[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-970":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},2268590,4428,"Chapter 970: Bank Run and Thought","the-shadow-empire-chapter-970",970,"\u003Cp>In Zolan’s hotel, Lans sat on the sofa holding a glass of whiskey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alcohol is not banned here, so they could enjoy these delicious alcoholic beverages anytime, anywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The liquid in the glass looked beautiful and tasted excellent—it was whiskey that had undergone aging, following the proper whiskey production process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most spirits, including the whiskey Lans himself produced within the Federation, lacked aging and did not follow the proper process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, Jinbiao Brewery would age their whiskey for about one to two years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it not been for the prohibition, Lans would have aged his whiskey according to industry standards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But because of the prohibition, the market demanded vast quantities of alcohol, and there was no time to wait for it to age in cellars before being sold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So much so that even the basic two- to three-year aging was unattainable—his whiskey didn’t even reach two or three months of aging!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the distillery was now making efforts, storing a portion of each day’s production in long-term aging cellars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The whiskey in these cellars was mostly intended for a minimum of two years of aging, so its quality was excellent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the frantic trade, there was simply not enough time for the whiskey to fully mature in oak barrels, so its flavor was slightly lacking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To compensate for these shortcomings, Lans used technology—thickeners, flavor enhancers, and added spices and essences—to adjust the mouthfeel and taste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he did have aged whiskey—the Silver Label and Gold Label—but their aging periods were still short.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the whiskey in his hand, which cost about two thousand Pala, equivalent to just over thirty Federation Sol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its flavor was distinctly “mature”—the long aging had made it “smooth,” no longer harsh, and its taste evolved clearly and promptly upon ingestion; it was an excellent whiskey, of very high quality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, in Lapa, only the ruling elite could afford to spend two thousand to buy a bottle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, all luxury was prepared for the ruling elite, as perfectly as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roger sat beside Lans, also holding a glass; he had been enjoying himself lately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Local officials treated him as a VIP, constantly trying to corrupt him through methods they deemed effective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swore it wasn’t due to weak willpower—it was simply that their corruption was too intense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had done something wrong to his wife, but… the feeling wasn’t bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From those young girls, he felt something he once had, had lost, and desperately wanted to reclaim—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had thought this trip would be dangerous, but now it seemed not dangerous at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swirling his glass, he took a small sip. “Lans, I don’t quite understand something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans pulled himself from his thoughts and turned to Roger, signaling him to continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s the point of gradually buying up these grains?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They still have many grain warehouses—I’ve heard there are mountains of grain piled inside, and many farms also have large reserves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why don’t we buy directly from them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wouldn’t that be faster and yield more than buying bit by bit from the people?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans set down his glass. “The purpose of buying grain from those stores and grocery shops is to create a sense of tension.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“People don’t actually know how much grain has disappeared, but they observe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When grain arrives at stores and is sold out immediately, they begin to worry whether there will be enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“People are like this—remember Mr. Joba?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing such a familiar name, Roger momentarily drifted off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Joba was unquestionably the most powerful man among the Empire’s immigrants in Jincheng years ago!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As an Empire immigrant, he had achieved the Federation dream here, amassed countless wealth, and was the envy of everyone!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several years had passed since then; hearing that familiar name again gave him a sense of temporal disorientation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt as if it had all happened yesterday, yet upon deeper thought, so much time had passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few seconds, he broke free from that mental whirlpool, sighed, and nodded. “Yes, I remember—Mr. Joba and his bank.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now Lans’s company occupied the former site of Mr. Joba’s bank; Roger didn’t believe for a second that Lans had nothing to do with Mr. Joba’s downfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But capital works this way—he had been in the Federation for many years and was long accustomed to its capital environment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When capital conflicts erupt, even between fellow countrymen, or father and son, it’s a bloody, merciless fight!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Mr. Joba’s downfall only made him feel a slight regret—he had no sense that Mr. Joba shouldn’t have fallen, nor any disapproval of Lans’s actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this world, wealth keeps growing, but to gain more than what labor can provide, one must resort to plunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the wealth he now possessed was acquired through plunder, others had suffered ruin—directly or indirectly—because of his plunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the Federation. This was capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans didn’t know how much had passed through Roger’s mind in such a short time; he smiled. “Actually, what crushed Mr. Joba was a bank run.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Without the bank run, he might have held on longer—even had a chance to recover.