Because this small gang leader was sufficiently candid, or rather, sufficiently ambitious, and there was no real evidence against him at the moment, Wayne, on the contrary, didn't have to worry too much about him abandoning his "family business" and choosing to flee.
—In fact, it would be better if he ran; then, all that would be needed was to publish the matter in the newspaper. No evidence would even be necessary to stir up public opinion, and if an arrest warrant could be obtained, his coffin lid would practically be half-closed.
After temporarily sending this fellow, who voluntarily claimed he "fell and injured himself by accident," back for treatment, the carriage immediately turned to head back to the restaurant.
On the way, Wayne wasn't idle; he immediately began asking "Soften" and "Peng Zhang" about the local "underworld."
"Soften's" reaction seemed more proactive; although the level of information he knew probably wasn't very high, it had the advantage of being sufficiently "front-line":
"Actually, because of the mutual supervision from political circles, the military, and the Church, the overall public order in Richmond is quite good. At least within the city limits, under normal circumstances, no one would go too far or affect too many ordinary people; such things would not be allowed.
"Just as we explained before, when we were dispatched here, the instructions were merely to set fires and destroy evidence, not to 'eliminate' anyone from the Detective Agency. This is a tacit understanding between major powers. You were investigating on behalf of the Bishop's will at the time, so even if others wanted to act against you, they wouldn't do so during the investigation period.
"As for other wild, smaller organizations, they basically follow the law of the jungle. As long as the impact isn't too great and it doesn't harm the interests of other major powers, all sides will maintain restraint on the surface, assigning corresponding smaller organizations to resist, or secretly sending people to act. The line is that they cannot cause widespread panic and anger."
Hmm…
It feels like these small gangs, including that "captured small leader" and these peripheral organizations, and even the Detective Agency, are all part of the major powers' "cricket fighting"…
Father Tyrrell provided a new list; is he using the Detective Agency as a "catfish"? To improve the "vitality" of the entire ecosystem?
Frankly speaking, before Wayne transmigrated, he grew up in peaceful times with good public order, so when he interacted with figures like Bishop Corleone, he didn't have too many grand ambitions like "he can be replaced."
However, people who grow up in peaceful times often have their own small stubbornnesses, such as the so-called "three laws of technology"—"Everything invented before I was born is taken for granted; everything invented during my youth will change the world; everything invented after my middle age is anti-human."
Specifically, regarding the Church, the Detective Agency project was initially able to land smoothly in Virginia because Wayne and his team owed Bishop Corleone a huge favor for his special permission. At least they didn't immediately become "controlled objects" of Georgeberg Church or Academy Church.
If someone like Tom Hagen (which is impossible given his background) or the previous Father Tywin, who seemed to have a close relationship with Bishop Corleone and was friendly to Wayne, had taken over, then this "connection" might have continued.
But now, Father Tyrrell has taken over. He initially tried to poach Inessa, and once in between, he even tried to frame the Detective Agency. His relationship with Bishop Corleone seems ordinary; instead, he's closer to Father Bazzini, who has recently been "forming a rebellion" in the newspapers.
Wayne doesn't dislike or detest him, but both personally and publicly, he can't help but want to "loosen his buttons." The Detective Agency's foresight was actually born from this idea.
This is probably what they call "new leader takes office, old employees refuse to be managed."
However, Wayne also has no desire to stand out as a "troublemaker." On the surface, of course, it's best for everyone to "get along"; secretly messing around is fine, there's no need for him to take the lead and provoke.
Especially after learning more and more about the situation in Virginia, Wayne's feeling of "guilty conscience" has faded a lot—see, it's not just us making "small moves."
Back at the restaurant, Wayne got out of the carriage at the back door, intending to go find Lina and Chef Parker first.
As the Agent on duty opened the door, Wayne stepped in and looked around.
Good heavens,
Why are there so many "fair ladies" in the kitchen? The storage room next to it also seems to be packed full.
A line of maids were currently helping to clean. After glancing at each other, they very gracefully stopped what they were doing and uniformly greeted Wayne:
"Mr. Wayne, you're back. Miss Olivia came to visit today and should be dining here later. We came ahead to help organize the back kitchen."
So it was the young lady visiting. Wayne also exchanged simple pleasantries with them, "Thank you for your trouble."
In the restaurant's main hall, one of the brick walls had been largely demolished, and dust was everywhere. Workers were adjusting the renovation dimensions under Doug's supervision, and Emma was curiously observing nearby.
Following the guidance, Wayne went upstairs. There was also a housekeeper and a maid in the corridor. Entering the room they were guarding, Lina and Miss Olivia were studying perfumes—a row of them was displayed on a small table that appeared out of nowhere.
After exchanging greetings, Wayne, as usual, first made his presence known to the "potential high-quality patron": "It doesn't seem to be Sunday today, Miss Olivia. How do you have time to come to Richmond?"
"With the Bishop's passing, many people will be rushing to Richmond these days. Among our family's direct members, only I am currently in Virginia. Besides attending the ceremony, I also need to represent the family in social engagements during this period. It's not just me; many classmates have also taken a week off from the Academy."
Wayne had just asked casually. Hearing this, he nodded, "I see. But bringing so many perfumes, as gifts, seems a bit too valuable."
Perfumes in this era had not yet achieved "industrialization"; their scents genuinely required human labor and raw materials to accumulate. Good perfumers were still high-paying professionals.
Considering these were items brought by the Fisk Family, even if they were cheap, it would be limited. They were probably like the "bags" that Wayne also couldn't understand, where prices could be astronomically high.
Miss Olivia's smile, however, seemed approachable:
"Actually, it's not very valuable… Miss Lina is from Frank and knows more about perfumes, so she can help with references and explanations. Moreover, my father happened to pass through Georgeberg recently. His ship is quite large, so he brought several cartloads of gifts for me. This period is just right for socializing."
Hmm…
Wayne couldn't help but glance at the perfumes again. Casually associating the quantity of such gifts with the unit of "cartloads" is something most people rarely get to witness…
At this point, Miss Olivia couldn't help but glance at Lina again, with a hint of teasing and a touch of grievance, seemingly complaining to Wayne:
"Father also told me that when Miss Lina brought the Detective Agency to Atlanta, Father had arranged for someone to meet them in advance. But Miss Lina was too cautious at the time; not only did she not trust the person and made them wait for half a day the next day, but she also managed to trick them out of over 200 dollars in cash…"
Huh?!
Wayne's gaze swept over. Lina, who seemed to have been lectured about this before, shrank her head back, "How was I supposed to know they were really people sent by the Fisk Family? I thought it was wisdom, ah no, I thought it was an old acquaintance from the Old Continent playing tricks again…"
