Shadow Empire

Chapter 257 I Have an Informant

The current situation on Sumurri Island is a bit complicated because it is adjacent to the Tanfit Continent and can be considered a member of the Tanfit Continent.

Now the military frictions among several countries on the Tanfit continent are escalating, and the shadow of war has begun to spread all around.

In fact, judging from the development of the situation rationally, Sumuli Island is likely to be affected by the war, which has also led to differences of opinion among the four major families on the island on this matter.

There were two families who believed that they should take a more active role in joining the war, so as to seize the initiative of the war. This way, they would be able to decide how to fight and how the war would turn out.

But some people opposed it, believing that war had nothing to do with their four major families and that they could stay out of it. There was no need to send their loved ones to the battlefield and watch them die.

Even if they win the war, it will only be a victory for politicians, not a victory for the four major families. They will not get any substantial benefits from it, but many people will die.

In addition to the staunch war factions and anti-war factions, there are also some small factions, such as the most common fence-sitters, who don't care about war or not as long as there are benefits.

"...some people hope to use this war as an opportunity to transform themselves from 'ordinary' families into political families."

"They have a deep influence in the sumu, but lack power at a higher level. If they can enter the center and sit in the position of prime minister, it will definitely be a huge promotion for them."

"This confrontation also caused the four major families to start winning over others for their own views..." Alberto was stunned. He didn't know how to describe what was happening. He couldn't find the word.

Lance helped him, "Stand united."

Alberto pointed at him and said, "Yes, we are in the same position, trying to gain the upper hand."

"Paul is having a headache, I am having a headache, everyone is having a headache, this damn war, why did it have to happen at this time!"

He complained about many things and was very dissatisfied with the despotism of the four major families on Sumuli Island. He believed that the four major families were leading the people of Sumuli to hell.

Fortunately, his family members have all come to live in the Federation. Even if the four major families issued the most stringent orders, he would not return to Sumuli Island to participate in the Gouba War!
He complained about a lot of things until he finally finished his meal.

"I'm sorry I've been complaining all lunch, but I just don't know who to talk to about this."

"You know, I can't tell Paul, and I can't tell that bastard outside, and you're here."

"Don't leave tonight. I'll take you out for some fun!"

When he said this, he squinted his eyes and said that the entertainment projects in the Starlight District were top-notch in the entire Jingang District.

How can we describe this gap?

Just like fast food and fancy meals, there are roadside stalls and fast food everywhere at the port. Although you spend less money, you won’t get any good enjoyment or experience.

After all, roadside stalls need to control costs, they can't let you spend two dollars to eat food worth dozens of dollars.

But in the Starlight District, where stars gather and there are sumptuous meals and more enjoyment, many rich people are fascinated by everything here.

At night, the Starlight District and the Harbor District are the most lively.

"Thanks, but I'm not interested in that.", Lance refused.

He knew what Alberto meant. If he agreed, he would definitely have a big dinner tonight.

But...not only have you eaten those delicious meals, but others have also eaten them, and you never know how others ate them!

This can't be considered as mysophobia, it's just a kind of maladjustment!

Alberto laughed, but also looked a little regretful. "When there is a good opportunity in the future, I will take you to see it again."

When Lance left, Fordis just came back from outside. After the two had a brief conversation, he watched Lance leave and went to Alberto's office.

As soon as the door was closed, Alberto's expression turned fierce, "Check those who have been recruited recently."

"Find out who among them has been to the bar, and check their relationships on the island. I want to find out all their information!"

Fordis immediately realized what Alberto meant, "Are you saying that someone betrayed us?"

Alberto nodded. "It's very likely. Lance just told me that the Hazardous Materials Administration has planted several undercover agents in his place and was also passing information to the outside world, but he discovered it."

"Perhaps someone has betrayed the glory of Sumuli. Fordis, find him and let him know the consequences of doing so!"

"Also, I remember...the kid from home is at Luigi's place?"

"Yes, we have met."

"Contact him and tell him that his dear brother has a new job for him!"

"Venus Glass" is a glass-making factory in Jingang City, but its business is not particularly good.

In fact, many people have a misunderstanding. The misunderstanding is that they think that finding a small factory to produce goods will reduce the cost. In fact, this is wrong.

In fact, looking for a large factory is more conducive to controlling production costs.

For various reasons, cost control in small factories is somewhat chaotic. Only those orders that large factories do not want, such as those due to small quantities, will be the turn of small factories to compete for them.

Venus Glass has a history of more than ten years in Jingang City, and they have also had their glorious moments.

The manager at that time did not seize the development opportunity to continue to expand the company, but chose to maintain the scale and watch the development of the industry.

