Empire of Shadows

Besides the Lawrence family members in Goldport City, there were also some people Lance hadn't met.

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They didn't live in Goldport City, but went to other places. The Saint-Farmer Festival was the day they gathered every year.

Although other festivals were also important to them, this was the only holiday when they gathered together.

Lance and Patricia went to see her horse.

There were no knight's attire or whips, just ordinary clothes.

Outside the stable was a paddock of about a thousand square meters, where some horses were strolling and eating the grass on the ground.

When Patricia called out "Carrot", one of the horses with a shiny mane suddenly raised its head and looked over.

After a few seconds, it made a clear starting motion, and the streamlined muscle contours suddenly tightened and became obvious, as it ran towards them.

Patricia waved her hand and screamed, and "Carrot" took the initiative to slow down as it approached.

When it got close to Patricia, it stopped completely.

Patricia rubbed its head, while one of its big eyes kept observing Lance.

Horses are strange things.

When it's far away from you, you'll find that this animal is so damn handsome!

But when it's close to you, very close, you'll find that this animal is so damn ugly!

"Let's go, let's brush its fur," she said, pulling Lance and leading "Carrot" into the stable. She found a stiff brush and started brushing "Carrot's" fur.

This was an action to enhance the relationship between people and horses. She was very serious, and she seemed a little naive when she focused on doing one thing.

"Carrot" was obviously enjoying it. It stood quietly in place, occasionally turning its head to nudge Patricia, creating a harmonious picture of people and animals.

It was a bit late today, and she didn't plan to take it out for a walk. After feeding "Carrot" some carrots and apples, she left.

"I remember you said there was also a lamb and a calf?" Lance asked on the way back to the farm.

A hint of an indescribable smile appeared on Patricia's face, or maybe it wasn't a smile, because her eyebrows were drooping.

If it was a smile, her eyebrows should have been raised.

"They… have returned to nature."

"Speaking of this, I'm very angry. They actually killed Sherry and Miles without telling me, and made them into… delicious food."

Patricia's face was slightly red, because she was the one who ate the most!

Lance couldn't help laughing and said, "It must have tasted very good, otherwise you wouldn't be able to forget it even now!"

Patricia punched him, then quickly took his arm again, "Once you start accepting the fact that your little pets have become dinner, it's actually not that sad."

"This is a farm, not an animal charity. This is the ultimate end for every animal."

"To be eaten!"

She paused for a moment, "Okay, let's not talk about these boring things. Tonight you will be able to eat the farm's special delicacies!"

It wasn't until evening that Lance realized that the so-called special delicacies were actually very primitive barbecued meat.

Large basins of barbecued meat were placed on the long table, and next to them were plates of baked potatoes, tomatoes, baked corn, and fruit salad.

Everyone had a plate in front of them, and in the small compartments of the plate were salt and some spices.

The three old men sat at the head of the table. Because today was not the Saint-Farmer Festival, there were not so many ritualistic things.

The oldest of the three old men was Hubert. He was the second oldest brother. The oldest brother died many years ago in an accident.

They all looked very healthy. Hubert picked up a spoon and knocked on the tin cup in his hand.

Yes, tin cups were the most common in the countryside.

Most poor people used wooden cups, cutting down a tree in the wild, taking a section they liked, and then hollowing out the trunk to leave a cup.

And those who were richer would ask a blacksmith to make them a tin cup.

The main reason why they were all tin or wooden cups was that they were not easily broken.

It wasn't that they couldn't afford beautiful glass cups, or even crystal cups, but on the farm, in the countryside, they were very likely to break.

And the glass shards that couldn't be cleaned up in time could potentially harm the hooves of the livestock.

The sound of the fork knocking on the tin cup silenced all the tables, and people's eyes focused on him.

"I have many happy things this year."

"The first thing that makes me feel happy is that our farm will continue to expand, and we have had another perfect harvest!"

The people at the table began to cheer, applaud, and whistle. This kind of family relationship was not like those political families, which would be very serious. There were not so many rules here, and everyone could do what they wanted to do.

Hubert's face was full of smiles. After a while, after people had vented some of their emotions, he nodded and signaled them to be quiet.

"The second thing that makes me happy is that William has become a city councilor. This is a long-term progress!"

Someone immediately shouted below, "William, say a few words to us!"

Soon someone booed, and Hubert also signaled William to say something.

It was indeed a very encouraging thing for the family to have a city councilor.

Hubert also signaled William to say something to everyone before this important festival arrived!

As landlords, they actually knew better than ordinary people what it meant for a city councilor to appear in the family.

