Empire of Shadows

Under the shade of a roadside tree, Lance looked at Ethan, "Are you feeling a bit unwell?"

Ethan shook his head, his words not matching his true feelings, "No."

In truth, Lance could tell that he was feeling uncomfortable, but he just wasn't saying it.

"I worked hard for a month, but that son of a bitch is planning to swallow my share too. I punched him, and now they want me to apologize to him..."

As Lance spoke these words, Ethan looked up at him with a look of disbelief, as if he had been seen through.

"Don't look at me like that. I don't know what you're thinking, it's just that I'm a young man too."

"Many times, I'm just like you, always feeling that face is more important than anything else, but Ethan, this is the Federation."

He raised his head and took several deep breaths through his nose, "Can you smell it?"

Ethan and Ervin also raised their heads and sniffed. Ervin didn't say anything, but Ethan was quite honest, "The smell of the sea, a stench, and a bit of machine oil."

"No!" Lance denied their findings, "It's the smell of money and power!"

"This is a good place, Ethan, so good that as long as you have money, you can do anything you want, but the prerequisite is that you have money."

"Do you have money?" Ethan shook his head. Lance patted him on the arm, "So you still can't do whatever you want, whether it's punching that son of a bitch or doing anything else."

"The reason I'm asking you to apologize is to prevent this matter from escalating."

He glanced at Ervin next to him again.

"There are only so many work permits at the docks, but every day there are countless people outside the docks, just like us, without work permits, waiting to start work."

"If that bastard twists this matter slightly and spreads it, Ethan, it will be difficult for you to survive in Goldport City."

"People won't give job opportunities to someone who will punch their employer at any time. Giving someone else fifteen dollars is the same, why give it to you? Because they want to be beaten?"

"You can take all his money, but that also means that you, or even you all, won't be able to find work on the docks."

"We are too easy to recognize. They can distinguish us from other races, so this is the lesson I'm giving you today: rules."

"Only take what we should take. As long as we follow the rules, no one can use the rules to attack us."

"If he doesn't talk nonsense, doesn't mess around, no one will know what happened, and it won't have any impact on you."

"But if he messes around, the people who make the rules will solve him. He caused unnecessary riots."

"This isn't the Empire. If you've been wronged, you can talk to your parents, your uncles and aunts, and they will stand up for you."

"Here, we have to carry it ourselves."

Lance turned to look at Ervin and pressed down on his shoulder, "Ethan's brain doesn't work very well sometimes, keep an eye on him, let's get through this period first."

The things that had happened during this time made Ervin admire Lance very much, and he obeyed his words almost unconditionally.

"I will."

Lance nodded, "If there's anything else you don't understand, tell me now."

"We crossed the ocean to get here. We share the blood of the same ancestors. We are brothers. We should say everything to each other. We should unite together."

Ethan lowered his head for a long time and said, "Thank you."

Lance smiled and punched him in the chest, but his body didn't even move, as sturdy as a calf!

"Okay, I should go back too. If anything happens, don't be impulsive, come find me."

"Even if one day you want to kill someone, be sure to come find me before doing such a stupid thing. Don't gamble with your life!"

He patted Ervin on the arm again and left by car.

Watching Lance leave, Ervin rolled his eyes at Ethan and said, "Do you know what happened today?"

Ethan scratched his head, a little embarrassed, "I've caused you trouble."

Ervin waved his hand, "We are brothers, we are from the same hometown. Lance is right, we should unite together."

Then he began to talk about what happened after Ethan hid. When he heard that many partners from the same batch of ships had pooled money for him, and even two fellow villagers he didn't know had also contributed three dollars.

Ethan burst into tears!

He was very moved, and also a little guilty, because he had done something very stupid that put everyone in debt.

Now, as guilt began to overwhelm the feeling of shame and anger, and reason returned, he realized how stupid it was to punch that son of a bitch in a moment of impulsiveness.

"...So, the most important thing for us now is to pay off this debt first."

"The good news is that I still have more than seventy dollars here, so we don't actually lack much..."

In the car, the bustling street scenes along the road kept receding. Lance sat in the passenger seat, "Do you have a cigarette? Fodis?"

