```


    Donnie and Nucky were highly efficient in their dealings.


    By the next day, an introduction to the beauty pageant had already appeared in the local newspapers of Antic City.


    The news immediately sparked widespread discussion in Antic City.


    The girls of Antic City began preparing for the event.


    "Are you going to co-host a Miss America pageant with Nucky?"


    While Donnie was having breakfast, Margaret looked at the "Antic Forum" in her hands with a surprised expression on her face, and the milk she was about to drink was ced back on the table!


    Donnie cut a sandwich and nodded, "That''s right, such an event can make Antic City attract more attention from other cities across the United States!"


    Margaret nodded slightly and cautiously asked Donnie, "The announcement says girls from 18 to 24 years old can participate?"


    Seeing Margaret''s expression, Donnieughed and said, "If you want to participate, I can rx the entry requirements a bit for you!"


    "No, no, no!" Margaret hurriedly shook her head, for she could never engage in something like unting herself in a swimsuit in front of arge audience.


    As mentioned before, Antic City had organized a beauty contestst year, but that was an internal affair of Antic City and did not involve cities outside of Antic City.


    There was a swimsuit disy segment inst year''s beauty contest.


    "I''m just worried that a national pageant like this might arouse some organizations'' dissatisfaction?"


    Margaret voiced her concerns.


    American society was not as open back then, and even on the beaches of Antic City, women wearing one-piece swimsuits would receive protests from moralists if they were without the cover of a skirt.


    It was entirely different fromter times where the swimsuit was barely visible between protrusions of flesh.


    Evenst year when Antic City held the beauty contest, there were groups protesting and marching!


    Donnie pondered for a moment and said, "That is indeed a problem, but it''s not without a solution!"


    "Oh!" Hearing that Donnie had a solution, Margaret didn''t say anything further.


    After breakfast, Donnie went to Isaiah''s tavern, which had now stopped serving the public and had be John''s base in the West District.


    When Donnie arrived, John had not yet risen.


    "Should I go wake him?" Magichi asked Donnie.


    To help John better control the West District, Donnie had assigned Magichi to John''s side.


    "What do you think?"


    Donnie red at Magichi.


    Magichi chuckled and went to wake up John, who was still sleeping.


    Soon after, John emerged with his hair in a disheveled mess, yawning profusely.


    "Why have youe so early?"


    Donnie sat there and said, "Anyter, and I could have joined you for lunch!"


    "Now that''s a normal time!" John grabbed a bottle of beer from the bar, took a few big gulps, and considered it his breakfast.


    "How''s the situation with the chip handlers in the West District?"


    This was the reason Donnie hade to see John; chip handlers were an important means for Donnie to control the West District and needed constant attention.


    "We''vee to an agreement with a few other casinos that our people can enter their premises. However, these are the smaller casinos in the West District; therger ones manage their own affairs, and for now, we haven''t found a very good way in yet!"


    There were over three hundred establishments involved in the gaming industry in Antic City, and integrating them all in a short period was nearly impossible!


    Donnie didn''t have such expectations; as long as John could integrate the casinos of the West District properly, that would suffice.


    "You don''t need to rush about the casinos outside of the West District. If you canplete the integration of the West District''s casinos by the end of the year, that would be enough."


    That is what Donnie thought and said.


    Just as John was about to reply to Donnie, a woman in pajamas with a voluptuous figure and barely concealed assets walked out in a daze.


    Seeing her, John didn''t care and pulled out a US dor from his pocket and handed it to her. She then indifferently left the tavern to return to the neighboring boarding house.


    In Antic City, it had almost be the norm for a tavern to have a boarding house next door.


    "Don''t worry about that, I have ways of dealing with people who don''t listen!"


    Donnie warned, "These casinos all pay Nucky, and strictly speaking, they are under Nucky''s protection. Our rtionship with Nucky has just eased, so we don''t want this issue to cause any friction with Nucky!"


    John nodded and said, "Since you already have a n, I will follow it as instructed!"


    ```


    Donnie chuckled and said, "Don''t worry, this won''tst very long!"


    As his words fell, the tavern door was pushed open, and Eli Johnson walked in, dressed in a brown uniform.


    "Donnie, so this is your stronghold in the West District?"


