Empire of Shadows

Edward (son of a director of the dock management company) sat in the corner of the conference room, having come with his father.

Although his father was not the CEO, he was currently one of the rotating directors, somewhat like a vice president.

The CEO presided over the board of directors and the company's daily operations, while the rotating directors were responsible for assisting from the sidelines.

As his son, he naturally brought him along to see the world, after all, everything he had would eventually be inherited by this son.

Edward's gaze was fixed on a few individuals, including James, whom he knew and considered a friend.

Goldenport City was large, but Huawan District was small. He and James had interacted and attended the same gatherings.

Both of them were the same, sitting against the wall, only able to listen, unable to speak, unable to initiate conversation.

Another person he noticed was the young man sitting relatively far back, Lance White.

When he received this list, he found it incredible. Why would someone so insignificant appear on this list?

He even suspected that someone had made a mistake, until his father told him that the list was personally drafted by Senator Jeffrey, and only then did he abandon that idea.

Why was he here?

In fact, many people had such questions, and their gazes constantly touched Lance, but Lance acted as if he hadn't noticed, sitting comfortably in his chair.

The meeting began directly, with Senator Cleveland looking directly at Edward's father, "They showed me this document as soon as I arrived yesterday..."

He picked up the paper on the table and showed it to the others.

There were three lines of text on it, with no other content. He tilted his head slightly, holding a pen, and read out the contents line by line, "Just these three lines, three demands, can't you resolve them?"

Edward's father looked regretful and apologetic, "Senator, I am a rotating director of Goldenport Dock Management Company, and I will answer your question."

"First of all, the reason why our board of directors cannot pass the internal discussion comes from three aspects."

"First, if we agree to their demand to reduce working hours, then it means that under the condition that their labor remains unchanged, we need to pay them an extra three dollars and thirty cents per month in wages."

"Or rather, they are now earning the same amount of money, but only doing ninety percent of the work they used to do, which is definitely equivalent to a disguised wage increase, and a considerable one at that."

"Second, the dock's lunch may not have a lot of meat and eggs, but it is definitely enough to fill people up. If we add more meat, eggs, and other foods, the meal standard will increase, even if it only increases by three to five cents per day, there will be at least one dollar of expenditure per month."

"Third, if their proposed salary increase of at least one dollar and seventy-five cents is separated, we may be able to complete the negotiation and settle it as soon as possible."

"But this one dollar and seventy-five cents, plus the previous four dollars and thirty cents, means that if we agree to their conditions, it is equivalent to increasing their income by more than six dollars per month, a one-time increase of more than fifteen percent, which is very unreasonable."

"This will increase our expenses, so we can only cut jobs and increase the workload of workers to balance the financial relationship of wage expenditures."

"But we have feelings for the dock, and we also have feelings for the workers..."

The workers laughed when they heard this. These people sitting in the chairs were actually somewhat out of place with the atmosphere of the scene.

They were wearing blue T-shirts and overalls, and some even had pom-poms on their hats, unkempt, and their bodies were wide and large, as if a giant was sitting in a child's chair, even having to hunch their shoulders.

Their eyes looking at the directors were also unkind, and the big bearded man sneered, "That's the funniest joke I've heard this year. Since you have so much affection for us, can you call out my name?"

The director glanced at him, "I can't call out your names, but the wages we pay you allow you to support yourselves and your families."

Several workers stopped talking when they heard this, because he was indeed right.

Senator Cleveland rubbed his forehead and looked at the contents of the document, "It says here that several workers were beaten, who are they?"

Johnny stood up, and another person as well. The senator looked at him, "Why did they hit you?"

Johnny simply described the process of being wronged, and the manager's threat to fire him, "I have worked for the dock for more than ten years, he has no right to fire me if I have not made a mistake!"

Senator Cleveland looked at Edward's father, who explained, "That manager has been suspended and is undergoing the dismissal process."

He then looked at Johnny, "Johnny, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"You see, in fact, both of us are constantly pushing these issues forward. Conflicts should not escalate and intensify so quickly."

"It's just a small misunderstanding!"

He gestured a small distance with his thumb and forefinger, "We can sit down and talk now, which means that both of us are willing to continue to push forward."

"You have put forward your demands, and the dock management company has also given feedback, which is very good."

"In this way, let's continue to work towards each other and see if we can solve this problem faster."

"You should lower your demands slightly, don't ask for so much reduction in working hours, or find a balance point."

He looked at Edward's father again, "You also don't think that you can get away without paying. I have seen it, you have not given a raise for a long time."

