Empire of Shadows

Sleepiness is a magical thing; it's not like pain, which you can endure.

Or like glue that's about to dry, where you might hold on a little longer.

The more you fight sleepiness, the sleepier you get, until your entire consciousness becomes a chaotic mess, muddled and confused, not knowing what you've said or done.

Tom is very sleepy now; his body is protesting to his mind. What he needs most is 'a little sleep,' not sitting here listening to some minor character's thoughts.

But he endured it. Small figures also have their value. At least, Lance has put in a lot of effort to help them suppress the workers' strike, and he did a pretty good job.

Lance also noticed his sleepiness and sped up his speech a lot.

"This matter has to start from the end of the year…"

He explained why he wanted to buy grapes, his judgment of the situation, and the first deal with the Ligee Group.

Tom became a little interested and less sleepy.

For men, as long as you find his sensitive and exciting spot, he can cheer up again in a short time!

Politics, economics, and games are all of interest to Tom.

He lit a cigarette, and his eyes didn't seem as completely unable to open as they had been just now. "And then?"

"Then I used a shell company to squeeze four million from the Ligee Group this time."

Tom stared at Lance for a while, stunned. "You are a brave man, Lance. Then let me guess, they didn't pay you this money?"

"Yes, and they even plan to kill me!"

Tom couldn't help laughing after listening. He patted the sofa beside him, "Four million!"

He nodded and said, "Four million, how many times can that buy assassins to try to get rid of you?"

"You are the boldest person I have ever met. So, what are your thoughts now?"

Lance repeated what the vice president had said to him, and then said, "I am willing to donate two million to the Senator's foundation."

Tom squinted at Lance, as if discerning whether he was telling the truth or lying.

During the presidential election, the President's campaign funds were about 22 million.

In other words, if Lance can donate two million, it is equal to one-tenth of the election campaign funds!

This is definitely not a small sum, but it's not too much.

Tom did not immediately agree but thought about it seriously.

This matter is not just as simple as four million or two million. Behind it is actually the stock price issue of a group that controls a monopoly on agricultural product channels.

The fight for capital has never been so simple and superficial. Sometimes, just a "small pebble" can cause a group company to collapse.

He pushed his hair on his forehead a few times, "I'll make a call, you sit for a while."

Tom stood up, holding the armrest of the sofa, and then left quickly.

He went to the study, closed the door, and then made a call to Senator Cleveland.

Senator Cleveland also had social engagements in the evening, but he didn't drink too much, and no one could make him drink too much.

As a rising senator, people are eager to curry favor with him, so how could they make things difficult for him?

Although everyone was very enthusiastic, not many people insisted on clinking glasses with him.

"Tom, what's the matter?"

Tom repeated what Lance said, "The Ligee Group has a market value of over one billion, and every point is a market value fluctuation of tens of millions."

"In addition to the stock price issue, there is another point: that vice president wants to go further, and he also needs someone to support him."

"If we stand behind him, then our influence on the Ligee Group will become greater, and some people may be interested in this matter."

He was still a little drunk just now, but now he gradually became sober. He realized that this was not a small matter!

Being aggressive and joining those capitalists to attack the Ligee Group could earn them tens of millions in profits.

Then Senator Cleveland, who allowed them to earn wealth, would naturally be more respected and feared by them, and Senator Cleveland could also obtain very real benefits from it.

If he was more conservative, then he would choose someone who meets their interests to take office when some changes occur within the Ligee Group's board of directors.

It doesn't have to be the vice president, but it must be someone who meets their interests.

An agricultural product channel merchant with a market value of one billion and a monopoly position can bring greater influence to Senator Cleveland!

For example, making him more well-known among a large group of farmers!

In this era of information blockade, fame often represents votes!

In fact, many voters do not know so many politicians at all, so when these people need to vote, they often choose someone they know and feel is not too bad to vote for.

This is the most real side of federal voters. You must have fame to have votes!

This is also why everyone is now frantically engaging in various campaign activities, only in this way can more people know them.

The Ligee Group is backed by a large number of farmers. Although the Ligee Group is not a good thing in the minds of farmers, it does have a clear influence on these people.

And the farmer class is an important social component of the Federation, so whether it is an aggressive step forward or a conservative step back, it can bring great benefits to Senator Cleveland.

It was precisely after figuring this out that he gradually realized that Lance came to him, expressing his "confusion," not to ask for help.

He is here to make a deal!

A bold guy!

