[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-963":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},2268583,4428,"Chapter 963: The Great Philanthropist","the-shadow-empire-chapter-963",963,"\u003Cp>In the morning, Diego woke up from his wide bed, rubbed his eyes, and sat up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while, he glanced back at the pillow still damp with saliva, and with irritation, pushed himself up by gripping his thighs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had a problem—his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His personal physician told him he needed to diet, stop consuming so much food, and control his juice-drinking habit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he just couldn’t help himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He loved drinking juice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>La Pa, located in the tropics, had a humid climate that fostered an abundance of tropical fruits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some fruits had names no one could recall, yet everyone loved eating them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These fruits, ripened long under the sun, held higher sugar content, a more wondrous sweetness, and the taste of sunlight—making every visitor to La Pa deeply adore their juices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the ruler of the nation, Diego owned everything here, including those juices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since childhood, he had loved drinking juice; from age a few, he consumed several bottles daily—perhaps two or three liters, or more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This caused his weight to spiral out of control; had he not slightly restrained himself during puberty, and had his father not disliked his physique, he might have grown even larger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fat” describes a person; “big” describes objects—he was just big.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Obesity made him uncomfortable—every part of his body ached, he felt stifled, suffered headaches, cervical issues, drooled in sleep, and endured terrible rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he simply couldn’t quit—nor could he resist all the other delicacies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a ruler of such a small nation, these were likely the limits of what he could enjoy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pleasure of taste, the increase of wealth, the fleeting euphoria of sex, or the twisted joy of cruelty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, his cruelty wasn’t entirely his fault—he was always uncomfortable, so his temper was terrible; anyone who angered him would be executed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether stranger or close companion, it made no difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most often, he appeared strong before others; only when alone did he reveal his vulnerability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought of what his doctor had said: if he wanted to live longer, he should follow the doctor’s plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But… if he could do it, the doctor wouldn’t have had to warn him so many times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He got up, went to the bathroom, sat on the golden toilet, relieved himself, then pulled the rope beside it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, two young girls came to wash his buttocks—he couldn’t reach them himself, nor did he need to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shuffled bare-legged to a nearby wash chair, where the two girls cleaned him thoroughly, wiped his body, and dressed him in fresh, soft, comfortable clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing himself in the mirror, restored to the image of a president he envisioned, Diego’s mood lifted slightly: “What have the Federals been up to lately?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been some time since Lans and his group arrived in La Pa’s Zolan; initially, Diego had been wary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as they wandered everywhere, conducting scientific surveys and explorations, he lost further interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hastily formed Alliance of the South, created to counter the Federation, was beginning to show problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiede had been relentlessly draining neighboring nations, sparking discontent within the alliance; though these issues were far from La Pa, as a member, Diego’s attention shifted accordingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The president of the Jiede Republic believed they needed a force capable of intimidating the Federation—a hard stone that could crack their skulls, not a clump of sand squeezed tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stone is hard; challenging it directly requires courage. But sand is soft—release your grip, and it collapses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if dampness temporarily holds it together, over time, as the moisture dries, the slightest external touch will cause it to crumble completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So they needed to produce a stone. The Jiede president believed Jiede Republic was the only suitable candidate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In every aspect, they surpassed other nations—they could become a stone faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though every member of the Alliance of the South knew this was true and reasonable, none wanted to do it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeding nutrients to others to strengthen them—who knew whether they’d raise a protector or a master?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The latter possibility was even greater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Diego was busy observing the Alliance’s internal situation, contacting leaders of other nations, discussing how to respond to Jiede’s demands—and paid little attention to Lans and his group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The butler, standing quietly beside him, watched Diego rise, walk to the mirror, and inspect his reflection: “They’ve built several factories and are hiring workers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diego opened the glass cover of a tray before him, took out several medals, and pinned them to his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never participated in any war, but he loved wearing ornate medals—they made him feel like a “hero.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heroes always wore proof of past glory; he couldn’t go without them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned and waddled out of the room, entering the hall, and sat on the sofa, sighing with relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The butler followed closely: “Some produce dried fruit; one factory is rumored to make alcohol.