Chapter 938: Friendship Lasts Forever

The corrosion of the political arena by capital is using money to anesthetize them every moment.

Very simple means, but surprisingly effective.

Senator Cleveland stared into Lanse's eyes. "How many shares can you take out?"

Lanse deliberated for a while. "Eighty percent."

A very sincere number.

Don't look at the fact that he himself could only get twenty percent at that time, but in reality, just this twenty percent could also be worth more than ten million.

They could operate a railway company that didn't even have a rail steel to a market value of one billion. Then a "so-and-so mining" that still had a few mines in production, getting tens of millions or hundreds of millions shouldn't be a problem.

And this number had a direct relationship with how important Lanse was in this matter, and how much status he had.

If one day he could reach the point of being on an equal footing with Senator Cleveland, then he might get more.

But now, he could only get this much.

This was an "admission ticket."

Senator Cleveland frowned slightly, and he calculated in his heart. "Fifteen."

Lanse agreed almost without hesitation. "No problem, then fifteen."

The brows that the Senator had tightly clenched all relaxed. He leaned back, raised his finger and pointed at Lanse. "When are you going back?"

His actions and what he said were clearly different. He was actually a bit wanting to give Lanse a separate comment, but didn't say it.

Lanse thought for a while. "Can stay for a period of time. Lapa side no longer needs my guidance. Anti-government armed forces have started to awaken and enter a period of rapid development."

"The rest is to watch them successfully resist the government army's encirclement and suppression time and time again, as well as the final counterattack."

"Diego and the ruling group have governed Lapa through high pressure for so many years, including their family, their ancestors."

"The entire Lapa is like a spring compressed to the limit. When people realize that resistance has an effect, the force pressing on the spring will disappear, and the spring will bounce very swiftly, very high!"

The two chatted for a while, and Senator Cleveland returned to Kelender Manor. He had many things to do behind him, while Lanse stayed in New Jincheng.

During his time in New Jincheng, Tang Mu would accompany him, which was actually an obvious expression of the change in status.

Before, Senator Cleveland wouldn't let his staff accompany anyone. Lanse was already an exception.

Tang Mu was now in the important position of the number two person in Senator Cleveland's "office." With his company, Lanse wouldn't encounter any trouble in New Jincheng.

In the morning, Lanse intended to see Ambassador Casia. On the way to the embassy, he handed two very thin envelopes to Tang Mu.

Tang Mu looked helpless, but accepted it gladly.

It wasn't that he wanted to accept this gift very much, but he knew very well that the subsequent changes produced by his acceptance would be significantly better than not accepting.

This was an abnormal but very reasonable thing. If the relationship between you and a person was connected by interest transmission from the beginning, then the interest transmission itself represented the stability of the relationship.

It was very simple for him not to accept this money, but he couldn't stop Lanse from thinking wildly.

If they were just two farmers, thinking wildly was just thinking wildly. But they weren't ordinary people. The consequences of their wild thinking were much more serious than two farmers fighting.

"Thank you!", Tang Mu accepted the envelope and thanked him sincerely.

The thinner the envelope, the more money it contained, because those who could use checks were at least thousands or tens of thousands or more.

Lanse smiled. "There is another copy for your colleague."

He was talking about the chief of staff. Tang Mu nodded. "I will."

The two naturally stopped talking about this topic, but talked about the things Lanse did in Lapa.

Some topics Lanse could talk about with the Senator, but some topics weren't very suitable.

It just so happened that not everything in life was high-end, internationalized with political culture. There were also some very "vulgar" things, and these were the essence of life.

At least the essence of ordinary people's lives.

Lapa had many interesting customs, and the environment was also beautiful, especially some primitive jungles that had never undergone any industrial development.

The "process of civilization" seemed to have been pressed by a great force to stop here, but this was also the most tragic thing for the ethnic groups living locally.

Because people were not only competing with nature, but also competing with their own kind.

When their process stagnated, while other civilizations were still constantly moving forward, it was destined that everything that happened today would happen.

Lanse had contacted Ambassador Casia in advance, so he and his family were prepared for Lanse's arrival.

He had also heard about some things that happened in Lapa. He could only say that his mood at this time was very heavy.

Seeing Lanse and Tang Mu get off the car, he could only squeeze out some smiles, so that he wouldn't be impolite.

However, his family's smiles looked much more sincere.

Lanse shook hands with Ambassador Casia, and then got to know his family under his introduction.

His wife, two children, and his wife's younger brother.

They also had a house, bought with the money Lanse gave them. He also had some family members living in another house, not living here.

This was an embassy, not a dormitory.

After a simple acquaintance, Lanse, Tang Mu, and Ambassador Casia entered the embassy.