If an ordinary person becomes a city councilor, then he can only be a city councilor.

But for a large family, having a city councilor means that there will be more civil servants in the family, and they will fill more government departments.

Their actual influence on the city's power will also become greater!

William had no choice but to stand up, but from the smile on his face, Lance could see that he was extremely proud now!

"Lance gave me a lot of help in this matter, including winning the election."

"With his help, I successfully got this position. I hope that with our efforts, we can go further."

"They used to say that only the Williams family and the Wade family were the real families, and we were just a group of farmers!"

"But now, we can proudly tell these people that it's time to face this problem!"

"Because we now have a councilor too!"

Hubert and his two brothers next to him nodded continuously. William said what was on their minds. For the old men, things in terms of reputation might attract their attention more than actual benefits.

Hubert nodded and signaled William to sit down. He then continued, "The third thing that makes me happy is that our family has grown a bit."

"This year, some new young people have come here. They will become our new family members. I like this."

"I like to see more and more people here every year!"

He looked at the servants beside him, "Pour us some wine!"

Some of the servants working on the farm began to pour wine for everyone. It wasn't very strong wine, only about a dozen degrees, and everyone had a glass.

The three old men stood up, and everyone else stood up as well. They raised their glasses high, and the smiling faces were all genuine smiles under the reflection of the bonfire!

The next day…

Actually, Lance didn't really want it to be the next day so soon. The alcohol content of the farm's wine didn't seem too high, so it was easy for people to drink too much without realizing it.

And everyone was very enthusiastic. After the old men finished their blessings, everyone seemed to no longer abide by the rules of eating.

They casually left the table to grill on the spot by the fire, or some people with particularly good relationships stayed together to talk. In short, the atmosphere was very lively.

Lance was also very popular here, and many people came to him for a drink. Before he knew it, he had drunk a little too much.

When he opened his eyes the next morning, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

When he came out of the room, there were already many people in the hall.

Patricia, who was sitting on the sofa chatting with her sisters, saw Lance, immediately ended the conversation and walked over, "Do you want something to eat?"

"Later we are going to the pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins, which will be used for the Saint-Farmer Festival parade."

"Also, the grandfathers asked me to take you to the stable. You have to choose a horse."

"Choose a horse?"

Lance casually grabbed some food to fill his stomach. It tasted good and had a very primitive fragrance.

The fresh milk was also very good, but it was a little fishy.

"Everyone will have their own horse," William said, rubbing his head as he walked down the stairs.

Today he changed into the same clothes as the farmers, a white top, overalls, and a straw hat.

He had to go to the fields to do farm work. Only during the Saint-Farmer Festival would these family members in the big cities return to the farm, so they had to fulfill their responsibilities as family members.

This was the Lawrence family's family motto. No matter who they were, no matter what their status, they had to do farm work themselves for a day.

If a member of the Lawrence family doesn't care about the family's business, or even doesn't want to do farm work himself, how can you expect others to help you do the farm work well?

This is actually a kind of "ruling method," a way to govern those farmworkers. They use this method to tell those farmworkers, 'Don't you dare fool me!'

Because I also know how farm work should be done and to what extent.

Emily didn't put on farmer's clothes. Although she followed her husband's surname, she didn't have Lawrence family blood flowing through her veins, so she didn't have to work.

"Do you have one too?" Lance asked.

William nodded, "Yes, you'll see it later."

Lance looked at Emily, and Emily also nodded, "I have one too, a gentle little mare."

"Although I don't quite understand this custom, I think riding a horse is acceptable."

In the morning, they harvested pumpkins and found more than five hundred pounds of large pumpkins, but old Hubert didn't think they would necessarily win the giant pumpkin competition.

There are many farms around, and the Lawrence family gives out three hundred dollars every year as a reward for the first place in the giant pumpkin competition.

These giant pumpkins are often used as supplementary ingredients in feed; they don't eat them themselves.

Through special cultivation, the pumpkins are getting bigger and bigger, and the local government, including the Likalai State government, actually strongly supports this activity.

This can be seen as a sign of agricultural success!

After harvesting the pumpkins, Lance was taken to another stable, where there were also many horses.

Lance didn't understand these things, but fortunately, Patricia knew a lot and picked out some good horses for him.

The rest was just communicating and building relationships. Actually, the farm also knows they won't come back often, so it's more of a symbolic gesture.

Perhaps, to the elders, these horses represent those family members who have left the farm.

Lance noticed another, larger stable in the distance, "Are those also horses over there?"

Patricia nodded, "That's where the three grandfathers raise champion horses. The best horses on the entire farm are there, and they plan to send some of them to races this year."

