Empire of Shadows

The old and the young man looked at each other for a moment, and the old tailor softly asked, "Mr. Lance, what do you want this child for?"

In fact, this "child" was older than Lance, but to the old tailor, he was just a child, which also showed his protectiveness towards his son-in-law.

"Clothing factory, I need a manager, but I don't trust anyone else."

"Come and help me manage this clothing factory, arrange work, storage, purchasing, shipping, everything. I'll give you one hundred yuan a month."

The old tailor and his son-in-law both gasped. One hundred yuan a month was not a small amount in their eyes, at least enough to solve their current predicament.

The two looked at each other again, whispered for a moment, and the old tailor nodded and said, "This is your kindness, we have no reason to refuse."

Lance shook hands with the old tailor's son-in-law, "I haven't asked your name yet."

"Ryder."

"Mr. Ryder, I hope to see you at this address tomorrow morning…"

Lance wrote down an address for him, then smiled and said, "Now, let's solve the problem of our clothes first."

The newly made clothes were very decent and fitting. After all, he was an old tailor who had worked for nobles, which was a rare honor even in the Empire.

Every little partner put on new clothes, and this uniform attire gave them an unprecedented sense of honor and cohesion!

Melo happily walked over wearing his new clothes, "Should we take a photo?"

"I think this is a very memorable and worthwhile moment!"

Lance considered it slightly and agreed.

Morris drove to pick up Erwin. He had to be here for this important moment.

In fact, his recovery after the operation was not bad. As long as there was no strenuous exercise, standing for a while was fine.

There were specialized photography shops on the street. When the photographers arrived here, they saw these young people wearing clothes that looked a bit solemn, but all with smiles on their faces. The strong contrast made him realize that this would be a classic photo!

Everyone squeezed together, with Lance standing in the middle. Under the photographer's coordination, everyone stood where they should be.

"Look here, when I raise my hand, you all say 'cheese'."

Ethan was not used to this somewhat tight clothing. He whispered, "Why say 'cheese'? Can't we say 'ham'?"

Erwin turned his head and glared at him, "Shut up, are you the photographer, or is he?"

Ethan rolled his eyes, facing the camera. When the photographer raised his hand, smiles appeared on the young faces, and the sudden burst of magnesium light illuminated everyone, just like the light of the era shining on them!

They took several photos in a row. They even brought a chair and had Lance sit on it, while the others stood behind him, surrounding the chair.

This time they were not standing so solemnly, but instead gave the photographer a feeling… he couldn't quite describe it.

Erwin leaned on Ethan, Ethan looked at the distant sky, Morris looked at the camera, but held a stack of playing cards in his hand.

Enio made a pistol gesture with his good hand, pointing it at his temple. He thought it looked cool…

Everyone showed their own style, and Lance, he took out a red handkerchief, shook it, and stuffed it into the pocket of his chest.

He crossed his legs, rested his hands on the armrests of the chair, leaned slightly back on the back of the chair, and stared at the camera with a slightly condescending or even disdainful look.

The photographer standing behind the camera had a slight tingling feeling on his scalp, but he still captured this scene at the most appropriate moment.

Occasionally, people passing by would see this and would be briefly stunned, and then quickly leave, but this scene would remain in their memory for a long time, and would continue to deepen over and over again.

Lance shook hands with the photographer and gave him five yuan.

"Thank you for taking the time to come. When can we pick up the photos?"

"What I mean is, I hope to have some large photos, not the small photos that can be held in the hand. It will be hung in a certain room, preferably as big as a window."

The photographer nodded repeatedly, "No problem, Mr. Lance, I guarantee this is the best photo I have ever taken. I even think that sending it to the Federal Photographers Association could win a grand prize!"

He was a little expectant, but Lance didn't agree, "It's not proof for anyone to gain honor, is it?"

The photographer was a little regretful, "Yes, it's my problem."

He paused, put the money in his pocket, "If you are in a hurry, I can help you develop the photos as soon as possible."

Lance took out two more yuan and handed it to him, "Then as soon as possible!"

"You are envious."

The old tailor was smoking a pipe, his eyes squinting at his son-in-law through the distance between his forehead and the lenses. He could see that the expression on Ryder's face was like wanting to join them.

Ryder did not deny it, "They give me a feeling I can't explain. I think… this will be a legend."

The old tailor did not agree or refuse, but just reminded him, "This may allow you to live the life you want, but it may also send you to hell."

