Empire of Shadows

The ringing of the telephone pulled Mr. Thurley's gaze away from the news in his newspaper and towards the rather old, dark red telephone.

He put down his newspaper, took off his glasses, and picked up the phone, "This is the Kergan Circuit Management Company, Thurley speaking."

Mr. Thurley was the president of the Kergan Circuit Management Company, a family business.

Mr. Thurley's grandfather built the first cinema, and the novelty of film at the time attracted many curious people into the theater, earning them their first pot of gold.

The old man believed it was a brand new entertainment medium that was destined for greatness, because it wasn't incomprehensible like opera, and the price of admission was low, affordable for anyone.

The world had more poor people than rich people.

Getting five cents from each poor person was far easier than getting five million from a rich person, so Mr. Thurley's grandfather kept investing the money he earned into opening new cinemas.

Before that guy who shouted "Five cents to see a movie!" appeared, they were able to maintain a healthy business.

Their annual gross profit was roughly between three hundred thousand and five hundred thousand, depending on whether there were blockbuster movies.

But after the slogan and business strategy of "Five cents to see a movie!" came out, their profits plummeted.

Out of fear that others' five-cent tickets would steal their customers, everyone began to lower ticket prices.

Initially, none of them wanted to lower prices. He even attended social events organized by cinema operators, where everyone agreed to maintain prices together.

However, as some people secretly began to lower movie ticket prices at midnight screenings, the price war completely erupted.

Before the advent of sound films, the price of movie tickets in Golden State dropped to five cents in no time. It could be said that during those two years before sound films came out, filming movies was a gamble, and showing movies was a gamble!

Win the gamble, and you could make money.

Lose the gamble, and you would lose money.

The entire circuit had fourteen cinemas, operating in Golden State, and the business was doing quite well.

Golden State was a prosperous and wealthy place, home to some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the Federation.

Even a little something that slipped through their fingers was enough to feed the people here.

It was the region with the highest consumption level in the entire Federation, but people's wages were also very high.

In the federal government's statistics on average wages for ordinary people, it led the entire Federation with an average wage level of fifty-one dollars and fifty cents.

It was even twice the average wage in some remote areas!

This also made the people here more open and trendy in their consumption habits, and they were willing to accept new things.

So... their business was actually not bad.

However, a good business could not hide the fact that the cinema circuit had been losing money in previous years. If Mr. Thurley hadn't thought of these as "ancestral properties" and wanted to pass them down, perhaps he would only have half of the cinemas left now.

He sold all of his villas, cars, and everything else, using the money from the sales to maintain the cinemas.

If sound films had come any later, he might not have been able to hold on!

But fortunately, sound films came, arriving with unstoppable force, instantly reviving the cinemas and starting to make big money.

Everything he had lost was earned back in a very short period of time by showing movies, and earned back many times over.

Movie tickets were no longer five cents, but twenty-five cents, thirty cents, thirty-five cents!

Recently, some cinema operators in Golden State have been discussing whether to raise the price of movie tickets to above forty cents!

In short, he was enjoying a very pleasant life now.

His wife, who used to argue with him all day long over trivial matters, had become docile, and even willing to take the initiative to relieve his stress through oral pleasure.

His two children, who had always been indifferent to him, had also become sensible and obedient, knowing to hug him when he came home and tell him, "Welcome home."

If someone asked him how many steps it took to go from hell to heaven, he would definitely answer that person, there was only one step - becoming rich.

I should get a better-looking phone; this one is too old!

While thinking about this, he mechanically spoke the words he had said countless times into the microphone.

"Mr. Thurley, this is Wanli Film Company."

Mr. Thurley frowned when he heard the name, and then a mocking smile appeared on his face.

A small local film company actually wanted to split the box office with him?

He had attended the film festival and film exhibition in Creek Valley City and had immediately taken a fancy to the new type of film, "The Mystery of Angel Lake."

He inquired with the production company and was willing to buy out the film for eight thousand dollars to show in his fourteen cinemas.

In the end, they couldn't reach an agreement. Even when he offered a price of twelve thousand dollars, the production company did not agree; they only accepted a box office split.

Helpless, he agreed.

In the specific operation, he found that the other party did not have any good way to determine how many tickets he had actually sold, so an idea of defaulting on the debt arose in his heart and could not be erased.

He had earned tens of thousands of dollars from this film without paying a single cent, and it was still generating profits.

