[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-8":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Shadow Empire",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2267628,4428,"Chapter 8: I Know a Lot of People","the-shadow-empire-chapter-8",8,"\u003Cp>A busy day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On weekends, the bakery becomes especially hectic; the two-day break boosts weekend sales dramatically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over the next two days, most people prefer not to go out to buy food, especially as the weather has grown increasingly hot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So they buy enough bread for two or three days, then enjoy quiet weekends at home or go on countryside outings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Federal citizens now have few real entertainments; for ordinary people, watching TV and picnicking may be among the few affordable pastimes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Places like bars, opera houses, and nightclubs are beyond the means of their class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amusement parks are the same—crowded and expensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The very people who can’t afford to spend are the ones who actually create wealth for this society; it’s undeniable that reality is sometimes more fantastical than books.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just after eight in the evening, the bakery’s business finally wound down; surprisingly, dinner tonight was pizza.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pizza has been present in the Federation for fifty to sixty years, evolving from a niche “hometown dish” for a small group into a wildly popular food, undergoing many local adaptations along the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So much so that due to the Federation’s pizza sales, many now believe Federation-style pizza is the most authentic, causing regions that may have had pizza earlier to shift their styles and flavors toward the Federation’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this is one of the main reasons adults fervently praise the Federation’s economy—everyone looks up to the strongest economy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pizza’s cheese overflowed, slices of sausage and beef chunks were piled thickly, and a layer of ham topped it all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fat boss treated ham like his own precious treasure; every night after closing, he personally checked the shelves in the storage room to ensure the ham was safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Fodis thought the bakery’s Sumuli ham wasn’t authentic, it had cost him four hundred and ninety-nine credits for fifty-five pounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At roughly two and a half credits per box—less than two ounces, or about fifty grams—a single ham was worth about twelve hundred and fifty credits in the bakery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buying and selling ham was more profitable than selling bread, but only a few people bought ham.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary folks couldn’t afford, nor would they spend hundreds of credits on a good ham—even two and a half credits for a few slices required careful thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were cheaper hams available—one credit per portion. Though the taste wasn’t great, their low price made them the bakery’s most profitable item, without exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roasted over charcoal, the ham emitted an indescribable aroma—a complex, layered scent that, combined with the cheese, sausage, beef, and dough, made Lans admit: at least when it came to pizza, Joni was a master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sit down, Lans.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans, who had been mopping the floor, whistled, took off his apron, and sat at the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fat boss’s daughter glanced in surprise from her father to Lans, then turned deeply shy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fat boss didn’t notice; his attention was entirely on Lans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have some?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You won’t charge me extra, right?” Lans didn’t move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fat boss looked slightly offended. “Do you really see me as that kind of person?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know I’m strict with you, but you can’t deny you’ve had food, drink, and a job here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans interjected, “And I still owe you four credits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fat boss frowned. “I was just joking. Don’t you have any sense of humor?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the apprentice, drenched in sweat from finishing his work, stepped out from the back room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weather grew hotter, the work harder; the oven in the back room radiated deadly heat like a miniature sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every summer, newspapers often reported accidents near bakery ovens—passing out from heat had become a standard measure of just how hot the season had been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had changed clothes and wiped his hands, preparing to sit down, when the fat boss looked up at him. “What are you doing here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The apprentice looked confused, staring at the fragrant pizza on the table—part of it was his work too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stammered, “I… you just said we were having this for dinner.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fat boss pointed at Lans, his daughter, and himself. “Us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he pointed at the apprentice. “You.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are ‘us’ and ‘you’ the same thing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I really wonder if your elementary teacher had water in his brain to raise you like this. Your dinner’s in the cabinet behind you—you know, yesterday’s bread.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday’s bread was as hard as stone; leftovers each day became their dinner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The apprentice stared in disbelief—he couldn’t believe Lans sat at the table, while he, a local who worked thirty days a month without pay and even paid the boss ten credits as an apprentice, had no right to eat pizza!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glared at the fat boss; youth’s anger flared, but the boss didn’t flinch. “If you don’t like it, get out. Don’t make your damn mother kneel before me begging!