"Did they disturb your life?", Lanse pointed toward the bar with his chin. "I saw that there were already quite a few people at the door when I came."

According to the Federation's law, the house used by the bar was the Lapa embassy's house, and on the land within the embassy.

What was exercised here was Lapa's law. In Lapa's law, drinking and operating alcohol-related industries weren't illegal behaviors.

So he could operate legally.

Ambassador Casia smiled and shook his head. "They specially made very good soundproofing equipment, completely unable to hear the sound over there, and it won't affect us."

"However, I heard that two more embassies want to do this, and they have also opened business places like bars."

The fact that the Lapa embassy suddenly became a bar also caused some news in New Jincheng. When someone publicly went to this business place to drink, and really wouldn't be arrested, those alcoholics went crazy!

The bar business was booming!

It was almost full of people twenty-four hours a day. People needed a place that could provide a vent for emotions too much.

People with money and power were slightly better, like ordinary people, the middle class, what they needed wasn't just drinking, but an environment, an environment that could make them feel relaxed, and could let them release emotions.

The booming business of the Lapa embassy's tavern also attracted the attention of some other people. No one fucking imagined that Lanse could still do this.

There weren't just one or two ambassadors who lacked money in this era, and there weren't just one or two people who had ways. Soon, several embassies started to follow suit and operate places that could sell alcohol.

It dispersed some of the crowds who came here to consume, but New Jincheng was one of the largest cities in the Federation. The population and consumption potential here far exceeded New Jincheng.

Even if there were already several competitors, there was no need to worry too much that it would be snatched away of all the business.

This bar brought huge profits, allowing Ambassador Casia and his family to live a happy life, in the Federation.

So don't say it really didn't affect his work and rest much. Even if it affected it, and their whole family couldn't sleep, he would endure it.

Who let the income of this thing be linked to his income?

The three chatted and laughed as they entered Ambassador Casia's office, sitting on the sofa, not on both sides of the desk. That was too formal.

"During this period, the situation in Lapa has started to become chaotic. Have Diego and the others contacted you?"

Lanse's question made Ambassador Casia a bit nervous. He nodded. "Diego contacted me. He wanted me to inquire whether I could get some grain or aid or something from the Federation side."

"I agreed, but didn't do that."

Lanse listened and nodded slightly. "Lapa becoming like this, Diego needs to take the main responsibility, but he guards his wealth and is unwilling to take out some."

He looked at Ambassador Casia. "It just so happens that I came back these few days, and have some things I need to chat with you about." Ambassador Casia looked at Tang Mu. He of course knew Tang Mu. The meaning he wanted to express was also very obvious.

Could Tang Mu also know what Lanse wanted to chat with him about?

To tell the truth, he felt a bit red-faced now, because he was participating in the discussion from the perspective of a traitor.

But if you want to say whether he hated Lanse, the Federation, or others, those politicians, it was obviously not necessarily.

The development of history had a clear direction and inertia. This was the deepest realization he had in the nearly two years he had been in Lapa.

Even without Lanse, without the Federation, there would be other countries to do these things, for example, the Jede Republic.

The Jede Republic's intention to unify the Yalan region was very obvious. Accompanied by the improvement of their national strength, this obviousness was almost placed on the table.

If Lapa would be destroyed one day, then Ambassador Casia hoped that the one who destroyed the Lapa government would be the Federation, and the one who ruled it next would also be the Federation.

"We need to accelerate the freedom and democracy process of Lapa. We need some... relatively neutral ruling groups, or capital groups."

"You know, now the ruling group is still huddling together. Their struggle with the emerging forces will continue, and will continue for a very long time."

"This doesn't conform to our design for the whole thing, so I need you to be able to provide me with a list of high officials we can win over."

Lan

Ambassador Kasiya was somewhat sensitive; he smiled slightly and lowered his head, "Mr. Lanse, I need to correct a mistake of yours."

Lanse was a bit surprised, "I apologize, did I say something wrong?"

Ambassador Kasiya looked at him very seriously, "My family and I are now Federal citizens. We have already been naturalized; we are now Federal citizens!"

Lanse was slightly stunned, then immediately burst into laughter. He glanced at Tang Mu, who was also laughing; the two of them were laughing at the same thing.

"My apologies, that is my fault; my phrasing was problematic!"

"Then are you willing to provide us with some help in this matter?"

Ambassador Kasiya asked back with a smile, "Why wouldn't I?"

Very good, he even knows the classic Federal phrasing. It seems the speed of his "localization process" is much faster than Lanse imagined.

According to Ambassador Kasiya's description, the ruling group in Lapa is not a monolith; there are also some conflicts among them.

It is just that the Lavila family's strength has always been the greatest. They control a large amount of the military, and many officers and generals in the army also come from the Lavila family or have ties to their family.

