Shadow Empire

Chapter 1224 Major Investments and Everything is in the Plan
“I noticed that South Yaan State doesn’t have any large cities focused on tourism, and this is one of my many plans.”

"The West has magnificent scenery, wilderness, pristine environments, and indigenous culture—all of which are worth exploring and discovering."

"There are too many legends about the West that can be used as gimmicks to attract people from all over the world to come here. If handled well, tourism alone can drive the economic development of the entire state."

Seeing that the governor was still thinking, Lance explained it to him in more detail, "When a traveler comes from another state or another country, from the moment they enter here..."

"The costs they incur for taxis, trains, and ships, as well as the costs of their accommodation, food, and water, and all other expenses they incur during their travels."

"It will become an important source of revenue!"

"Assuming each tourist spends 100 yuan here, if one million people come here every month, the tourism industry will generate as much as 100 million yuan in revenue each month."

"This is just the most basic calculation. We can offer more consumer content, for example..."

The governor repeated his last word, "For example?"

"casino."

When the governor heard the word, a look of understanding appeared in his eyes. In fact, there are many casinos in the western region—in the reservations of Native Americans, they have opened many small casinos.

These casinos are not very large, but there are many of them, and many federal residents like to go there to have some fun.

Indigenous casinos and prostitutes have become the two most important economic pillars for indigenous people. Things like hunting, farming, and maintaining primitive lifestyles simply cannot provide them with a happy life.

Look at those greasy, pot-bellied chiefs; their gold teeth, gold rings on their fingers, and gold necklaces thicker than dog leashes all come from these two industries.

Ordinary people may not be able to run a casino, but they can send their daughters to become prostitutes because it's a quick and easy way to make money.

Many young Indigenous women treat this as a career. If you see groups of young Indigenous girls standing together in the western region, drive up and honk your horn twice, and you're guaranteed a pleasant evening.

The situation is roughly the same in South Yaan State, where the gambling industry and prostitution, two gray-area industries, are monopolized by the indigenous people.

The governor straightened up and leaned back on the sofa, changing his posture, clearly not optimistic about Lance's idea. "If you build a large casino locally, like what you did in Golden City, then you will create some conflicts with the local natives."

“You need to understand that they control nearly 70 percent of the casinos in our state right now. If their business is hit… have you seen that movie?”

"It's that... who starred in 'Conquering the West'. The movie that left the deepest impression on me was those indigenous people with smoothbore guns riding horses and standing on the cliff, looking at you from afar, and then they would come around from the other side and charge at you!"

At this point, the governor couldn't help but laugh, "That's a very exaggerated statement; I actually exaggerated it."

"But what you'll face won't be much better. They'll vandalize your casino because of protection policies, so they won't have to face serious consequences."

Several hundred years ago, the Commonwealth people massacred Native Americans, but later, for whatever reason, they suddenly began to protect Native Americans and even enacted many policies that were beneficial to them.

For example, protected areas have always been tax-free or subject to very little taxation, and when indigenous people use violence, their sentences are determined at the discretion of the court.

This drove these natives to a certain extent crazy!

When they encounter trouble, they become very excited, as if the fruits of their ancestors' blood have made them fearless!

When doing business in the West, you can afford to be on bad terms with the local gangs and not know the local politicians, but you have to maintain good relations with the natives.

Lance is now going to take away the natives' livelihood, and the natives will definitely cause trouble.

Both Parliament and the Cabinet have departments specifically targeting indigenous peoples, and if a conflict breaks out, it becomes a nationwide incident.

In response to the governor's concerns, Lance simply smiled and said, "I'm a professional when it comes to dealing with violence."

The governor then remembered what Lance did for a living, which made him chuckle. During his conversation with Lance, Lance had left a very positive impression on him, and he found it hard to associate Lance with the mafia.

At this moment, he thought that Lance might be the most influential gang in the Federation. He pursed his lips, nodded, and then raised an eyebrow, saying, "Perhaps you can give it a try."

"So what else besides casinos?" he asked, shifting his posture and his tone once again filled with a desire to explore.

"The film studio, as I mentioned before, the western region has magnificent natural scenery, much more beautiful than the east. We can find every location we need here."

"More importantly, land here is very cheap!"

"You know, Golden Harbor City has developed so well in recent years that land prices in Creek Valley City have started to soar, as have commodity prices."

"And it's too small there."

"Once Creek Valley City is annexed by Golden Harbor City, the film industry will definitely have to relocate, and everything in Creek Valley City will have to give way to Golden Harbor City's port trade and industry."

