Empire of Shadows

Over the weekend, Lance and Alberto sat on a bench at the tourist pier, chatting while enjoying the sea breeze.

"You know what?"

"They've given you a new nickname."

The wind tousled Alberto's hair as he looked at Lance, deeply moved. Three years ago, Lance found him for… he couldn't even remember how much money it was.

Two or three hundred dollars, probably just that much.

For such a small amount of money, he had been found.

At the time, he was drawn to Lance's composure, and he decided to give Lance a chance.

To him, it might have been a casual act, but to Lance, it was a great help.

In just three years, Lance had overturned the underground order of Gold Harbour City, becoming its "Black Emperor," which gave him a sense of poignant emotion.

He had walked a path in three years that many people couldn't complete in a lifetime. As a witness, participant, and even arguably an "enlightener" to this legend, Alberto felt a sense of honor in addition to his感慨!

He initiated the arrival of a great era. If it weren't for his money, perhaps the story would have been different.

Lance leaned forward slightly, his arms resting on his spread legs. "What do they call me?"

"Tyrant?"

"Or something else?"

"They certainly don't think I'm a good person."

Alberto laughed heartily, "They call you 'Mr. Two Hundred Million.'"

"Mr. Two Hundred Million?" Lance's tone rose slightly. He didn't expect people to give him this name, but he quickly realized the reason and laughed, "I don't have a problem with any other nickname, but this one, I think, is a bit problematic."

Alberto was puzzled. Lance had many nicknames. "Black Emperor" was the most recent, and before that, there were "Wolf of the Empire," "Glutton," and others, but they weren't widely known, only a few people called him that.

He never reacted to those nicknames, whether good or bad, but now he felt this nickname was bad, which confused Alberto.

"Do you think it's too exaggerated?" he asked.

Lance shook his head, "Two hundred million is just the starting point. Maybe in the future, they'll call me Mr. Hundred Billion."

Alberto looked at the spirited Lance and was lost in thought for a moment. He seemed to see his younger self.

He seemed to understand why he had felt a natural closeness to Lance from the moment he saw him.

In some ways, on some issues, Lance was just like his younger self.

Fearless of the world, full of a desire to challenge.

Lance did better than he did, but people always subconsciously beautify themselves. He didn't do well enough in the process of growing up, so he hoped Lance could do better than him, so that some of the regrets he had wouldn't appear on Lance.

Through this, he could gain some comfort, like an apology and repentance to his younger self.

He nodded seriously, "If it's you, you definitely can."

Talking about this, Alberto turned to look at the blue sea, "There's something I want to ask you to do."

Lance nodded but didn't speak. Alberto handed him a card, "Take care of them, that's my last wish."

"No one else knows about this except you!"

Lance glanced at the card, which had an address and house number on it. It was a community in the Pulisia District of Gold Harbour City.

He had already guessed that Alberto's illegitimate child and the woman who bore him the child were there.

He didn't tell Lance the story like an acquaintance, about his meeting with the woman, the accident, and the birth of the child.

He didn't care about these things, and he believed Lance wouldn't care either. He just needed Lance to take care of his child.

"This time I leave, I have a premonition it will be bad," he lit a cigarette, then leaned back on the bench, his hands on the back of the bench, looking up at the sky, squinting.

The sun was bright, which also meant it was dazzling. He actually knew that once he left, there was a high probability he wouldn't be back.

He had already heard that Christopher was doing very well on the island. He seemed to have figured things out, he knew how to act. The four major families were now at odds, but their attitude towards him was quite good, especially the old men.

He even heard people say that Christopher took the initiative to wash the old men's feet to show his respect for them!

It was extremely fucked up!

A person who killed his own uncle was now being promoted as an example by those old men. It was difficult to assassinate Christopher under these circumstances.

Even if he succeeded, it would simultaneously anger the four major families, and he would not be able to leave Sumuri Island alive.

People who have never lived on Sumuri Island will never know the influence of the four major families on the island.

Even the Prime Minister needs to get their approval before implementing new policies!

But some things have to be done by someone.

Alberto had thought more than once about why he was doing this. He couldn't seem to find a reason for doing so, but a belief told him.

If he didn't do this, he would never be happy again in his life!

Lance's mood was also a little low. Alberto was his first friend in the Federation in a sense. He tilted his head to look at Alberto, "Although I shouldn't say this, but is it really necessary to go?"

Alberto looked up, smoking a cigarette, "Do you want me to become someone I despise?"

Lance was silent.

Alberto exhaled a puff of smoke, "Maybe the situation won't be that bad."

