Shadow Empire

Chapter 1005 Protest
make money?

Who doesn't want to make money?
Before coming to the Union, these ambassadors were basically privileged classes in their home countries, where power was more effective than money.

It could even be said that, to a certain extent, the role of power is greater than that of money.

In small countries like Makan, with a population of two or three million, goods are extremely scarce. Money can only buy some worthless agricultural products, and even buying a car requires purchasing it from the federal government.

So for them in the past, having money was certainly good, but if they didn't have much, they didn't have many worries, since they didn't have much desire to consume anyway.

However, after arriving in the Federation, in this country that some call "heaven" but is actually "hell," the importance of money became clearly apparent.

No matter what you do, you need money.

They start consuming things from the moment they open their eyes every morning.

This is a place completely tied to money and wealth. Whether it's goods or anything else, or even people and the services they provide, everything requires payment.

They weren't particularly sensitive to money before because they didn't have a need for it; now, they do.

Making money in the Federation is not an easy thing. The average person's monthly salary is only about fifty dollars. In the past two years, because the Federation's goods have a stable market, the social economy has improved, the labor force has decreased, and wages have naturally increased rapidly.

In just two or three years, they accomplished what might have taken five or six years to achieve in terms of salary increases. But even so, fifty or sixty yuan was practically nothing to these ambassadors.

After attending some events hosted by Ambassador Kassia, they became regulars here, and the thought "Why hasn't the federal government contacted me yet?" arose in their minds more than once.

They certainly knew that Ambassador Cassia was a typical progressive of the new Federation, a true member of the Lapapi Federation, and understood that everything he possessed now—the villa, the affluent lifestyle—was the result of treason.

They also wanted to betray their country.

Now that Lance has suddenly brought up the topic of making money, it's impossible for them not to gravitate towards that idea.

The ambassadors remained silent, partly because they were unsure whether Lance meant the same thing as they suspected, and partly because they didn't know how much they could sell it for.

Ultimately, all eyes fell on Ambassador Cassia, who glanced at Lance and said with a smile, "Who wouldn't want to make more money?"

The others chimed in, “Yes, Ambassador Cassia is absolutely right, everyone wants to make more money!”

He then spoke about the ambassador of Makan.

Master Makan is not tall, probably a little over 1.6 meters. His skin is rather dark, but not the kind of dark skin of a dark-skinned person. It's more like a brownish skin tone, rather than black.

There are still significant differences between them.

He looked very thin, perhaps not even 100 pounds, with a fawning smile on his face. If it weren't for the fact that he was wearing relatively decent clothes and carrying the title of ambassador, Lance would have thought he was just a refugee.

"I ate some food cooked by Makan chefs in the Alan region this time. It was very unique. If you want to make money, you can find some chefs from China and we can open a restaurant together."

Of course, restaurants need to sell drinks; otherwise, who would eat those things?
The unique selling point only works the first time, and then it gradually loses its effectiveness. So the most crucial thing is to have a "flagship product," such as alcoholic beverages.

The ambassador to Makan immediately beamed with joy. He no longer cared about the envious and jealous expressions on the faces of the other ambassadors and quickly said, "It is their (the chefs') honor to serve you, Mr. Lance."

“I will immediately arrange for the best chefs to come from China, but... we don’t have an independent embassy in New Gold City, and the land prices here are too expensive for us.”

He seemed somewhat embarrassed that an ambassador of a country couldn't afford a detached house; it just goes to show that when people are poor to a certain extent, this is indeed the case.

Those who have never experienced poverty will never know how terrible it is. Even things that ordinary people can afford are just things they can only look at.

There are no incurable diseases in this world, except for poverty.

Lance raised his hand and waved it twice. "Don't worry, since it was my suggestion, I'll find you a house, and I'll take care of the rest."

Ambassador Makan was so happy he couldn't stop smiling, and kept saying "good" to everyone.

The other ambassadors also couldn't sit still afterward; who wouldn't want to become rich?

Who wouldn't want to live in a villa? Who wouldn't want to live in a dream every day?
They kept talking about the unique features of their country, and Lance arranged for them to do so.

Until the very end, an ambassador who also looked poor, with a faded collar, remained seated without moving, looking troubled.

Perhaps noticing Lance's gaze, he spoke up, "I can't think of anything special about our country that would attract people."

His country is also an agricultural country with limited mineral resources, and it is located some distance from the sea, making transportation very inconvenient.

The country is quite mediocre; if it weren't for having a slightly larger population than Makan, it might be the poorest country in Alam.