    Eli sat down next to Donnie without any pretense and asked Magichi to get him a bottle of beer.


    "Donnie, you''re really stingy, inviting me out like this. We should have gone to The Fuli Tavern. What''s so good about this ce? No, the entire West District doesn''t have anything interesting to me."


    Eliined about the West District. As the second poorest area in Antic City, coupled with its diverse poption, it indeed couldn''t offer many benefits for Eli.


    "My dear Eli, what if I told you that this ce is going to be a huge treasure, what would you think?"


    Donnie asked Eli.


    Eli exaggeratedly said, "Then I''d definitely think you''ve gone mad!"


    Donnieughed heartily and suggested, "If you don''t mind, change into some other clothes ande take a walk with me. I''ll show you the immense wealth that lies hidden here!"


    Then Eli seriously sized up Donnie. Quite significantly, with David Jabbar''s departure, the rtionship between Eli Johnson and Donnie had transformed from initial adversaries to now the closest partners.


    This indeed confirmed the saying: There are no eternal enemies in the world, only eternal interests!


    As his now closest partner, Eli couldn''t take lightly what Donnie had said, especially since this morning he found out that his brother had already entered into a partnership with Donnie, which surprised Eli even more.


    Before this, Eli was even nning to use Donnie''s rtionship with Nucky to mediate, and then to reassert his own importance!


    "Changing clothes is no problem, but you have to tell me what''s going on, alright?"


    Eli asked curiously.


    Donnie smiled and said, "Come out with me, and you''ll know."


    Seeing that Donnie didn''t want to divulge more, Eli had no choice but to take off his uniform right there and then, following Donnie out of the tavern.


    In Antic City, both Donnie and Eli could be considered well-known figures, but this didn''t mean everyone recognized them—it wasn''t the age of the inte, after all.


    So when the two men walked on the streets, nobody paid attention to them.


    The residents of the West District also mistook them for ordinary tourists.


    Walking down the street, Donnie spoke to a curious-faced Eli Johnson, "You could look around this main street and count how many taverns there are, how many lodging apartments, how many gambling dens, and just how good their businesses are!"


    Though curious, Eli proceeded to survey the street as Donnie had suggested.


    "On Pennsylvania Avenue alone, there are more than twenty lodging apartments, a dozen taverns, and gambling dens. Do they even have that many customers?"


    When they had finished walking down the main street of the West District, Pennsylvania Avenue, Eli couldn''t help eximing in surprise.


    Donnie replied casually with a smile, "The show isn''t over yet. What you''ve seen is just one street; there''s the whole West District to consider. As for the state of their business?


    Look, isn''t that being disyed right now?"


    At that moment, they saw two rival taverns on the corner erupt in conflict, with four or five men from each side, under the watchful eyes of street bystanders, beginning to beat each other.


    The fight came on suddenly, but also ended just as abruptly.


    With individuals from both sides lying injured and bleeding, the battle drew to a close.


    Donnie asked Eli, "What do you think?"


    "Think about what?" Eli, indifferent to such scenes, said, "Isn''t this kind of thing normal in Antic City, especially in the West District?"


    Donnieughed out loud and said, "That''s the problem. When you think it''s normal, then it''s already not normal!"


    Eli shook his head, not understanding Donnie''s point, "Donnie, just tell me straight what you''re thinking. This guesswork is really quite troublesome!"


    Donnie had long been prepared for Eli''s foolishness, but even with such apparent hints, he still didn''t understand, which was truly exasperating!


    "Eli, haven''t you always wanted to prove yourself, to show that even without Nucky''s help, you can still make something of yourself? Don''t you want people in Antic City to talk about Eli Johnson, not just as Nucky''s brother?


    If you want to achieve all that, then the West District is the chip you can use to make it all happen!"


    "This wretched ce?"


    Eli looked around and said, "How can this cepare to the Boardwalk?"


    Donnie, speechless, said, "The Boardwalk is certainly a good ce. But do you really think Nucky would let you have your way there?"


    This time, Eli was silent.


    Donnie said to him, "Let''s go for another walk. I''ll exin everything to you today, as starting tomorrow, I''ll be busy with the Miss America event!"


    Controlling the West District firmly in his hands, Eli, the fool, was indeed a very good option!