Empire of Shadows

"Mr. Lance, your figure is very standard. I guarantee the clothes I make will look very good!"

An old tailor from the Empire was measuring Lance. This time, with a little more money in hand, he planned to make two sets of clothes for everyone.

The weather was about to cool down. Recently, after each rain, there would be a day when people could feel the bleakness of autumn.

Moreover, uniform attire greatly promotes "corporate culture." Capitalists have proven that brainwashing doesn't necessarily require giving you lessons.

The old tailor was also from the Empire. His neighbor had immigrated to the Federation before and supposedly earned hundreds of dollars each month.

When he returned to the Empire, he exaggeratedly told people that in the Federation, you could pick up money even with your head down!

This was a place full of opportunities and wealth. Even a fool, as long as they were willing to sell their labor, could definitely realize the Federation dream in the Federation!

Some people were skeptical, while others firmly believed it. The old tailor was one of the believers.

They had known each other for over thirty years, and he didn't think his neighbor would lie to him. So, despite strong objections from his family, and with the deteriorating situation in the Empire, he sold everything and brought his family to the Federation.

Then he saw the place his neighbor described as full of gold and money. He even had to rack his brains for a bite to eat.

And that neighbor, who claimed to earn more than a hundred dollars each month, was actually washing dishes in a restaurant, earning only twenty-two dollars a month, including one lunch, take it or leave it.

Having completely severed ties with the Empire, the old tailor, with his daughter, son-in-law, and little grandson, squeezed into a dilapidated small house.

The only fortunate thing was that the old tailor had a skill. He relied on making clothes for people to earn a living, at a very low price, and he had some customers.

Originally, Ervin said he wanted to find a Federation tailor to make the clothes, but Lance refused.

The clothes made by Federation tailors were a bit… unsightly. They would incorporate the Federation's unique laziness and leisure into the design, making them loose and baggy, which didn't look energetic.

On the contrary, Imperial tailors could bring out their most energetic side: tight-fitting, body-hugging, and able to create a sharp and fierce feeling.

"I heard that you made clothes for nobles in the Empire?"

The old tailor, wearing reading glasses and standing on a small stool to measure Lance's shoulder width, was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yes, a minor noble. You've even heard of that?"

"I heard someone mention it. I'm curious, why don't you open your own shop?"

"Although the Federation people don't think much of us, they still yearn for those noble things."

"If you can advertise that you worked for the royal family or nobles, people from high society will flock to you soon."

The old tailor's son-in-law helped him down from the small stool. He recorded Lance's shoulder width while saying, "No matter what you want to do, you must first have money. I've been here for a while now, and life here is really terrible."

"You and your friends have allowed us to fill our stomachs this month, but next month we'll have to continue struggling for a living. I can't even leave the Imperial District, so how can I tell others that I once served nobles?"

Lance nodded slightly, "If your craftsmanship is really good, I plan to sponsor you."

The old tailor was stunned, and a glimmer of hope appeared in his cloudy eyes, "You… are you serious?"

"You want to support me in opening a tailor shop?"

Lance put on the clothes he had worn when he came, "In the city center!"

"Of course, the premise is that you can make our clothes well enough, after all, this is not a small sum of money."

The old tailor and his son-in-law were so excited that they repeatedly thanked Lance for his generosity.

Originally, they belonged to the middle class in the Empire, but they didn't expect that after coming here, not only did they not find gold and money, but they were almost unable to eat!

Who would hire an old tailor without a reputation in the Federation to make clothes from those expensive fabrics?

Only custom-made clothes could really make big money.

And the poor mostly bought cheap second-hand clothes, which might not fit so well, but were at least cheap.

Very few people actually needed to have clothes custom-made. Ten or so dollars a month was their income. In the past two months, they had also encountered conflicts between natives and illegal immigrants, and his son-in-law couldn't find a job either.

Lance's business saved them, in every sense!

Now he was saying he would sponsor them to open a tailor shop, which brought tears to the old tailor's eyes, "You are a kind and good person, Mr. Lance, may the Lord bless you!"

"Hopefully, he won't get angry because he's blessing me."

Looking at the astonishment and bewilderment of the old tailor and his son-in-law, Lance smiled happily and shook his hand, "In short, thirty-seven people, two suits and two windbreakers each, all with peaked lapels. Try your best to do these well, and we'll have more opportunities to cooperate in the future!"

He looked back at the eager people, signaling them to line up and not make a mess.

