Shadow Empire

Chapter 982 The Birth of the Mountain Stronghold

After dinner, Lance, Mayor Williams, and his two sons went to his study.

Mrs. Williams did not accompany them, because in the eyes of some older people, the study is a sacred place.

Especially for some politicians, the last thing that should be in their study is dark-skinned people and women!

In some large families, maids can work or serve almost anywhere, but only the master's study is personally served and cleaned by a male butler.

Besides the many secrets here, the most crucial point is that women are not welcome here.

Now it was Arthur who was serving everyone in the study. He kept bringing in pastries, drinks, cigarettes and cigars, and other serving items from the carts pushed by the butler and the maid outside the door.

Mayor Williams looked at the cigar box Arthur brought in and immediately introduced it to Lance, "Have you ever tried Willis cigars?"

This cigar box looks very exquisite and beautiful; just one glance tells you it's very expensive.

The gold lines on the front of the box are probably pure gold wire inlaid on the box, and in the very center of the box is its... or rather, its trademark.

A lion is sitting on the grassland, with a shield and a sword beside it.

Lance shook his head. Lions are seen as a symbol of "power" and "strength" in many countries, so it's normal for many trademarks to use lions.

"Willis is a cigar brand, which you may not usually pay much attention to because it's a niche brand."

Mayor Williams had Arthur help Lance open one, then took it himself, cut off the cap, and lit it to smoke the cigar head.

"It belonged to a member of the now-defunct Hama dynasty and served that member personally."

"After the fall of the Hama dynasty, this farm was acquired by merchants, and people were able to enjoy the wonderful taste of Willis cigars."

He handed over the already toasted cigar, and Lance said thank you, took it, and took a puff, savoring the ever-changing flavor of the smoke in his mouth.

After about seven or eight seconds, he exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, filling the entire study with a pleasant tobacco smell.

In fact, most tobacco products don't smell good when burned; they are pungent and some people even think they smell bad.

This includes some of the better cigars, whose smoke is also difficult to control.

However, the smoke from this cigar isn't as amazing as people say, but it's not bad either.

Mayor Williams looked at Lance with a slightly expectant gaze. Lance glanced at the cigar in his hand and commented, "Very ordinary."

These words startled James and Arthur, who instinctively looked at their father, while Mayor Williams couldn't help but burst into laughter!
"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right, it's just like that, nothing special!"

He laughed so hard that tears were almost streaming down his face, and while laughing, he lit up a cigarette for himself.

After taking a puff and exhaling the smoke, he laughed and said, "But it is still one of the best cigars in the world. Its advantage is not in how much flavor it can provide, but in its added value."

"The production is limited to 1,000 boxes per year, and sometimes the production can't keep up, so we only get 700 or 800 boxes."

"Just think about it, how many wealthy people are there in the Federation?"

How many millionaires are there in the world?

"Only a small number of cigars are available on the market each year. Owning one is not just about having money; you also need other things."

"Power, status, influence!"

Mayor Williams took another drag. "If she hadn't brought it out, I might have kept it."

Clearly, this was Mrs. Williams' decision, and the reason she made this decision was that Lance had offered to attend Arthur's wedding, and she accepted the favor.

Mayor Williams glanced at his two sons and said, "You two take one each, especially Arthur. Remember the flavor and our reviews; you'll need them later!"

In Lance's opinion, this Willis cigar is at most worth twenty or thirty yuan, and it is still some distance from those top-tier cigars that cost fifty or even a hundred yuan or more.

But as Mayor Williams said, some of its history gives it even more value.

The old tailor's business in the heart of Golden Harbor is booming. Now that people know he used to serve the nobility in the Empire, he has no worries about making a living!

Before Lance left, he complained to himself that there were too many guests now, and reservations were booked a year in advance.

Instead of relaxing, he has to keep leading his apprentices to catch up on the progress, something he couldn't have imagined before!
There are too many wealthy people in the Federation. Some people from Mantegnon even drive or take the train to Golden Harbor City just to reserve a spot so that they can wear a custom-made outfit of "the same quality and craftsmanship as that of the nobility" on some important occasion in the future.

The Federation people love this; it just goes to show how incredibly wealthy they are.

However, Lance's attention was not on that; it was on Mayor Williams' discipline of Arthur.

Mayor Williams sensed the doubt in Lance's eyes and offered an explanation: "After Arthur gets married, he will most likely not stay in Golden Harbor City. He will go to Golden State, New Golden City."