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the bank run ended it all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“People fear—they fear being the last one left. If Lapa were a bank, grain is the people’s savings for life and survival, and now it’s already growing scarce.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We only need to push a little harder, and a run on grain will begin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“People will realize there isn’t enough grain, can’t buy more, and will hoard every edible thing they can find.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if they can’t possibly consume it all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look!” Lans spread his hands. “If a person needs only one unit of grain per day to be full—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With ten units of grain, two people could each eat enough to last five days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But because of the run, one person grabs all ten units, while the other gets none—meaning he must starve for at least five days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hunger is unbearable. Will that man, desperate to fill his stomach, do something insane?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans lifted his glass again, took a sip. “Keep buying. Raise prices slightly at intervals.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not only must we buy—we must make the people of Lapa hoard on their own, triggering a run.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if the remaining grain is enough for everyone, under a run, prices will skyrocket, and every household will stockpile far beyond their daily needs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Soon, people here will begin to go hungry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listening to Lans, Roger was breaking into a cold sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bank run meant the bank couldn’t pay out—it collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What would happen if the state couldn’t provide food to its people?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Massive unrest!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empire had experienced this—he vaguely remembered what happened then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Angry crowds stormed noble castles, slaughtering everything in their path…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief silence in the room, Lans asked, “Have the people invited to the symposium been confirmed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During their film promotion, Lans and Federation officials had selected certain individuals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These people had the potential to become the first “awakeners,” but they still needed polishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every undertaking needs someone to be the first to step forward, to break the stalemate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These people are the ice-breaking chisels, the seeds pushing through soil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this time, Diego had also been observing these foreigners; he sat in his chair, constantly shifting his posture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone observant would notice that the chairs and sofas in the presidential palace were all padded, with thick cushions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Diego’s weight was so great, maintaining any single sitting position for long made him extremely uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many assume obese people have plenty of buttock fat and shouldn’t suffer such discomfort—but that’s not true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More fat can actually make one more sensitive to pressure, and Diego’s pressure was constant; his body, under immense weight, had long developed various discomforts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The doctors he brought from the Federation had made health recommendations—stop drinking juice, increase exercise—but he rejected them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t yet grasped the severity of these issues; he thought he was just fat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has our money been deposited?” His eyes glowed with greed—of the sixty million, two million were his, the rest split among others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two million—once, it would have taken him fifteen to twenty years to earn that much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this year, he achieved it instantly, filling Diego with an indescribable sense of satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a curious thing, really.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diego’s Federation account, including this two million, now held roughly fifty to sixty million—but he rarely made large purchases in the Federation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Lapa, his spending was modest: a few large bottles of juice daily, some tasty food—none of it cost much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no real need to sell grain just to inflate a meaningless number, yet all who chased ultimate wealth couldn’t resist the allure of bigger digits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might not spend thirty or fifty thousand in a whole year, but if an opportunity arose, he’d still push the number higher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Minister of Finance nodded. “I confirmed by phone—the funds in our Federation bank account have been deposited.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diego was satisfied; he patted his belly. “I don’t like Federation people, but when it comes to business, they’re swift and efficient.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Minister cleared his throat, making Diego frown. “What’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Diego, we’ve deposited too much money in the Federation—collectively, we’ve over two hundred million.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think it’s unsafe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If the Federation government freezes our accounts, we won’t be able to withdraw a single cent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Minister had a point. Diego considered for a moment. “You’re right—so where should we move part of the money?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The question left the Minister speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Federation was currently the most stable economy and financial system in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other nations were either poor and backward or ravaged by war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empire was still peaceful, with no chaos—but we’re far from it, and we have no ties to the Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Depositing so much money into an Empire bank felt too risky to Diego.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, the National Bank of the Jide Republic would be a decent choice—it has a good reputation and is very stable—but Diego dared not deposit his money there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knows if these people might find a way to take his money?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t trust those people in the Jide Republic; he always felt they weren’t good folks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, no one in the room could think of a better place than the Federation to store their funds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if we split our accounts and evenly distribute the money across different accounts?