Shadow Empire

Chapter 1232 Can’t reach an agreement

At 7:30 a.m., Lance was enjoying his breakfast while reading the local newspaper.

The local newspaper in Sher is called "Morning Reading," which is the longest-running and largest-circulation newspaper in the city. It can be regarded as the local "official newspaper," an authoritative one that everyone who reads newspapers must read every morning.

One-third of the content is local and state news, while the remaining two-thirds consists of federal news and some world news.

The Morning Reading News has no entertainment news or borderline news, let alone any solicitation information; it is a very typical serious newspaper.

It's dry, but for those who enjoy the news, it's an essential morning read, just like its name suggests; those who like it read it every morning.

Lance has already seen the follow-up reports on the "new town" landing in the local area on the front page. It is a series of reports that will introduce some of the sub-projects in the new town to the locals, such as casinos, tourism, entertainment, and cinemas.

People are very concerned about the development of their hometown, which has led to a significant increase in the newspaper's sales recently.

Today's report is about the governor receiving a new casino business license in the last two days, which is issued by the Federal Gaming Commission (Congress).

No one had ever opened a super-large casino in South Yaan before, nor had anyone considered doing so. There is a prerequisite for opening a large casino: a sufficiently commercialized city and a huge flow of people.

Unfortunately, none of these can be seen in South Yaan State. Paradise City is located in one of the earliest developed western cities in the state. It has the largest population in the entire western region, and its commerce is developed, with a dense flow of people and a higher consumption capacity than the later-developed South Yaan State.

Some people had considered opening a casino here, but after investigation, it was found that opening a casino was not a good idea.

They have to compete with the local indigenous people, face potential harassment and retaliation from them, and other risks.

This will result in the project not actually making any money.

For capitalists willing to invest huge sums to open mega-casinos, their investment is aimed at generating astonishing returns, not at solving the local employment problem.

So this matter was never successful.

There are no commercial casinos in the state, and casinos on Indigenous reserves are regulated and controlled under federal law, the Special Businesses in Reserves Act. Therefore, there is no “State Gaming Commission” in South Yaan.

To apply for this license, you need to apply to the Federal Gaming Commission.

Fortunately, although there has been a significant reshuffling of seats in the Senate, the Federal Gaming Commission, while also subject to changes, remains within the control of the Socialist Party.

This area has stabilized and is unlikely to generate significant economic or political value in the short term; the Liberal Party has not yet taken any action here.

Furthermore, they did not intend to completely annihilate the Socialist Party. Politics is not about extermination, but a performance art of mutual tug-of-war, balance, and tacit understanding!
Leaving something for the Socialist Party would actually be beneficial to the stability of the entire parliament.

When it came to the fact that "one of their own" wanted to apply for a license, and it was Lance who wanted it, the Socialist Party did not hesitate at all and directly granted Lance a 20-year business license.

This is usually a lengthy process, taking at least three to six months to get approved, but because of the applicant's special circumstances, they allowed the state government and Lance to obtain the license first and then submit the application materials.

After all, this is the Federation, a place where interpersonal relationships are most important.

Officials in other countries might be constrained by their own, at least superficial, moral standards, and thus not act so openly.

After obtaining the license, the local newspapers were bound to give it a big shout-out. Lance was quite satisfied with the introductions to the Golden Port Casino and Golden Casino in the newspapers.

It wasn't that the newspapers told people how much money he could make from the casino, but rather that the casino could provide at least tens of thousands of high-paying jobs throughout the state, and attract more tourists and gamblers from the West to visit and participate in the games.

The article also mentioned the term "tourism economy" coined by Lance and provided a detailed explanation. The entire newspaper was dominated by praise for Lance, which was clearly orchestrated by the governor or the Socialist Party.

What might have been an unpopular project has been hyped up so much that even if locals aren't particularly enthusiastic, they won't have any objections.

Who could refuse the chance that they or their loved ones might be lucky enough to secure a position there?

"The president and vice president of the construction workers' union have arrived."

Lance glanced back at the person who had come to deliver the message, placed the newspaper on the corner of the table, and said, "Tell them to wait a moment; I'm having breakfast."

Seeing Lance's dismissive attitude towards them, Erwin, sitting opposite him, just kept laughing.

All of this felt like an absurd dream to him. It was as if not long ago he and Ethan and others were doing dirty and tiring work at the docks, earning only ten dollars a month. Now, in the blink of an eye, some of the big shots they used to see had become so "cheap," which was truly unexpected.