"You should also try to move forward a few steps. Although I have not seen your reports, I know that your profits can definitely support these expenditures."

"The losses caused by the strike these days are enough for you to fulfill these conditions."

Another rotating director wanted to refute, he just opened his mouth and said "Sir", but was stopped by Senator Cleveland raising his hand, "I don't want to hear these, you go back to the meeting and tell me the results, instead of convincing me, understand?"

He pointed at this person, watched the other party close his mouth, and then nodded in satisfaction, "Look, there is actually no difficulty, what we need is understanding and forgiveness."

He paused and looked at a man on his right hand, "Do you have anything to add?"

The person next to him was the chief representative of the Federal Labor Federation, representing skilled workers in all industries throughout the federation, of course, that's what the Labor Federation claimed.

As for whether he can really speak for skilled workers in all industries, that's up to him to answer, as well as the thoughts of each person being represented.

But at this moment, he did represent these people.

"Your arrangement is very appropriate, but I also have some content to add."

Senator Cleveland organized the documents on the table with both hands, "Please speak."

The chief representative's gaze lingered on Johnny and another worker for a while, and then shifted to the rotating director of the dock management company, "Whether it was your instructions or not, they beat the workers, that's their fault."

"The federation has a sound legal and disciplinary system. Since they have violated the law, they should be severely punished by the law."

"I hope you can compensate our two worker brothers for the medical expenses and mental damages they deserve, and at the same time send the perpetrators to justice."

"We advocate rational problem-solving, not fists and sticks!"

"How long has slavery ended, why is there still such a bad behavior of beating workers?"

Seeing that his voice was getting louder and louder, with a look of "If you dare to shake your head, I will promote a strike", Senator Cleveland quickly said with a smile, "Some people's ideological realm is indeed not keeping up with the development of the times, but most people are still qualified."

"I believe that after this lesson, the dock management company will be more cautious in employing people."

"Of course, what the chief representative said is also very correct. Compensation should be paid for the compensation, and legal procedures should be followed for legal procedures. As long as it is a crime, it cannot be tolerated!"

He looked at the representative of the dock workers' union sitting aside, "Your dock workers' union needs to be a little busier, play a role as a bridge of communication, and strive to help both parties solve the problem as soon as possible, which is what you should do most."

The listening representatives did not express anything, just listened quietly. Senator Cleveland cursed a few words in his heart, but on the surface he was still very enthusiastic.

He finally looked at Lance and other people who had not spoken, "We can express any opinions you want to say here today, there are no senators, no workers, we are all citizens of the federation."

This sentence made Lance want to laugh. He thought of a joke. Someone really believed it, and the ending was not very good.

But he wouldn't show it, it would make him special.

Only he wanted to hide, but he might not be able to completely hide.

"Mr. White."

Senator Cleveland called out a surname, including Lance, did not react.

The other people didn't react because they weren't "Mr. White", Lance didn't react because few people called him that.

But it was only a second or two, he nodded slightly, "Senator."

"I heard that you have given a lot of help to the worker brothers?"

Lance was a little unsure what he meant, "That's right, sir."

Senator Cleveland nodded slightly, "This negotiation requires the cooperation and promotion of all parties, this is a cooperation."

"Including you, and you all…", he looked at the others, "We are all striving towards the same goal. I hope each of us is working hard and not holding others back."

"If anything comes up, call me. Until these issues are resolved, I won't be leaving King's Harbor."

"Then…", he looked at the people around him. After they all indicated they had nothing else to say, he smiled and said, "…let's wrap it up for today. We've successfully taken the first step."

"See you in two days!"

"Hopefully, by then, we'll have a perfect solution!"

After he finished speaking, he packed up his things and stood up, and the others followed suit.

In fact, the meeting only lasted for a little over ten minutes, but it played an undeniable role in advancing the negotiations.

Lance followed everyone with a simple round of applause, walking at the back of the crowd and heading outside with the others.

Just as he was about to get in his car and leave, a staff member with an obviously arrogant attitude approached him.

This arrogance was well hidden, much like a wealthy city dweller meeting poor relatives from the countryside—very warm, a hypocritical warmth.

He wanted to pretend that Lance's identity didn't matter, but he didn't want to have any further contact with him, not even a handshake.

"Mr. Lance, I'm Tom from the congressman's office. There are a few things I'd like to discuss with you."

Lance, who had already opened the car door, turned to look at him. "Of course."

"Mr. Lance… can I call you Lance?"

This wasn't a question; it wasn't seeking permission. It was a declarative statement.

