New Gods of North America.

Chapter 534 Confirming the Current Situation
"This is roughly the situation now. Let's vote to decide how to choose next."

After Reverend Tyrell left, the three partners of the detective agency gathered in the room for a small meeting.

There were no chairs, so everyone sat on the ground with something to cushion them. The newspapers they had bought today and the list left by Reverend Tyrell were spread out next to them, making it look like the first time the three of them met in a cabin in the wild.

The local church leaders reported in the newspapers were either dead or alive. This matter was too weird. No matter how I looked at it, it seemed wrong.
Wayne came up with many scripts in a row, from "The Dune Incident" to "See you tonight at Xuanwu Gate", from "The Chenqiao Mutiny" to "Let my nephew see my limit", and even the "Revised Imperial Edict" in the Kowloon Succession.
But I feel like something is missing - a church in America wouldn't be replicating the "North-South Case", right?

hiss……

It doesn't seem impossible...

"Although that old guy is untrustworthy, he doesn't seem to be hostile at the moment. Our detective agency has just started its business, and the fast food restaurant hasn't even officially opened yet..."

Lina frowned as she looked at the newspaper. "I was thinking about making money from fast food restaurants in the future. If I have to open a hotel in your small town, wouldn't it be a bit too shabby?"

Don't look down on our Black Rock Town. No, it's probably been renamed "Wichita" now.

The urban population is relatively stable these days, and people who plan to move often give priority to renting a house. The wealthy in the south generally like to stay at "friends' homes" when they are visiting other places. On the contrary, the large stations on the steam train lines are likely to be the blue ocean market for luxury hotels...

But Wayne was not in a hurry to complain about Lina at this moment, because his personal opinion was actually similar to Lina's. He also felt that it would be a bit of a loss to run away now.

Inesa was looking through the list left by Reverend Tyrell.
The list is not short, but the information on it is actually not very detailed. Each line is basically a person's name or nickname, plus the other party's possible current town or address, followed by a simple note.

Although Reverend Tyrell said that there was "evidence" of those people's crimes, according to Wayne's standards, even if Reverend Tyrell did have evidence that could prove it, the contents in the notes could only be considered "charges" at best.
For example, "he secretly participated in a certain attack in a certain year and month, causing countless casualties or losses", or "for such and such reason, he did something to such and such person, and he is the real murderer of such and such case" and so on.

Regardless of whether these contents are true or not, judging from the paper alone, these people are not convicted criminals, but rather "dark side" people who are being protected or covered up.
Many things were similar to the situation when Mr. Morrie was attacked before. The attacker could not be found and the victim did not report the case. After the local police looked at the case, they felt that it was "unnecessary to care" or "unsolvable" and the matter was considered "over".

To put it simply, there are four words: no bounty.

He actually wants people to work for free. This old man is really bad.

Inissa turned the pages more and more slowly, as if she was thinking about how to proceed:
"If all of this is true, then these people do need to be 'cleaned up'... But the above content may not be true, and they may not all have subjective malice. They may simply be following orders. If you want to verify and identify them specifically, it may be difficult."

...Well, judging from the purpose of the Hunter Association, Inissa really seems to be the type who doesn't mind "working for free" in this kind of thing.

I feel like even if the detective agency doesn't follow her, she might go on her own...

Wayne thought for a moment and said, "In that case, we will not retreat for the time being. The business of the detective agency and the fast food restaurant will continue as planned, and we can also complete the tasks given by Reverend Tyrell slowly."

No one objects, but the detective agency needs to consider more than just this.
Lina quickly asked two soul-searching questions: "Do banks in Virginia have business in Kansas? Can the banknotes they issue still be used in the West?" This is indeed a good question. Wayne himself feels that Reverend Tyrell is not as trustworthy as Bishop Corleone.

In addition, things are changing so suddenly now. Although the specific situation is still unclear, if you feel that the wind has changed and you don’t start considering a way out, you might be a fool.

He recalled for a moment, "The bank where we deposited our money is fairly reputable, and the corresponding banknotes can be exchanged in the West. But the safest thing is still gold and silver coins, or we can find an opportunity to exchange them for circulating goods."

In fact, if something really goes wrong, the real trouble is not the "banknotes", but how to "take out" the funds under your name.
America is so big that even if the money is made of paper, there is always a place to spend it. But if the account is frozen, it will become a virtual "number".

But the detective agency has not reached that stage yet. It is okay to prepare for a rainy day, but there is no need to scare yourself.

Wayne thought for a moment and said, "For now, we should not do anything too abnormal, such as suddenly withdrawing all our savings. This can easily lead to misunderstandings. Some things can be done slowly. Being too hasty will only lead to problems."

So the general direction was quickly determined. Objectively speaking, what Reverend Tyrell handed over was not only "risk", but also contained considerable "opportunities".
He did not ask the detective agency to hand over the spoils and extraordinary materials, but the extralegal privileges against those "hidden bad guys" would also be of certain benefit to the detective agency's business if used properly.

However, detective agencies must also gradually begin to "decentralize". This does not mean that they should be "a group of scattered sand" or "scattered all over the ground", but that they should avoid "putting all their eggs in one basket" so as not to be taken advantage of by others if they are not careful.

As for the "sinners" on the list...

Since the detective agency is now under our roof and Inessa is obviously interested, we can just check them one by one.

If it is indeed verified, then those who deserve it should be dealt with according to the procedures, and at least it should be published in the newspaper so that the victims and the good people who were wrongly accused can be vindicated. As for those who are "unclear" or "excusable and have their own reasons"... we'll have to decide based on the circumstances.

After reaching a consensus, the partners began to act separately.

Wayne planned to go to the cathedral to visit Tom Hagen first. His name did not appear in the newspapers at all, so he was probably still alive.

Even if he couldn't get any inside information, as long as he could get a little understanding of the current situation of this "old favorite of the bishop", to see whether he was dead or alive, in prison or in a hospital bed, Wayne could roughly assess which historical story the local church was following.

Inesa found a case from the list that seemed the easiest to verify. The case happened not too far away in time and the location was in Richmond. She had also seen the corresponding news in the newspaper before.
I plan to take advantage of the fact that my status as a "special investigator" at the detective agency has not expired and that no one is likely to pay attention to such a small case, so I can do a preliminary investigation.

This was not only to confirm the facts, but also to verify the value of the list given by Reverend Tyrell, so as to avoid being sold out and helping others count money.

Lina's cheeks puffed up when she heard this: "Why am I the one guarding the house again?"

Wayne patted her on the shoulder and said, "Your mission is the most important. All our belongings are now depending on you. Besides planning the evacuation plan, you are not idle. Just like Inessa, you can also inquire about the current situation in Richmond from other channels. Just don't go too far."

(End of this chapter)