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alcohol?” Diego’s eyes gleamed—he knew well how expensive liquor was in the Federation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought that Lans could grow unimaginable wealth merely by selling cheap alcohol made him so jealous his eyes turned red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Should we tax him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at his butler, who bowed slightly: “Perhaps the ministers know better than I. I’m just an old man—a butler.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diego glanced at him twice, then gave a barely perceptible nod: “Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether that “hmm” meant yes or no, no one knew—only the butler knew he had survived another day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relieved, the butler immediately sought to please Diego: “By the way, there’s something amusing—Lans might be a fool. He pays his workers extremely high wages.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Many now say he’s a fool.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diego grew interested: “Extremely high?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How high?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The butler recalled the rumors: “Thirty Federal Sol per person per month, by Federation currency.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diego burst out laughing: “Three Sol is already a gift to those mud-legged dogs—thirty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s truly rich.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as he spoke, his laughter faded, along with his smile: “How many workers has he hired?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or rather—how many does he plan to hire?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diego’s own wealth wasn’t easy to accumulate; though his gemstones piled like mountains, they couldn’t be sold all at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Currently, the nation’s main sources of blood for him were grain trade, gold and silver, and a small amount of gems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once gem quantities increased on the market, prices crashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, Federation jewelers came to buy gems—but offered shockingly low prices, ignoring size and quality, buying purely by volume.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One hundred and fifty Sol per liter—not a cent more!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This enraged Diego; he’d rather not sell than give these cunning merchants a discount.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew well that in the Federation, a single emerald could fetch dozens of Sol; larger, purer, more vivid ones sold easily for hundreds or even thousands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Selling grain brought decent profit, but the money wasn’t his alone—he had to share it with other noble families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last year, La Pa produced about 2.7 million tons of grain—seemed like a lot, but divided equally among all La Pa citizens, it wouldn’t even feed them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roughly seventy percent—1.7 to 1.8 million tons—belonged to the ruling elite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At current international grain prices, wheat was about 27 Sol per ton—total value exceeded 45 million Sol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It sounded like more, but the problem remained: not enough to eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they sold all this grain, famine would sweep La Pa, followed by mass population loss, death, and possibly unrest—revolts, plagues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if masses starved to death, the rulers’ lives wouldn’t be easy either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grain had been scarce these past years; last year, Diego’s group sold only 300,000 tons—totaling just over 7.5 million Sol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Divided among several parties, Diego’s share was roughly two million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this a lot?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lot!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Part funded Diego’s daily expenses; part was deposited in his Federation bank account.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But was it truly vast, beyond counting? Not really.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, hearing Lans paid ordinary workers thirty Federal Sol per month, he had… different thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The butler didn’t know for sure, only murmured: “Perhaps… a few thousand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or ten thousand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diego chose only to hear what he wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ten thousand workers—his monthly wage cost would be 300,000 Sol; annually, 3.6 million.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a deep breath: “I didn’t earn 3.6 million Federal Sol last year—he lets ordinary people earn that much annually…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dared not directly plunder Lans’s wealth; the Alliance of the South pressured them heavily to protect Federation merchants’ legal rights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who acted recklessly would face military retaliation from Jiede Republic and the Alliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, they wouldn’t dare—everyone knew if the Federation found an excuse, they wouldn’t mind launching a military strike against Ya Lan too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ya Lan was called a continent, but resembled a giant island, with nations scattered unevenly along its perimeter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire coastline lay within range of Federation naval strikes; if they sent ground troops inland, no one believed they could resist the Federation Army, which kept winning victories at the Tanfeit front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Diego never considered acting against Lans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he couldn’t touch Lans, he could target the commoners—find an excuse to reclaim their earnings, even if only half, it would still be a fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought of possible extra wealth lifted his mood; he even hoped Lans would open more factories and hire more workers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t need to “wish” for it—Lans would do it anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already begun building factories beyond Zolan’s outskirts—for dried fruit, furs, timber, mining, basic smelting, and brewing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>La Pa’s brewing technology was poor; producing whiskey ready for direct sale here was nearly impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could only produce base liquor, then ship it to the Federation for flavoring and thickening before sale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans didn’t want to transport equipment here—no one knew if those machines would be smashed or stolen later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All he needed was to pay higher wages to some of the workers here; what exactly they did wasn’t that important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At almost every Lans factory entrance, the hiring booths were packed with people, and many young girls also came to inquire if there were suitable jobs for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Landing a respectable job here was nearly everyone’s dream!