The Mafia Empire
Chapter 12: Chapter 12 Fortunes Built On Breaking The Laws

"We made it!" Graf, clutching a sheaf of bills and some coins in his hand with excitment.

Graf was almost maniacal in his joy. A week ago, if you'd have told Graf you could earn that much in just one week by laying down forty dollars, no way he would have believed you. He'd laugh and then punch you out of sheer aggravation.

Seeing this Julian smiled in relife.

Just as he had contemplated...

The dream he had of that extraordinary man's life will allow him to climb up from nothing to stand on the top of the world just like that man had done in his world.

Julian still remembred a moment from that dream that left a very deep impression on him.

It was a moment where that extraordinary man opened a book named THE PENAL CODE OF CALIFORNIA and started reading it slowly before saying to himself, "All the most profitable businesses are right here in these pages."

Maybe dream and reality differ—be it in setting, technology, or custom—certain principles remain immutable. The more something is banned, the bigger the risk. And yet with that risk comes unimaginable riches to those brave enough to take it.

They had turned the $10 bill into $150 by the next day. It was a small price to pay to cross a few moral boundaries in return for The Star Empire money and a better lifestyle.

"What's the next step?" Graf asked, still in a state of excitement and delusion over what they had just done. His mind was reeling with the fortune that they had just grasped.

Julian walked around the room as he thought about their next step. "Right now is when we expand the business and set up shop. But first, I need you to take care of some things."

Graf thumped his chest with enthusiasm.

"The first priority is to instruct the dem shopps we supplied that they only received a preliminary batch to test the market; and in a few days, we will start delivering the real one."

Ternell City was close to the borders, an ever-expanding hub of smuggling operations. These ranged from large-scale to small-time operations, but for most people living there, the smuggling trade was entirely invisible. Julian planned to market his goods as smuggled items from other cities to avoid potential crackdowns on his business.

As for supply, Julian had clear ideas. Although flooding the market with product might bring in fast money, it would never elevate the price consumers would pay for those goods. However, by limiting the supply they could make people think, 'This is rare and valuable!' A classic ruse.

Once its reputation has been established, the product will automatically raise its price as demand escalates—a complicated project made simple by letting consumers do the work.

"The second thing is to arrange a secure supply," Julian said. "If we always go to those people you know with a large quantities, they'll surely figure out that we've developed a new style of distillation besides just dragon bloodwood. If this occurs—there will be two outcome for us to make: either we flee the Empire and become fugitives, or we die horribly."

Julian continued, "Make contact with the foreign liquor distributors in Ternell. Send the product through them, but do it under the name of a trading company you own. And don't make any final decisions without consulting me first. This is a very profitable business, but also a dangerous one—only those who survive get to enjoy the profit."

Strong spirits, within the Star Empire, was a lucrative trade. But it wasn't really a business for just anyone to get his foot in: only those powerful families who bore down with their soul on anything inside were sure of continuing rich profits this way.

There was one night when Graf Wintnessed a gang of extortionists visited a drug smuggler at home. The ringleader was surrounded by bodyguards carrying crackers (M-80s) and guns. When he remembered that, Graf broke out in a cold sweat.

That was all it took—Graf could see he was nothing more than a speck in this world of shadows compared to those people who had sold their souls to a cause and are willing to trample on anything in their way.

Julian appreciated Graf. On the one hand, he had the guts to take chances and was no fool; on the other hand, he was clever enough not to tread beyond what he could handle. He knew when he had to rely on his judgment and when orders had to be obeyed to the letter. If he had been reckless, Julian would have vanished without a trace long ago.

Of course, if things went south, Julian wouldn't mind getting rid of Graf first.

After all, the value hidden in distillation was enough to make every corporation in the world tremble. It wasn't just a way to get rich—it was a knife that could take his life at any moment!

After assigning Graf his tasks, Julian set off to handle his own. His mission was simple: register a trademark and a trading company.

In his plan, low-proof alcohol should be imported from abroad. Although the price might increase by about 10 to 15 percent, it wouldn't come close to cutting into their profits. Importing low-proof alcohol would prevent local brewers and distillers from noticing the large-scale influx of liquor being converted into high-proof alcohol.

In the early stages of any technological monopoly, the key was to keep a low profile. Only after amassing enough capital could you sit at the same table as the big players and take risks openly.

After sending Graf on his way, Julian headed to the Ternell branch of The Star Empire Chamber of Commerce with ten bucks in hand. In this world, all sorts of organizations handled functions that would typically be the government's responsibility.

The Star Empire had only just emerged from war, and if the government wanted to take over some of the union's work, it would require vast manpower and resources—something they simply couldn't afford. Additionally, the Empire realized that their outdated political and military systems were holding them back, so during this period of reform, social instability had already begun.

If they hastily tried to reclaim power from these civilian organizations, it could lead to unrest, and the weakened Empire couldn't afford a major conflict or civil war at such a fragile time.

So, for now, the Empire appeased the unions and assured them their piece of the pie was safe. At the same time, they were learning from the unions, preparing for the day they could reclaim control.

Thus, commercial activities like company registration and trademark filing were entirely managed by the Empire Chamber of Commerce, with no involvement from the official government.

And because businessmen ran the Chamber, there was nothing money couldn't solve.

For instance... buying a permit.

After spending two bucks to register a trademark and four bucks to register a company, Julian slipped the remaining money into the hands of the officer. The stiff, businesslike expression on the well-dressed, slick-haired man melted into a genuine smile.

"Sir, if you're looking to purchase a distillery license, the minimum cost is five thousand Dollar," the clerk, swayed by four bucks, decided to bend the rules. After all, it was ten days' wages, not a small sum. All he had to do was smile. "As you may know, many distilleries violate canon law and Empire law by secretly brewing high-proof liquor.

Cardinal Greem is very displeased with this, and under his pressure, the issuance of distillery licenses has become extremely strict."

He explained that five thousand Dollar were needed to obtain a legal license because canon law forbade the faithful from drinking. Under this pressure, the Chamber's board had decided to tighten control over distillery licenses to appease the church.

However, they left a loophole: with a five thousand Dollar deposit, the license could still be granted. If an inspection revealed illegal distilling, or if there was a report, the deposit would be confiscated, and the distillery would be penalized.

After learning the process for acquiring a license, Julian thanked the now friendly clerk before leaving the Ternell branch.

His priority now was to earn enough money to get that license.

As for importing low-proof alcohol from abroad, that would be the easy part.

In these times, with enough money, you could buy anything—including people.