Regardless of whether Lance agreed or not, he intended to ignore any honorifics or titles.

"Lance, I've heard you have a lot of influence on the docks."

"And many people working on the docks are from the labor agency you run."

"They're more willing to listen to you. See if you can talk to them and get some of the workers back to work, starting with those under your management."

Lance maintained his smile throughout. "Is this your idea, or the congressman's?"

He wanted to put his arm around Lance's shoulder, but Lance blocked him.

This brought a look of annoyance to Tom's face, but thinking about Senator Cleveland's attitude toward work, he could only force a smile.

He clapped his hands together in front of him. "Sorry, Lance, maybe my attitude is a bit off."

"This is my idea. We all want the order on the docks to be restored as quickly as possible, right?"

Lance nodded slightly. "You're right; we all want that."

This sentence made Tom breathe a slight sigh of relief, but he also felt a little annoyed. He suddenly felt like he was being led by the nose by Lance.

But the senator had asked him to do this. If he did it well, it was his duty, his job. He not only got paid, but also received political benefits.

If he didn't do it well, it would be his problem. So he immediately realized that this person wasn't easy to fool.

"So…", he asked tentatively, but Lance didn't respond, so he had to continue, "…how about we become friends?"

This time, he extended his hand. Lance glanced at his hand and smiled as he extended his own. "I'll talk to them, but I can't guarantee what the outcome will be."

Tom nodded repeatedly. He had already begun to restrain his emotions and temper. Having traveled around the country with the senator, he had met all sorts of people. He could adjust quickly, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to stay with the senator for so long.

"This is my temporary phone number in King's Harbor…", he handed Lance a card, the kind customized by the hotel.

Like a business card, it had the hotel's location and room number, as well as the room's phone number, but the other spaces were blank.

Some people who were staying temporarily might need to work locally for a period of time. They only needed to write their name on it, and they could hand it out.

This avoided the need to print a separate set of business cards, which wasn't so simple in this era.

Of course, these small cards weren't free. They charged ten cents for each one, whether you used it or not.

Lance glanced at it and put it away. In fact, he would rather talk to the senator than have Tom's worthless little card.

Even if it was just to get acquainted.

But that was obviously difficult, not very realistic.

"Okay."

The two shook hands again, and Tom took a few steps to see Lance off after he got into the car.

When he returned to the hotel, Senator Cleveland happened to have some time. "Did you talk to him?"

Tom appeared particularly humble at this time, like a docile house cat. The somewhat stiff eyebrows had softened and drooped. "Yes, I talked to him. He will try to communicate with those people."

Senator Cleveland took a puff of the cigarette in his hand. "Do you think he's obedient?"

Tom shook his head. "He's not very obedient, and he's a bit different from ordinary people."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but laugh, recounting what had just happened. Senator Cleveland frowned. "Do you know why I don't like this era?"

Tom and the others shook their heads. He continued, "Because everyone is questioning authority!"

This is the spirit, the symbol, and the direction of the times.

If you question authority, your teacher will praise you, and the friends and classmates you know will also commend you.

If you challenge "authority," of course, referring to fake authority that isn't real authority, then more people will praise you for having the federal spirit of freedom, adventure, and challenge!

But young people can't distinguish between what is "true authority" and what is "false authority," which is where some of the trouble lies.

He quickly moved past this topic. "That Johnny at the meeting today, and that other guy, the one sitting in the second seat to his left…"

"Dave, sir."

"Yes, Dave. Those two were frequently looking at Lance. Lance can influence their decisions."

"Continue to maintain smooth communication with Lance, and contact me promptly if there are any problems."

After he finished instructing, he moved on to the next step of his work.

Lance's car hadn't been out of the hotel for long when Vaughn stood by the side of the road and waved to him.

"Pull over."

The convoy slowly stopped next to him. Vaughn looked at him. "We need to gather the Labor Federation and the union. Will you come with us?"

Lance's presence was justified. The Lance White Rating System had already begun to be piloted in some areas, and he was considered half a member of the Labor Federation, even though he wasn't a worker.

Actually, Lance didn't really want to go. Perhaps sensing that his expression was a bit troubled, Vaughn said softly, "They might not want the strike to end so quickly."

This sentence made Lance's eyebrows shoot up. "What good does dragging out the strike do for us?"

Vaughn shook his head. "It doesn't do any good, but they want to gain some political benefits from it!"

Since the people from the Labor Federation have come, they will definitely want to take a bite out of Congress before they leave, and so will other industry unions.

Lance picked at his ear, signaling Vaughn to get in the car. "Get in my car."