Lance could read something from his face about what he was thinking, and said with a smile, "You'll have to get used to this. We can't always be gangsters. Maybe we'll become well-known businessmen or philanthropists in the Federation someday."

He pursed his lips, clearly not caring much about these titles, but having such a title and not having such a title are two completely different things.

The Federation man's hypocrisy was written all over his face; in some ways, he was indeed as genuine as those who praised the Federation said.

If you have a prestigious identity, they will greet you with smiles.

If you don't have a prestigious background, you might not even be qualified to meet them.

Irwin asked, "What about the gangs?"

Lance used a butter knife to spread butter evenly on the toasted bread slices, emphasizing his words slightly, "Not a gang, but a company."

“We are a formally registered military outsourcing company authorized by the Ministry of Defense.”

"So, our employees..." He put the breakfast, which had already been spread with butter, topped with vegetables, bacon, and some shredded beef, to his mouth, "It's perfectly reasonable for them to behave slightly differently from employees in ordinary companies, isn't it?"

He took a bite and said it tasted pretty good.

At first, he didn't quite understand why the Commonwealth people liked to spread butter on toasted bread slices. Butter... was too greasy to eat without any other processing.

He later tried it himself and realized that without butter, the toasted bread slices were too dry and difficult to swallow!
The bread slices from the Federation were not the same as the toast he had eaten at a street bakery in his previous life; the toast in his previous life was very soft.

Here, bread is just bread, as hard as a brick.

People eat bread not because it's a snack to pass the time in their leisure time, but because it's the most basic food that everyone uses to fill their stomachs every day.

It doesn't have the attributes of a snack; it needs to be cheap, filling, and satisfying, which means its taste won't be very good.

Especially the toasted bread. The Commonwealth people toast bread because the bread nowadays is too hard and it's hard to eat without toasting it. Of course, toasting it doesn't make it any easier, but at least it's a little better, as the temperature will soften the bread.

After considering Lance's words for a moment, Erwin nodded. "Then...should we tone down some of our company's activities?"

Lance took two more bites of bread and asked, "Do we have any specific criminal businesses we're currently running?"

"Besides selling alcohol."

Erwin was stunned for a moment. After thinking about it for a while, he couldn't think of any criminal business they were still running. For a moment, he didn't know how to answer.

Lance finished his bread in a few bites, clapped his hands, and said, "So, don't always think of us as a gang. We've already gone clean!"

He stood up as he spoke, "I'll go see what those two guys want to talk to us about. Contact me if anything comes up."

Watching Lance's departing figure, Erwin scratched his head and looked at his subordinates standing behind him. "So, does that mean I'm now considered the company's vice president or something?"

The captain behind him had an amused look on his face. "According to the Boss, I don't think there's anything wrong with what you said."

Erwin still felt somewhat strange about the change in his identity.

On the other side, the two waiting for Lance in the side hall were discussing in hushed tones what might happen. The vice president was clearly dissatisfied with Lance's "neglect," and his tone was full of resentment. "He's obviously looking down on us. In the past, no matter who we visited, they would see us in their study first, not in a place like this. It's not formal at all, and this isn't even a 'main room'."

The president remained relatively calm at this point. "Because he is Lance White. If you had his achievements in Licarle and Indenor, you would only be more arrogant than him!"

The vice president's lips moved, but he ultimately did not refute. If he really had Lance's achievements, he would have ascended to heaven long ago. Who the hell would still be stuck in the mortal world?

Just then, the door to the side hall was pushed open, and Lance walked in with a smile on his face. After entering, he stood by the sofa, and the two presidents and vice presidents immediately stood up and went forward to shake hands with Lance.

"Sorry, something came up and I was held up for a bit."

He shook hands with the president, saying, "They told me you were here, so I rushed over as quickly as possible. I hope I'm not too late."

Although he knew it was a very insincere polite remark, the president still replied with a smile, "No, we just sat down not long ago."

"Let me introduce myself..." He then introduced himself and the vice president next to him to Lance, and the three of them sat down.

Lance had coffee brought to him; he had just eaten a dry bread roll, which, despite having quite a few side dishes, was still a bit dry.

He felt much better after taking a sip of coffee. He looked up at the two of them and said, "I know you two too. May I ask what brings you here?"

The two presidents exchanged a glance, and the vice president coughed, attracting Lance's attention. "Mr. White, the newspapers have been reporting on the 'New City' project lately. According to what we know, it's a huge undertaking."

Lance did not deny it, "We estimate that the entire project will take about five years, or even longer, to complete."