Senator Cleveland did not give him an answer immediately, "It's too late, the people I need to contact either can't be contacted or have already rested, so this matter will be discussed tomorrow."

He paused for a while, thinking, "I have time from 1:00 to 2:30 in the afternoon, so keep an eye on my phone then."

"If necessary, you can bring him to my office, we need to sit down and discuss these matters in detail."

"That…"

Tom reminded him, "Lance, sir."

"Yes, Lance, tell him, don't be so anxious."

"Since you have come to New King City, find someone to take them around and have fun."

This is actually also a kind of statement. You will not take guests you look down on to wander around, but only take those you think are valuable to you.

The next day, Senator Cleveland turned down some less important work in the morning and briefly communicated with the senators in his political circle.

If any of them have chips on the Ligee Group, or the Ligee Group is "one of their own," then he will most likely take a conservative approach.

But if there are no people on their side, and the capital supporters behind him intend to operate on the Ligee Group, then this will be an aggressive choice.

Nothing to say overnight.

Early the next morning, after Senator Cleveland got up, he contacted the senators in his political circle who had a good relationship with him.

Congress is a very special place. Although the Social Party is still the majority party in Congress, there have been some predictions that the seats in the next Congress will face huge adjustments again.

It is possible that the Liberal Party will once again become the majority party in Congress after many years.

Therefore, there are also many changes within Congress now, both good and bad.

Forming political interest circles (interest groups) is very necessary for these senators. Staying together for warmth is always the best choice, regardless of strength!

After picking up and putting down the phone again and again, Senator Cleveland already had some ideas.

There are no people from the Federal Agriculture Committee and the Federal Agricultural Products Trade Committee in his circle, so there will be no overlap with the Ligee Group.

There are more directions he can choose.

Lance thought he would receive a call at noon, and he kept waiting.

Whether it is a capitalist or other organization, including the mafia, if they want to move up and continue to grow, they must have stronger supporters.

Otherwise, they can only be trapped in a small area, and there is always a disaster that will destroy them!

If someone wants to get rid of Lance and wipe the Lance family out of King's Landing City.

Then they only need to replace the mayor, replace the police in the city, and the Lance family will not be able to survive!

You can't fight the police every day. They get paid to make trouble for you, but you still have to take care of business, family affairs, and confrontation with them, and many other things!

There must be stronger support to allow him to go further.

Recently, when Lance had friction with the Kodak family, he could feel… a passive feeling.

The Kodak family did not choose to avoid it because they were afraid of them, but because they were unwilling to escalate the situation and ultimately affect themselves. They did not really value Lance. Even if they took a step back, Bandy still did not have Lance in his eyes.

Because the Kodak family has people in Congress, it is easy to move them, but those big figures behind them are difficult to deal with.

Councilor Williams will be in office in a year, and he cannot completely bet his "treasure" on Councilor Williams.

He took this opportunity to move around, contact Senator Cleveland, and see if he could expand his network of contacts.

He waited anxiously, Tom also waited anxiously. Senator Cleveland is a very punctual person and rarely misses appointments.

The bigger the figure, the less they deign to lie, and the less they deign to break their word. To become a big figure, self-discipline and keeping promises are the most basic requirements.

If you can't do it, you might get lucky and advance, but it definitely won't last long.

It wasn't until 6:40 PM that the phone in front of Lance suddenly rang!

He took a deep breath and waited for three rings before answering the phone, "This is Lance White."

"Sorry, we discussed it for a long time this afternoon. This matter had more options than I expected, so we took more time."

"We're going out for dinner later. Come over, and we'll sit down and talk slowly."

It was Senator Cleveland's call. He gave Lance an address, and Lance immediately rushed over.

This was a very secluded villa located on the edge of New Gold City. It didn't belong to any villa district. It had a large enclosed area with gardens or other things inside.

It was more like a small manor.

It was surrounded by lush vegetation. From the outside, you could only see a long wall of plants, with steel fences and spikes inside, and it was very high.

When Lance arrived, someone was already waiting for him at the door. He was only allowed to bring one person in, and he brought Madol.

The house's security personnel checked their bodies to make sure they weren't carrying weapons before allowing them to enter.

It looked very quiet here, but you could often see security personnel hiding in the shadows. It was loosely guarded on the outside but tightly secured on the inside; that's roughly what it was like.

There were also many dogs in the yard. When they saw Lance and Madol, they all stood up, their tails erect as they looked at them.

Someone nearby told the dogs to sit down, which was probably why they didn't rush over.

