[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-99":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},2267719,4428,"Chapter 99: Miscellaneous Matters, Houses, and a Sense of Security","the-shadow-empire-chapter-99",99,"\u003Cp>Call me Lans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans gently shook Debbie’s hand, “I’m pleased to meet you, ma’am.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mrs. Debbie had a good impression of Lans and promptly invited them to sit, “Would you like something to drink?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vaughn looked at Lans, who smiled and said, “We just had coffee before coming, so I don’t need anything—thank you. What about you, Mr. Vaughn?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Vaughn!” Vaughn repeated, he cared about this, “I don’t want anything either, thank you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mrs. Debbie then sat across from them and began, “So, gentlemen, what brings you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vaughn looked at Lans, who spoke up, “I’ve rented land next to the industrial zone to open a clothing factory, but I’ve never done this before, so I’m looking for skilled workers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She listened with interest, “How many positions will this factory have roughly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“About one hundred and fifty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Will you be doing contract manufacturing, or handling everything yourself—from materials to labor?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or put another way, are you taking orders to produce for others, or making products for yourself?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For myself,” Lans added, “The situation at the docks is slightly complicated; I discussed it with Vaughn, and we want to avoid situations neither of us wants to see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I plan to provide easily identifiable clothing for some… you know, undocumented immigrants and migrants.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to use this method to warn them to be cautious in work and life, and also to make management at the docks easier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vaughn added, “Yes, we studied it and both believe this might have an unexpected effect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mrs. Debbie listened and grew somewhat interested, “Special work uniforms? Interesting. Are they free?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans nodded, “Denim or industrial fabric isn’t expensive—I’ll cover the cost myself. I want to do something for people.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mrs. Debbie gave a serious evaluation, “Noble ideals!” She paused, “Are you a Federate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though this was a free country, though the air and water here were damn sweet, whether one was native or immigrant still mattered deeply to some people!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I have a social security number.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mrs. Debbie’s smile became more natural and softer, “I can provide you with about twenty skilled workers, but I don’t recommend hiring that many all at once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For a small factory, five to ten skilled workers are enough. Group the workers, let them become team leaders to help others learn their jobs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Their main job is to teach others how to work, not to focus solely on production.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She thought for a moment, “If you handle everything yourself, you’ll need at least one master cutter—he’ll turn fabric into garment ‘parts.’ That’s the critical step.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then at least three sewing operators, one senior patternmaker, and one pressing and ironing technician—about ten people total.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry!” She rose, walked to her desk, returned with paper and pen, and did a quick calculation, “Their monthly wages will total about nine hundred credits. Can you accept that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn expensive—ten skilled workers’ wages equal twenty-five ordinary workers’, but that’s the status of skilled labor in the Federate, even in the world’s entire industrial system!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their quality determines a factory’s product quality—they’re the most crucial link.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mrs. Debbie exhaled softly, “So we’ve solved the most troublesome issue. Now, will you have workers at every station on the assembly line?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If your output isn’t high, we can cut two sewing operators—fifty workers total should suffice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans interrupted her, “Ma’am, I’ll arrange about fifty ordinary workers—you know I have many workers under me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I can offer the Labor Union thirty ordinary positions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Labor Union’s core is skilled workers, but that doesn’t mean they ignore ordinary workers or exclude them—they maintain close ties, just not visibly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mrs. Debbie nodded slightly; though she wouldn’t get all the positions, thirty was certainly substantial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On behalf of the workers about to be hired, thank you for helping them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vaughn was also satisfied with this visit. Skilled workers weren’t short of jobs—if they didn’t demand excessively high wages and were willing to move, they’d never lack work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What truly moved Mrs. Debbie was the thirty ordinary positions—jobs requiring no skilled experience, even no experience at all—these were the ones that carried real influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon they reached an agreement; Mrs. Debbie even gave Lans several supplier contacts for fabric.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Labor Union had deep partnerships with nearly all industry factories, including selling their products.