The Shadow Tycoon
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 177: The Priest With a Politician’s Smile
In September, the weather was no longer so stifling. It was still somewhat hot, but the wind already carried a faint, killing chill.
Two new branches had been established one after another, both achieving respectable deal values. William had already begun instructing Richard to prepare the state capital’s Second-hand Goods Auction. As Interstellar Trading Company appeared more and more frequently in the public eye, William gained a great deal of wealth, as well as reputation.
“Adelaide is the governor’s chief of staff, and also a relative of the governor...”
Sitting in the mayor’s car, the mayor was explaining to William the background of the man they were about to meet, while also giving William a few points to keep in mind.
The better William’s business performed, the more it proved the success of the mayor’s policy.
The more successful the mayor’s policy became, the more standing he would have inside the state’s Federal Progressive Party. Someone had already suggested that he might have a chance to run for governor.
That kind of opportunity was not something every mayor could obtain. Most mayors would never receive such a chance. In all likelihood, they would work until retirement as state legislators or members of Congress. Some would not even manage that much, and could only scrape by with an internal party position.
Pushing a politician into a gubernatorial race was not an easy matter. The resources consumed were beyond counting. Therefore, aside from candidates with a strong chance of success, neither the Federal Progressive Party nor the Federal Conservative Party, nor even the Socialist Party that people always forgot, would consider putting anyone else forward.
The mayor might obtain that opportunity, but the prerequisite was that some of the policies, ideas, and methods he promoted had to prove genuinely effective in helping Sabine City and the state perform better than others in the face of economic difficulty. At the same time, his policies had to be capable of guiding the direction of the entire Federation.
Only then could enormous prestige and media exposure make up for his most important shortcoming: he was not a member of the Sacred Harmony Society.
That was why he now relied heavily on William. The two of them were riding in his car to attend a small trade exchange. The organizer of the meeting was Adelaide, the governor’s chief of staff.
Sabine City was not the only place in the state facing the troubles they had already encountered. Every city was. The governor’s advisory team had begun working, seeking solutions everywhere and trying to find any among them that might succeed.
Why had they not done this before?
Because before, they had believed their own heads could come up with suitable solutions.
Why were they doing it now?
Because they had discovered their heads were not quite as good as they had imagined.
Sending Adelaide to Sabine City had also been the governor’s private instruction. At the very least, the secondhand auction being promoted in Sabine City had been proven a good policy, with a professional detective agency conducting surveys behind the scenes.
People often saw individuals standing on the streets with questionnaires. Answering questions even came with small gifts. These were field operatives from professional detective agencies. Every street questionnaire was worth at least fifty cents, and sometimes one or two dollars.
So the governor wanted to know whether the Mayor of Sabine City, or his little partner William, had any other, more constructive ideas.
“ ... Adelaide was born into a Sacred Harmony disciple family. He has firm faith, though he often does things without any faith at all!” The mayor tossed out a small casual jab. It was clear he had little fondness for Adelaide.
After the jab, the mayor’s tone dropped slightly. “He is a very slippery man. He has the appearance of a priest, but don’t be deceived by his looks. He is a cunning fellow.”
William found this amusing. “No offense, but is there something between you two...?” He shrugged, adding a small gesture with his hand, making the mayor understand what he meant.
The mayor admitted it with some embarrassment. This was the effect of “value.” William had that value, so they could be close, and even fairly personal topics could be discussed.
But if one day William no longer had value, they would again be like strangers outside the car window. They could clearly see each other, but neither would look at the other.
“He once suggested that I skip my current work and go straight to the state senate as a member of the legislature. It wasn’t some fair-minded suggestion. He simply wanted his nephew to take my current job!”
As the mayor spoke, a smile appeared on his face. “But I won that round.”
He did not mention the price paid for that victory. Presumably, it had been quite heavy.
He then discussed some of Adelaide’s habits and details, and repeatedly warned William never to believe that bastard’s nonsense. The man was a liar.
In truth, everyone was a liar. Some people still retained a little innocence. Some had even deceived themselves. As for those caught halfway between, they were still struggling bitterly.
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