Shadow Empire

Chapter 1265 The Ultimate Combination and Casual Chat

A fervent enthusiast of success philosophy, and a… master of pyramid schemes.

Enio's father was driven almost insane by the federal system of self-help!

He became completely engrossed in the first newspaper he bought after arriving in the Union, which featured a story about how a salesman rose from the bottom to become a senior partner in a company, and how he eventually founded his own company and reached the pinnacle of his life.

He fantasized countless times about one day rising from a door-to-door salesman selling hair dryers, toasters, shoe polish, fish hooks, and fishing lines to a super partner in a company, eventually founding his own company, taking it public, and becoming a successful person.

Whenever he feels worried about his future and doesn't believe he can achieve his goal, he goes to the bookstore, buys another self-help book, and re-motivates himself.

In a way, Ennio's father has already won by finding himself again after repeated failures and setbacks.

He beat many people, but he didn't gain wealth not because of his lack of ability or persistence, but simply because he lacked the core elements for success.

Wealth, status, power.

Those bestselling authors, including the author of "A Business Empire Starting with Ten Dollars," now the most famous investor in the federal investment field, wrote a book about how he went from having ten dollars to owning an entire financial empire.

In the opening of the book, he wrote that he was attracted by everything inside the exchange when he first passed by it. He was sixteen years old at the time, and he entered the exchange with ten yuan that he had saved for a long time.

He spent four or five years going up and down in the stock exchange, and on his twenty-second birthday, he earned a million dollars.

He experienced both wins and losses, and went bankrupt multiple times. Ultimately, these painful lessons became the experience and foundation for his ultimate success, making him a prominent figure in the investment field.

Everyone who reads his book will feel a sense of "Why can't I do it?" from the bottom of their heart.

This investor even wrote a line on the title page that became the focus of conversation for a long time—

"If there's anything that only requires courage and a bit of luck, rather than a prestigious background or astonishing wealth, to succeed, it's finance!"

Many people copied this sentence down and put it in their wallets or on their bedside tables, making it their guiding principle when they entered this industry.

They believed that this brilliant investor and his experience could be replicated in their own lives.

However, the truth is that almost everyone who read his book lost money, since it was just an autobiography, a "novel," not the key to success.

He wouldn't actually write the secrets to his success in his book. For example, he didn't tell readers that his mother was a senior partner at the most famous accounting firm in the federal government, and that he grew up surrounded by big capital and financial giants.

He also wouldn't tell his readers that his father was a board member of Federal Highway Bank and had a huge influence in the financial industry.

He would never tell people that the reason he was able to recover quickly after his first bankruptcy was because his mother didn't want to hear his complaints about failure, so she gave him a check for a thousand dollars and told him not to disturb her precious rest time.

He won't tell people that when his second investment failed, his father gave him three minutes to "convince" himself, and then he got a 20,000 yuan interest-free loan from his father.

There are many such cases. For example, he learned some industry news at parties hosted by his parents, such as a company that was facing a merger but had not made it public.

A company's financial statements may be suspected of being fraudulent, and it has been found that there are irreparable problems.

These topics, which are like conversation starters in his parents' circle, have crucial insights for financial investment.

Using these techniques, he can get back up after each failure, but he won't tell the readers because they don't like that.

If a book says, "I succeeded because of my parents, not because of my own abilities," then readers will not only not respect or admire him, but are very likely to criticize him.

He doesn't tell people the truth, he only tells them what they want to see, which is why his books are bestsellers.

That's how success books in the federal government are, and that's how self-made people are too—they only show people what they want people to see, not everything.

Ennio's father lacked these qualities; he didn't have a mother who was a senior partner at one of the largest accounting firms, nor a father who was a board member at Parkway Bank, so he was destined to fail.

A person who sells fishhooks will always be selling fishhooks. It doesn't mean that because they sell fishhooks well, they can connect with important people or sell hundreds of thousands or millions of fishhooks.

He lacks the elements for success, yet he continues to strive for it; all he lacks is an opportunity.

As for the priest at St. Naye's Cathedral, he was more like a pyramid scheme operator.

Pyramid schemes differ from traditional Ponzi schemes. Ponzi schemes rely on high interest rates and high returns to quickly absorb funds from society, while pyramid schemes emphasize "person-to-person" recruitment.

Faith and pyramid schemes are actually not that different.

Every believer tries their best to convince others to believe in their God, just as everyone who joins a pyramid scheme tries their best to convince those who haven't joined that following them will definitely make them rich.