"Your Excellency, you should understand how rapidly the burgeoning film industry is developing."

"Hundreds of films are released every year, and in Xigu City, there was once a miracle of one film every three days!"

"We're not discussing whether this film is profound, entertaining, or meaningful. What I want to say is that such a sunrise industry can bring not only huge profits, but also social impact."

“I plan to have them relocate their film industry here and build a large theme park around it, making use of the natural landscape and open spaces.”

"With more tourists and more consumer activities, this place will become one of the paradises on earth!"

Lance adjusted his posture and took out his cigarette case. "Mind?"

"No, of course not, please go ahead!" The governor glanced at Lance's cigarette case and couldn't help but take out his own.

The two took a "halftime break" and each lit a cigarette. "The tourism industry has always had huge potential, but in the past... you know, the federal economy wasn't doing so well before, and tourism wasn't an option for ordinary people."

"But now that people's incomes have increased, they have more spare money, and humans are animals that can't help but spend money."

"They will forget how difficult it was to make money, and only remember how happy they were to spend it, and use that happiness as motivation to get through the next hardship."

"Many people will try to travel with their families, which will become an important part of the cultural and economic puzzle of the future!"

He paused, flicked his cigarette ash, and said, "Besides, the tourism industry doesn't cause pollution. Nobody will complain to you about the air from factories polluting their noses or the sewage polluting their land."

“People don’t complain about these things; tourists bring spending power, so it’s a win-win cycle.”

In Lance's vision of the future, the governor does indeed see a different direction from previous development paths, and with casinos and other industries, this could certainly make the state's tax revenue look much better.

Lance not only solves the problem of creating many jobs, but also puts money in the hands of the state government.

Having money in the state government is the same as having money in the governor's hands; it's the same thing.

His gaze toward Lance also became more agreeable.

"Just from your description, I can tell it's a good project, but it must require a large investment."

Lance did not deny this, "I will use about one to two hundred million dollars to select a suitable location here and build these projects."

Upon hearing about such a large investment, the governor gasped, but his eyes brightened even more.

With such a large investment coming through, his reputation will be boosted to new heights, making his chances of winning the next gubernatorial election much more secure.

His expression softened as he looked at Lance. For these politicians, whoever can keep their power in their hands is their best friend and brother!
“I support you in doing these things. I will help you with the casino license issue, and the local police and state police will also cooperate with your requests.”

"But there's one thing I must clarify first: if the indigenous people start causing trouble, it's not convenient for me to get involved."

“This is a civilized society now, and many eyes are on me. There are some things you can do, but I can’t, so please forgive me.” Lance waved his hand. “I’ll handle them myself.”

After discussing the important matters, it was time to talk about the less important ones. The governor shifted the topic to Lance's recent actions here, "Actually, if you want to deal with that Camillo guy, is there anything I can do to help?"

Lance's actions were not hidden from the governor's eyes, and of course, Lance did not deliberately avoid him; on the contrary, he generously "displayed" them.

Customs is a vertically managed department, and the governor has no say in it, but he does know that the new customs chief is from Lance's wife's family.

He also contacted other government officials to work together to crack down on the Sumuli gang's business and goods, actions that the governor considered somewhat of a waste of his talents.

He could have easily crushed them, but instead he toyed with them like he was playing with a mouse.

Lansbad explained the conflict between him and Christopher: "Making him disappear too easily would be a reward for what he did. I want to make him feel despair little by little."

The governor smiled and said, "If there's anything I can help you with, please let me know."

"Since taking office, the president has been pushing for de-gangsterization. Although I don't like Porter as a person, I can still support his policy!"

The governor wasn't surprised by the methods Lance used; these are common tactics politicians employ—using official institutions to gradually crush you.

Whether it's a gang or an ordinary person, there's really no good way to deal with this overwhelming "iron fist of power."

Either run ahead of time so it doesn't catch up.

Or just lie down and return to dust and earth.

This was Lance's first meeting with the governor, and the two sides had already reached a very good foundation for cooperation.

The relocation of the film industry from Lansba Valley was also a deliberate consideration; after all, controlling the entire state is not something to be taken lightly.

In Likale, the governor is his man, and capital within the state is also converging on him. It can be said that he has directly taken control of Likale.

He adopted a different approach when dealing with Indenau State because he was not a "local" and did not have the energy, time, or opportunity to take control of the Indenau State from the bottom up.

