Chapter 636: Reward
The Cathedral’s attitude towards controlling the plague was more proactive than Wayne had imagined.
After leaving the morgue, he had just returned the unfortunate souls who couldn't identify a single body when he saw a team of monks posting reward notices in the small square.
Wayne leaned in for a look. The Cathedral had set the price for fresh rat tails at three cents each, with the redemption period from today until next Thursday. All Cathedrals, large and small, within Richmond could make cash payments.
This amount was roughly within his expectations. Even if a normal person caught 100 rats a week, it would only amount to 3 dollars. For laborers, full-time participation was not very cost-effective, but as supplementary income, it was decent enough. It should serve as an incentive for rat extermination, and then through "small profits but quick turnover," the eliminated rats would "accumulate into a large amount."
At this moment, Sanders was re-locking those unfortunate souls to the lamppost, while Wayne prepared to wait in the carriage.
Then, a monk who appeared to be in charge and didn't have to do the manual labor walked over and introduced himself to Wayne: "I am Warren Lechter, the Cathedral's Treasurer. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wayne."
So, this was the new generation of "Tom Hagen" after the version update…
However, Tom Hagen was also a person with a tight-fitting uniform and red gloves. This new version of the Treasurer looked more "clerical" and didn't seem like the fighting type.
Wayne had never seen this guy before, but he was no longer a muggle completely ignorant of Richmond's upper class.
Noticing the other party's surname, Wayne couldn't help but try to confirm it during their pleasantries, "Hello, it's an honor to meet you. Your surname sounds very familiar; I feel like I often see it in the newspapers."
The other party seemed to have encountered similar inquiries before and reacted very calmly, with a slight smile on his face that didn't make him seem overly "proud": "Governor Lechter is my uncle. If you choose to settle in Virginia, he will probably try to get you to vote for him."
Understood.
A Cathedral Treasurer plus "my Governor uncle" felt like Victor Biddon, both destined to be shining supernovas in the industry in the future.
Given the limited conditions on site, Wayne knew that such a person wouldn't just strike up a conversation for no reason, so he invited him into the carriage, "How about we talk in the carriage?"
"Thank you very much."
The two sat in the carriage one after another, and Warren Lechter quickly got straight to the point: "The Silent Sect matter will not be made public. Although the threat has not been completely eliminated, your Detective Agency has made an indispensable contribution.
"According to the feedback from the monks, these cultists have already shown characteristics of being influenced by Coatle. Their Extraordinary materials cannot be given to anyone outside the Church to prevent the influence of the evil god from spreading. Therefore, I believe it's necessary to explain the situation to you in advance and ask what other rewards you are interested in."
So, you came to "haggle"?
"Eliminating these cultists who attempt to cause innocent casualties is the duty of every righteous believer."
Wayne first exchanged pleasantries as usual. Seeing that the other party's expression remained unmoved and he didn't respond, he felt that this guy probably wouldn't use a "dragon-slaying blade" in the negotiation.
He then began to probe, "Are you familiar with Miss Inessa, a partner in our Detective Agency? Her experience and ability played an almost decisive role in dealing with those cultists…"
Warren Lechter directly cut off Wayne's words, his tone gentle but his attitude firm: "That is a 'restraint' imposed by the Exorcist Association headquarters. They will not easily allow external Extraordinary People to completely lose control. How about we consider something more realistic?"
"Then, how about exchanging the cultists arrested by the Detective Agency for the existing Extraordinary materials in the Cathedral?" Wayne settled for the next best thing.
Warren Lechter's words remained subtle: "According to the internal records I've seen, Mr. Wayne, you should also be aware of the changing situation in the Old Continent. To cope with more threats that may arrive at any time, the Cathedral also has a significant shortage in cultivating combat power… If it were to be exchanged for cash, the specific amount would actually be difficult to define."
I was wrong.
This guy clearly came with a "dragon-slaying blade," but he just hid it at first.