The biggest difference between the two is simply that believing in God can get you into heaven, while believing in pyramid schemes can make you a lot of money.

Aside from the different forms of expression and results, there doesn't seem to be much difference in essence.

Let the priest do this, and he doesn't need to be involved in pyramid schemes or Ponzi schemes. He just needs to unite the people of the Empire better and more closely. He has that ability; it's his forte.

The two candidates that Melo provided to Lance were indeed very reliable; they were fully capable of handling the job.

The next morning, Ennio's father came to the manor to see Lance.

He knew that Lance and his son Ennio were very good brothers, but he still seemed a little reserved and nervous when facing Lance.

Lance was probably the most important person he had ever met in real life, bar none!

Therefore, it's inevitable to feel nervous.

"I hope our meeting didn't disrupt any of your plans."

Enio's father shook his head. "I'm doing some relatively easy jobs now, without any specific responsibilities," he said, rubbing his hands together as he spoke, looking a little uncomfortable talking to Lance alone.

Lance nodded noncommittally. "Some of the family businesses might not be so easy for you to accept. You know, in many people's eyes, we're a gang."

"So I don't ask them to assign you any specific work unless you have a strong inclination to do so."

"I called you here today because there's something I need you to do. Mero recommended you to me."

Ennio's father was immediately pleasantly surprised, not because he particularly liked his job, but because a stable job could bring him many other things besides money.

power.

Although he was respected in the Lance family and had no shortage of money because of Enio, he lacked the respect people had for him.

People always change at different stages and in different environments. Just like Roger, he used to just want to make some money so that his family could live a better life.

But now, he's thinking of going to the top of the mountain to take a look.

Ennio's father wanted more, and it's not surprising that he had such thoughts; when people are hungry, all they want is to be full.

After a full meal, people have countless thoughts.

He was looking forward to this job and valued it highly. He even straightened his back, looking like a Boy Scout on his first day of school.

"Don't be nervous, it's a very simple thing..."

Lance explained what he needed Enio's father to do, things that Enio's father found very interesting.

It wasn't that he particularly liked the matter; he simply could analyze that if he agreed, he would gain many things he had always wanted. Without hesitation, he agreed, as Lance had anticipated. "You also have a colleague you should know, the priest of St. Naye Cathedral."

“Him?” A somewhat familiar image flashed through Enio’s father’s mind. He nodded. “I think we can work together very well…”

After everything was arranged, Lance gave them a suggestion: they could consider establishing a foundation, one focused on helping immigrant groups, primarily Imperials, and assisting those Imperials who truly needed help.

Provide them with financial assistance, legal assistance, and judicial assistance; in short, expand their influence and make them part of the whole plan.

The priest arrived a little later, and Lance repeated what he had said. He agreed almost without hesitation.

Presiding over a large cathedral would certainly give him greater prestige and influence within the church and among believers, and he could also use this position to make some money.

His influence and the wealth he could acquire were indeed remarkable achievements for ordinary people, but for the core members of the Lance family, they seemed insignificant.

People always have something they pursue in life. Some pursue spiritual peace, while others pursue material enjoyment. The priest belongs to the latter.

He readily agreed and assured Lance that he would become a good partner with Enio's father and work together to do the job Lance had assigned them.

Seeing the "success guru" and the "pyramid scheme boss" working together, Lance was very much looking forward to seeing what they could achieve!

Lance hadn't seen their "performance" yet in a short time, but William called him first to chat for a bit, and then they arranged to meet somewhere.

The last time they met was the last time, and William seemed to have a lot to say to Lance.

The weather was nice in Golden Harbor City today, so they arranged to meet at Lance's villa in the Bay Area.

Under the bright sunshine, facing the sea, girls in swimsuits run enthusiastically on the golden beach, exuding the intense fragrance of youth.

Even from a distance, taking a deep breath, one can almost smell the lingering scent of youth.

Some people like to stand here with binoculars and observe the distant beach; they always manage to find something that interests them.

Lance and William stood on the second-floor terrace. Lance leaned forward, his hands resting on the railing, looking at the beach.

William, meanwhile, leaned against the railing with his back to it, swirling a glass of wine filled with ice in his hand.

As the glass is shaken, the ice, the liquor, and the glass walls collide and rub slightly, producing some soft, crackling sounds.

“Terry and I talked a few days ago about the arrangements for his new job.”

