The Mafia Empire

If Dave's promotion represted a new chapter for them, the announcemt about profit sharing directly affected everyone's personal interests. Especially after hearing the girls earlier share their experice counting the money, these young people couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy. Something as simple as that had gerated ts of thousands of dollars—a truly astronomical amount!

Some of them were already daydreaming about how great it would be if they, too, could get a share.

As these thoughts swirled in their heads, Dave dropped the good news, and all eyes lit up with excitemt. They couldn't help but cheer loudly.

Sure, it was only %, and 99% wasn't theirs. But everyone understood that ev a % share represted several hundred dollars. The association had only 9 members, so each person would get at least dollars.

And that was just for Ternell. What if they expanded the illegal liquor trade to the tire state or ev the whole country? Th % of the profits each month could reach ts of thousands of dollars, or more!

Being a member of the association meant receiving a monthly stipd, which they could see as a salary. Now, they would get an additional dollars or so. This sizable income would change every family's situation, which was exactly what they had hoped for—through their own hands and hard work, they could change their family's difficult circumstances.

Julian smiled as he listed to the cheers of "Long live the Fellowship Association!" and "Long live Julian!" coming from the next room. He wasn't smiling because of their loyalty but because of the sheer power that money had over people.

With money, you could do anything. That was the universal rule in any world.

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From the Emperor of the Empire to the common folk, no one could escape the grip of money. Perhaps money took on differt forms at higher levels, but its essce never changed.

While the young members of the association were cheering for Julian on one street, three grim faced m were sitting together on another.

These m were part of the city's high d illegal liquor suppliers, controlling the mid to high d market for strong illegal liquor in Ternell. The launch of "First Love" and "Snow Elf" hadn't affected the low d fruit wine market, because at 5 to 6 dollars a glass, these drinks were beyond the reach of low d consumers.

So whatever changes occurred in the mid to high d market, it had no connection to the lower d market.

But for the business of these three m, the impact was heavy.

Ternell was a small city, and the three of them were already unhappy with how the mid to high d strong liquor market was divided. If it wer't for the fact that a gang war wouldn't guarantee profits exceeding the costs, they would have torn each other apart long ago. Their mutual dislike wasn't a secret, but that didn't mean they'd allow an outsider to ter the market.

In just one night, their revue had plummeted. Both young and middle aged customers had be drawn to "First Love" and "Snow Elf," either out of curiosity or guine preferce. The first day's sales were outstanding.

Perhaps it was just a temporary trd that would die down over time, but no matter how much it cooled off, some people would continue choosing these two drinks, taking up a portion of the market.

Money had a way of making people do things they'd never imagine. The three m, who had previously be at each other's throats, now sat together, united by their frustration.

These three m, judging solely by their attire and appearance, might be mistak for members of high society. Each wore suits tailored by the finest seamstresses in the city and shoes handcrafted by the most rowned cobblers. A few trdy or classical accessories adorned them, making them look like big shots.

But beath this exterior, they were nothing more than bootleggers, violating both imperial law and divine mandates by selling high proof illegal alcohol.

The power of money is remarkable, it can transform a person into someone else with just a little bit of spding.

The room was small, and Wood, seated near the door, appeared to be in his forties. His slicked back hair was meticulously combed, not a single strand out of place, ev as his head moved. His thick yet short eyebrows resembled two triangular patches of hair above his eyes, and his narrow eyes gleamed with a cold, fierce light. In the tire city of Ternell, no one was unaware of his reputation.

People "respectfully" called him "Wood the Lumberjack." At ninete, he took an ax and chopped three vagabonds who attempted to rob him into dozs of pieces. It took him less than a decade to climb to the top of Ternell's elite. Ev today, some people would boast about his past deeds to flatter him. He was an interesting character.

Ever since becoming one of the elites, he saw himself as differt from the people he once looked down upon. He was always careful about maintaining his image, presting himself as a cultured and sophisticated man no matter the occasion.

No one would believe that Wood, who now wore a sull expression, could be the same man who normally appeared so gtle.

The silce in the room made him uncomfortable, and ev his breathing became heavier. He tugged at his collar and knocked his knuckles twice on the table. "Gtlem, we need a plan. We can't let this unknown person destroy our business!"

Two bottles of alcohol sat on the table—Snow Elf and First Love. Each man had two glasses in front of him, and they had all tasted both. They had to admit, they preferred the rich, slightly bitter flavor of First Love over the cool, fruity taste of Snow Elf. Overall, these newly introduced high proof bootleg liquors surpassed their own in both taste and quality.

"Have you looked into these labels?" asked a man in his thirties, with fair skin and somewhat handsome features. His thick eyebrows and large eyes matched the currt societal ideals of beauty, and his flax hair gave him a refined and gtle appearance—a befit of his mixed heritage, which allowed him to stand out visually.