During this period, the federal construction industry had not yet become chaotic and slow. Building a skyscraper of more than 200 meters in 200 days had become the norm, and it was known as the "industrial miracle of the Federation"!
A project that takes five years to complete is indeed a massive undertaking in this energetic era.

The vice president lowered his tone slightly, "That's the purpose of our visit. Since you have so many projects, have you started recruiting workers yet?"

"The construction workers' union manages more than 90 percent of the state's construction workers. If we can work together, we can ensure your project is completed on schedule, or even faster, and put into use!"

"We have a very deep reserve of expertise in some less common technical jobs, and our cooperation will be a win-win situation."

Seeing the two of them lying through their teeth, Lance couldn't help but want to laugh.

"Sorry, we don't have any plans to recruit outside of our organization at the moment."

The vice president's expression remained unchanged. "I've heard some rumors that you only recruit internally."

Lance nodded, without denying it.

The vice president's tone became slightly sharper, "This is unreasonable, Mr. Lance. If you want to start work here and use local workers, you must reach an agreement with us on the issue of labor!"

Lance glanced at the president, then at the vice president, still maintaining his composure. "Which law stipulates this?"

The vice president straightened his back slightly. "This is industry regulation!"

Lance chuckled twice. "Industry regulations... I'm sorry, I'm not in your industry, and I don't intend to abide by your regulations."

“If you think my actions violated federal law, you are free to sue me.”

“If the federal judge finds your argument to be valid, then I will follow the judge’s advice.”

“Unless the judge tells me that I have to recruit workers from your side, I’m sorry, I can’t reach any agreement with you on any issues as you request.”

At this point, the chairman had no choice but to speak up, "Mr. White, I don't quite understand. This is clearly a win-win situation for us. If you cooperate with us..."

"We can help you communicate with the workers better, so you don't have to deal with them personally."

"At the same time, we will guarantee that the project will be completed on time and in full, and you will not need to pay us any extra fees. Why are you so... resistant to us?"

"I'm sorry, after thinking about it, it seems that only the word 'resistance' can express your current attitude towards us."

What makes you so resistant to us?

Lance sat there with his legs crossed, his hands clasped together, hugging his knees. "Resistance, not really, it's more like dislike."

"How I, as the employer, use the workers is my business, it's the workers' business, and it has nothing to do with you. You have no right to interfere in the matters between me and the workers, but you keep trying to interfere."

"So the problem isn't with me, it's with you!"

The chairman reacted quickly, "We are not doing this with any intention of interfering in your issues. We are simply protecting the rights that construction workers should receive while working."

"If you don't harm the interests of those construction workers, then we're as good as non-existent!"

"But we will only stand up if you illegally grind and oppress your workers. I believe, Mr. White, that Wanli Group is not a cruel and cold-blooded company, so your concerns are unnecessary and will not be the root of our conflict."

After listening, Lance kept shaking his head. "I said, this is a problem between me and the workers, it has nothing to do with you."

"Maybe they actually enjoy being exploited and oppressed by me?"

"What does this have to do with you?"

"This is what I dislike most about labor unions: you always use the excuse of protecting workers' rights to profit yourselves."

“I know a lot of union members, especially those in management. Almost every union manager doesn’t know how to do their job. You’ve long since become detached from the working class. You’re no different from us or the capitalists.”

"Capitalists openly bleed workers dry, while you, under the guise of doing what's best for the workers, ruthlessly bleed them dry, and then try to cultivate an image of being in the best interests of the workers. I find it disgusting."

"I will cooperate with you when I am still poor and destitute, because I am very poor."

"Poverty in all aspects: wealth, status, and influence."

“But now that I’m rich, I don’t need to care what you think; I only care about myself.”

“If you’ve come to me just for this, I don’t think we need to continue this discussion, because it won’t end well.”

The president looked at Lance for a moment and said, "Mr. White, do you know that what you're doing will trigger a boycott from all industries in the state?"

"You are undermining the labor relations that the federal government has built up over the past few decades."

Lance spread his hands. "Who cares?"

The president and vice president exchanged a glance, knowing that there was no point in continuing the conversation. They then stood up and said, "Mr. White, perhaps you should reconsider and have a new idea."

"You seem very busy, and so do we, so we'll end our visit here today."

"This is my business card. If you change your mind..." the chairman placed his business card on the table, "Please give me your call. I look forward to your call!"

Lance glanced at the business card, not even bothering to pick it up and look at it. He smiled and said, "See the two gentlemen out."

One of his men opened the door. "Please come in, gentlemen!"

(End of this chapter)