He had lived so long and seen too many things. He knew very well what these young people were doing.

He couldn't evaluate whether what Lance and the others were doing was right or wrong. Every era has its own characteristics and ways of living. This is the Federation, not the Empire. He is an old man, not a young man.

He couldn't see the trends and directions of society as clearly as when he was young. There was not much he could do, just like the stubborn reefs left behind after the tide of the times passed.

He also knew that he couldn't actually restrain Ryder, not let him do anything, or let him do anything. He couldn't do it. He could only take out his own experience as a reference for him when choosing the direction of his life.

Ryder also lit a cigarette, "But we are already in hell, aren't we?"

The chair was moved back, and Lance walked over to the two of them, "Very good craftsmanship. I have some things to do in the next few days. After a few days, we can talk about me sponsoring you to open a shop."

"Considering that you may become very busy, and your son-in-law is not by your side, if you are willing, I can find some Empire people to be your apprentices."

"I will take care of all their problems. You just need to let them work."

The old tailor didn't think about it for too long and agreed, "I'm getting old and will one day be unable to work. I plan to pass on my skills to Ryder, but it seems that he is not very interested in these things now."

He shook Lance's hand, "I only have one daughter, and Ryder is like my son. I hope you can take good care of him."

Lance patted him on the hand, "I will take good care of every family member!"

The old tailor left quickly. Lance called Ethan over, "You know a lot about leather shoes. Go and get us some leather shoes. We don't need any famous brands or cobblers, but you have to make us look decent. Get the money from Melo."

Ethan's father was a cobbler, and he had been exposed to all kinds of leather goods since he was a child, so he knew this industry better than anyone else.

Sure enough, Ethan, who was silent most of the time, answered with a loud "No problem" at this time.

Lance patted him on the arm, signaling that he could go to work.

Melo walked over at this time and stood beside him, "All of this seems a bit incredible, Lance. Everyone seems to have experienced a baptism. We have been sublimated, body, soul, and spirit!"

"All of this was brought by you!"

Lance smoothed his hair, which was not actually messy, "Someone has to stand at the front to split the waves for us, Melo."

"Instead of expecting someone to do this for us, I will be that person!"

He paused as he spoke, "We may have more companies in the future. I plan to split the legal and illegal parts into two parts. You can help me find a reliable person, preferably someone clean enough."

"Of course, if you want to go there, that's fine, but our contact here will have to be reduced."

Melo nodded, very solemnly, "I know, I will find this person as soon as possible."

At a little after two in the afternoon, a police car stopped outside the office, and two police officers got out of the car.

The two were wearing sunglasses, looked at the bustling office, and walked straight in.

"Is your boss here?"

One of the police officers looked around, and finally his eyes fell on a girl at the front desk.

He took off his sunglasses, leaned against the bar, and tapped his fingers on the bar.

Lance had instructed them that if any police officers came to ask if he was there, they should tell the police to go to his office.

The girl gave them directions, and the two walked to the end while observing the busy work here.

At first, they seemed a little nonchalant. This kind of work was a benefit to them. They were even thinking about whether they could ruthlessly intimidate the boss here and extort some money from him.

But when passing by the last few rooms, through a half-covered door, they suddenly saw some people wearing suits, with slicked-back hair, and unsettling eyes sitting inside, with some weapons and daggers placed on the table.

Perhaps their footsteps were too loud, attracting the attention of the people inside. The person sitting by the door stood up, walked to the door, stared at them, and gently closed the door.

The police officer's breathing became a little rapid, and his heartbeat also began to accelerate. The police officer walking behind even put his hand on the holster!

These people were gang members, and not the small-time kind!

The two exchanged a look, both seeing the gravity in each other's eyes. However, their current task was assigned by the higher-ups at the precinct. If they had a choice, they would want to leave this place right now!

But they couldn't. They could only brace themselves and continue forward.

At the very end of the corridor, a door had the words "Manager's Office" written on it. They exchanged another look and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

A voice came from inside. The police officer took a deep breath and pushed the door open, with the other officer following closely behind.

Lance sat behind the desk, looking at the officers who had entered, a slight smile on his face. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Officer?"

After the two entered, the officer closed the door and stood by it, while the police officer walked to the chair opposite Lance's desk and sat down.

"I am Officer Feren from the Port Precinct. I have some things I would like to ask you about. Do you have time right now?"

Very polite, but the reason for his politeness was definitely not because of his noble character!