The Shadow Tycoon
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 16: Ideas Worth a Fortune
The casual conversation between the news boss and William did not last very long before it ended. William had poured many interesting ideas into him, and the man had begun to itch for action.
He felt that what William said was simply too right. Nothing was more important than dignity. Once a man bent his back in this life, he would never stand straight again. That was exactly what had happened to him. He had to recover his dignity.
Watching the certain resolve that seemed to spread through the news boss’s departing back, William expressed his hope that the man could successfully complete his own idea.
That afternoon, taking advantage of some free time, he registered a business company named “Great Empire” at the Sabine City Department of Social Services. Its main areas of operation covered the vast majority of projects.
In truth, the Department of Social Services did not particularly care what business a registered company intended to operate. The reason there was such a selection process was entirely to establish a searchable index.
When some companies needed to cooperate with other companies, they would pay the Department of Social Services to retrieve certain records. If there was only one business scope, it would be considered the company’s “main business.” If many business activities were listed, including a particular item, then that item would be considered a “side business.”
Every company hoped that its partners would be professional when cooperating with other companies. That was also why many companies registered only one business activity.
Registering this information cost William one hundred dollars. City halls everywhere had always encouraged entrepreneurship and would also grant entrepreneurs many preferential policies.
Entrepreneurship could increase jobs in society and ease the conflict between the unemployed and society itself. Especially in terms of taxation, a newly established company could basically enjoy tax reductions or even duty-free policy benefits as long as it hired enough employees according to the rules.
A relatively comprehensive service company like the one William had registered had registered capital of only a pitiful one hundred dollars. But as long as he could employ three workers, he could apply for duty-free policy.
City Hall, including the IRS, never expected small firms like this to become the main artery of city finances. The taxes paid by these small firms could not possibly let City Hall launch major projects, and the absence of those taxes would not affect this year’s urban construction progress. So they might as well give enough preferential policy, at least reducing the number of unemployed people who might cause trouble by three.
After completing the registration, William did not immediately hire workers and begin operating. Instead, he found a print shop and had a batch of small cards printed.
These small cards listed William’s main service projects, such as his change-exchange business. That was the most important part. Then he bought an account book and a book on standardized tax filing.
After an afternoon of careful study and research, he more or less figured out what was inside. He also clearly realized that some things, even if very backward, still could not be learned easily.
He rather envied those who did not even need to read books, relying only on vague concepts, yet could not only prepare a flawless set of accounts themselves, but also find errors in other people’s books.
That also made him realize he needed a professional accountant.
In fact, if Michael had not found him so quickly, he might not have established a company this early.
In his previous world, during lunch and the occasional yard time, he had chatted with some big shots. In that dull place, everyone had stories too numerous to explain, but most people were not interested in them.
On one hand, the people imprisoned there mostly had similar circumstances. They might not think other people’s stories were more exciting than their own, nor did they have any impulse to explore someone else’s past.
On the other hand, the people responsible for guarding them could directly apply to read the files. What was written inside was more objective, more impartial, and closer to the facts. They would not directly converse with the prisoners either.
William was different. The moment he went in, he was like a sponge full of thirst for knowledge, tirelessly absorbing everything. Those who had been locked up for a long time, or would continue to be locked up for a long time, were also happy to tell their stories, searching for the most glorious version of themselves from the past.
From the experiences these people described, he learned one thing: try not to let your tracks appear too clearly in official sight.
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