Empire of Shadows

Losing two batches of liquor in quick succession made Luigi feel like someone was targeting him.

If his goods couldn't enter Goldport City, he would become a laughingstock within the Aldra Republic's sphere of influence.

Those rival gangs that he once looked down upon, or didn't have a particularly good relationship with, would soon be able to gain huge profits by smuggling liquor into the Federation, while he wouldn't have such high profit margins!

Goldport City was always one of the most popular places for all smugglers, with a strong logistics capacity and local gangs of astonishing size, capable of consuming shocking amounts of liquor.

And then distributing these liquors throughout the entire Federation!

It wasn't that other places didn't need smuggled liquor, it was just that the prices in those places couldn't be pushed up.

It was like those girls who could only survive in this society with the help of kind-hearted people, where two girls might be similar in appearance, figure, and even inner qualities.

But one was a high-end escort, and each time she repaid a kind-hearted person with her warmth, she could receive dozens or hundreds of dollars, or even more, in assistance.

While the other was just a roadside snack, and kind-hearted people wouldn't even stop for too long, just giving her three or five dollars.

Both needed the help of kind-hearted people, and both offered the same enthusiasm, but the final difference in earnings could be dozens or hundreds of times, which was what Luigi least wanted to see.

Sending goods to other places not only required him to arrange for people to expand the market, but there wasn't much profit to be made.

The gap between him and other gangs would widen with each trade.

In this place called Yalan, money is everything!

It cares more about money than other places!

As long as you have money, you can have everything.

You can sleep with any woman you see, without even needing any coercion, just show off your financial power.

You can quickly build a huge force by spending money, and you will become a frequent guest at the tables of top national figures like presidents and prime ministers.

Money is omnipotent, and in some places, people even jokingly call banknotes "God," and different banknotes are "God in different clothes!"

People need to eat, but many people here can't even fill their stomachs.

If Yalan weren't located in a tropical region, winter alone might kill many Yalanians.

So here, there is no problem that money can't solve. If Luigi's development is slower than others when others are developing rapidly, then he may become someone else's target.

After thinking it over and over, he finally came to the conclusion that there was only one person who could do this, and that was Lance!

He had only offended Lance, and before this, just thinking about it made him furious. He picked up the phone and dialed the number Lance had left him.

This international long distance call required multiple relays, and it was several minutes before he could hear the waiting tone from the Federation.

The phone was quickly answered, "This is Wanli Affairs."

"Is Lance there?"

"Who is this?"

"I'm his friend, Luigi!"

The person on the other end of the line wasn't Lance; Luigi could still distinguish Lance's voice.

"Wait, I have to ask if he's willing to talk to you."

Luigi picked up a pipe, lit the tobacco in it, and sat there smoking.

On the other side of the receiver, Elvin knocked on the door of Lance's office, poked his head in, and stretched his neck, "Luigi's on the phone, do you want to take it?"

Lance raised his eyebrows, "Which line?"

"Line two."

He nodded, and Elvin closed the door.

He picked up the phone and pressed the "2" button on the phone, and the phone was immediately connected.

"I heard you were looking for me?" His words were very impolite, without even a greeting. Lance never had a good temper with people who didn't keep their word.

After hearing Lance's voice, Luigi couldn't help but ask, "Was it you who did it?"

Lance changed his sitting position, "Did I do what?"

"My goods!"

"And my fucking people!"

Luigi almost roared!

His nephew was dead, and he had lost hundreds of thousands worth of goods in total.

The main thing was that the loss of these liquors made him feel the pain. Nephews and subordinates, as long as there was money, countless people would be willing to risk their lives for him.

Local people of Aldra, people from other countries in Yalan, as long as there was money, they would do anything.

As for nephews, that was even simpler. He could spend money to find his brothers a few more girls. As long as he found enough, wouldn't he have as many nephews as he wanted?

But the key to all of this was how much money he could get!

Money was the real reason for his anger.

After Lance was silent for a while, he slowly, in a somewhat playful tone, asked, "Do you have any evidence?"

The moment these words were spoken, Luigi actually understood that it was Lance who had done it.

And Lance was deliberately saying this, he just wanted Luigi to understand that his goods were lost, and his people were gone, because he had offended him, and not anyone else!

"How dare you?"

"Lance!"

Luigi suddenly roared, not at all like the good-natured person he was when they first, and last, met.

Lance moved the receiver away from his ear, and when his voice subsided again, he brought the receiver back to his ear.

"We need to talk, Lance!" After venting his anger, Luigi finally calmed down a bit.