Fodis glanced at him, "You should add 'Mr.'!" But he still opened the storage compartment on the center console, which contained a box of cigarettes.

Lance took one, took out a match, lit it, and took a deep breath.

The thick smoke, along with the fragrance of age in the summer, was sucked into the lungs. The alveoli filtered out not tar and harmful substances, but time, years, and history!

His right elbow rested on the open car window, half of his head sticking out. The hot summer wind blew in his face, messing up his hair and blowing into his heart.

A new world, a new life, a new beginning!

A smile appeared on his always calm face, a smile from the heart. Something brought him here, so he would treat this world as a canvas and paint his own fantasies!

At four fifty-five, the car stopped outside the bakery. When Lance got out of the car with Fodis, the fat boss's eyes almost popped out!

He hesitated, uncertain and suspicious, "Lance, you didn't cause me any trouble, did you?"

"This gentleman is..."

Lance was an illegal immigrant, smuggled in. The fat boss had already confirmed this, otherwise a normal person would not do a job that only paid a dozen dollars a month, even a child laborer.

The Federation has never prohibited child labor, only stipulated shorter working hours and required payment of corresponding wages.

Lance had nothing, no work permit, no social security number, so he was an illegal immigrant.

An illegal immigrant coming back in a luxury car couldn't help but make the fat boss feel puzzled, and a little uneasy.

Lance didn't confuse certain things, "A newly acquainted friend, Mr. Fodis, just stopping by to buy some bread to take back."

"I shouldn't be late, right?"

Before figuring out what this "Mr. Fodis" was, the fat boss would behave more restrained, "Of course, I was just joking with you."

He paused for a moment, "Go quickly and change into your apron, I'll entertain Mr. Fodis."

Looking at the clothes this gentleman was wearing, they were obviously not cheap.

No one knows these things better than the middle class. They may not have them, but they must know a lot!

Otherwise, who would those magazines be sold to?

Sold to rich people who don't blink an eye when spending money?

"Lance is a very hardworking young man. Even if the floor has just been mopped, he will mop it again if he's idle."

"I always use him as an example to tell others how excellent he is."

"But he's a bit introverted in social situations. He never told me that he knew someone like you here."

"Can you tell me how you met?"

Very clumsy inquiry skills. Fodis glanced at him and didn't say anything, entering the bakery.

Although the fat boss was a little annoyed, looking at the brand-new car and the high-end clothing fabrics, the smile on his face never disappeared.

Perhaps realizing that this guy wasn't interested in him, he stopped crowding forward, "Lance, introduce your friend to our store's delicacies."

Lance, who had changed into his apron, stood behind the counter. The way he looked after changing made Fodis feel a little amused, "So... what are you going to recommend to me?"

Lance opened the display window, "The only thing here that I think is even remotely close to delicious is this high-end ham from Musuli Island."

Musuli Island is a little far from here, in another country. Because of its special climate and geographical environment, Musuli Island is rich in three things.

Tobacco.

Ham.

Women.

Lance picked up a slice with tweezers and handed it over. Fodis pinched it with his fingers, put it in his mouth, and tasted it, then shook his head, "It's not authentic Sumuli ham, it's barely passable."

"If this is the best..."

He glanced at the fat boss in the corner, "Give me two portions, and two loaves of bread that can match it. Do you have donuts?"

"Yes, buying a box of donuts gets you a free cup of coffee. If you're interested in grilled wood chips, I can give you an extra cup."

Fodis closed his eyes as if he had a dizzying illusion, "So you guys just fool your customers like this?"

Lance smiled and joked as he packed the food, "Ninety-nine percent of the customers who come here just want to fill their stomachs. They only care about the price, not the taste or the origin."

He put the packed items in a paper bag and placed it on the counter, "Six dollars and ninety-nine cents."

A box of donuts is ninety-nine cents, and a cup of coffee is free.

Two portions of the best ham add up to five dollars, and two portions of better bread add up to one dollar. The price is very fair.

Fudis, holding his food, paid the fee and reminded him, "Don't forget your deal with the boss!"

Saying that, he glanced at the fat boss again, and amidst the fat boss's forced smile, he pushed open the door and walked out.