Chapter 576: A Token of Gratitude
After discovering that the other party had already started exploiting loopholes in the newspapers, Wayne simply decided to give up.
The next day, after attending the new bishop's consecration ceremony at the Cathedral and witnessing Father Tyrrell become Bishop Tiriel, Wayne reported to the Police Station in advance. Then, he took his Agents to the mill borrowed by the Beaton Family for a team-building activity.
Although he said he was “giving up,” he didn’t do so completely.
The tone of the consecration ceremony was “solemn and joyous.” Wayne had approached Mr. Bask of the Beaton Family beforehand and, half-jokingly, mentioned the matter among the crowd. Mr. Bask even made a few teasing remarks with a smile.
Inessa helped find Miss Overia among the ladies and subtly conveyed a message to Bishop Tiriel through members of the Exorcist Association.
Lina did not attend the ceremony; during that time, she took Liam to distribute candies to the children.
Essentially, it was about making noise within a certain range to declare the Detective Agency’s innocence and, at the same time, asking people everywhere to buy internet trolls to fight back.
If one doesn't seize the battleground of public opinion, others will surely occupy it firmly.
As for the other reporter who spread rumors about him in the newspaper, the Detective Agency didn't even bother to respond.
Wayne and Lina even secretly made a bet, guessing whether this newest one would also suddenly die—if one died every time he was cursed, Wayne was a little worried that the other party might “run out” of reporters.
Inessa was slightly puzzled by Wayne’s attitude and asked on the way to the mill, “Is this really enough? Although the police haven’t officially listed you as a suspect yet, to find out the truth, it might be safer for us to investigate ourselves.”
Wayne seemed very relaxed, “The court will not make a judgment based solely on newspapers. Since I am innocent, the other party certainly won’t be able to produce evidence. At most, they can only spread some false information to mislead the public. There’s no need to worry too much.”
To be honest, this matter now looked more like a “setup.” Since they dared to target the Detective Agency and tried to preempt the Detective Agency’s preemption, there might be a series of traps waiting for Wayne to fall into.
The Detective Agency currently had “bad blood” with the local secret Agent organization, and its relationship with the new Bishop was not particularly good. Being called a “gang” a few times didn’t matter; the key was to know who was doing the cursing. So, they simply waited to see if anyone could “produce evidence”—no matter how flashy things were before, in the end, someone still needed to “get down to business.”
Moreover, there were some things Wayne found difficult to explain to Inessa.
For example, when someone slanders you as a “gang leader,” in some situations, it’s best if you really are one.
According to Wayne’s guess, he thought that Bishop Tiriel, who had just officially put on his mitre today, might also hope for the Detective Agency to become a “gang” in some sense.
After all, Bishop Tiriel had given Wayne such a list beforehand, and some intentions were self-evident—something like a “Detective Agency” was, by no means, as easy to control as a “gang” with blemishes.
Therefore, hoping for the current Cathedral to help with this matter would probably be counterproductive.
But conversely, if Wayne really got into trouble, Bishop Tiriel might be able to “pull him out,” provided that the Detective Agency did not appear useless, and the price, of course, would be to be obedient from then on.
...
Less than three days passed, and with Doug supervising at the mill, progress was not slow.
Although the mill’s renovation was not yet complete, a circle of wooden fences had already been erected, looking like a small mountain stronghold from a distance.
The progress wouldn't have been this fast normally. The Church had the funeral of Bishop Corleone first, then the consecration of the new Bishop, so many craftsmen took leave to attend the ceremonies, and it wasn't even something that could be solved by paying more.
It was thanks to the Beaton Family’s help. It was said that the slaves from the Plantation had been called in by the steward to work overtime these past two days. With many hands, the wooden palisade wall wasn't technically difficult, and the speed of hauling wood was almost slower than their progress in erecting the fence.
When Wayne tried to climb over the wall to inspect the construction quality, the steward from the Plantation quickly arrived with his attendants, with a female slave being led behind one of the horses.
As they came around through the “main gate” of the fence, the steward immediately stated his purpose as soon as he met Wayne:
“According to Mr. Pastor’s wishes, we were fortunate to receive the assistance of your Detective Agency a few days ago, which prevented any casualties. Since Miss Lina likes her, this female slave is presented to your Detective Agency as a token of the Beaton Family’s gratitude.”
Mr. Pastor was the “father” in the Beaton Family.
Wayne turned his head and glared at Lina, “Did you mention it to Mr. Pastor?”
Lina was swaying back and forth on top of the fence, looked down, and glared back, “I haven’t even been to the Cathedral these past few days, how would I have had a chance to meet them?”
The steward quickly explained with a smile, “It was when I was reporting the situation of that night to Mr. Pastor that I inadvertently mentioned this matter. Then Mr. Pastor made the decision, and he hopes Mr. Wayne you don’t mind.”
After speaking, the steward glanced behind him, and a supervisor pulled on the rope in his hand, half-dragging the mixed-race female slave over with considerable force.
The steward took the end of the rope, looked at Wayne, then at Lina, unsure whose hand to pass it to.
Upon closer inspection, this mixed-race female slave was quite beautiful, and her skin color was close to wheat, at least more in line with Wayne’s aesthetic than the freckled girl. But at most, he would just “look,” unlike some white immigrants who enjoyed the “tanning” look.
Moreover, according to Wayne’s understanding, being a slave on a Plantation would certainly not be better than being a maid. At worst, he could free her after a few years of work, which was at least more legitimate than the “Underground Railroad” approach.
So Wayne turned his head and glanced at Lina, “Then she’s under your charge?”
“Really?”
Lina jumped down from the wall, approached the female slave, and tilted her head to look at her, scaring the girl into shrinking back with her head down.
Lina turned back to the steward and asked, “I heard that beautiful female slaves are quite popular in America. Is Mr. Pastor willing to part with her?”
“Of course.” The steward nodded repeatedly, and besides the rope, he also pulled out some documents, “The Beaton Family’s traditions lean towards conservatism. To ensure the value of mixed-race female slaves, they are kept pure before being sold, so you can rest assured in that regard.”
After speaking, the steward subtly glanced at Wayne.
Lina took the documents and casually looked through them, not noticing this, but Wayne, having been educated in America’s General History class at the academy, instantly understood.
He felt as if he had somehow, inexplicably, been saddled with another undeserved accusation...
Wayne sighed slightly, “Then, Mr. Steward, please convey my thanks to Mr. Pastor.”
The steward, having successfully completed his task, nodded cheerfully, “I will certainly relay your message to him truthfully.”