After entering the house, Lance quickly arrived at a first-floor side hall. Madol was asked to stay outside.

Because Senator Cleveland only mentioned Lance's name.

Lance straightened his clothes, puffed out his chest, and strode in.

At a gambling table, Senator Cleveland sat. He turned to look at Lance and said with a smile, "One last hand. Wait a moment, and I'll introduce you to the gentlemen here."

Some other people also looked at Lance, but they were all very ordinary glances, and they didn't seem interested in him.

They weren't playing for high stakes; the wins and losses were only a few dozen dollars. It seemed a bit unworthy of their status and wealth.

But for them, gambling was just a form of entertainment; the main thing was conversation.

Sitting there doing nothing but talking was too boring. Playing cards while talking was more interesting.

Lance didn't quite understand the cards they were playing; they were quite complicated. After more than ten minutes, the game finally ended.

These small wins and losses were the same as no wins or losses for them, but even if it was just a tiny bit of money, as long as they could determine a winner and loser, they would be satisfied.

Servants each pushed small carts with basins and towels to their sides. They washed their faces and hands.

Constantly touching cards and money would make some of them feel uncomfortable, with a feeling of uncleanliness.

"Let's go, we'll go to the restaurant first and talk while we eat."

He took the initiative to lead Lance to the front. After they entered the restaurant, Lance saw Tom.

The two exchanged glances. There were many people around Tom, some Lance had seen before, some he hadn't. They were probably other people's aides.

The restaurant was large, but only two tables were open. Tom and his group sat at the table in the corner, while the largest and most luxurious table in the middle was occupied by these people.

Some people always had humble smiles on their faces, some had an arrogance and leisure, some were cold and indifferent, and you couldn't see any emotional fluctuations in them, but they all had one thing in common: they had an extraordinary richness and nobility!

A trait that could be seen through at a glance!

Their elaborate clothing was elaborate down to the direction and angle of each thread and the way it was finished. All the accessories were also exceptionally fitting and appropriate. When you saw them, the word that came to mind was 'aristocrat'.

The Federation doesn't have aristocrats, but these people are precisely aristocrats.

They are aristocrats without aristocratic titles, invisible rules, aristocrats that people can't see!

"Sit next to me."

Lance had already walked to the very end, but Senator Cleveland still asked him to come to his side. He hesitated for a moment, but eventually walked over.

"Let me introduce you. First, I want to introduce our young and handsome Senator, Charles Liston."

Lance followed the direction he pointed and saw a middle-aged man who should actually be around fifty years old. Because of his appearance and maintenance, Lance wasn't sure if what he saw could represent his true age!

Since the introduction was so grand, Lance stood up, bowed slightly, and said, "It's a great honor to meet you, Mr. Charles Liston!"

It could be seen that this group of people was in a good mood, so Senator Cleveland didn't mind saying a few more words, "Charles put aside important matters this afternoon and has been with us, discussing the things you mentioned."

"He made outstanding contributions to our decision, just like his ancestors did!"

"By the way, you may not know this, you can take a look at the Founding Charter, his ancestors signed it!"

This sentence finally brought a smile to Mr. Charles's face, "Oh, come on, Jeffrey, you don't need to let everyone know about this!"

Although he said that, Lance could see that this Mr. Charles attached great importance to his ancestor's participation in the founding of the country and also hoped that people would know about it.

In the Federation, there are fifty 'Founding Families' who signed their names on the Founding Charter, representing their forces, and jointly established the Federation.

Some people also believe that they are the largest exploitative ruling organization in the world because everyone who signed their name was a big landlord, a big farmer, a big plantation owner, a big slave owner…

They have a series of titles that make the little black skins tremble with fear, even 'warlords'!

But the 'Free Federation' that everyone yearns for was precisely established by these people who were best at wielding whips, which is really damn interesting!

But now when people mention these things, most of them don't think of these things.

They only feel a sense of historical heaviness and mission.

Everyone has their own 'desires'. Some people want wealth, some people want sex, and some people want fame.

Lance had just the right amount of disbelief and shock on his face, which greatly satisfied Charles's vanity, "You can call me Charles, like Jeffrey (Senator Cleveland)."

Lance nodded slightly, but he wouldn't call him that. Only very close people are qualified to directly call someone by their first name.

He said that to give Senator Cleveland face, not to give him face. If he really called him that, it would mean he didn't know his place, but he couldn't directly object.

So he would continue to call him 'Mr. Liston' instead of 'Charles', so that everyone would have face.

He knows what is appropriate!