Seeing Lance's even more confused look, he continued, "Business in Golden Harbor City has basically stabilized, and his mother hopes that he can make something of himself in the business world."

“We enrolled him in a training course to learn about business. He will go to Jinzhou to study after the summer vacation and then start his own business there.”

Lance turned to Arthur, "Sounds good!"

Arthur smiled shyly. To outsiders, he might be an absolute devil, like the late Imperial Banker, Mr. Chopper.

Arthur extorted money from him more than once, and each time he extorted a lot of money, and he was certain that Mr. Chobaff couldn't do anything to him.

He was seen as a devil and a scumbag by people who asked him to lend them money, take out loans, or even threaten him to demand it!
But in Lance, in front of Mayor Williams, and in front of his mother, he acted just like a cheerful big boy.

Kindergarten teachers are lovely, but they also need to eat meat.

"Do a good job. If you encounter any problems you can't solve, you can call me, but I might not be able to help you!" Lance thought for a moment and then gave me that advice.

Although he hasn't established his own power base in New Gold City yet, as someone who has already joined the Cleveland Senator circle, he can mobilize some forces simply by making a phone call.

Lance knew Arthur well; he was very obsessed with sex and pleasure. Lance didn't think he would cause any big trouble. At most, he would get a girl pregnant and not be able to find a place to have an abortion.

Arthur scratched his head. "Okay, Uncle Lance."

As a pampered child at home, Arthur also had something that most people wouldn't do: he was very obedient to his mother and Mayor Williams.

They told him to call them "uncle," so he did, without feeling embarrassed at all.

Lance nodded slightly, and that was the end of the topic. It was probably something Mayor Williams had deliberately brought up.

This also shows that he still favored his youngest son very much, otherwise he would not have allowed him to run around the city like a scoundrel, extorting and causing trouble.

Having ended the topic, Mayor Williams took a small sip of his black tea. It didn't have many complicated ingredients; it was just simple black tea.

The taste of black tea quickly dispelled the greasiness from the food. After putting down his teacup, he looked at Lance and asked, "Has Terry... contacted you?" This was important, so Arthur leaned against the wall, and James also began to concentrate.

Lance nodded and said, "We talked on the phone. I'll be going to Mantegnon in a few days, and I'll meet with him then."

He didn't say what they talked about, but Mayor Williams knew it was the gubernatorial election.

So naturally, what they were going to say next was an extension of this topic.

“Lance, have you thought about the follow-up issues of the governorship?” he asked.

Without waiting for Lance's reply, he continued to express his thoughts, "Golden Port City is a very important vote bank, and there's also the Lawrence family. If you add your personal influence and the influence of the mafia, you can say that you basically control about 30 to 40 percent of the legal votes in Licarle State."

"You now have the most authoritative voice on the gubernatorial election. From now on, every candidate for governor must respect you and gain your support in order to have a fair chance to run."

Mayor Williams picked up his teacup and took another small sip. He looked up at Lance and said, "You are more important than you think, in this matter!"

Lance simply nodded without speaking, which prompted Mayor Williams to chuckle wryly, "You're still as cautious as ever!"

He paused, then turned to James. "You have so much say in this matter, and given your current career, Lance, you need a stable and reliable base of operations!"

"Senators in Cleveland will form a group of interests, acting in each other's best interests."

"In fact, we can also form a group of interest for our own benefit here!"

"I believe that with some changes in subsequent events, you may be able to continue to expand your influence in this area."

“I’m already quite old, and there’s a very high chance I’ll never have the chance to run for governor in my lifetime. But James is still young, and William (Lance’s father-in-law) is also young. Some of the younger members of the Lawrence family are also very young!”

As he spoke, he glanced at James, whose eyes were now wide open, and said, "Unfortunately, I only have two sons, and Arthur's mother always has her own independent ideas."

“James’ wife is pregnant recently…” He turned to look at Lance, “If it’s a girl, I hope she will have the opportunity to be by Ace’s side.”

Ace is only a little over a year old and already has a fiancée. I wonder what those people in their twenties and thirties who are still single think.

Lance understood Mayor Williams's meaning. Since Lance had such a strong influence, along with the Williams family and the ever-expanding Lawrence family, they could completely unite to turn Licarle into their backyard!

Just like those states firmly controlled by factionalism, federal executive orders can't even penetrate them!

Those states are firmly controlled by local political cliques and financial magnates. From the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, speakers of both houses of Congress, to almost all government officials below, they are all their own people!