Sensing the change in Wayne's attitude, Warren Lechter simply made the topic clearer:
"I saw in the memo left by the previous Treasurer that Mr. Wayne, you seem to want to cooperate with some local monasteries to produce cheese? I think this is a good idea. If the matter is handled well, His Grace the Bishop should approve it. We can make some concessions on the specific methods and profit-sharing ratios. Some monasteries also produce good beer and wine."
Ah, this…
Wayne was a little unsure of the other party's meaning.
Thinking the worst, the Cathedral this time essentially spent no money, not only getting the Detective Agency's labor and all possible gains for free, but also expecting Wayne to invest a batch of dairy cows and such into various monasteries later. It was incredibly stingy.
But thinking the best, this was equivalent to gaining access to the internal channels opened up by the local Holy Spirit Church. The specific output was secondary; the key was having the Cathedral's endorsement, which would at least avoid a lot of covetousness from wild cats and dogs in the workshop and restaurant businesses. Moreover, the Cathedral was currently willing to make concessions on profit-sharing. All in all, it was the kind of internal benefit that only "insiders" could get.
Stingy yet willing to make concessions.
How could these two qualities possibly fit together?
Wayne pondered for a moment and thought of a possibility, "Last night, while two monks and I were on standby, we were ambushed by suspected gang members and almost died on the spot. What are your thoughts on this matter?"
Warren Lechter raised an eyebrow, seemingly feeling that Wayne had hit the nail on the head:
"That was probably just a coincidence. Speaking objectively, the Dock Area's public order has indeed been a bit too chaotic recently, and some gangs need to be punished. The Church has always supported official or civilian forces of justice in such matters, but the situation in the Dock Area is special, and the Cathedral does not want to see a stable situation become too turbulent."
So, they want to protect someone… No wonder they chose to make concessions.
So the Cathedral already knows who did it? That's efficient.
Wayne tried to throw out a multiple-choice question, "I just came back from the police morgue. The bodies of the attackers left at the scene seemed to all be from the Ireland gang, but personally, I'm still more suspicious of the so-called 'Sailor Gang.' Do you have any relevant clues?"
Warren Lechter gave a smile: "Solving cases is probably more Mr. Wayne's forte, as a great detective. In any case, the culprits can only be gang members from the Dock Area, and no matter who they are, they should not escape the law's punishment."
Understood.
What the Cathedral wanted to protect was actually a certain "Mister" from the upper class.
As for whether there would be "personnel changes" within those gangs, they didn't care.
This was consistent with the Ideas of the list Tiriel initially gave the Detective Agency: let the lower levels cause trouble, but control the scope of the crackdown so that those respectable gentlemen don't directly tear each other apart.
The law doesn't apply to high-ranking officials, huh?
The atmosphere of various gangs "raising Gu" in the Dock Area now must have been fostered this way, right?
Wayne then threw out another question-and-answer, "I've recently been caught up in a murder case. The police suspect me of killing a journalist and reportedly found a witness. This not only affects me personally but also damages the reputation of the Detective Agency."
"I believe that must be a slander." Warren Lechter nodded slightly, "Mr. Wayne should be able to clear his name. If the court ultimately delivers an unexpected verdict, then I am willing to provide a guarantee and clarification for you, Mr. Wayne, during the appeal period."
If I can't handle it myself, then it's a different price, right?
Not good, not bad. At least the Cathedral is willing to issue an empty check, unlike how they treat the Dock Area gangs, where "it doesn't matter who it is."
Wayne hesitated for a moment, then extended his hand, "I will try to contact Kankakee State as soon as possible to transport a batch of dairy cows in time. At that time, I'll trouble you, Mr. Treasurer, with the specific distribution and subsequent arrangements?"
Warren Lechter also shook his hand: "I will have someone draft a plan and present it to Mr. Wayne in writing."
"Pleasure working with you." X2
I'll still proceed with the plan to clean up the Dock Area first. I want to see who's hiding so well in the back.
He better not be some old acquaintance again, or even the Cathedral, as a referee, might not be able to "persuade" them.