There was some disdain on Lance's face, but he still said, "Aren't we talking now?"

These words made Luigi silent for a while, "I don't need you to apologize to me or anything. The two batches of liquor add up to more than 500,000, give me a cost price, 350,000."

"I won't haggle with you about those dead people. After the money arrives, I'll arrange for someone to send you another 400,000 worth of goods, and we'll call it even."

"You don't owe me, and I don't owe you."

"If you touch my things again, I won't be polite!"

He originally owed Lance 800,000 worth of low-priced liquor, but because he didn't want to sell it to Lance at a low price and wanted to seek greater profits, he refused to continue supplying Lance at a lower price.

This led to the originally good relationship between the two sides suddenly deteriorating.

Listening to the other party's rambling words, Lance sneered and said, "You're thinking too simply, Luigi."

"You've ruined our friendship, and you've also lost this business route."

"We are not on equal footing now, understand?"

"If you want to regain my friendship, you have to pay a greater price, not give me back what was originally mine as if you were doing me a favor."

"If you don't understand this, find someone who does and ask how to seek my forgiveness! !"

Lance's tone was also a bit激烈, "Before I nod, I guarantee that as long as I know about it, not a single bottle of goods from you will enter Goldport City!"

Without waiting for Luigi to say anything, he hung up the phone directly.

He sat at the table and thought for a while, then strode to the window, opened it, and shouted outside, "Mador?"

"Here!"

Soon Mador came to Lance's office, "Boss, you're looking for me?"

Lance pointed to the chair opposite him, "Sit down and talk."

After Mador sat down, Lance said, "How is the situation in the Empire recently?"

Mador was stunned for a moment when he heard this question, and then sighed, "It's getting worse and worse. Now those rebels have woken up and started to regroup, but it looks like it's only a matter of time before they are wiped out."

The nobles are very disappointed in them and have no intention of continuing to fund them.

Without the support of the nobles, lacking funds, and lacking supplies, it is difficult for them to organize a threatening counterattack or offensive.

They can only stay where they are and wait for the result of being annihilated!

Of course, they did gain a lot in the war, a lot of land and real estate, but these things are worthless if the nobles don't nod!

The funds in their hands are being depleted little by little, but there is no way to obtain new funds, and they can only wait for the end to come in suffering!

Many people have completely given up resistance in this situation and have turned to fleeing overseas.

Someone contacted Mador during this time. He was doing well in his escape overseas, and someone wanted to come and join him.

"Boss, some people from my hometown want to come over. They want to ask if we need any more people here."

Lance looked at him, "Are they trustworthy?"

"I don't want people we can't trust ourselves. You can bring over any friends you know, but you have to ensure that they will only have a positive impact on the family business."

"If they cause us trouble, or do something harmful to us, you have to be responsible."

The meaning of his words was very clear. If Mador wanted to act as a guarantor, if they came and messed around, Mador would also be implicated.

If it was before, Lance wouldn't have said that. At that time, Mador's family hadn't been brought over yet, and he couldn't be considered to have settled in the Federation.

Now his family has also been brought over, and they are living very well, and everything is very stable.

In this state, people are most afraid of changes. Sometimes, in order to maintain stability, they can even make some concessions or even sacrifices.

When he discovers that the possible consequences of doing something may have an unpredictable impact on him and his family, he will become very cautious.

He didn't answer immediately, but thought for a while, faces flashing through his mind.

After more than ten seconds, he nodded and said, "I can guarantee it!"

Lance gave an noncommittal "Mmm," and said, "As it happens, I have a task that I originally needed you to do, and now I can just try out your friend's ability."

"In the Aldra Republic of Yalan, there is a Sumerian businessman named Luigi."

"I don't like him, you understand what I mean?"

Mador nodded repeatedly, "I will arrange for them to bring you a gift you like from Aldra before they come, Boss!"

Lance was very satisfied with his understanding of his instructions, "I will have Melo give you a sum of money, including providing all the necessary equipment."

"Solve those problems, I'm waiting here for our new family members!"

"I'll go prepare now, Boss."

Lance nodded, watching him leave.

In fact, the conflict between him and Luigi was already irreconcilable, even if he didn't indirectly admit that he did it, Luigi would eventually believe that he did!

He didn't know if Luigi had offended anyone recently, but he knew that in Goldport City, he should have only offended him.

So now the best way is to replace him, replace him with other partners or ordinary people, and the problem can be completely solved at once.