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She suggested Lans not buy new sewing tools—just buy secondhand or even thirdhand ones, as long as they worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These old machines were cheap; once he had more ideas and plans, he could consider upgrading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mrs. Debbie also offered that if, after completing his own production, Lans wanted to take orders, she could help him find some.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vaughn hinted beside her: such orders required kickbacks—or, as he put it, “referral fees.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans had no objection; landing orders was a skill in itself. No matter how many orders Mrs. Debbie brought, he’d pay the standard rate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This pleased Mrs. Debbie—after all, who dislikes extra income?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finalizing the general terms, Mrs. Debbie made a rough cost estimate for Lans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, wages: ordinary workers at thirty-two credits plus three-credit subsidies—fifty ordinary workers plus skilled workers totaled two thousand six hundred fifty credits monthly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, production machinery: secondhand sewing machines cost about fifteen credits each; with other equipment, total came to roughly twelve hundred credits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She learned the factory was still a temporary structure; adding other necessities, total investment was about four thousand credits, plus at least two thousand credits for raw materials and consumables—so he needed at least seven to eight thousand credits to start production.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, about three thousand credits monthly to maintain operations. She smiled at Lans, but saw no tension or other emotion on his face—this gave her a rough sense of his financial strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After discussing details, it was already dusk. Lans invited Mrs. Debbie to dinner to thank her for her help, but she said she had other commitments, so he dropped the offer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans then returned to the docks with Vaughn. Vaughn had evening plans too, but before leaving, he handed Lans a list: “Don’t let anyone else know about this. And if you can’t handle them, don’t act rashly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know, very few people know about this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans nodded, promising he wouldn’t cause trouble; only then did Vaughn hand him the list.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The day passed—full, busy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he got home that night, everyone was already studying materials brought back by Enio.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They saw Lans and made room for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat on the sofa, picked up the brochure, and read carefully, while Enio explained, “These are all row houses, with front, back, and side views. We just need minor modifications to connect a few of them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I asked the property manager—these houses allow planting plants taller than normal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some communities ban plants exceeding certain heights—say, over 1.2 meters or 1.5 meters—they forbid it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If someone grows such plants, they’re forced to trim them down or remove them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they refuse, they may be ordered to leave the community—this is written into the contract and must be obeyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Different communities have different rules—some require lawns to be bright green even in winter, or face penalties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why some people paint their lawns—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Painting yellowed grass is cheaper than replacing it with expensive new turf!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at houses? Brochures alone won’t do—you must see them in person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, Elvin knocked loudly on Lans’s bedroom door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lans stepped out, everyone who didn’t have to work that day was already ready!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For them, this was their first real “home” since arriving in the Federate—full of anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing their enthusiasm, Lans ate his sandwich and got in the car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They visited four communities in the morning and settled on one with high privacy; the sales manager said, “If you want, you can even install electric fences around your house!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They sold only land plots, but included free building blueprints and construction materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Lans and the others didn’t want to build themselves, the community offered construction services—another reason Lans chose this place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed space beyond the blueprints!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each plot was three hundred to three hundred fifty square meters, priced between four thousand five hundred and five thousand credits—not cheap, but not exorbitant either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans bought five adjacent plots at once; the community manager offered to waive management fees for three years for such a generous client.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d originally wanted to hire someone to build the houses, but everyone refused—they wanted to build themselves. Only then would they feel safe!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone craved more safety—compared to these people who hadn’t yet gained legal immigrant status but already felt safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others, who were wealthier and legally documented, felt no safety at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, Mr. Chobaf right now.\u003C\u002Fp>",1445,"2026-06-19T21:10:27.799Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","45f0d73eec3a30ac94ebba69ad69c95d481f22768ca3f1c0d480e6c69e88ce0f","the-shadow-empire-chapter-100","the-shadow-empire-chapter-98",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]