"Besides worrying about him, I'm also worried about Francisco. The internal affairs of the family have been cleaned up, but that kid has a ruthless streak. I'm worried about external problems."

"But now it seems that if they don't deal with you, they probably won't touch him, so I'm relieved."

Lance turned his head and looked at the twenty or so people standing not far away. They had large and small suitcases beside them. These people were chatting and laughing, and they couldn't see any tension on their faces.

They were all Alberto's relatives, distant and close, and they had all received Paul's favor, so they followed Alberto to assassinate Dover to avenge Paul without hesitation.

There were also some people who retreated and were timid. They left Gold Harbour City directly. They couldn't stay here anymore.

Sometimes people are like this, helpless. Whether they do it or not, it's uncomfortable.

"Take care of him!"

The cruise ship in the distance sounded its horn, and the people waiting to board the ship on the pier began to walk towards the cruise ship with their luggage.

Alberto also stood up. He hugged Lance and squeezed out a smile, "Take care of yourself."

Lance nodded, "You too."

He paused for a moment, "If you die, I will avenge you."

Alberto was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "Okay, but don't be as stupid as me!"

The two bumped fists again, and Alberto turned and left without hesitation.

Fordis and the others also carried their luggage and greeted Lance and said goodbye. It seemed to them that this was just a tourist trip, without danger, without killing, without death.

No fear or anxiety could be seen on their faces. Apart from some nostalgia and reluctance for the people and things here, there were no more negative emotions.

"Goodbye," Lance said.

Fordis and the others also responded with a smile, "We'll be back."

After speaking, they also waved their hands and jogged a few steps to follow Alberto onto the ship.

The huge cruise ship slowly sailed away from the pier and eventually disappeared at the junction of the sea and the sky.

The convoy slowly pulled over, Mador opened the car door, and Lance got into the car.

"Should we arrange some people…" Mador hadn't finished speaking when Lance interrupted him.

"No need, this is their honor revenge, we just need to watch."

"Whether they win or lose, that's their own choice."

"If they die, we'll consider the follow-up matters. Before that, let's do our own thing first."

The convoy quickly left the pier. The people on both sides of the road, as long as they were locals, would stop when the convoy passed, take off their hats, and pay attention, and some people would also bow slightly.

Those tourists from other places curiously inquired about the "legendary stories of the living in Gold Harbour City," which continued to be told and spread.

Alberto's departure made Lance feel a little sentimental, but only a little.

He went to the address Alberto gave him and saw a quiet woman and a little boy beside her.

The little boy looked seven or eight parts similar to Alberto. When he saw him, Lance inexplicably wanted to laugh, the inheritance of life.

He didn't disturb the mother and son, but only asked people to be responsible for their safety, and then left.

He believed that Alberto had made all the preparations before he left.

Two days later, Lance attended William's mayoral inauguration. The former mayor left sadly, and everyone's attention was focused on Mayor William.

Those people applauded vigorously, their palms were red, but they never stopped.

But there were also some people who were obviously not so happy.

This is understandable.

The former "good brothers" have now turned over and become their "father," and no one can really be happy.

And the contradiction between them cannot be resolved, because it involves power.

When everyone is a thief of power, they will be very good friends, because they can only steal some power from the rulers by joining forces.

They would share the stolen power and unite closely, because they knew that only in this way could they ensure that their interests would not be lost.

But when one of the thieves suddenly became the new ruler, even if the new ruler was enthusiastically sharing his stolen power with others the second before.

The next second, he would turn his back and take away the power he had shared from the other thieves, as well as the power they had stolen themselves.

For the ruler, power is not allowed to be touched by others, unless the ruler is completely no match for those thieves and robbers.

Mayor Williams has strong strength, so he will take back power. The masters of the Bay Area are unwilling to lose these powers, after all, power is too useful.

Irreconcilable contradictions will eventually escalate and lead to an outbreak.

From the faces of those who were unwilling to applaud, or even didn't come, it can be seen that no matter how many times the "players" are changed, this game will continue in its own unique way.

Mayor Williams talked about many things, the future development direction of the city, and he declared that he would turn King's Harbor into a city comparable to New King City.

He wants to make this place more prosperous, with skyscrapers everywhere, and he wants to carry out groundbreaking transformations to improve people's living standards.

He also wants to expand and re-plan the city, and introduce more schools. He wants to do many things!

He spoke on the stage, and the people were responsible for applauding off the stage. Everything was so harmonious.

However, Lance could feel that the battle had begun from this moment.

After the inaugural speech, Lance came to Mayor Williams' office. James and Arthur were both here, and even Mrs. Williams was there.

