Shadow Empire

Chapter 1206 Gift
The governor looked at Lance, stared into his eyes for a moment, and then smiled and said, "I don't know much about this, but..."

"Perhaps my younger brother will be interested. He has vowed since he was a child to become a great capitalist, and I hope he can realize his dream this time."

Ultimately, the governor chose to follow his heart.

With more money, he would have a greater opportunity to gain a larger stage in politics, to realize his greater ambitions, and to become a more remarkable person.

On the bright side, but on the dark side, he'll be out of office after serving his two-year term as governor, and he won't get anything in return.

If he doesn't make a concerted effort in the coming period, the voters in this state will most likely not remember him and will vote for someone else in the next election.

Moreover, he doesn't have that much money and lacks support from party resources, making it difficult for him to win the election.

The commercialization of federal elections is the cruelest and most ruthless way to kill all poor politicians!

This is no joke. When the odds of winning an election are directly proportional to the amount of money invested, the elections in that country are practically doomed.

It only appears on the surface to be in accordance with the requirements of the federal constitution and the demands of the people—they are the masters of the country, and they elected the president of this country.

However, in reality, the election of the president has nothing to do with them, because the president is not directly elected.

But this doesn't prevent them from believing that, amidst constant political changes, people no longer value a person's actual abilities.

What can he do, to what extent can he do it, and is he determined to do it?

Instead, they look at the candidates' elaborate campaign posters, their various campaign performances, and the large number of celebrities and guests they invite to promote themselves in their campaign speeches!

People value this rather than a person's specific abilities, which is a very sad society. The positions that require the most ability are occupied by those who know how to spend money wisely and how to make money.

How could this country possibly not be doomed?

The commercialization and capitalization of politics, and the erosion of capital, are ubiquitous.

Even governors are no exception; they want money or power, and one of them has to be theirs, right?

Lance did not refuse his choice. "Let him come to see me, or you can give me his contact information and I will arrange for someone to contact him. That's settled."

“I am a very sociable person, and every one of my friends can at least at least prove that I did a pretty good job in this matter.”

"We'll become good friends too!"

The governor nodded very firmly. "I had a feeling about that!"

After leaving the state government, Lance had basically finished his work here. Next, he just needed to make contact with the other mayors, win them over, and form an interest group centered on the profits from alcohol sales, and then keep them under his control.

Lance will accumulate more and more chips in his hand, and his influence within the Socialist Party will grow.

The federal government has nineteen states, and the Federalist Party controls seven of them, but what if he could now win the votes in three of those states…

Who would care if he was a gang leader?
Getting people to abandon all their prejudices against him is a difficult task and requires a long struggle, but he is not in a hurry at all. He prefers the scenery along the way in the process of finding his ultimate goal.

It's like... what a glue applicator always looks forward to is the moment of reaching the peak, not what happens after reaching the peak!
“Next, we’ll find a suitable place locally to build a winery.” Lance opened the car door and got in. “Transporting large quantities of wine from Likalai State is expensive in itself. Now we have no competitors. We have our people from top to bottom. We can build the winery here, and make it big enough to supply the entire state.”

"At least half the state!"

Although on the surface it appears that Lance will soon monopolize the local liquor trade, the mayors who have obtained "exclusive agency rights" will hate more than anyone else for liquor entering their cities through other channels.

Just because they hate it or dislike it doesn't mean they can do it. Cheaper, cheaper drinks will still come in from other places.

This is a problem that almost all products encounter: once a product has monopolized an industry, new challengers will emerge.

Cheaper but lower-quality liquor from other places becomes a favorite commodity for some gangs, since ordinary people don't want whiskey that costs thirty dollars a bottle and then has to be marked up.

Instead, it's alcohol that costs only a dollar or two to make you feel tipsy. Those drinks might be a bit sour, but as long as they make you dizzy, they must be good alcohol!

However, Lance didn't care much. No one could stop this kind of smuggling. They would always find a way to transport the liquor and then sell it secretly. So, apart from arresting those who made no attempt to hide their smuggling activities, he didn't care about small-scale smuggling at all.

The convoy soon arrived at the city's downtown area. After chatting for a while, Lance and Irwin spotted a very exquisite jewelry shop by the roadside.

Patricia's birthday is coming up soon, and he wants to give her a beautiful birthday present.

This roadside jewelry store is considered a luxury jewelry store in the federal government. It is said that they only have one store in each state, and the jewelry sold in this store is not available in other states.

Each state has its own independent design and production team that hires the best, most outstanding, and most creative designers in the world to design their jewelry.

Every year, some stunning products appear, and many celebrities are keen to collect various jewelry designs under this brand.

Not only are each piece of jewelry unique, but more importantly, many of these pieces appreciate in value.

Just like the daughter of a former president once bought a pair of very abstract earrings, which were only worth about three thousand five hundred dollars when she bought them.

However, in recent years, as the designer of these earrings has become more famous and won more awards, the number of designs has decreased.

The prices of some early products have skyrocketed; earrings that cost 3,500 yuan now have a market price of over 20,000 yuan.

There are many similar cases, which is why many wealthy women are enthusiastic about their products.

"Stop the car."

Madol honked the horn and then flashed the headlights, and all the cars in the convoy slowed down until Lance's car came to a complete stop.

He pushed open the car door and got out of the car. The doorman at the entrance of the jewelry store called "Strange Things" immediately noticed them.