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even young girls pushed forward desperately, hoping the hiring officers would notice them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans had ordered some steel-frame housing units from the Federation; they were en route and would take two more days to arrive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once these frames arrived, it would take less than a week before the factory could begin production.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Lans wasn’t worried about hiring workers; the wage he offered ensured no shortage of applicants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was in a hotel discussing upcoming business matters with members of the Merchants’ Guild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Gold and silver are the primary goods we’re acquiring; the war continues, and after the attack on Jingang, the Dentra Navy gained greater initiative over the Eastern Ocean.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The future direction and trends have become unclear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The more uncertain things become, the more gold appreciates; Lapa has several gold mines, and President Diego also holds a significant reserve—both can be negotiated with.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Furs, special plants, timber—handle these businesses as you see fit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If there’s a profit, do it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If there’s no profit, don’t bother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Above all, focus on making money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides this, we must also purchase grain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roger heard this and asked softly, “I’ve done some research locally during this time; although grain is Lapa’s economic backbone, they themselves don’t have enough to eat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Moreover, local grain prices are slightly higher than international prices.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yesterday, the international price for wheat was just twenty-five dollars and seventy cents per ton, but here it’s twenty-seven dollars per ton.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t that... unreasonable?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think we could import some grain from outside and sell it here, still netting about three percent profit after transportation costs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not a huge margin, but Lapa is close to the Federation, so shipping costs are low and the market is huge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A market of millions of tons—even a profit of seventy-five cents per ton adds up to over two million in profit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this business can continue indefinitely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lans shook his head. “We’re not here to do charity, gentlemen. We don’t sell to them—we only buy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pay in Federation Sols, and have Diego honor the official exchange rate—around sixty-seven or sixty-eight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Buy as much grain as they have.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Selling grain isn’t about profit—understood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Members of the Imperial Merchants’ Guild all knew Lans had ties to Congress; the media had reported it, but the story eventually faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who the hell would dig into Congress’s secrets? That’s not wanting to live long enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So now they speculated this business might be tied to the hidden mission Lans carried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roger said no more and immediately agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides these, if any suitable opportunities arise, pursue them boldly and without hesitation. Remember, when hiring local workers, offer slightly higher wages—I’ll arrange tax rebates from the Federation government for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, even without mentioning the tax rebates, the guild members would have agreed; they didn’t believe Lans would deceive them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now with the guarantee of tax rebates, they were even more willing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they didn’t understand why they were being so generous to Lapa—paying high wages to its people and buying its grain—since Lans had ordered it, they would simply obey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lapa was not far from the Federation; even a fast ship could make the journey in one day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In early September, he returned to the Federation to discuss follow-up matters with Senator Cleveland, as some tasks couldn’t be handled alone and required Federation intervention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time he went directly to Xingang; because he had notified them in advance, Senator Cleveland arranged for a Congressman to meet Lans, which also served as indirect protection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoever attacked Lans would be attacking the Congressman—and thus slapping Congress in the face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this country, you could point at the President’s nose and call him an idiot, even sue him—he could only endure your insults and respond in court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, you’d have to watch out for the Lianbangdiaocha Bureau; they’re Haocheng  the President’s number-one attack dog and might target you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if you provoke Congress, congratulations—you’ll either vanish one day for no apparent reason, and you’ll likely never be seen again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or they’ll throw you in prison on some pretext—say, you were driving too fast—and lock you up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside prison, they have countless ways to make your life hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So with a Congressman by Lans’s side, even the Perez family’s “army” would have to hold back!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2390,"2026-06-19T21:10:31.886Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ae0101a739d619cf60d940babc714fea2c9124fb028fd241b4349abbe4827d15","the-shadow-empire-chapter-964","the-shadow-empire-chapter-962",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]