New Gods of North America.

Chapter 427 So dark
To be honest,

Wayne didn't think that he was now in a completely diametrically opposed position with George Berg and other high-ranking clergymen who were suspected of heresy.

The simplest truth is,

Wayne is not a member of the church, and currently has no so-called "insiders" who can fill any of the vacancies that may appear.

In the absence of hatred or sufficient interests, Wayne has no reason to "get rid of" people for no reason, which is a thankless task.

Not to mention Virginia, even the Blackstone town.
Unless an outsider comes in to carry out a major purge, even if two or three mayors are replaced, the first letters of the new mayors' surnames will probably be the same as those represented by the word "Wichita".

Of course,
The higher you go, the greater the possibility of drastic changes. Even if you are still the "same group" of people, you may not still be the "same family".
But the situation in the American Federation is roughly the same. It is easy to "get rid of" someone, but if there is no one to take over, he or she will easily become a "Yang Bailao" or a "scapegoat."

Therefore, under the premise that there is no structural contradiction of "life and death", Wayne feels that the other party should be able to understand him.

Why should workers make things difficult for workers?

With this in mind, Wayne returned to Georgeburg Church and began to have private conversations with the pastors in order of "biggest to smallest".
Then Wayne soon discovered that he seemed a little too naive.

——The pastors’ attitudes are too “consistent” and too “easy to talk to”.

It is normal for the "gangs" to have the same attitude as long as they collude in private.

But if everyone becomes particularly "easy to talk to", something seems very wrong.

For example, a group of powerful and innocent bosses are suddenly suspended from work to cooperate with the investigation, which takes a long time and is repeatedly questioned.

If we don’t say “uncooperative”, at least there will be “impatient”, right? If we don’t say that everyone has opinions, one or two of them will always have emotions, right?

How is it possible that everyone's attitude is so good?

Especially when facing Wayne, his attitude was so good that it was a bit like "submission", responding to every word and explaining every matter.
Even when Tom Hagen went to question him in person, he didn't receive this treatment.

Others might not think there was anything wrong, but Wayne was very familiar with this behavior. It was exactly the same as when he coaxed criminals who were sentenced to death.
The underlying logic is that everyone has nothing more to talk about and just hopes that the other party will not cause any more trouble for them before being sent to the gallows.

This is not just an ordinary "offense", it is more like a "silence" before confirming the action.

Wayne originally wanted to have a "good chat" with the pastors, but after feeling their attitude, he did not tell them the new situation and chose to contact them all first.
Then Wayne thought about it alone for a while, and then went back to find the Tyrell priest of the Exorcist Association.

From the perspective of "forming cliques and factions", this old pastor who is qualified to be the candidate for the position of bishop is also an "outsider" compared to the local pastors, and his position may be closer to Wayne.
At the same time, his status is high enough and the power under his command is not weak. One person can do the work of several people. He is a candidate that is more worthy of being won over.

At first, the old man acted like a good businessman who made money by being friendly, and he said some high-sounding polite words.

After probing for a while and not getting any useful information, Wayne began to "lay out the bait":
"Reverend Tyrell, do you remember Mr. Weisman, whom I suggested you to investigate? His identity has been exposed today. He has been confirmed to be a heretic of the Church of Light. It is said that he may also be a 'baptized' priest of light."

Reverend Tyrell was halfway through his polite words when he heard the new news from Wayne.

He seemed very surprised at once, and the remaining words he hadn't finished saying turned into a "Huh?"

Wayne continued to sort out his thoughts, both speaking to Reverend Tyrell and trying to fill in the gaps, trying to recall how he had offended these priests:
“To be honest, the reason why I first set my sights on that manor was because I got a clue from Mr. Weissman when I was investigating Cohen Pharmaceuticals.

"There is indeed a statue of the evil god in Reverend Pycelle's manor, and Mr. Weissman himself is a member of a heretical organization. Logically speaking, even if there are heretics among the priests attending the banquet, it is impossible that all of them are heretics. Otherwise, the reason he gave this clue would be too strange.

"I guess he is trying to use this to stir up internal strife in the church. At least Reverend Tyrell, you are the least suspicious in my eyes right now."

The routines for many things are actually similar. The first step in negotiating with a robber is to state your position, "I don't regard you as an enemy."

Reverend Tyrell digested the new information, his expression seemed to be one of deep thought, and soon he looked in a way that Wayne could not quite understand.

In fact, Wayne often did not understand Bishop Corleone, but Bishop Corleone was a person of high authority who was unfathomable and did not want to be guessed.
The "incomprehensible" nature of Reverend Tyrell is even more special. In terms of temperament, it is closer to "when the other person's words and actions are just right, so that you can't be sure whether he is serious or just acting in a reverse role."

Therefore, Wayne can only continue to "lay the bait":
"I was there when the fight broke out between the exorcists and Mr. Weissman tonight, and I was even his target for a time.