The development of an enterprise is like a race. If it is not making progress, it is definitely regressing, even if it stays where it is.

Soon some glass processing factories rose rapidly and left Venus Glass behind. Even if they wanted to start again, it was too late.

At this time, Venus Glass was on the brink of a difficult decision and was not too far from bankruptcy.

Looking at the few workers sitting on stools chatting, the manager looked at the phone call he hadn't answered for a long time and sighed heavily.

If there are no more orders, the factory will really not be able to operate.

Just when he thought today would be another fruitless day, someone suddenly ran upstairs, "Manager, someone's here!"

"Great!" The manager stood up suddenly, quickly tidied himself, pushed the door open in a hurry, ran downstairs, and saw Lance who was looking around here.

"Sir, how can I help you?" The manager nodded and bowed like the jester who plays the villain in the opera.

He wanted to walk over, but was stopped by Ethan and could only stand some distance away from Lance.

If he wasn't too embarrassed, he would have wanted to kneel down and polish Lance's leather shoes. As long as he could get an order, he felt no pressure to do so.

A dozen workers in the factory also stood up and looked over here.

They also know that the factory is about to go bankrupt, but if they have a choice, they actually hope that the factory can continue to exist.

Finding a job is not an easy thing, the managers here are very easy to get along with and they don't want to move.

It can be said that this is selfish because other factories are very competitive, but it is also an instinct, and everyone wants to live a more comfortable life.

Lance looked at the pile of broken glass and some broken glass products in the corner of the factory, and finally his eyes fell on the manager's face.

"Are you the operator here?" he asked.

The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly, "Yes, I am the operator, what's your name?"

"White, call me Mr. White." Lance only reported his nominal last name in the federal files. He didn't intend to let these people know who he was yet.

"Mr. White, don't think we are not that good. In fact, we have been in Jingang City for more than ten years."

"If our craftsmanship was not good, we would have been eliminated from the market long ago, and I would not have the honor of meeting you here today..."

Lance looked at the manager again and said with a smile, "You are very good at talking."

"Can your workers make a sample for me to see?"

The manager was so happy that his hands were shaking slightly. "Of course, it's our honor. What do you want to do?"

"Do you have a design or a mold?" Lance pointed to a half-empty wine bottle in the corner of the yard and said, "Make a wine bottle and try it. Use the best materials."

The manager vaguely realized something and became a little nervous, but thinking about the current situation of the factory, he returned to the workshop, gave a brief explanation, and the workers immediately started working.

Smoke puffed out of the chimney, and you could feel the temperature in the workshop rising significantly. The workers worked together to put materials into the furnace, waiting for them to soften and melt.

They have special molds. The glassmakers connect a piece of glass to a blowing rod, clamp it in the mold, blow air, and a wine bottle is ready.

When the mold was opened, the bottle was still glowing red and hot, but it soon cooled completely.

In fact, there is no core technology in making glass, and there are only a few production processes.

The difference between small workshops and large factories is that large factories have begun to use mechanized production.

Three to five workers can operate one machine to produce these small-mouth bottles more quickly.

But Venus Glass is still made using relatively traditional handcrafting.

If Lance needed better and neater glass bottles, then the big factory would undoubtedly be his choice, but what he needed now were wine bottles that were easy to burn, so the inferior wine bottles from the small workshop were the best choice.

Not long after, a glass wine bottle appeared in Lance's hand. The manager was a little embarrassed because the glass bottle had some rough edges.

"The mold is a bit old. If you can choose our factory, we will remake the mold and make subsequent corrections to ensure that there is no big difference with those big factories."

Lance returned the glass bottle to the manager and said, "Let's talk in your office."

The manager immediately showed a pleasant smile on his face. He looked at the worker beside him, took out five dollars from his pocket and stuffed it into the worker's hand, "Go get two cups of coffee!"

After saying that, he bent over and ran in front of Lance, leading him upstairs.

As soon as they sat down, Lance said, "What's the cost of this bottle of wine?"

The manager said cautiously, "It's about three and a half to five cents, depending on the materials and quantity you need."

Lance thought for a moment, "Five thousand, ordinary materials will do."

The manager was a little disappointed when he heard the number, but he didn't dare to lose the order now. He hesitated for a moment and quoted a price of eight cents per bottle.

This price can only be said to be the market price, neither high nor low.

For five thousand bottles of wine, the book revenue was only four hundred yuan. After deducting the cost of raw materials and workers, he actually didn't make much money.

He wanted to try harder, "Mr. White, if you can order 10,000, I can reduce the price to 7 cents."

"If you want 20,000, I think 6.5 cents is a fair price, and for 30,000, 6 cents is a good price."