Therefore, when he first took control of the state, he targeted the ruling class. Since most mayors had direct or indirect interests with him, he effectively controlled the state.

As for South Yaan State, it is still different from Indenor State and Likale State. It's not that arresting the mayor is not a viable approach, but Lance has already gained greater "power" and can now directly access the upper echelons. Therefore, he met with the governor and reached some business agreements with him.

Once his power begins to penetrate this place, he will slowly corrode everything here from top to bottom.

Corrosion from top to bottom progresses much faster and more smoothly than spread from bottom to top.

That evening, Christopher returned to the estate and immediately dialed the smuggling ships with whom he had some connections, asking if they could deliver goods and people to the coastal areas of Slade.

The owners of these smuggling boats all gave him very straightforward answers, saying that whether it was smuggling goods or people, there was no problem, and they guaranteed that the smuggling would arrive smoothly.

But after each conversation, Christopher would end it with "I'll think about it and call you back," and then start looking for the next number.

"What are you looking for?" his brother-in-law couldn't help but ask, this was already the fifth number he had tried.

Christopher found another smuggling ship owner in the phone book, a Sumuli man. He glanced at his brother-in-law, didn't answer immediately, and dialed the number first.

The call was answered quickly, but the captain's voice came through the receiver, "Who is it?"

"it's me."

After a while, the captain on the other end of the receiver said in a somewhat displeased tone, "You really shouldn't have called me, Camillo."

Christopher always used the name "Camillo Bianchi" in public, and only a few people close to him knew that he was Christopher Pasretto.

Upon hearing this, Christopher breathed a sigh of relief. He lit a cigarette, and while searching for a lighter, he mumbled, "Why can't I call you at a time like this, my brother?"

The guy on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment before sighing, "Do you know some people are buying your information?"

“They contacted me and said that if I called them and agreed to any request, and then sold the information to them, they would give me 100,000 yuan.”

By this time, Christopher had found a lighter. He struck it twice before it lit, and with the sound of the tobacco igniting, he took two puffs. "So, what's your decision?"

"my friend?"

The captain gave a wry smile. "So you'd better not cause me any trouble. I don't want any trouble."

“I don’t want to mess with those people. You know how ruthless they are. I’m just a nobody. If I mess with a gang like that, my business will be ruined, and I might even get killed by them.”

“I don’t want to mess with you either, Camillo. You’re a handful of trouble yourself, so you’d better not pass your trouble on to me.”

Christopher couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Two hundred thousand?"

"It seems they didn't price me very high. I thought they would offer me 300,000 or 500,000."

He chuckled twice and then stopped. "Listen, brother, I need your help to get me and my men out of here. We need to go back to Sumuli. They'll give you 200,000, and I'll give you 400,000. Send us back, and the money is yours."

"Then you take this money and move to another city. They won't be able to find you, you can continue your business, gain my friendship, and also have a large windfall!"

"What do you say?"

The captain seemed to be considering it; this was clearly not a decision that could be made easily.

Christopher continued to raise the stakes, "Only you and I know about this. You take the boat out first, then pick us up at a deserted beach. Leave with the boat empty, and those people won't suspect anything."

"This is very simple, brother. I owe you money and favors. I promise that when you need me, I will do everything in my power to help you. I promise!"

There was a sound of heavy breathing coming from the receiver. After a moment, the captain roared, "Fuck, fuck, Camillo, are you only satisfied when you've dragged me down with you?"

Besides his roars and the sound of him smashing things—it must have been the sound of him slamming his fist on the table—"Fine, fine, you win, fuck!"

"Only I know about this, you and your people know, you have to swear an oath!"

Christopher declared loudly and without hesitation, "I swear in the names of my father and mother!"

"When do you plan to leave?"

Christopher glanced at his watch. "Let's leave today."

"Come here at three o'clock. I will leave a light on. The code is three long and two short."

Christopher said almost from the bottom of his heart, "Thanks, brother, I owe you one."

He easily put down the phone, then glanced at his brother-in-law. "They're definitely looking for me. Those who are willing to take the job as soon as they hear it's me have probably been bribed."

The brother-in-law asked with some curiosity, "Then how can you be sure this person hasn't been bribed?"

Christopher shrugged. "We'll know once we go check it out tonight."

Meanwhile, elsewhere, the boat captain put down the phone. He cautiously watched the person sitting in his chair nod in satisfaction, and his heart finally settled down.

(End of this chapter)