Aside from the military, which they are not so good at infiltrating, they have basically covered the government.

That's an independent little kingdom where they can set regional policies for their businesses, allowing their financial and political cliques to continue to expand!

This is exactly what Mayor Williams is thinking about, what he wants!
How can a single family compare to a "family of prominent families"?
Families are common, but established families are rare.

James and Arthur both looked over, and Lance didn't refuse, which meant that there was a possibility of cooperation between them.

The three men, father and sons, stared intently at him. Lance didn't give them any response, but instead frowned as he pondered the matter.

In fact, judging from the trajectory of history, whether it is federalism or other regional factionalism, it will eventually disappear into the long river of history.

The concept of "private plots" will become increasingly weak.

However, during this period and in this era, local tyrants still existed, and the federal government did not have any good ways to deal with them.

However, with the development of the times and the progress of science and technology, the ultimate outcome will still be a situation where the country is strong and the region is weak.

Lance thought for a long time, then finally nodded, "If it weren't for the girl..."

Mayor Williams couldn't help but burst into laughter, his eyes filled with an indescribable sense of absurdity as he looked at James. "Then let him keep having girls!"

Arthur's face also showed a hint of schadenfreude. He knew that James and his wife's marriage was also a political one, and there was no affection between them at all. It was indeed quite torturous for him to have sex with someone he had no feelings for and keep having daughters.

Even James had a hard time controlling his expression under such circumstances.

Incredible, absurd, comical, shocking, and eventually serious.

He took a deep breath. "I will try my best."

He certainly knew who would benefit from this. With Lance's support, he might become mayor in the future, and even his children might have the opportunity to become mayor.

According to Mayor Williams' current thinking, the future governorship will most likely pass between the Lawrence family, Lance's children, and the Williams family.

This is something they never dared to even think about before, but now it has become a reality and is highly feasible. How could he possibly ruin this cooperation because of his personal likes or dislikes?
Even if his wife didn't want to sleep with him, he would tie her to the bed with a rope around her neck, and her family would be very supportive.

After all, if they might become the governor's son in the future, they would also have half of their wife's blood in them!
Seeing that Lance had agreed, Mayor Williams continued, "Saint Farm is coming soon. Before Saint Farm, I plan to visit Lawrence Farm. Let's sit down and talk things over."

"Furthermore, I think we can invite more people to join us. After all, there are so many positions and posts in a state government, it's not just the governor's position."

Since Lance had already agreed, he wouldn't stop him on such a trivial matter, and since it was indeed something that would help "rule," he agreed to it.

The two then talked about other things, but the issue of "personnel allocation" was not mentioned. This would only be discussed after everyone sat down during the Sheng Nong Festival.

Whether it's James, William, or anyone else, it's unlikely they'll become governor for at least the next four years.

Attorney General Terry had long coveted this position, and as one of the top five men in the state, he had always shown Lance considerable respect, demonstrating just how eager he was for the job.

So the next four years will be Attorney General Terry's four years. As for who will take over after four years, that will depend on how much the interest group centered around Lance can expand during those four years.

After the father and his two sons saw Lance off, Mayor Williams suddenly sighed, "Seven or eight years have passed in the blink of an eye. Seven or eight years ago, Lance was just a nobody, but look at him now. Even we have to consider his attitude."

“I didn’t believe in the federal dream before. I always thought it was just a clever way of ruling. But now, I might believe it a little bit.”

He glanced at James and said, “I don’t care about your relationship with your wife, she has to give me a granddaughter.”

James nodded and said, "I understand."

After inspecting Goldenport City, Lance rested for two days before heading to Mantenon, where Attorney General Terry had been waiting for him for some time.

While you might not feel it as strongly in Golden Harbor City, once you arrive in Mantegnon, you can clearly feel the atmosphere of a gubernatorial election.

The streets were covered with campaign posters for Attorney General Terry, who was wearing a brand-new suit, showing eight teeth, and whose posters were printed with various campaign slogans.

Spontaneous campaign events were held in many places, and Attorney General Terry successfully secured the nomination for governor from the Likale Socialist Party Representative Committee. The election process had already begun in June.

He is still somewhat anxious because Lance has been out of the country for some time and he can't get in touch with him.

The votes from Golden Harbor City and the Lawrence family are particularly important; these votes can be said to ultimately determine who will win the election!
Fortunately, Lance is back.

(End of this chapter)