Empire of Shadows

These were some of the core members of the Lance family, visiting the Lawrence Farm for the first time.

Everything here was fascinating to them, especially when that row of wineries and warehouses came into view, they were all stunned!

"I always knew a significant portion of our wine was produced here, but I didn't realize the scale was so large!"

Erwin marveled at the wineries under the steaming chimneys, the rich aroma of wine was detectable even from two or three hundred meters away.

Hubert's face was full of得意 (dé yì - smug) smiles, "See those open spaces being cleared next to it?"

The group looked in the direction he was pointing, where a large area of land was being leveled.

If it were before, they might not have known what was going to happen, but after the construction of the naval base, they understood that the land was being leveled and compacted, and piles might be driven later.

"We plan to continue expanding and build an even larger production workshop to ensure that the wine can be continuously delivered to King's Harbor City."

In fact, the current production is already sufficient, but Lance has bigger plans, so he suggested continuing to expand and produce more.

They need to produce both fast-moving, low-end cheap products and high-end products that taste like the real deal.

As for aging, every three months, a batch of wine is put into wooden barrels and sent to the underground warehouse next door, where all the best whiskeys are fully aged.

What they will eventually present to the public is definitely not wine that barely passes the test through blending and conditioning, but real aged wine that has been aged for a long time and becomes more delicious.

Prohibition will not last forever. During Prohibition, Lance plans to strengthen and expand Golden Lion Whiskey, and in the future, not only will it be distributed outside of Leizhou, but also in other places. He wants to make this brand a "golden brand that has not fallen during Prohibition."

Decades later, its value will be immeasurable!

In fact, its value is immeasurable now, as can be seen from the wrinkled smile on Hubert's face.

The group followed him into the factory, where cowboys were working back and forth. The sultry air and the alcohol evaporating during distillation made many of the cowboys work with flushed faces.

"At first, they couldn't stand the alcohol in the air and several of them passed out."

"Now these kids have gradually adapted, but after working for a while, they still need to take a little rest."

Alcohol evaporates more easily, and it is difficult to completely seal the alcohol with the equipment here, so working for a long time is equivalent to drinking alcohol.

The group witnessed the process of wine production, of course, in a simplified way. Eventually, the wine was put into wooden barrels and sent to the warehouse, while the distiller's grains were sent to the farm as fertilizer.

Not a single bit was wasted.

When they came out of the winery, everyone's cheeks were also flushed and hot, and there was a feeling of being slightly drunk.

Afterwards, Hubert took them to other places for a walk, but other places were obviously not as interesting as here, because what was produced in the winery was not wine, but flowing gold.

"This is the Lawrence family's most巅峰 (diān fēng - peak) moment in history!"

The three old men said this after receiving a large amount of return from selling alcoholic beverages.

On the first night, everyone gathered together and had a bonfire party.

It was a very rough party, eating barbecue around a huge bonfire, drinking wine, singing, and dancing. This relaxed and leisurely life seemed to slow down time.

Sitting by the bonfire, the red flames dyed Lance's face red. At this moment, there were no conspiracies and struggles in his mind, no annoying trifles, and everything became quiet.

Patricia and her sisters sat together, chatting about some trendy topics. Barbara followed her, and the relationship between the two sisters seemed to have improved a lot.

William became the focus of the family, surrounded by many Lawrence family members, and some old cowboys, after all, he is now the Lawrence family's biggest "official."

The people Lance brought were dancing around the bonfire with the farm girls and boys.

There are no special dance moves, just stretch your body as you like, that is the most graceful dance.

Everything was so calm, peaceful, and peaceful that life here was like a file, which could wear down people's edges and corners.

Lance drank some wine in the evening and slept until the next morning.

Lance was dragged by Patricia to ride a horse, which was her favorite thing to do every time she returned to the farm.

When the little mare saw Patricia, Lance could tell that her emotions had obviously become much happier. She trotted from the pasture to the fence and rubbed her head against Patricia.

The girl was amused by it and kept laughing. After handing over two carrots, she opened the fence door and led the little mare out.

Hubert said before that Lance could also choose a horse, but Lance didn't choose one because he didn't have time to cultivate a relationship with these horses.

The horse that Patricia raised was raised when she went from elementary school to middle school in the town, starting from a foal.

She spent about five years with it before Patricia went to King's Harbor City.

Not only are human memories of the past so deep, but so are animals. In addition, Patricia comes back every holiday, and the relationship between the horse and her has not become unfamiliar.

Lance doesn't have so much time to take care of a foal into a big horse. At most, he rides a horse for a while.

Patricia went for a ride on her horse. At the moment she rode out, Lance noticed that two cowboys also followed on horseback.

