Shadow Empire

Chapter 1264 Arrangements and Selections

Some people ask capitalists how to make a person or a company become richer quickly.

Is it through hard work?
To get more workers to work more hours, continuously producing goods for the factory on the assembly line and then selling them?
Or should we work hard to research new technologies?
Using technological barriers to achieve a monopoly on product quality differences, and then making big money through that monopoly?
Ordinary small capitalists, including some medium-sized capitalists, might agree with these answers because that's what they're doing, or how they're rapidly accumulating more wealth.

But for the real big capitalists, this method is laughable.

Even if the products sell well, how much money can you make?

Many people believe that as long as they hire more people, produce more goods, and then sell those goods, they can make more money.

If we look at the changes in numbers alone, it seems that this is indeed the case, and of course, it is.

If there are ten people, and each person earns one dollar for the company, then the total is ten dollars.

If ten more jobs are created, then twenty workers will earn the company twenty dollars.

However, from another perspective, this algorithm is actually incorrect because the profit margin and costs have not changed, and may even have increased. In other words, if capitalists want to earn more, they have to invest more. This is not getting rich quick; it is just normal hard work, which is what lower and middle-level capitalists like the most.

For those high-level capitalists, what they pursue is a return of 99% on a 1% investment!

plunder!

The capitalists in the Socialist camp are unlikely to have any ulterior motives towards the soon-to-be-established Imperial Consortium, but the capitalists in the Liberal camp have far fewer concerns. They will definitely try to turn this growing consortium into a delicious dish and serve it on the table.

Back at the manor in the evening, everyone sat down at the dining table for dinner.

For the past year or two, Lance has rarely dined with everyone at the manor.

It's not that he's unwilling, but rather that he doesn't have the time or free time; he always has various things to do.

The pursuit of power is a race with no way back. You can only run forward, and you must run faster and faster, otherwise you will be overtaken by those behind you and become the fuel that they need to consume in their fast-running race.

This is not a competition, but it is more brutal than any competition.

Lance is already very happy to be able to come back occasionally and sit with everyone.

Almost everyone who could come showed up, but there were only five people.

As for the others?
They each have their own jobs and lives, and cannot stay here indefinitely.

In a daze, Lance thought of himself many years ago, and of the bakery he used to run. Perhaps to the people around him back then, it was unimaginable that they would achieve such success today.

Morris's cough brought Lance back from his dazed memories. He turned to look at Morris, who was coughing violently, and expressed his concern.

After coughing for a while, Maurice took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth. Some saliva had splashed out during the coughing, and he needed to wipe it off his lips and the area around his mouth.

He's now used to carrying multiple handkerchiefs with him. They're cheap, and he doesn't care if he throws them away after each use.

Of course, that's exactly what he did. A handkerchief would only be used two or three times at most, and then thrown away after three or four uses. It wasn't a bad handkerchief, but each one cost ten cents, which wasn't cheap.

After wiping the saliva around his mouth, he clutched the handkerchief in his hand and casually tossed it into the trash can at his feet. "I'm fine... it's just... you know, it's an old problem."

The scar tissue inside the body keeps growing, which is indeed a very troublesome thing, and these growing scars bring more risks.

Morris had a lot of stitches and repairs in his body, and doctors believed there was a risk of it becoming worse.

Moreover, these hardened fibrous scars are still growing, and the pulling and itch caused by this growth process will cause Morris to cough violently and incessantly.

He has been coughing more frequently in the past two years.

Lance was very concerned about his health. "What did the doctor say?"

At the table were Melo and Derek, as well as two girls, Corinda and Miriam, who were also looking at Maurice.

Morris pursed his lips and shrugged. He looked at Lance calmly and said, "The doctor advised me to prepare for surgery within the next two years to replace my lung. If I'm lucky, I won't cough anymore."

They had discussed this matter before, and Lance had even found some people who could donate organs for Morris. Of course, whether they were willing or not was not important; what mattered was that they could provide them!

The medical matching process has been completed. They have long ago found at least two of the most suitable organ sources with the least rejection reaction, ready to transplant organs for Morris at any time.

He hasn't had surgery yet, mainly because he's still a bit afraid of these things. Organ transplantation is still a relatively new technology, and no matter how big the hospital is, it's difficult to achieve 100% success.

The current success rate is only 70% to 80%, with a 20% to 30% chance of death.

Humans are creatures with a strong will to survive. Even if their current quality of life is terrible, they are unwilling to take unnecessary risks.

Lance looked at him and said, "You need to make a plan. You can't leave everything until the last minute."

"Giant ships always adjust their direction before docking. If you wait until their bow touches the shore, it will be too late."

Everyone here works at the docks, so they naturally understood what Lance was trying to say.

Changing direction also takes time.

Morris nodded. "I'll make plans for when my child is born."

Maurice's wife has already given birth to a girl and is now expecting their second.

Sitting next to him, Melo laughed and said, "He needs a boy to inherit everything he has!"

Morris laughed too, but the laughter strained his lungs, and he couldn't help coughing. "Yes, yes, you're absolutely right. If I don't make it off the operating table, I hope someone will inherit my surname and everything."

“That woman is not a reliable person, nor is she smart enough. If my inheritance falls into her hands, she will only make a mess of everything.”