“In this sense, being able to force out a follower of the evil god who had successfully hidden his identity and seemed to be of a high status is already preliminary proof that there is no relationship between me and the Church of Light.

"On the other hand, if someone tries to target me at this time, then the suspicion that the other party is secretly colluding with the heretics of light will become greater. In the words of the bishop, in the current situation, speculation is fact." First, Wayne put out the "stick" of the fox borrowing the tiger's power, and by the way, he also hung a "carrot":
"Reverend Tyrell, I remember I told you privately in advance that Mr. Weissman might have clues about the problem. But unfortunately, you didn't seem to arrange anyone to investigate him seriously. This might have been a great contribution to you."

The second step in negotiating with robbers is to analyze the pros and cons, "We may have a better solution."

Reverend Tyrell's expression became uncertain. "...I need to think carefully before making a decision."

"I understand." Wayne nodded beside him, with a forced smile on his face, but he still had to give the other party a way out.

The scene was a little awkward for a moment, and the two people in the room tacitly chatted about other topics.
Wayne quickly recalled his wording during this process, confirming that he had given all the information he should have given, without saying anything wrong or telling a clear "falsehood".
Just like Wayne sold Mr. Weisman at the beginning, he actually just wanted to divert the blame, but Wayne happened to guess it right, so it didn't prevent him from playing the role of a "good guy" and "prophet" afterwards.

According to Wayne's self-examination, he had only been in Virginia for a short time, and his detective agency's business was not very big. The point that might have offended the local priests the most was probably that he was "closer" to the cathedral.

To break up other people's gangs, one has to find bigger contradictions in them. Waynes thought that only Pastor Tyrell and Pastor Bazzini had participated in that "small meeting", and it seemed that they both had the "qualification to compete for the position of bishop", which was a relatively bigger contradiction.

——As for the dispute over the succession to the throne, it stands to reason that even if they don’t fight each other to death, at least they will kick each other a few times behind the scenes, right?
As for why the Tyrell priest was chosen first,

Because Reverend Bazzini was both a local boss and obviously more shrewd, and the cathedral seemed to dislike him even more, Wayne felt that the risk of being sold out by Reverend Bazzini was too high.

Wayne actually had no choice at all when choosing between these two people as a temporary teammate.

After confirming that he had not made any mistakes, Wayne returned to the topic and began to "show his true colors":
“Reverend Tyrell, I am actually one of your potential supporters in many matters. So in the process of investigating the heresy of light, I look forward to receiving your guidance and help.

"Can you provide me with any useful clues?"

After saying that, Wayne's gaze seemed to pass through the wall and looked towards Pastor Bazini's office in the church.

Some things can only be hinted at; if you really say them out loud, they will become a "handle".

Reverend Tyrell didn't know what he was hesitating about. He made a gesture of "still needing to think about it", as if he wanted to send Wayne away before discussing it with someone else.

Wayne could only sigh, and then threw out the most crucial part:

"Okay. Actually, I have another clue about that manor, which I have never revealed to anyone - the two peripheral members of the Exorcist Association who invaded the detective agency before once stayed in that manor.

"I won't reveal that you were the one who took those two guys away in the end, but this is the only suspicious clue I have right now. Since you still need to consider it, I can only take it to ask Pastor Bazini."

This move actually involves a gamble, not only on how big the conspiracy behind the previous incident is, but also on the value of the detective agency in the eyes of Reverend Tyrell.
It's also a gamble on the level of trust between the two priests - anyway, I have the "information" about you, and as for what dish can be made, it depends on what kind of chef the other person is in the mind of Priest Tyrell.

If these two highest-ranking priests had no grudges against each other and cooperated well, then Wayne would not have to struggle anymore. He could just follow the cathedral obediently and accept being alienated or bullied by these priests.

Fortunately, Reverend Tyrell finally raised his hand before Wayne left the room.

Although his expression was still uncertain, he finally said, "Wait a minute."

This is right,

How can there be no competition among candidates?
Even in presidential elections these days, both sides have to swear at each other in newspapers for months in advance.

Wayne walked back to the sofa with a secret satisfaction and sat down for a short while. After nodding and promising Reverend Tyrell that he would "not pursue the small misunderstandings between each other",
I was immediately shocked by what Pastor Tyrell said.

Or is it the kind where you rummage through boxes and smash plates in your mind?

"You said you arranged for someone to sneak into the detective agency tonight and put some contraband related to other heresies in there?! You even arranged for someone to lure the exorcists over there?!"

This old man looks harmless.
Once they start playing, they play really dirty.

　Thanks to the reader "Book Friend 20240305121823492" for the reward.

　　Although I want to update more chapters, I have a lot of debts this month, so I can only do it slowly...

　　The temporary plan is to update as much as possible every day. If the number of words is too many, the chapters will be merged appropriately.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)