They were all cowboys who had been raised from childhood on the Lawrence Farm. Their grandparents were like this, then their parents, and then themselves.

They grew up on the farm and were educated to work and contribute to the Lawrence family.

They will get married and have children here. Everything they have is solved by the farm, and they will also be paid.

To some extent, they may be one of the happiest people, because from the time they come into this world to the time they leave this world, there are no troubles.

If Patricia is not in danger, they will only follow from a distance. If she is in danger, they will rush up.

The farm is too big, and there are many wild animals, poisonous snakes, or wolves, as well as some federal lions and federal leopards.

Patricia may need more than half an hour to walk the horse, or even more. She hasn't been back for a while.

Lance was about to leave, but saw another old guy from the Lawrence family, shouting something outside the stable on the other side.

He took the initiative to walk over.

In fact, it took him several minutes to reach a place not far from the old man named "Schubert."

This is the second oldest of the three old men. The oldest has gone to see God. He is the second oldest, named Schubert.

The previous one was the third oldest, named Hubert, and there is also a fourth oldest, named "Herbert."

I don't know if their father was at odds with "Bert," but it is indeed very distinctive.

Farmers without culture don't know what name to give, so they simply change the sound to make a new name!

"Hey, Schubert."

Lance was still some distance away from him and took the initiative to say hello. This is a kind of politeness, telling others "I am approaching you."

Instead of saying hello after getting closer, that would make people think you are "peeping" at his privacy.

Schubert turned around, and when he saw that it was Lance, the anger on his face lessened a little.

He took two steps to meet Lance and shook his hand, "Came to ride a horse?"

Schubert has always been in charge of the horse farm, and at the same time, he is actively training racehorses for the family.

Last time, Patricia told Lance that they wanted to train a group of champion racehorses, but he didn't hear any changes later.

Lance walked to his side, put his hands on his hips, and looked at the restless horse in the stable. It looked obviously more beautiful than other horses, with clearer muscle contours and lines, and its fur was also more shiny!

The cost of training a racehorse is more expensive than raising a hundred ordinary people!

Lance shook his head, "She went out for a walk on her horse, I have nothing to do, what are you doing?"

Schubert is also very friendly to Lance. Lance brought advanced winemaking technology and sales channels, which made the farm's funds more abundant than ever before, and he can also focus more on training horses.

But now his mood is not very good, "Our Black Warrior has encountered some trouble."

Lance glanced at the two breeders who were checking the racehorse, and then turned his gaze back, "Can I know what happened?"

Schubert pursed his lips, "It's injured, we won't be able to participate in the last two races this year."

The Likalei State Supersonic Open Horse Race will end the qualifying round by the end of October, and the top twelve will participate in the championship in early November.

The performance of this Black Warrior has actually been good this year. If judged by the horse trainer, it is very likely to be on the final race this year.

The Supersonic Open Horse Race is the top-level event in the Likalei State horse racing field. If you can get results in this competition, even if you are not a champion horse, you can get a good reputation and promotion.

But because it was inexplicably injured, all the efforts became meaningless.

Although it can run again next year, the peak moment of a racehorse is only two or three years.

Missing this year, whether it can run out next year is an unknown.

"That's really too bad!", Lance sighed, "How did it get injured?"

Schubert's face turned ugly again. "Someone must have hurt him!"

"Fuck, if I find out who it is, I'll shove my gun barrel up his ass and give him one!"

What a flavorful statement!

The handler didn't even dare to breathe loudly and could only continue to treat the injury.

The good news is that everyone knows its genetics are actually pretty good. The fact that it didn't make it to the championship isn't a question of ability. Even if it can't race next year, it can still be a stud.

People have already inquired, but the prices they're offering aren't very high, about five hundred to a thousand dollars.

If it could get into the championship and run a good race, then at least a zero would have to be added to the end of that number!

If it could win a championship, then the revenue from one horse could support the entire farm!

After Lance went back last time, he briefly looked into these things, regarding horse racing, because what Patricia told him exceeded his understanding.

People say that doing illegal and criminal business makes the most money, but what Patricia said gave him the illusion that breeding champion horses seems to make even more money!

Tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands for one time, or even more, give it more supplements, twenty times a month, that's millions, and it's not against the law, and the money is clean.

Later, his research confirmed that the champions of the Federation's major events often command two to three hundred thousand for one breeding session.

Every year, the owners of these champions can earn millions or more in stud fees.

This is simply unbelievable!

However, the status and identity of these people themselves would not allow them to do such a thing. Multiple championships are more of a honor for them. Except for friends, they do not breed to outsiders.