"It's you again?"

His voice unconsciously grew louder, "Sh*t, I've already told you."

"No one in Golden State cares about that so-called Mystery film you made, and no one likes to watch it. I haven't even sold a thousand tickets so far!"

"If you want money, no problem, I'll mail you a hundred dollars, but don't call me every day. I don't have time to waste with you greedy worms!"

He glanced at the steaming coffee and newspaper, as well as the pipe placed aside. He had an afternoon to spend here quietly.

The voice in the receiver was relatively young and unfamiliar, not the same people who had called before, "Mr. Thurley, other cinemas in Golden State have reported good box office results. Are you mistaken about something?"

Mr. Thurley cursed a couple of times, "What the hell does that have to do with me?"

"Listen, young man."

"I don't care how your movie is. It just doesn't sell here. I've already taken it off the screening list, understand?"

"Also, don't call me anymore!"

The young man's voice in the receiver did not become abnormal because of this, "Do you know what the consequences of doing this are?"

"Consequences?"

Mr. Thurley laughed twice, "Are you implying that you're going to come over and bite me?"

"Haha!"

He slammed the phone down, then shook his head and picked up the newspaper again.

For him, this was his job. He just had to sit here, and then every once in a while, the ticket office would send over a box of money.

His workers would count the money in front of him, stack it neatly, and then put it in a tin box.

In the evening, he would send a portion of it to the bank to deposit.

The job was like this: simple, easy, and not troublesome.

He didn't take the small film company far away in Licari State to heart. This was Golden State, not their small place.

Lance put down the phone, extinguished the half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray, and then looked at the director, "Anything else?"

The director took out several more cinemas and their detailed information, "Some of these also say that no one is watching, and some, although they have reported box office revenue, haven't sent the money over."

Lance took it and looked at it. They were all over the country, which was indeed a headache, but it wouldn't work not to do it this way.

"Is the situation the same with other film companies?" Lance asked, seeming to have some new ideas.

The professor shook his head, "Currently, only we are using the box office split model; they are still using the buyout screening method."

After all, buyout screenings had been going on for so many years, and for production companies, it allowed them to recover costs in one go, avoiding many troublesome issues.

For film investors, they also preferred the buyout screening model. The return cycle was very short after the film was completed, which was conducive to their capital mobilization and adjustment.

Seeing Lance's expression, the director lowered his voice slightly, "But in fact, everyone is also willing to use this model. Previously, two films together sold for nearly ten million, but they only sold for less than three million at film festivals."

"More than seven million in profits was eaten up by the cinemas, and the production companies are also discussing that they could actually get more from it."

"Moreover, the reason they were able to sell for so much money was also because they used gimmicks such as the first sound film to sell the price up."

"Now, even if it's the same type of film, perhaps seven or eight hundred thousand is the limit."

"And our film has already made almost that much profit."

Lance looked at the list again. The cinemas involved were scattered all over the place, involving more than a dozen cities in seven or eight states.

The room was very quiet while he was thinking. After two minutes, he asked, "If we can ensure that the box office split is feasible and maximize the benefits generated by the film..."

"Do you think there will be film companies that will give us their films for distribution?"

The director took a while to react, with an uncertain expression on his face, "Probably?"

"After all, as long as we prove this point, they should be able to understand that it can make them more money."

Yes, definitely!

Lance looked at Elvin, "Arrange it so that these movie theaters and their operators can transfer the money they owe me into the company's account as soon as possible."

"If anyone doesn't cooperate…", he paused slightly, and Elvin immediately understood.

No one can default on Lance's debt and live happily ever after.

"I know what to do," Elvin took the list and glanced at it, "I'll arrange it right away."

Lance added, "I'll personally go to this Kergan Cinema."

He happened to have some business to attend to in New Gold City. With the reopening of the casino and the funds squeezed from the Coda family, the first batch of money had begun to circulate.

He could have avoided going to New Gold City and directly transferred the money to the account designated by Tom.

But he could also go and let them know where this money came from and who gave it to them.

Giving benefits must be practical.

The director wore a surprised expression, "Won't this… cause some trouble?"

Lance shook his head, leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and said with a smile, "You're the professional when it comes to running a film company and making movies."

"But I'm the professional in this area."

Lance's thinking was simple: he wanted to make money from both criminal and legitimate businesses, and film was an industry with huge future potential and influence.