But this does not mean that other ruling groups have no ability to resist at all.

What Lanse needs is to first pry open a crack in the ruling group, just like what happened in the Empire before. When the nobles choose to stand by, the situation will deteriorate very quickly!

Senator Cleveland said there must be breakthrough progress within a year, otherwise this plan might be shelved, so all means must be exhausted.

Lanse and Tang Mu stayed here until noon, had a hearty lunch together, and then parted ways.

Senator Cleveland does not have time to handle Lanse's affairs in the short term, so Lanse plans to return to Jincheng for a trip, then go see his son and Patricia, and also check on the development of the winery.

He greeted Tang Mu and then boarded the train back to Liklai State.

Tang Mu mentioned this matter to Senator Cleveland, and the latter did not express much.

In the evening, he also headed to the Kairende Estate.

On the way there, he opened one of the two envelopes Lanse had given him.

There was no name written on it, indicating that the amounts in both envelopes were the same.

This is a very clever approach; at least it won't make people feel uneasy.

Even if Tang Mu's current status is not as high as the Chief of Staff, if Lanse had still written a name on the envelope or specified who it was for, Tang Mu would certainly feel uncomfortable, thinking Lanse considered him inferior to the Chief of Staff.

It's not like that now, which makes him very comfortable.

Looking at the number on the check, he whistled and flicked the check with his finger; the sound made by the special paper of the check made him feel somewhat intoxicated.

And the scent of that special ink—it was truly wonderful!

When he met the Chief of Staff, he handed over the envelope.

The Chief of Staff raised the envelope in his hand, "What is this?"

"Local specialties Lanse brought back from Lapa."

Hearing this, the Chief of Staff couldn't help but laugh.

He already has several "local specialties" on his side now, almost all of which are gold.

Gold is constantly appreciating, and this stuff is small in volume and easy to handle, making it more convenient in some respects than giving cash directly.

He is a bit sensitive to "local specialties" now!

"You've already looked at it?", he asked while opening the envelope.

He believed Tang Mu must also have a share.

Tang Mu nodded without denying it, "Yes."

"Then you must be very satisfied; you were smiling when you spoke.", he lowered his head to look at the number on the check, and the expression on his face became very vivid in an instant.

"It is indeed a number that can make people happy; I must thank him in person."

One hundred thousand.

Would you say that is a lot?

This year, the income of Federal citizens has increased again, to forty-seven or forty-eight dollars a month. In recent years, due to the explosion of international orders, many factories have started working three shifts, and labor has become somewhat scarce.

Coupled with the conscription of millions, this makes people feel as if they are in a "Golden Age" again; just an ordinary worker can earn a wage that is catching up to some white-collar workers.

Especially in some industries that require skills—logistics, factory technicians, and skilled workers—their income is even higher than the average middle class.

This is an era that is shining again; in order to compete for more workers, wages must be constantly raised.

Many people say that perhaps by next year, in the second half, Federal wages will break the fifty-dollar mark!

This makes the entire society present a positive and upward trend.

A worker, in one month, without eating or drinking, can save fifty dollars.

One hundred thousand—they would need to work for two thousand months without eating or drinking, one hundred sixty-seven years...

Upon receiving this money, a person's mood will certainly change.

Later, Senator Cleveland, who had finished his work outside, returned to the house. The people in the living room all stood up. He looked at his two aides somewhat strangely, "What good thing happened?"

Neither the Chief of Staff nor Tang Mu lied or covered it up, "Lanse sent some local specialties."

The Senator was immediately curious. While handing his briefcase to the Chief of Staff, he asked curiously, "How much?"

"One hundred."

Senator Cleveland nodded, "He is a generous person." This fits his impression of Lanse well.

He has met many people; some are very stingy, even though they have a lot of money in their hands, they are simply unwilling to give it to others.

Some are willing to give, but they will very clearly emphasize "transactionality"—if they give you money, you must bring them benefits.

Unlike Lanse, who is generous when giving, gives a lot, and never proactively hints to anyone that this money is not given for free and requires a return.

Senator Cleveland did not feel unhappy about not having his own share, because Lanse had already given him some yesterday, which was far larger and much more than what he gave his two subordinates!

"Alright, what should be said and what should not be said, you surely know better than I do."

"Cooperate with whatever he wants, but do not cross the bottom line."

Having been given so much money, in fact, Lanse didn't need to say it; they all knew this money was definitely not given for free.

Smart people are like this; they don't need you to say it, they will understand it themselves.

Tang Mu and the Chief of Staff nodded repeatedly, and then they began to enter a working state, needing to help Senator Cleveland organize the core of today's meeting.

This is not a simple job!

(End of chapter)