Lance has a little interest in this industry, not because he himself has any horse-breeding experience, but because he knows that sometimes the factors that determine whether a horse can win are not on the racehorse and the jockey.

"If there's anything you need my help with, tell me," Lance offered.

Schubert looked back at him. "You know how to raise horses?"

His tone was full of distrust. Lance shook his head. "But I can help you find out who hurt it."

Schubert considered it and had the handler come out. "Tell Lance what happened, and don't leave anything out, or I'll whip you!"

The handler could only tell the story with a bitter face. The incident happened in Manteno. Although it's not in Lance's territory, he will find a way to figure it out.

He watched them train the horses for a while, and time passed imperceptibly. Patricia also rode her horse back from afar.

The heroic female knight reminded Lance of the theme for the evening.

She straddled down from the horse, landing steadily on the soft ground.

Then she pulled the reins, led her horse around the pasture, and brushed its coat before sending it back to the stable.

The weather is starting to turn cold now. If it were summer, she would definitely have to rinse it off.

The Saint Farm Festival is the day after tomorrow. The Lawrence family has basically all returned. This is an important and traditional festival, and everyone gathers together every year.

In the evening, Patricia transformed into a wild female knight, eventually subduing the fiercest Lance.

The next afternoon, Lance had already changed into formal attire. The white formal attire made him look even more handsome.

Patricia also tried on the wedding dress, which fit perfectly and was very beautiful.

Tonight, they will hold a wedding on the farm, a bonfire wedding.

Knowing that the Lawrence family's little girl was getting married, many cowboys gathered, and even some farmers from surrounding farms came with their own crops and livestock in tow trucks.

This is definitely a huge event for the small farmers who depend on the Lawrence family for their livelihood.

So there were a lot of people, and things that shouldn't have been nervous made Patricia a little nervous.

Lance stood on the platform by the bonfire early in the morning. The three old men were already sitting in a row. What Lance found interesting was that they had also arranged for many animals to attend the wedding.

Big white geese, some chickens, cows and horses, and some other animals.

The things sent by other farmers were also piled up next to them, like a small mountain, making the farm's wedding full of fairytale flavor!

As William led Patricia out of the room, the onlookers suddenly erupted.

Many people cast envious, jealous, and hateful but helpless glances at Lance.

The Lawrence family's most beautiful daughter has been taken!

The expressions of those young cowboys were the most complicated. They knew that they could not become Patricia's husband, and they knew that Lance was the best choice, but at the same time they hated him.

Perhaps this is a kind of helpless unrequited love.

William handed the girl to Lance, and the pastor who had been chatting nearby came to his position. Everything was like an ordinary but not ordinary wedding, with both sides making vows that were watched and blessed by God.

When they said "I do," the farm, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly burst into enthusiastic cheers.

Even the old geese flapped their wings, chirping and running around, and the other animals also shouted.

"Under the witness of God, you are now husband and wife!" The pastor closed the Bible in his hand with a smile, which was not very useful, and took the initiative to leave the focus of people's attention.

Patricia took a deep breath, pulled Lance to the bonfire and started dancing. More and more people joined them, and the whole farm was filled with happy laughter!

The evening celebration lasted very late. The three old men provided unlimited drinks, allowing the cowboys to drink to their heart's content…

After the Saint Farm Festival, Lance stayed for another two days before taking people back to Goldport City.

In Goldport City, there is another wedding.

Lance arranged the wedding location at the St. Naya Cathedral in the Imperial District. After the expansion, its size is large enough to accommodate more guests.

Although Lance doesn't plan to invite too many people to attend, the number of invitees has exceeded two hundred, and there may be some others who were not invited but want to come on their own initiative.

Before nine o'clock in the morning, outside St. Naya Cathedral, it was already crowded with reporters.

They didn't know where they got the news, but they knew that Lance was getting married today, which is indeed a big deal for Goldport City.

It was precisely because of this incident that many people suddenly came to their senses in a trance and noticed a terrible fact.

Lance is still very young, and he has only just gotten married. His era has only just begun!

The first to arrive here were the people from the Lance family. The reporters also took some photos of them, followed by the people from Wanli Film and Television. The director brought Gerald, who was already a little famous, and other signed actors to the scene.

This is a good opportunity to gain exposure, and several people who are key figures in the company's training are here.

Then came the people from the Imperial Chamber of Commerce. As the chairman of the Imperial Chamber of Commerce, Lance, they will definitely come.

The police station, the fire department, the prosecutor, various civil servants, city councilors, and even Mayor Williams himself appeared here.

What's even more incredible is that there are also two naval colonels who appeared here!