The federal social system had all sorts of problems, such as the upper class never treating the lower class as human beings. Those old men even said such things.

They believed that ordinary people were not human, the elite class was barely human, and only the upper class was human.

Some people even privately discussed depriving inferior people of their right to reproduce because they shouldn't continue to breed.

But people had to admit that they couldn't seem to do without these numerous lower classes. So, whoever had greater influence over the lower classes would have more initiative in economics, politics, and all aspects.

By mastering the more profitable distribution capabilities, film companies would become more dependent on him. Before they could do it themselves, they had to listen to Lance.

By the time they could do it themselves, Lance would have used this time difference to accomplish more things and more layouts, making his position even more unbreakable!

Think about it, if those highly famous movie stars and actors publicly expressed some views favorable to him, or stood by his side at critical moments, even if one day he stood in the defendant's seat, those prosecutors would have to carefully choose their words.

In the Federation, reputation is the best shield.

Police officers in the city could carelessly kill an unknown ordinary person for any reason, but they had to be extra careful when dealing with those well-known figures, and consider the consequences of causing trouble.

That's the benefit of reputation.

Lance needed reputation.

At the same time, this also represented huge economic benefits. When film companies found that they could gain more benefits from here, they would need to pay Lance a sum of money to help them distribute their films.

The money Lance could earn from here would no longer be a small number. It was a percentage of the total box office revenue of all federal films each year, rather than a specific number!

With benefits and vision, there was motivation.

Soon, the young men of the Lance family began to take action.

Lance also boarded the train to New Gold City.

Two days later.

When Lance came out of the station, that surging feeling of the era became very clear again. He stood on the steps of the station, as if he could hear the "blood" pumping through this city and this country, making its heartbeat.

The heartbeat of the era!

Everything here was filled with things that gave people strength!

He honestly liked this city.

After standing on the steps for a while, he adjusted his mood slightly, and his gaze fell on Tom, who was standing on the sidewalk below the steps. He shook hands with Tom.

"What made you decide to come in person?" Tom welcomed him into the car by the roadside. Lance's motorcade was also here.

He came by train. The motorcade came directly from the interstate highway. At this time, the speed of the train and the car was almost the same. As long as the car kept driving, it could be even faster.

After all, the time it took for a car to refuel was much faster than the time it took for a train to add coal and water.

Lance sat in the car, rocking back and forth, not letting his buttocks crush his clothes. "I'll send the first batch of money in advance and chat with the senator."

"Besides, I have some small things to deal with here."

Tom said jokingly, "The senator will have time in the evening, but it will be a little later."

Lance nodded, "No rush. The senator's affairs come first. Mine are just small things."

Tom said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "Yours isn't a small matter either."

He knew how much money Lance had sent over in this batch, so he said that.

After the two chatted briefly, Lance asked, "I've been reading the newspapers recently, and it seems that the conflict between us and Dantella is starting to escalate. Has there been any decision in Congress?"

Tom looked at Lance with some surprise.

If these words came from the mouths of those politicians, celebrities, or experts, he wouldn't find it strange.

But it felt absurd coming from the mouth of a gangster boss.

When did gangster bosses need to have an international perspective and a high degree of political sensitivity?

If all gangster bosses were like this, wouldn't the Federation be about to change?

He was only in a daze for a moment, and soon nodded with a smile, "This is no secret. The federal government will not compromise with the Dantella government. There is actually no possibility of compromise between us."

He seemed to want to say something but stopped. Lance sighed, "War is coming after all."

Tom asked, "Why do you think so?"

Lance looked at him as if he were looking at an idiot, which made Tom feel a little embarrassed, "I was just testing you."

"I hope you really were testing me!" Lance retorted, but soon he and Tom both laughed.

Neither of them continued to delve into this topic. Tom knew the "standard answer," so he wasn't that interested in Lance's answer. As long as the result was correct, that was fine.

Tom treated him to a meal. Federal dinners were just like that. Lance even thought it wasn't as good as what that stubborn old man Anderson made.

After dinner, he was taken to Senator Cleveland's working villa, which was where he worked and rested.

Although it was called a villa, it was more like a large office with a place to rest.

Although Congress provided each senator with an office, the small office couldn't accommodate the senator and his team at all.

So, except when they had to be in the office while on duty, they would work elsewhere at other times.

It was almost nine o'clock in the evening when the senator returned from outside, smelling of alcohol.