What Lance didn't know was that after Luigi hung up the phone, he called Paul again. Now the atmosphere on Sumeru Island is like the friction between the four countries, and it's about to ignite. There are not so many people who can be transferred out.

On the contrary, the four major families are constantly recalling family members from all over the world, asking them to fight for the glory of the family.

The Pasreito family, as a relatively well-known branch in the Federation, is naturally also in the ranks of being conscripted, but Paul refused.

The Pasreito family, which is now almost completely independent, certainly does not agree to be conscripted. When the time comes, they will fight to the death, and those people will sit back and enjoy the benefits. Why?

The family faction behind Paul gave him another option: if he was unwilling to take the "children" back to Sumeru Island to participate in the War of Justice, then he should take out at least five million!

This five million is used to hire others and purchase military supplies. You can't just not contribute people or money, can you?

But he also refused to be extorted, which led to his current bad reputation. Many people said that now that he has money and status, he has forgotten the fact that Sumerian blood flows in his veins.

Luigi's situation is similar to his. He didn't have a good time on Sumeru Island before, and was sent, or rather, exiled to the Aldra Republic.

Now that his business has begun to improve, those people want to take advantage of him again.

In fact, he and Paul are the same. Sumerians, the four major families and those politicians, in the early years, put forward the concept of "Sumeru Island's resources are limited, but the world is infinite," a saying.

The general meaning is that there is no space for these people to survive on Sumeru Island. If they don't want to become the bottom of society, then don't fucking compete with others for survival space on Sumeru Island.

The so-called "outward expansion", from the perspective of the actual ruling class of Sumeru, is more of a kind of outward distribution, deportation, and definitely not an expectation that they can create a name for themselves in the international community.

When they looked down on them before, they kicked them away. Now that they need them, they kidnap them in various ways. Many Sumerians who have already taken root outside are unwilling to go back.

It's just that there are only a few who can be like Paul and absolutely refuse to go.

So Luigi and Paul have something to say because of these things.

"I need some help from you, Paul."

As the leader of the largest Sumerian gang in the Aldra Republic, Luigi is indeed on par with Paul in terms of "status", so he doesn't need to be so careful and polite when he speaks.

Including the recent headaches, "Let's talk about what it is first, I may not be able to help you, I'm also a mess here."

Luigi didn't have the mood to ask him why he was a mess. He only thought about his own affairs, "I have a little conflict with Lance..."

He talked about his little conflict with Lance, "I need you as an intermediary to help us reconcile."

"It's just a matter of money, I've already talked to him, and I can make up for the 800,000 goods at cost price."

"I have already made a big concession, and even if he wants to get goods from me in the future, I can give him a price that he can't get in the market!"

"We shouldn't have become like this, we need an intermediary."

Luigi hadn't considered sending a gunman, but he wasn't sure if the gunman could kill Lance, so he planned to talk to Paul first.

If Paul could come forward to help him talk to Lance, then he wouldn't have to take the risk.

Assassination is indeed a very useful method, solving the enemy physically, but if it is a failed assassination, then it is definitely the worst situation.

Paul frowned as he listened to him talking about his little conflict with Lance.

"I'm not sure if I can convince Lance, I can try, but not now."

"We have some big things to do during this time. After we finish, I will definitely make an appointment with him as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, I will keep your matter in mind."

Paul's reputation is not good on Sumeru Island, but he is still very good among these Sumerians who have come out.

Hearing him say that he had to wait, Luigi didn't continue to force it, "No problem, I'll wait for your good news."

"Is there anything I can help you with your troubles?"

Paul smiled and refused, "You can't help with these things, but thank you for your kindness, Luigi."

"Believe me, your problem with Lance will be properly resolved!"

The two talked about some things on the island for a few more words, and then ended the call.

After putting down the phone, Paul rubbed his temples. Muller came in with a tray and tea, "Do you want to rest for a while?"

He placed the things in front of Paul. Paul shook his head slightly. He still had a lot of things to deal with. Only by standing in his position could he know how difficult it is to be the head of the five major families.

He picked up the tea and took a sip, letting out a sigh of relief, "I heard that Dover got drunk again and was sent back?"

There was obviously a dissatisfaction in his tone. He hoped that Dover could cheer up, inherit his father's ambition, and become his right-hand man.

Instead of... a waste that no one in the family likes!

Muller sighed expressionlessly, "He drank with those people around him until he was unconscious and slept until just now."

"As soon as he woke up, he took a shower and then went out again."

Paul was speechless when he heard this, and sat there for a while, "Forget it, let him do whatever he wants."

"This is what I owe their family!"

Soon, he buried himself in work again.