Chapter 29: Godfather? Nothing More Than a Lackey

The person delivering the money was none other than Carlo Gambino.

"Godfather, the warehouse is full of sugar..." Anastasia said, meeting him at the entrance.

"Godfather, I have been keeping watch here the entire time."

"You've worked hard. Where is Mr. Li?"

Gambino looked toward the illuminated attic, his eyes fixed on the staircase. He knew he was about to step onto the ladder that would lead him into high society, and his guide was waiting right there.

"Hello, Mr. Li."

Unlike last time, Gambino made a point of knocking on the door before entering the office, his demeanor notably respectful. He had placed Li Yi'an on an incredibly high pedestal—he was his guide, his key to unlocking the doors of the upper class. He no longer harbored the slightest doubt about the powerful figures backing Li Yi'an. If a few dozen trucks could potentially be smuggled in by a transport fleet, then having thousands of tons of sugar silently arrive in New York was a feat of influence that no ordinary person could achieve. Li Yi'an represented that caliber of power, and this status not only filled Gambino with envy but also with genuine awe.

As a Godfather, Gambino knew the strength of such power; by comparison, he felt like a mere ant. But that didn't matter. Gambino knew that if he seized this opportunity, he could transform himself into one of those people he so admired.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. Since it is nighttime, it was a bit difficult to gather the funds. Rest assured, I won't keep you waiting this long in the future."

Although he did not know what the Mafia Godfather was thinking, Li Yi'an could sense the shift in his attitude. The respect in the words and demeanor of the head of New York's premier Mafia family was nakedly apparent.

*Interesting.*

Reflecting on the change in the man's attitude, Li Yi'an realized that from this day forward, he would no longer have to worry about sales channels.

"Half a month," Li Yi'an said directly. "You have half a month to prepare the funds, and then we will conduct our next transaction."

In truth, this was exactly why he chose the Mafia as partners: they not only possessed distribution channels covering the entire United States, but they were also guaranteed to keep their mouths shut.

When the two of them stepped out of the office, the inspector had finished his assessment. "Godfather, the sucrose content is 99.4% or higher, and the granularity meets the standards. It is all grade-one cane sugar. However..." The inspector glanced at the Chinese man beside the Godfather.

"Every bag here has a net weight of 55, or even 56 kilograms, rather than the standard 50 kilograms."

*What? How could that be?*

As Li Yi'an felt puzzled, Gambino spoke up. "As long as the quality is fine, the weight..."

*Is this a test from the powerful man?* Once again, Gambino felt conflicted. He truly couldn't fathom the thoughts of such a powerful figure. *Perhaps, that is just how powerful people are.*

Before Gambino could overthink it, Li Yi'an said, "Just calculate it based on 55 kilograms."

*Is the extra 10% a bonus from the other side?* Song Chengjun was certainly generous. He had shared the benefits of his countrymen with him, but he could never let the foreigners take advantage.

Soon, the results were in. For a total of 1,500 tons of cane sugar, even with his preparations, Carlo couldn't help but swallow hard. It was a full 200 tons extra!

The rest was simple. $1,884,420 in cash was handed over to Li Yi'an. Facing such a massive sum, Li Yi'an's heart couldn't remain calm. After all, this was his first million!

*I've become a millionaire!*

A screen flashed before his eyes: [Congratulations to the user for earning your first million. You have been rewarded with the Cost Accounting Function. We hope you continue to work hard and achieve new breakthroughs.]

*Just that? A cost accounting function? What is that?*

Although he wasn't sure what the function did, a reward was better than none. And getting a reward for hitting a small goal wasn't bad at all!

This single transaction had earned him nearly 500,000 experience points, though he was still a distance away from leveling up. While slightly disappointed, Li Yi'an was satisfied in another sense: this trade proved that after leaving Britain, there was great potential to be found here in the United States.

Once the deal was done and his men began moving the cargo, Carlo noticed the crates of cigarettes in the warehouse and asked curiously, "Mr. Li, what are those cigarettes for?"

"One must provide some perks for the crew, wouldn't you agree?"

His words made Carlo nod in deep agreement; they did the same when smuggling contraband—everyone involved had to receive their share of the benefits.

Li Yi'an then changed the subject. "Carlo, there is something I would like to trouble you with."

*Trouble? What kind of trouble could there be?* Gambino replied almost instantly, "Li, my friend, just say the word. There is no need for such formalities between friends!"

*Then I won't stand on ceremony with you!* The task the newly minted millionaire wanted Gambino to handle was simple: help find an appropriate industrial enterprise to acquire.

Gambino, the New York Mafia Godfather, was happy to run errands for him, even feeling that this was an opportunity to draw them closer. Only by getting closer would he have a chance to connect with the truly powerful people behind Li.

Gambino's efficiency was remarkable. In just two days, he found a suitable enterprise, and the scale of the factory far exceeded his imagination.

"How could a factory be going bankrupt?" On the way to the company, Li Yi'an looked at Gambino, full of doubt. "Logically speaking, every factory should be running day and night right now."

Although he wasn't very familiar with the U.S., his understanding was that this was an era of exploding productivity for America; even in the 21st century, people still marveled at the immense industrial output the U.S. displayed during World War II. For a factory to go bankrupt—especially a mechanical processing plant—seemed almost comical.

"My friend, not all factories are like that. Some can get plenty of orders, while others can't even get a single dime's worth."

"Oh? Why is that?"

Carlo Gambino smiled. "It is all because of the owner of this company... he is a German immigrant."

"Oh? Just because of that?" Li Yi'an asked in surprise.

"And he is a backbone of the German American Bund—a Nazi, an American Nazi."

Gambino's answer stunned Li Yi'an instantly. "What? That guy is a Nazi? Why isn't he locked up?"