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if struck in a vital spot, the apprentice’s tense body suddenly deflated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a spineless worm, he could only crawl helplessly along the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lowered his head, turned, and walked back toward the kitchen—that was where he belonged, not here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans picked up a slice—the abundant cheese and meat were the most lavish meal he’d seen since arriving here!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bit down: his teeth first crushed the slightly charred, grease-slicked ham, then cut through the crispy exterior and tender interior of the sausage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next came the slightly sticky cheese, exploding with rich dairy flavor like a volcanic eruption; as he chewed, the beef chunks crushed, their unique texture stimulating every taste bud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when swallowed did the bread’s distinct wheat aroma emerge, mingled with basil and other spices—this pizza was pure art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He devoured it greedily, even stuffing the crust into his mouth, then reached for a second slice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fat boss’s eye twitched—he offered Lans this meal only to find out who had dropped him off that afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it was someone he couldn’t afford to anger, as a lowly citizen and a budding capitalist, he’d wisely retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless operas showed challengers of authority becoming footnotes in history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who succeeded in revenge were always nobles or the privileged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People had always deeply understood this: the lower class deserved only tragedy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Comedy and wish-fulfillment stories belonged to the upper class—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The awakened king, the happy princess, the noble who achieved his dream, and the poor boy who died under the weight of society’s entrenched laws!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>See? People always knew this—but they still encouraged poor boys to daydream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though others saw the fat boss as rich, in this society, he remained at the very bottom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans took another slice, eating heartily; when he reached for the third, the fat boss stopped him. “If you like it so much, eat slowly—I’ll give you the rest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But can you satisfy a small curiosity of mine?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans licked his lips; the meat fat and rich cheese lingered deliciously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushed the fat boss’s hand away and picked up the third slice. “In the Empire, there’s a custom: don’t speak while eating—it’s a sign of manners.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s talk after dinner.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing he couldn’t stop him, the fat boss quickly grabbed two slices, gave one to his daughter, and shoved the other into his own mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, all three raced to eat faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In under five minutes, the large pizza was gone—only the tray and crumbs remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans jabbed his finger into the crumbs; they stuck to his fingers, which he then sucked into his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When no trace remained on the plate, he finally patted his belly and sighed contentedly—would’ve been perfect with a cigarette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What were you saying earlier?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fat boss repeated his question. “The man who dropped you off this afternoon—do you know him well?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans didn’t lie. “He’s okay. I know his boss.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He has a boss?” the fat boss exclaimed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his eyes, Fodis—well-dressed, driving a luxury car—was already upper class; he never imagined Fodis had a boss, and that this boss knew Lans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He now regretted not fully understanding Lans’s background before treating him so cruelly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this person sought revenge…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t even imagine it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, curiosity stirred—he began to take interest in Fodis’s boss. Perhaps this was the stupidest thing he’d ever done: exploiting Lans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps it was his chance to rise—to meet a powerful person!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leaned forward, body bent, tone almost flattering. “You and his boss—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans picked up his coffee, took a small sip—it wasn’t that cheap roasted twig brew; the rich coffee bean oils fully coated every mouthful, revealing its true charm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a large gulp, he set the cup down and belched. “You see, my friend ran into trouble this afternoon—I needed two hundred credits quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know any big shots here, so I went to a financial company on the next street.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Financial company?” The fat boss had a bad feeling, but he had to confirm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans nodded seriously. “Yes. I borrowed three hundred credits. He dropped me off to check if I had a job—so he wouldn’t lose track of me later…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fat boss’s eyes turned red; he glared at Lans, teeth clenched, forcing out his name—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lans, go mop the floor again!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And this pizza costs five credits—you now owe me nine!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you don’t finish by nine, sleep outside!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1550,"2026-06-19T21:10:27.799Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9e003727cdca30bbda40429af614dd7e89e1e8271cd05b4b39c80d7c93df20b7","the-shadow-empire-chapter-9","the-shadow-empire-chapter-7",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]