He picked up his glass and took a sip. "I'm doing well in Lake City. I originally planned to continue working there year after year, but he gave me a new idea and suggestion."

Lance turned to look at him, and William knew that Lance was waiting for his next move. He casually placed his wine glass on the high table next to him. "He said he wanted me to be the mayor of Mantegnon."

"Mandnon?" Lance looked somewhat surprised. "That's quite a leap!"

Under normal circumstances, it is rare for a city's mayor to be an unfamiliar figure, because mayors are directly elected, not directly appointed.

To become mayor, one must participate in the election and campaign.

Some say that the mayor is the highest point in politics that ordinary politicians can reach, and that's absolutely true.

For politicians who are unwilling to take sides, only at the level of mayoral elections can they rely on their personal strength to overcome the power of parties.

So some strange mayoral elections have occurred in the Federation. For example, one city elected a cat as mayor, and another city elected a dog as mayor.

There have been instances of parrots becoming mayors. These "mayors" weren't even human, yet they were elected purely because of direct elections.

When a voter sees a ballot with several names and a small animal that looks more like a person than the names on it, a voter disappointed with the list might choose the animal rather than the other candidates.

Anyone who has local influence, is known to a certain number of people, and meets the basic requirements for federal electors can run for office without formal party nomination.

However, don't assume that being elected mayor is easy; it's actually not easy at all.

Especially in cross-city elections, the citizens of Mantegnon had no idea who William was, what he had done in Lake City, or whether he was capable of being the mayor of a big city like Mantegnon.

They will worry, and worry often means they won't vote for him.

Therefore, cross-city campaigning is almost impossible. It's not that it's impossible, but the very idea of ​​gaining significant influence in an unfamiliar city is very difficult.

However, nothing is absolute. When this matter is linked to federal politics, the wealthy, and conspiracies, it becomes something else entirely.

Capitalists hold a significant position in elections; they will require those within their companies with voting rights to vote for a particular candidate, and they may even pay those who vote.

The federal congress has already put forward relevant proposals on vote-buying and bribery, but they are still under discussion. After all, this is related to the stability of federal politics, and a decision cannot be made hastily.

This actually reflects the fact that politicians and capital collude to control votes and election results, although this is only a relatively basic practice.

A more sophisticated approach would be to directly alter the ballots and election results. Of course, this would be more complicated and might raise questions about the election results among some citizens, but they would not get any truth because their social class would not allow them to do so.

This plan is also not safe for the candidate, which means that unless he can make some major decisions and results that benefit the city's residents, he can only serve for a very short time before the next election.

Voters will not vote for a mayor who came to power through fraud.

The former mayor of Golden Harbor City came from another state and successfully ran for mayor of the city by using several methods.

The process involved having capitalists campaign for votes, using the threat of dismissal to gain a large number of votes, and then making appropriate "technical adjustments" to the election results. Ultimately, this outsider became mayor by a very narrow margin.

It's not impossible for William to run directly in Mantegnon. Given the current size and capabilities of the Golden Harbor Consortium, William still has a very good chance of winning.

The question now is not whether he can be elected, but whether he is willing to do this.

“What are your own thoughts?” Lance asked.

William approached Lance, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled out two, and handed one to him.

“My thoughts…” He took out a lighter, shielded his eyes from the wind with one hand, lit the flame with the other, and then leaned in with Lance to light each other’s cigarettes.

After taking a puff, he continued, "...Actually, it's not that complicated. I want to give it a try."

"Lake City is still too small. With a population of just over 200,000, although it is a city and has the most basic things a city should have, Lake City is ultimately just a small place."

"If I want to run for governor in the future, I need to have a presentable resume, for example... being the mayor of Mantegnon."

Mantegnon is the capital of the state of Licale. It has a large population, a complex internal situation, chaotic relationships, and constant entanglements of power and money. Although the mayor of Mantegnon holds a transcendent and special position, it is by no means an easy job.

William wanted to challenge himself in preparation for his upcoming gubernatorial campaign.

Lance looked at him. He was already over fifty years old, and if he served as mayor for another four years, he would be close to sixty.

Running for governor at sixty is, frankly, quite old, but it seems to be a stage he had to go through.

The approval rating for running for governor as the mayor of Lake City is much lower than that for running as the mayor of Mantegnon!
After he finished speaking, he stared intently at Lance. With trepidation, Lance took a drag of his cigarette and slowly said, "Then let's give it a try. We have to take the first step."

"This time it's Mantegnon, next time it'll be Licale!"

(End of this chapter)