Horse racing is also a very important social activity, and people from all walks of life love it.

For the lower and middle classes, betting on horse races to win money is what they pay more attention to.

For the upper and middle classes, effective socializing through these horse races is what they pursue.

Due to special reasons, there are many large landowner classes in the federal upper class, and politicians with these backgrounds have their own horses, or even racehorses.

It's easy to strike up a conversation with them through these things, in the horse race lounge.

At the same time, horse racing is also a very worthwhile investment project. Its investment is huge, and the return rate is also very high.

As long as a racehorse can win a championship, it means it will become a cash printing machine that constantly squeezes cash out of the bell.

For racehorses like Triple Crown winners, the price of each mating will make many people who don't understand these things feel crazy and incredible!

Thousands of dollars, tens of thousands of dollars, or even hundreds of thousands, just for mating!

Sometimes, it's hard not to feel that people are really worthless, not even as good as horses.

Lance spent the entire Saint Farm Festival at the farm and in town. The Lawrence family has a high profile and is very respected in the nearby town.

The atmosphere of the event was very lively, and with so many tourists, this was the most leisurely vacation Lance had spent since coming to the Federation and to this time.

But as long as it's a vacation, it always comes to an end.

They stayed here for nearly a week before starting their return journey one by one.

Lance also established initial connections with these people, and they also regarded Lance as a formal member of the family!

When Lance left, old Hubert even warned him that if he was just playing around with Patricia, he would take the hunting rifle that had killed more than a dozen bears on his wall and go to Goldport City to find him…

These days, Lance also negotiated a business deal with the three elders: liquor.

The farm has enough crops that can be used for winemaking. If these crops are only sold as crops, such as wheat, it's currently four dollars and forty-seven cents a barrel.

But a barrel of wheat can brew at least sixty liters of beer. According to the price at Lance's bar, a single liter of beer costs fifteen cents, which is nine dollars, directly doubling the price.

If it is sold in bars outside, then it can probably be sold for twelve or thirteen dollars, or even fifteen dollars!

This is why everyone is trying to do a smuggling liquor business. Even if these liquors are smuggled from Yalan or other places, after deducting the shipping costs, they can still make a lot of money!

The three elders were very interested in the winemaking business Lance proposed. Instead of directly retailing these crops for almost less than five dollars a barrel, it was better to turn them into liquor worth nearly ten dollars.

It's just that they are relatively primitive in terms of brewing technology and don't have good sales channels.

Under the environment of Prohibition, this large-scale brewing and sales cannot be completed by small workshops. They must have a complete industrial chain to produce, otherwise, it is better to sell grain directly.

Lance filled this link. No matter how much liquor they can come up with, Lance can sell it, so the three elders immediately made a decision.

A considerable part of the grain is used for winemaking, and not many people know about this yet.

Lance believes that a large amount of liquor trade can make the Lawrence family richer, and it will also bring him a lot of wealth. Perhaps soon, this family will undergo a transformation!

After having wealth and political resources!

The Saint Farm Festival is a national holiday, and many institutions will have holidays, including government departments.

The Hazardous Materials Administration also had a holiday, and a three-day holiday. Ponda took Lisa to spend a good three-day holiday in Creek Valley City.

Because of the special environment of Creek Valley City and the local city hall's proposal of "tax incentives for filming locally," more people have come to Creek Valley City to film.

And the Creek Valley City City Hall is negotiating with the Likalai State government, and they plan to promote the transformation of Creek Valley City's industrial focus.

Transforming a tourism and light industrial city into a "City of Film."

The local mayor saw the booming development of the film industry and also saw an opportunity for urban development.

Being close to Goldport City has not brought many good opportunities to Creek Valley City. Instead, it is constantly sucking blood from Creek Valley City. If it does not find another distinctive development path that is differentiated from Goldport City.

Perhaps in a few years, Creek Valley City will become a district of Goldport City.

They already have a "Creek Valley District" now!

The Likalai State government is also very interested in these proposals, after all, "cultural construction" is also an important political achievement.

So, during this time, there are not only tourists who like the film atmosphere in Creek Valley City, but also some government officials who are conducting research and inspections here, including Mr. Hoff (opinion leader in the Goldport City area).

He had just finished a meeting, came out of the conference room, took the elevator to the hotel lobby, and was about to go to the door to leave by car when he noticed a woman in a booth in the corner of the hotel lobby.

Lisa.

He frowned slightly, then looked at Lisa and her pregnant belly with a playful look, with a meaningful smile on his face, and then walked out of the hotel.