,000 fully armed soldiers, and they only listen to him.”

His tone was filled with a trace of indignation. Minister Rabour sighed. ”Now his fist is the biggest, and you know, Diego’s temper is very bad.”

”If you go against him, he will go against you. If you want to persuade him of anything, you can only find a good time, and to go with his flow.”

The Minister of Industry sneered. ”I’m just afraid that now he can’t even listen to the words that go with his flow.”

The conversation had reached this point. The information that had been revealed was actually already a lot. He had completely shown his dissatisfaction with what Diego had done recently, so this topic did not need to be continued. He had done what he had wanted to do.

After about a dozen or so seconds, ”I don’t know where this war will end up.”

”Actually, sometimes I’m thinking, who on earth is controlling the outbreak of this civil war, and its direction?”

”The anti-government armed forces, that what’s-his-name Pedro?”

”Or is it Diego?”

”Or is it someone else?”

Minister Rabour smiled. ”Who knows?”

This was not the answer that the Minister of Industry had wanted, but he also knew that there were some things that the other party would certainly not say so easily.

”Let’s not talk about these damn topics.”

”Let’s talk about your trip to the Federation!”

”This time you went to the Federation. Did you see those big shots?”

”The president, the senators or something?”

He had begun to take the initiative to lead the topic in this direction. Minister Rabour had continued to play dumb. ”I didn’t see the president. Maybe I’m still not qualified.”

”The people from the Jede side also did not see the president himself. The one they saw was the Secretary of State.”

”I have also met a few of the senators. We talked about some issues at the negotiating table, and then we came back.”

This kind of an answer, which had not revealed any information, had made the Minister of Industry a little unable to sit still. ”Did you not...”

He had used some small hand gestures, to let Minister Rabour better understand the content he wanted to express. ”Get in touch or something?”

Minister Rabour had a half-smile on his face. ”How do you want me to get in touch with them?”

”And about what?”

The Minister of Industry had a bit of a headache. ”Rabour, to be honest, I don’t really like to beat around the bush. I’ll just say it straight.”

”Now the situation in Rapa is making me feel more and more uneasy. Diego and his few lackeys, because they have grasped more military power, have begun to swell.”

”If they win this war, there will be even less of a place for us in the Rapa government!”

”And this matter has the participation of the Jede people. I am very worried that after they have won the war, they will, with their victory, turn around and deal with us.”

Minister Rabour took a final drag on his cigarette, and then stubbed it out in the ashtray.

He crossed his legs, and patted a bit of the ash that had fallen on his trouser leg, which was actually not visible if you didn’t pay attention. ”Why would you think that?”