"If you can get more than fifty thousand, fifty thousand included, I can lower the price to six cents."

He looked at Lance expectantly, but Lance gave him another option, "If I want to acquire your glass factory, how much does it cost?"

The manager was a little slow to react. He couldn't keep up with Lance's pace. "You said... you want to buy our factory?"

His expression was very strange, a mixture of joy, calmness, and loss.

He spent the best years of his life running this factory, but in the end he faced the problems that many start-up entrepreneurs face.

When their business philosophy cannot keep up with the pace of social development and they have to face bankruptcy, the gap and spiritual emptiness will make them feel uncomfortable and even painful!
Lance nodded. "I will continue to have the need to make wine bottles, but I am not confident that this process will be controlled by outsiders."

"So I buy your factory and your employees. You continue to work here. The only change is that you are no longer the boss."

The manager had a complicated expression, as if he had a lot to say. Just at this moment, the worker knocked on the door and walked in with two cups of coffee.

He thought one of the cups was for the manager, but the manager asked him to give that one to Ethan.

Seeing that the manager was having trouble making a decision, Lance did not rush him. "You can think about it. The production plan for these 5,000 bottles will not change. How much deposit do I need to pay?"

The manager quickly focused his attention and asked, "What specifications do you want? Is there any design for the appearance..."

After confirming that Mr. White was only going to produce 5,000 pieces of...garbage, the manager was a little confused, but he also knew that the customer is God!
After Lance paid one hundred and fifty dollars, the workers all smiled, which meant that they could last another month!
Compared to the excited workers, the manager was struggling.

Lance doesn't care whether the manager sells it or not. If he doesn't sell it, there will always be someone who can't continue to do it who will sell it.

People are like this. Someone has to bow to reality. If you don't bow your head, someone else will.

The wine produced by Nick is still packaged in wooden barrels for the time being, but since smuggled wine can no longer be brought in, Lance has to consider the issue of "shipping".

At that time, he could not only sell alcohol in his own bar, but also sell it to other places.

Gallio of Fides's idea of ​​buying a batch of wine made him realize that there were actually faster and more reasonable ways to make money.

Although cutting leeks is fun, you still have to bend down. But those who cut leeks don’t have to bend down!

It would not take a few days to produce five thousand bottles of wine. In recent days, various rumors have been circulating in the underground world of Jingang City, such as the fact that Alberto executed two traitors.

For another example, several bars were discovered and investigated by the Dangerous Goods Administration.

The reporters got fresh news material, and those who supported prohibition clearly felt that they were one step closer to successfully prohibiting alcohol!
A few days later, when a large number of wine bottles were produced and placed at the location designated by Lance, Ponda received a call he had been waiting for for a long time.

There has been no news from Lance these past few days, and it felt like there were several cats living in his heart, tickling him and making it impossible for him to concentrate on his work.

When Lance's call came to his desk, this time, he didn't react so much and a smile appeared on his face.

"I'll give you an address on the dock. I don't know who this batch of wine belongs to, but it's worth at least hundreds of thousands, based on the current market price."

Pang Da's palms were sweaty, and the hand holding the receiver was shaking slightly. "I'm listening."

Lance quickly gave him the warehouse number and hung up the phone. Ponda stood up with the help of the table. His legs were a little shaking.

After taking several deep breaths, he came to the door of Director Dale's office and knocked.

Chief Dell's voice came from inside, "Come in."

He opened the door, walked in, stood by it, and then closed it.

Chief Dale glanced at him, "Ponda, what's the matter?"

This is a nobody who has no outstanding performance in the Hazardous Materials Administration, nor does he have any special resume or background. He is just a lucky guy.

No one expected that Congress would attach so much importance to the Hazardous Materials Administration and give them so many and such great privileges.

So when we first started selecting candidates, we chose them very randomly.

Ponda nodded and said, "Chief Dale, one of my informants just told me that he found wine worth hundreds of thousands of dollars..."

Director Dale stood up suddenly, his eyes shining!
He strode around the desk and came to Ponda, grabbing his arm, "What do you think... is it worth?"

"Hundreds of thousands!" Ponda took a deep breath and confirmed the number again.

The expression on Chief Dale's face suddenly became vivid, "Ha!"

"Haha, OK, OK, Ponda, I knew you would give all of us a surprise. I knew you were different from others the first time I saw you!"

He walked back and forth a few steps, "How many people know about this?"

Ponda himself couldn't remember what happened when they first met, but he would not contradict Director Dale. Only a fool would do that.

"Only my informant, me, and you."

"Very good!" Director Dell reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "Where is this position?"

"pier!"

(End of this chapter)