“I was cheated, and then I ended up with nothing.” “So… I want to have a boy.” He looked at Lance. “I will sign a will before I go into surgery, leaving all my assets to the company. If I really don’t make it, you have to take care of my children for me.”

Lance nodded. "I will do as you wish, but what if the child is a girl?"

Morris stared blankly at the beef cubes on his plate for a moment, then said, "Let God decide whether to judge me or forgive me."

The atmosphere became slightly heavy. Lance tapped his hand twice on the table. "Everything will be alright. If it doesn't, I promise, your children will grow up and they will remember you and everything you did for them."

"Thank you!" Morris said, picking up his knife and fork again to continue working on his beef cubes.

Lance turned to look at Kolinda, who yelled, "Fuck, don't look at me, and don't ask me any questions!"

However, it seemed that doing so was of no use. Lance just stared at her until she felt a little uneasy, at which point she helplessly raised her hands. "Eggs!"

"Okay, I'll tell you whatever you want to know, just stop looking at me like that!"

Lance smiled and glanced at the others, but his gaze returned to Kolinda. "I'm just concerned about your life. When can I attend your wedding?"

Kolinda curled her lip indifferently, "If you want to be my child's godfather, that might be a difficult thing, because I don't plan to get married anytime soon, let alone have children!"

"Instead of hoping I get married and have children, you should consider Miriam. She's more suited to be a mother than I am!"

After experiencing the emotional turmoil with Arthur, Corinda seemed to have entered a different state of being. She began to frequently change boyfriends, and love had become a game of chasing pleasure.

If she felt it was a good time, they would stay together; if she felt it wasn't, they would break up immediately. She made herself appear very carefree.

However, Lance felt that she hadn't gotten over Arthur's ruthlessness yet. The best love she had ever had was given to a scumbag, and sometimes there was really nothing she could do about it.

Lance's gaze fell on Miriam. This girl was much quieter and had always worked as a secretary in the company, unlike Kolinda, who was... lively.

Feeling Lance's gaze, Miriam shyly extended her hand, on which was a ring.

"I didn't know you were married?"

She sensed some displeasure in Lance's words and immediately explained, "Engagement, just engagement."

"He is a veteran."

It's a very ordinary story. Whether it's love at first sight or lust at first sight, the two people hit it off in a chance encounter and quickly fell in love.

People in love don't think much. In short, the two of them moved very quickly, got engaged not long ago, and planned to hold the wedding after the spring of next year.

"Congratulations! This is a big event. Remember to remind me when you get married, or I might forget!" His face was full of sincere blessings.

Miriam smiled sweetly, "Thank you, I will."

After dinner, Lance called Melo to his study.

"You should know that Roger has already broken away from the Golden Harbor Group; he plans to go to the mountaintop to enjoy the breeze!"

Melo poured Lance a cup of coffee, along with his own, then sat down in the chair opposite Lance with a smile. "I heard that things are a bit chaotic at home right now."

Lance gestured for him to continue, “Maybe these things are too personal and ‘low-class’ for anyone to talk to you about them.”

"He and his previous children are almost at each other's throats because of his youngest son."

"According to us, he has already separated from his children, and about half, or even more than half, of the assets have actually been transferred to his adult children."

"I don't know how to evaluate this, I just feel it's a bit absurd, just because of the child."

Lance took a sip of his coffee. "That's the complexity of human nature. He might not have valued his previous children that much, but he values ​​the children who appear in the second half of his life exceptionally, leading to an imbalance in his paternal love. So, this outcome isn't so surprising."

“I now roughly understand that climbing to the top was what he longed for, and leaving a more substantial legacy for his youngest son was also what he longed for.”

Roger didn't actually have much affection for his first wife, as was the case for many couples born in his time, and even in the current federal society.

There wasn't much affection between them; they were just acquaintances who met and then, due to the necessities of life—

A woman needs a man to support a family, provide her with an income that allows her to live comfortably without having to worry about so many things.

Men also need a woman to handle those annoying household chores for them and to release their emotions when needed.

Children are always just accidents!
Roger and his wife were like that. After immigrating to the federal area, they had no better options than sticking together for mutual support. Moreover, the environment at that time was not optimistic, and marriage often meant a more stable and reliable life.

Two people who weren't particularly interested in each other, and who were only thinking about fulfilling their social responsibilities and settling down as soon as possible, got married and had children.

Children without a strong emotional bond naturally don't receive much attention from Roger, but this youngest son gives him a very special feeling and a stronger sense of fatherhood.

After chatting about his family matters for a while, Lance told Melo some of his thoughts.

“Rogerf has his own new goals now. I originally planned to talk to him about expanding and consolidating the influence of the Empire’s immigrants, but it seems he doesn’t have time to deal with it now, so you’ll have to find someone to help us with this.”

"To unite the Imperials as one, so that everyone can stand together when facing major issues, we need a smart person to do this!"

Hearing Lance say this, many faces flashed through Melo's mind, like a loudspeaker in a casino that had its lever pulled down, spinning rapidly.

After a while, a figure began to stand out more clearly above the other figures, gradually emerging.

After considering it for a moment, he gave his recommendations: "The priest of the Cathedral of Saint-Naye, and Enio's father, they are both the type you're looking for!"

(End of this chapter)