Being able to make new clothes was a happy thing for both Federation people and Empire people.

Because there were only two of them, the measurements would be a bit slower, but fortunately they were invited to the company by Lance, so they didn't need to worry too much about their work speed.

Lance and Ervin went to the side to sit down, and Ervin took the initiative to talk about some things.

"I heard something that might be difficult to handle."

Lance looked at him, "What is it?"

"The union is somewhat dissatisfied with our large-scale use of other people's work cards, believing that we are disrupting the normal labor market."

The union is definitely not an ordinary thing in the Federation, although it is also not a good thing.

Many workers would register with the local union, which provided a high degree of protection for their own rights and interests, so they didn't have to worry about excessive exploitation and oppression.

The unions at this time were very powerful and healthy. They had not yet developed arrogance and conceit, and were relatively clean.

The slogan "Workers of the world, unite!" came from the Federation!

If the union felt that they were disrupting the labor market, it would definitely be a heavy blow to the current booming affairs office business.

Lance thought for a while, "How many work cards do we have on hand now?"

Sean, the person in charge of the affairs office, ran over, "Mr. Lance, as of today, the work cards registered in our affairs office have exceeded three thousand, there are three thousand one hundred and thirty-two."

Sean was a very good Imperial young man with round-rimmed glasses. He was admitted to the university in the Empire, but he chose to go back to his hometown as a teacher because he didn't have money to go to the university.

Then the war broke out, and his family sent him to the Federation so as not to be sent to the front line.

He was not the kind of person who could be ruthless to others. He had been studying all his life, so Lance let him temporarily manage the affairs office here, and also made subsequent arrangements for him.

"This is a big number!"

Lance affirmed his work results during this period, and then said to Ervin, "Who has opinions about us, find out, and then help me make an appointment with them, and I will handle this matter."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Sean, "Sean, our next development will be very rapid. We need a reliable lawyer, so I plan to send you to continue your studies, to go to university, but you have to study law."

Sean was a little surprised, and even more pleasantly surprised. Lawyers were very respected professions in both the Federation and the Empire, and they also had a high social status.

At the same time, this also allowed him to find his own value.

Recently, he had been thinking about this question. Everyone else was exerting their light and heat, but he didn't seem to be making any real value, because his current job could be done by anyone who had completed elementary school.

But the sudden good news allowed him to find a direction, and at the same time, he was a little confused, "Lance, I haven't studied for a while, I don't know if I can keep up."

Lance glanced at his watch, "I will hire a tutor for you, they will help you solve academic problems, as well as problems outside of academics."

"Lance, I don't know how to thank you, I will definitely become a great lawyer!"

Lance patted his arm, "But don't drop the work here for the time being, wait until I find a new candidate."

As he spoke, Hiram pushed open the back door and knocked on the door while standing at the door. When Lance saw him, he stood up, "Go back to work."

This was said to Sean, and then he glanced at Ervin, who followed him out the back door.

This was also a small yard. Most of the buildings in the Federation were like this. There would be an open space between the buildings, and some builders would enclose these open spaces and promote them as a "backyard."

But some builders didn't care about these open spaces, there were no walls, no other things.

There was a small yard here, about two hundred square meters, and the car was parked in the middle. Lauren leaned against the car and smoked, and the door of the warehouse next to him was open.

Lance nodded to him, then went into the warehouse.

There needed to be an adaptation period from strong to weak light. After a few seconds, he saw Jason being hung up.

His face was covered in blood. Hiram punched him in the mouth a few times very hard, and several teeth were knocked out.

Seeing Lance coming here, he began to beg again, "Mr. Lance, I was wrong, I will give you all the money, and then I will disappear from Goldport City and never come back!"

Lance took out a cigarette, and Hiram immediately took out a match to light it for him, which stunned Ervin, who was holding the matchbox and still making the motion of taking out a match.

He smiled and punched Hiram.

Lance scratched his brow with his finger. "You still haven't realized your mistake, Jason. Your anxiety about the current situation is just regret that you were caught by us, not that you did something wrong."

"Because if you really knew you were wrong, you wouldn't be saying these meaningless things to me."

"Now, a few questions."

"First, where is the rest of the money hidden?"

"Second, how many people know you suddenly have money?"

"Third, did you tell anyone how you made this money?"

"Solve these problems first, and then we'll consider your problems."

I don't have any drafts; it's all written on the spot. Plus, there's still a little bit to do over there, so here are three chapters for now.

As for bonus chapters [doge]