Lance shook his head slightly, "Actually, you have it too, you just haven't noticed it."

The other ambassadors all looked at Lance with a hint of confusion in their eyes. They knew each other and their respective countries very well, and they really couldn't imagine what was going on in this country.

Lance took out a cigarette, and the ambassadors who had been watching him all took out their lighters. It was Ambassador Makan, who was closer to him, who rushed over and lit Lance's cigarette before happily going back to sit down.

Lance expressed his gratitude, took a drag of his cigarette, and slowly exhaled, "Humans are one of the best resources in this world."

"Girls, boys, laborers..."

"I'll arrange it for you."

Exotic features are also a feature, just like the Imperial Nightclub before, which was full of girls from the Empire.

Some of them smuggled themselves in and, unable to find work, turned to prostitution.

Some were directly trafficked and kidnapped by Camilla's gang, forced to work as prostitutes in nightclubs.

Without considering moral issues, prostitution is indeed a low-cost, high-profit business.

In Xinjin City, as long as these young men and women are given a makeover, twenty yuan is just the starting price.

An ordinary worker might need twelve days to earn twenty dollars, but for these people, it's just a short while.

The buildings behind the military compound in Jingang City generate millions in profit every month, which is much more profitable than running a factory.

There's nothing wrong with engaging in prostitution; being poor is the most shameful thing, not selling oneself.

Moreover, he believes that as long as the price is right, there will be plenty of people in China eager to come, and those parents will even make more sacrifices to send their children here.

Lance resolved their problem of not making money with just a few words. At this moment, Ambassador Cassia coughed twice, "Speaking of which, something else happened today..."

He recounted what had happened, and the ambassadors immediately began to describe how deserted the bar looked when they arrived.

The bar used to be very lively when they came here, with many people in the courtyard, but today it was unusually quiet. They thought it was closed for the day, but they didn't expect it to have been vandalized.

“These people are going too far!”

"This is the new Gold Market!"

The ambassadors all expressed their dissatisfaction with the matter, and of course they were also observing Lance's changing expressions.

As clever as they are, they most likely realized at this point that the reason they came here and were being led by Lance to make money was definitely not just because Lance wanted them to make money.

However, Lance didn't need to say these words himself; Ambassador Cassia said it for him: "The people who vandalized the bar are said to be very powerful, and some of them are not easy to mess with, but I believe the Federation is a society that upholds the law."

“And we have some very special identities, so we can’t underestimate ourselves. Therefore, I hope you can join me in calling the Secretary of State and complaining to him about this matter.”

Upon hearing this, the ambassadors immediately patted their chests and assured them that they would definitely do so.

Ambassador Cassia didn't ask them to go back; instead, he dialed the Secretary of State's number right in front of them.

The Secretary of State also handles some diplomatic work, and even though it was late, the call was answered immediately. In special circumstances, whether it's the President, Vice President, Secretary of State, other government officials, or members of Congress, they are all on call 24 hours a day.

After a brief wait, the Secretary of State answered the phone.

Although Rapa is just a small country, and is embroiled in civil war, and there are rumors that Senator Cleveland and his group are plotting something, Ambassador Kassia is still an ambassador.

The Federation now places great importance on its international image and influence. If it wants to achieve a higher international standing, it will certainly need to gain more support from other countries.

Let alone people in this era, even fifty or a hundred years from now, the vast majority of people will not know what countries exist outside their own homeland or their own country.

They have no idea what those country names represent, whether they have strong national power, vast territory, or large population. They know nothing; they only know the name.

Having enough names as supporters certainly elevates one's status in people's eyes.

"Ambassador Cassia, what's wrong that you're calling so late?" The Secretary of State was very patient; without patience, one couldn't handle this kind of tedious work.

Ambassador Cassia glanced at Lance, then said in a voice that was both angry and aggrieved, "Your Excellency Secretary, I actually didn't want to make this call to you."

"But something terrible happened today. A group of gang members stormed into the embassy's consular district, attacked our buildings, and caused damage."

"Although they have been arrested by the police, I don't think they will be severely punished because I heard from the police who came to arrest them that they are members of some big family."

“I know that perhaps Lapa isn’t that important in the eyes of a superpower like the Federation, and perhaps my appeal won’t make any difference, but I…”

The Secretary of State interrupted him, "Excuse me, but you said someone stormed the embassy district and then attacked your buildings?"

"That's true!"

The Secretary of State scratched his itchy scalp. "I see. You said they've been taken into police custody?"

"Yes, police officers from the New Gold City Police Department. I even saw their chief."

