Old Gods, Rapid-Fire Guns, and Prohibition

Chapter 141 [Success in Art]

For the next few days, Winster seemed to be hit by a storm.

Being stormed by taxes.

By the storm of human heart.

The power of the tax return system is beyond people's imagination.

Or perhaps, the jealousy and greed in people's hearts are beyond people's imagination.

Every day, every moment, it seems like someone is being arrested, shot, tortured, or reported.

People were panicked for a while.

But this storm seems to have no way of stopping.

At this time, Frank seemed to have regained the majesty and ferocity he had in the royal capital, and his eyes were full of arrogance when he looked at George's three sons.

But that was only when he was facing the three of them. When he turned to face his second brother Joseph, he no longer had that attitude at all. He became careful, cautious, and even humble and flattering.

After all, how could a second-generation rich man like him who had nothing to do in the royal capital compare to his brother who held great power at such a young age?

"Joseph, it's great to see you again." Frank tried hard to smile, making himself look very respectful, and at the same time seemed really happy to see his brother.

Joseph was laughing too.

Joseph really is the kind of guy who just seems very friendly.

Those who caught a glimpse of him through the car window that day actually had a correct impression.

He has an extremely friendly face. He is not handsome, but he is definitely the type that makes people feel comfortable at first sight. They will unconsciously let down their guard and open their hearts.

So Frank immediately relaxed.

"Frank, long time no see. Are you doing well in Winster?" Joseph gestured for Frank to sit down and had someone serve him a cup of black tea.

Upon hearing this, Frank seemed to be completely unable to hold back and began to tell about the crimes he had suffered in Winster, especially the incident where Ethan had someone assassinate his guard. He exaggerated and talked about it for a long time. He also talked about how Ethan was doing all kinds of evil and evading taxes.

"Frank, don't worry. Now that I'm here, no one can bully you anymore." Joseph's voice was gentle.

Frank seemed to have recovered from his emotion and said, "Oh, Joseph, I did do some minor work. You know I have tamed those outsiders. Their property is now in Ethan's hands. Ethan will definitely not be able to handle it so quickly. I have a lot of information here and can contact some key people. As long as you take action, Ethan will be dead!"

"Well done, Frank, well done." Joseph seemed very pleased.

Seeing this, Frank struck while the iron was hot and exaggerated the situation, saying that Osvaldo was planning to assassinate him.

But Joseph interrupted him and said he understood.

This made Frank feel a little disappointed, but he didn't dare show it.

After Frank left, Joseph slowly put away his kind smile and became expressionless.

He stared at the pile of information Frank brought and didn't seem too excited.

"Chief, should we take action against Ethan now?" The captain who spoke that day asked from the side.

"Why not? Even though my brother is an idiot, he did us a favor. Go investigate, investigate as hard as you can, and make Ethan feel that we are really trying to use the Evans family's assets to break through him."

Joseph seemed to have some kind of mysophobia. He remained calm until he paused slightly when he said the last name Evans.

That afternoon, all of Ethan's key industries that originally belonged to the Evans family were investigated.

Many people were taken away for investigation.

But Ethan received the news without any concern.

As Eugenides had said before leaving, the accounts were now clean. When he received news of the new tax law, he realized that the Evans family, and all subsequent acquired businesses, would pose significant tax risks, so he had already begun to address them.

If he hadn't even taken this step into account, he wouldn't have to continue sitting in this position.

He was thinking about something else now, which was...

Can he use the Kingdom Statistics Bureau.

He has been trying to figure out Joseph these past two days.

Since he was obviously here for a big deed, sending a big mafia boss like Ethan to jail was indeed a big sensation.

But, this person doesn't necessarily have to be Ethan, right?
Just someone of sufficient weight would be enough, or even more important, like, for example, Osvaldo.

In comparison, sending the governor of a prosperous city to prison is a greater achievement, right?

Yes, that's what Ethan thought.

The pressure from the Kingdom Statistics Bureau is huge.

The pressure from Osvaldo was imminent. The trap he had set up in Holiday Sunshine was vicious and dangerous enough. Even though the battle at the dock temporarily dampened Victor's fighting spirit, no one knew what new schemes he was secretly planning.

In particular, he would not fail to think of the Kingdom Statistics Bureau.

"We have to strike first." Ethan happened to be in the Charles family's garden this afternoon. While drinking afternoon tea, he said to Ned.

"Your idea is similar to mine." Ned nodded slightly, "But Osvaldo is very cunning. In the past two years, he hasn't revealed any major flaws."

"So what now? The San Quanti reconstruction plan, the sewer project, the land reclamation, and especially the fact that he got the Brotherhood of Steel involved..."

"We can't use our people. Your people, my people, none of them will work because Osvaldo will definitely be on guard. We have to use outsiders."

Ned said, looking at Ethan.

Ethan thought of an organization——

Gathering of True Namers.

Before this, the King of Winster, that is, Principal Loren, could even mobilize the people inside to explore the extremely dangerous San Quanti.

However, ever since the incident with King Winster, the gathering of True Namers has disbanded.

Ethan glanced at Ned and noticed that Ned's eyes were moving around, and it was very likely that he had thought of a similar answer.

"Leave this matter to me, I'll figure it out."

Ned is very likely to restart the True Name Gathering.

After all, he and Loren were members of the same organization, and the manpower and resources for the True Namers' gathering were most likely provided by him.

After afternoon tea, Ethan returned home and just as he sat down, he received a long-distance call from the royal capital.

The caller was the art dealer Jackson. He cheered to Ethan in an impatient tone, "We made it! Ethan! We made it! Ten million! A full ten million! Your painting is a complete success! No, Ethan, you made it. You've already done it."

Ethan had already delivered the modified version of "The Persistence of Memory" last month. After Jackson received it, he started to warm it up in the capital, saying that it was ready for auction.

Ethan has actually been waiting for this day, because if he succeeds, no one will question his artistic value anymore.

Then, he could use his artworks to launder money smoothly.

Now, no problem.

(End of this chapter)