"Sit wherever you like!" Councilor Williams instructed, "Just like in your office!"

He originally planned to have his wife pour Lance some drinks, but for a while she couldn't find where the coffee-making things were.

Lance took the initiative to brew a pot of coffee.

"I forgot, you are more familiar with this place than we are," Mayor Williams joked with a smile. Lance would come over sometimes.

Especially in the last few months, his relationship with the former mayor had eased a lot, and there might even have been some cooperation.

However, Mayor Williams didn't ask. If others don't take the initiative to say something, it's best not to ask.

His wife didn't plan to leave for the time being. It seemed that the title of "Mayor's Wife" excited her. Lance's eyes showed a hint of pity when he looked at Mayor Williams.

This hint of pity made Mayor Williams a little confused. He looked at Lance as if he was confirming whether he had seen it wrong, revealing some confused expressions.

Lance leaned in a little closer, "You're definitely in trouble tonight," he nodded in the direction of the newly promoted Mayor's Wife.

Mayor Williams looked back, and a wry smile immediately appeared on his face.

An old man in his sixties, a young woman not yet forty, it's just too damn much!

His relationship with Lance is very good now, so he doesn't avoid these things, or rather, the federal upper class has inherited those styles from the places they came from.

From the upper class to the people in myths, they don't avoid sex, and even actively talk about it.

"Today is my first day in office, I will be very busy. Isn't it normal not to go back at night?" He said this with a hint of pride, which made him faint again.

It's not that he doesn't want to dote on his wife, but he is really powerless. Even if he tries to get some medicine from the medical group, it's not very convenient.

His personal doctor told him that using those drugs could cause him to suffer from cardiovascular disease, and there are also unknown risks.

Death is the thing that every powerful person fears the most, and he is no exception.

So he escapes whenever he can. If he really can't escape, there are still some toys at home.

Although doing so has the suspicion of cheating, at least... he also participated in it.

After joking for a while, the two returned to a more formal topic.

"If King's Harbor is the front line of the war on the Tanfirth continent, the shipping here will become even busier."

"At least military supplies must be transferred from here, as well as the materials transported there for sale."

"Newport Wharf has been occupied by the Navy. We won't be able to use it for a while, so I'm considering whether to expand King's Harbor Wharf."

Lance just nodded in agreement with what he said, indicating that he was listening.

"But if we expand King's Harbor Wharf, it will inevitably bring actual benefits to those people in the Bay Area. The wharf management company owns the most shares in King's Harbor Wharf."

"I'm thinking..." Mayor Williams paused for a moment, "Is there any way we can take these shares from them."

After he said his thoughts, he immediately said as a matter of course, "We will definitely have some friction in interests in the future. We have also communicated during this time, but the effect is not very good."

Mayor Williams' desire to continue expanding King's Harbor Wharf is in line with the interests of the masters of the Bay Area, but they also put forward a request.

Expansion is possible, but they must invest in the expansion to ensure that their shares will not be diluted.

No other investors can be introduced, and the wharf will still be managed by them.

They also talked about some things, such as hoping that Mayor Williams could make appropriate concessions to them on some issues. After all, they used to do this when they were still a gang.

Every previous mayor has been like this.

The two sides broke up unhappily, so he made up his mind.

Lance scratched his head, "This is a bit troublesome, I need to think about it."

Mayor Williams didn't continue to ask him what he could do, as long as Lance knew.

Then the two talked about some other things that needed to be coordinated, such as the reconstruction of the Newport District, but there are too many refugees there now.

Mayor Williams plans to continue expanding the city circle, relocate the refugees to the open space between the industrial area and Creek Valley, and continue to move the industrial area to the outskirts of the city.

It just so happens that this war broke out, and some of King's Harbor's old industrial enterprises can be optimized and kicked out.

This is also one of the contradictions between him and those masters in the Bay Area. The masters firmly occupy a large amount of land and factories in the industrial area, and they are unwilling to move to a farther place.

In Mayor Williams' view, after the military base is built, Newport District will inevitably develop, and the industrial area is an obstacle to Newport District becoming a "new center."

The contradictions cannot be resolved. These are all things he hopes and needs Lance to cooperate with him to solve.

Lance did not refuse this, because he could also get a lot of benefits from these things.

The two talked for an afternoon. I don't know if it was because Mayor Williams wanted to escape going home early to be punished, he never let Lance leave, and also said that Lance was his important partner.

On the first day he achieved proud results, he must have dinner with Lance.

Of course, it would be even better to have a drink.

As an old man, it is natural to get drunk after two glasses!