He quickly shouted something inside, but Lance didn't hear it. Soon, several other staff members came to the door.

The doorman opened the door for Lance. "Welcome to Wonderland, sir. We will be at your service for the next while!" said the man, presumably the manager, accompanied by several staff members, as they ushered Lance, Erwin, and Madol inside.

The doorman placed a "Not Open for Business" sign across the entrance, and from that moment on, the entire store would only serve Lance.

It sounds exaggerated, but in reality, most of these stores do this; they tailor their sales strategies based on the visitor's level.

If an ordinary person comes in, they are simply shown around by Amen. However, when a more distinguished guest enters, they are asked to leave.

Lance, arriving in a fleet of luxury cars, was among the most elite and valued customers, so the entire store was there to serve him alone at that moment.

The spending power of one rich person can be equivalent to that of thousands or tens of thousands of poor people. It's not fair to blame these businessmen and capitalists for their differential treatment; it's true that everyone has a different value.

Lance walked through the store, looking at the exquisite jewelry that shimmered under the spotlights, and for a moment he didn't know which one to choose.

"I want to give my wife a birthday present. She is a very quiet yet lively lady who seems a bit younger than her age."

Lance briefly described his impression of Patricia, and of course, he didn't forget to describe her beauty.

The manager asked, "May I know what your budget is?"

The surname "White" is very common in the federal government, and not everyone pays attention to the newspapers in Golden State to find out who this person is.

All they knew was that the wealthy man in front of them was called "Mr. White," and that he was there to choose a birthday gift for his wife; all they had to do was sell the item.

Therefore, before making a recommendation, the manager must find out how much money Lance can afford for this birthday gift.

Lance's gaze lingered on a display case beside him, where minimalist butterfly earrings were casually outlined with simple metal lines.

At first glance, it may not seem special; it's just some lines that appear to have no particular meaning.

But after observing for a while, I realized that they were actually two somewhat abstract butterflies!

It's clear that the designer put a lot of effort into the design and incorporated elements of their personal style, making the whole piece look stunning!

He glanced at the price; it was over eight thousand yuan. This was clearly an unreasonable price, because the material and the gemstones on it weren't worth that much. However, things related to art often have outrageous prices.

He turned to look at the manager, "No budget, no limit, just the goods!"

It took the manager two seconds to react, and a look of shock and delight visibly appeared on his face. "Mr. White, your love for your wife is just like your choice—limitless and touching!"

“I would like to invite you to take a look at some of our flagship products that we plan to exhibit at the ‘Exotic Jewelry Fair’ at the end of this month. Of course, if you purchase one or more of them, I would like to ask you to use them for our competition and exhibition.”

"Or you can take it home after the exhibition."

"Of course, you can also take them with you!"

Lance did not refuse and agreed. Patricia's birthday was in April, and their jewelry exhibition was at the end of this month, so there was no conflict.

Moreover, if these jewels can achieve good scores at the exhibition and gain more favor, their prices will continue to rise, and they will gain great fame.

Many people take pride in owning an award-winning piece or a highly renowned piece of jewelry!
Led by the manager and other staff, Lance then went to the security room at the back. The display cases here were smaller than those outside, but the quality of the items inside was visibly higher.

Before the manager could even introduce it, Lance was drawn to a mannequin in the center of the safe room and the jewelry adorning it.

The manager noticed Lance's change in demeanor and immediately walked over to the jewelry set to introduce it, "Mr. White, please allow me to proudly introduce our best product this year, the 'Springtime Spirit' set right here beside me!"

"It was designed and crafted by our branch's most outstanding jewelry designer, and it uses..."

Lance's gaze was fixed on the entire set of accessories.

Its design language is excellent; it looks like spring is draped over one's shoulders.

Necklaces, earrings, rings, and a beautiful shawl—they all looked so vibrant and green that even knowing they weren't real plants, you could still feel their vitality!
Lance was immediately drawn to it and could imagine how beautiful Patricia would look wearing it!
The manager also explained that the production method of this jewelry set is very special. Unlike other jewelry sets that use a skeleton to create the structure and then set gemstones, it uses a different technique.

It is made by grinding together powders of jewelry, pearls, and other materials, fully activating their colors, and then firing them.

"how much is it?"

The manager, who was still boasting about how amazing the jewelry was, paused for a moment, then Lance turned to look at him and asked, "How much does this jewelry cost?"

A spark immediately flew through the manager's mind, and in a fraction of a second, he gave a price that was significantly higher than the normal price.

“It costs 120,000, Mr. White.”

Lance nodded. "Wrap it up, I'll take it."

The manager was stunned again. He had never met such an easy-going person before. He looked at Lance and then at the exquisitely crafted jewelry.

He only wanted to boast about how exquisite their jewelry was and how high the price was; he didn't really intend to sell it for that much money.

He just thought Lance would buy it, and now he's run into trouble.

This is an entry for the competition. Its designer has already reached an agreement with the brand that it will be allowed to participate in the exhibition and competition!
If Lance buys him now, the designer will definitely kill him!

He quickly said, "Mr. White, this is our entry for the competition. If you want to get it, you'll have to wait until after the competition ends, which is one of the two days between March 4th and March 5th."

Lance did not refuse, "Of course, I also hope it can achieve a better ranking."

While Lance was picking out a birthday present for Patricia, Christopher, who had been extremely stressed these past few days, finally received a "gift" from Leonardo DiCaprio from his hometown...

(End of this chapter)