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That way, even if a few accounts are affected, we only lose part of our money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t put all your eggs in one basket—it’s not exactly deep knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the new idea the Minister of Finance came up with; though it only added hassle with no real benefit, Diego and the others still agreed with his suggestion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It certainly sounded safer than keeping everything in one account, but they never stopped to think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the Federation decides to freeze their wealth, even if they split their money across a hundred accounts, it will freeze all hundred—leaving them nothing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing this topic, he asked, “Have our grain shipments been loaded and sent off?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Minister of Agriculture nodded. “All of it was shipped out yesterday.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I had someone check—it seems these cargo ships didn’t deliver the grain to Tanfeit, but went straight to the Federation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diego waved his hand, cutting him off. “Once the goods are sold, we don’t care if they eat them themselves or resell them—it’s none of our business anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Minister of Agriculture wanted to say more, but chose to stay silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diego glanced at him twice, then paused. “What have the Federation people been up to lately?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another official quickly answered, “They’re busy screening free movies everywhere and holding seminars, salons, and such.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard the Federation plans to launch a newspaper here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diego looked like he wanted to frown, but he was too fat—his eyebrows twitched, but didn’t wrinkle together. “Don’t we already have a newspaper?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>La Pa currently publishes only one newspaper, because its illiteracy rate remains extremely high—seventy percent of the population is illiterate and can’t buy newspapers to read.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who aren’t illiterate, like school students, likely won’t buy it either, and certainly can’t afford to buy newspapers daily—so the single newspaper has almost no sales.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally covering all of La Pa, its sales and market have gradually shrunk over the years; now it’s only available near Zhuolan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The official in charge of this seemed to wear a smirk of amusement. “Who knows?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe they’re just not used to sharing a newspaper with us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diego thought for a moment, then laughed and shook his head. “I wonder who they plan to sell it to.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his view, with such a high illiteracy rate, newspapers and magazines simply couldn’t have much of a market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for the backing of the ruling elite, the sole newspaper would have collapsed long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Federation isn’t afraid to spend money, let them spend it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this time, some people brought him magazines and books distributed by the Federation locally; after flipping through them, Diego found nothing suspicious—they mainly introduced the Federation’s social structure, human culture, and tourist attractions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of the content was radical; everything was calm and focused on presenting the Federation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather than suspecting the Federation of hiding something in their cultural outreach, Diego was more concerned about taxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve been thinking about this: the Federation has built factories in our country, producing goods at extremely low costs, then shipping them to the Federation to sell at higher prices and earn more profit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What have we gained from this entire process?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take alcohol, for example—their production cost here might be just a few coins, but after transport to the Federation, they sell it for three or four times the price. This is clearly exploitation of our cheap labor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We need to take some measures.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shifted his weight again, settling onto the other side of his seat. “Taxes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tax reform was a major issue; Diego wanted to change the tax standards, believing more foreigners would come to La Pa seeking opportunities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They might, like Lans, build factories here, produce goods, and take all the profits back to the Federation, leaving us nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Diego wanted to reform the tax code—for example, requiring workers employed in foreign-owned factories to pay an extra fee; he hadn’t yet decided what to call it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today he gathered everyone here to discuss this: they needed to find a way to squeeze more money out of the Federation people and those working for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>La Pa was too poor—so poor that even though they were already rich, they’d still pounce and bite at any chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a full day, Pedro finally arrived in Zhuolan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was his fifth visit to Zhuolan; each time he came to the city, he felt different emotions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, he thought Zhuolan was the most magnificent city in the world—until he visited the Jide Republic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he thought the Jide Republic was the most prosperous place on earth, and Zhuolan was merely average.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until he saw the Federation in the movies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The towering skyscrapers in the films were firmly etched in his mind; he couldn’t imagine how buildings two or three hundred meters tall were even built.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would standing on top feel the same as standing on a mountain?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more he marveled at those skyscrapers, the more he felt Zhuolan’s decay and backwardness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting on a swaying ox cart, he pondered one question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where had all the money of the people of La Pa gone?\u003C\u002Fp>",2588,"2026-06-19T21:10:31.886Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","eddb59e98a707a6a8bba139e07398ae3ed49f3c63253c51e4f755171dad06601","the-shadow-empire-chapter-971","the-shadow-empire-chapter-969",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]