With such a clear statement, the Secretary of State believed that Ambassador Cassia would not dare to lie. "Okay, I'll inquire. If this is true, I'll have them give you an explanation."

He hung up the phone and called his secretary over, asking her to find out what had happened.

He didn't entirely believe Ambassador Cassia's words; people who reach the level of diplomats probably don't always speak the truth.

Just as he was about to continue with his work, the phone rang again. He tilted his head and answered, "This is the Secretary of State's office. I am the Secretary of State."

"Your Excellency Secretary, I am the Ambassador of Makan to the Union. I am here today to lodge a protest with deep sorrow and indignation with the Federal Government!"

"Alan is indeed a poor and backward country, but as a sovereign and independent nation, we should uphold an attitude of equality and independence when establishing diplomatic relations with the Federation."

Something happened today that I never expected...

It's still about the same thing: Asia Blue has become more... united because of the Asia Alliance?
He wasn't sure if he could use the word "unity," but in any case, their ties were a little closer than before, and it was not unusual for one of the Asian Union member states to protest together after the attack on the Lapa embassy.

He reassured Ambassador Makan, and just as he hung up the phone, it rang again.

He stared at the constantly ringing phone and vaguely realized that it must be another protest call from ambassadors of other Asian Union countries; they had planned this all along.

After receiving two more phone calls, his secretary came in from outside. "I've already inquired, and it's true."

"I heard that members of the Perez family attacked a bar in Ambassador Lapa's consulate area, injuring some customers and vandalizing the bar."

"They say this is related to Lance beating up Peggy Perez a few days ago."

The Secretary of State rubbed his temples. "So this is a different kind of gang warfare?"

The secretary nodded in agreement, "I'm afraid that's true."

This left the Secretary of State speechless; his scalp started itching again.

He started losing his hair after becoming Secretary of State. He doesn't want to go bald, but it seems he's starting to do so.

"I understand," he said, indicating to his secretary that she could go back to work. He sat there for a while, then dialed the police chief's office.

The bureau chief didn't go home; he stayed in the break room because he knew this matter was bound to cause a big problem.

He was quickly alerted by the phone call and reluctantly answered it.

The moment he answered the phone, his reluctance turned into a reluctant smile. "This is the police chief's office..."

"I am Secretary of State Henry. I heard that you arrested some people who attacked the embassy today?"

Fake!

The bureau chief cursed under his breath, "The truth is..."

The Secretary of State didn't tell him about the repelling of the attack, and now four ambassadors are protesting to him. He doesn't know if there will be more tomorrow, and this whole thing is already a scandal.

A gang attacked an embassy, ​​and it seems they're not going to do anything about it?
The Secretary of State doesn't care how things might turn out; he only cares whether ignoring the issue will cause trouble and drawbacks for his job.

"I don't want to hear your so-called facts. The facts are that a group of gang members stormed into the embassy's consular district, vandalized the premises, and injured people. This is a diplomatic incident, Director, and you need to handle it seriously."

"I hope you can take this seriously, understand?"

"Alright, contact Ambassador Cassia if anything comes up. Once the outcome is in, inform my secretary."

He hung up the phone directly.

If this matter is not addressed, the federal government's reputation will be very poor, not only internationally but also among these ambassadors stationed in the federal government.

Not all countries are as poor and backward as Lapa and Makan. There are also some countries whose strength the Federation needs to take seriously. Therefore, it is better to eliminate this inevitable influence as soon as possible.

As for whether the local police were colluding with the Perez gang family, and how the police chief would handle it, he didn't care; it wasn't their job.

He then threw himself back into his work.

On the other side, the police chief looked at the receiver in his hand, which had ended the call, shook his head, sighed, and placed it on the landline.

Actually, the situation is not completely out of control yet. As long as those who were arrested admit that it was their own decision and had nothing to do with the Perez family, that's fine.

Bonnie was on his way here with his lawyer, along with two other members of the Perez family branch. This shouldn't be a difficult task for them.

"I'll talk to them after we go in."

Bonnie is a direct member of the family, so his words carry more weight.

The others in the car, including the lawyer, nodded, knowing what he was going to say.

Their established strategy is to let these people bear the consequences themselves. He has already consulted a lawyer, and the severity of the sentence in this case depends entirely on the judge's decision.

Because the embassy's consular district is a sensitive area, the sentence might be harsher, or it might be lighter.

But no matter the verdict, these people must withstand the pressure.

Therefore, appropriate coercion and inducement are necessary.

It's all for the sake of the family.

(End of this chapter)