New Gods of North America.

Chapter 536 Territory
In the relatively private reception room,
Mr. Russell's question seemed very sophisticated. "Wayne, you should have just been to the cathedral, right? Regarding what happened last night, are there any parts that you think I need to pay special attention to or be wary of?"

Don't ask "what do you know" or "what can you say", but ask "what should I pay attention to"
It can not only directly hit the key points related to himself, but also seem to be able to be used to evaluate Wayne's "depth of understanding" of the matter and Wayne's "sincerity" in cooperating with him.

For example, if there is a pit ahead and you don’t remind me after I ask you, then I will probably suspect that you are “limited in effectiveness” and cannot provide professional warning and protection.
Or maybe you "want to trick me on purpose", which means that the trust between us is no longer meaningful, and the correct answer is to find an opportunity to "stab you in the back".

Wayne was praising Mr. Russell's sophistication with a mean heart, while thinking about how to answer the question of the sponsor.
After a little thought, he decided to reveal two pieces of information that might not be "leaked":

"After confirmation by insiders, we can regard all the news released by the cathedral in the newspaper as 'facts'. When you make a decision, it is best not to contradict it.

"Secondly, Reverend Tyrell is likely to be the next bishop of Fugenia, and his appointment should have been approved by Bishop Corleone."

Mr. Russell's expression tightened. "The bishop has passed away?! The newspaper said he is being rescued. We are still guessing how he will deal with this matter after he wakes up."

Well……

This is not a good question to answer. Although Reverend Tyrell and Tom Hagen both gave Wayne the OK, when to officially announce such important news is usually a matter of careful consideration.
You can guess, but I shouldn't tell you directly...

——Some information is like college entrance examination questions. After it is made public, anyone can see it, but before it is used, it is a top secret that is priceless to some people.

If Wayne hadn't considered that a businessman like Mr. Russell might need to go and build relationships with Reverend Tyrell before the news was announced, he wouldn't have said this.
As for this favor, you should slowly repay it in the future.

Seeing that Wayne remained silent, Mr. Russell quickly reacted and his expression instantly became eager:

"This news is very valuable! While some people are worried about being angered by Bishop Corleone, it seems that I will make a lot of money from some business deals. Since the successor has been approved by him and Reverend Tyrell is a southerner, it means that the situation will not expand too seriously. I can also take the opportunity to buy some stocks that are being sold in panic..."

Hello, hey, hey, I didn't ask you to use this message like this.

As Mr. Russell spoke, he paced back and forth excitedly, muttering to himself,
Looking at him like this, Wayne felt that if Miss Olivia took a peek into Mr. Russell's inner world at this time, she might be able to hear the background sound effects of "abacus" and "gold coins falling".

Fortunately, the big businessman reacted quickly, and soon Mr. Russell regained his composure.

Then he happily put his arm around Wayne's shoulder and walked out the door with him, looking like he had something urgent to deal with:

"I will keep what you told me strictly confidential. By the way, Wayne, our company actually has several steam train lines, including a section adjacent to the previous one. How about handing them over to you to be responsible for the security? The price will be calculated according to the mileage in the previous contract."

Wayne likes people who are willing to repay a favor immediately, but the route is too long and it is not easy to provide security. "Our detective agency may not be able to recruit so many people in a short period of time..."

"That doesn't matter. We can reach an agreement first, and the contract in this regard will be reserved for you. You can come and sign the contract with me anytime in the future."

"I was thinking of telling you about the renovation plan for the fast food restaurant..."

"Well, that's a small business, and it's mainly used to maintain relations with the church. It's up to you to decide. I trust your vision."

"Actually, I have plans to open fast food restaurants in the towns along the way where our detective agency is responsible for security, but at that time I may have to reserve some shares for local people..."

"The fast food restaurant is not the company's business, it's my personal investment... um... let's talk about this later. The gentlemen just now are all very wealthy and may become clients of your detective agency. How about I introduce you to each other? But don't tell them the news just now." "Okay."

……

“Those northerners just want us dead now!
"Corleone has gone too far this time. Do they really think that they can become the uncrowned kings of Virginia just by connecting with a few people locally?!
"America is not the Old World. We must teach these thugs to respect public opinion!"

At the same time, in a private house in Richmond, a dozen bigwigs who could influence the state's economy and stability were having a makeshift gathering.
Some of them are wealthy people who own large amounts of land and slaves; some are politicians who control votes and have a say; and some are officials in key positions who are often required to enforce laws and rules.

There are some people who are also qualified to be here. They have "faith" and are responsible for guiding and sorting out the ideas of believers. They can also provide unexpected help in certain matters.
However, they are all "absent" at the moment, except for someone who was excluded from the invitation list. Some of the rest were considered "rebels" in the newspapers, and some were "innocently implicated" - the deaths of the latter two have all been confirmed.

The emotional "shouters" set the tone for the party, but the most influential people in the room remained calm.

One of the old men looked at the man sitting next to him who was obviously not in high spirits and said, "Apart from Bazzini and the others, you should be the one who knows the situation of the church best. Walter, how do you think we should seriously "respond" to Corleone next?"

Mr. Walter opened his mouth, but at first no words came out:
"There is no point in striking back at Corleone now. Contrary to what some people have speculated, he has 'returned to the Holy Spirit' this morning, not hiding from public condemnation. Even though we all know he is guilty, a man cannot die twice.

"Before his death, he accused the rebels of their crimes as a bishop. Regardless of whether the Holy Spirit Church could tolerate others questioning the authority and piety of a deceased bishop, he also named Tyrell as his successor...

"Everyone, attacking Corleone now will not only cause dissatisfaction among his original supporters, but also deny the legitimacy of Tyrell's succession. Tyrell will not sit idly by."

The opposing voices immediately shouted, "Bazini and the others were killed by Tyrell! Tyrell is no longer one of ours."

Mr. Walter glanced over there:
"Bazzini and his men are dead. If we continue to be hostile to Tyrell, I'm afraid we won't have enough 'own people' in the local church. I know some of the people present will not let him go easily, nor will they forgive Corleone's people, but Tyrell is also an old friend of ours. I'm not sure if everyone will refuse to reconcile with him when he extends an olive branch."

"What do you mean? Did Bazini and the others die in vain?" Some voices were already filled with anger.

Mr. Walter turned his head and looked directly at the person who was speaking. "My loss last night was no less than that of some people. But the reality is, you are not unaware of how much dirt Tyrell knows about us, right? He just asked the church to strictly clean up those wild Beyonders who were privately sheltered, which was enough to cause us heavy losses."

"I hope he has the courage! We won't just sit there and wait to die." There were still people objecting in the meeting room, followed by constant whispering.

"enough!"

The old man slapped his palms hard on the table, and when the scene became quiet, he turned his head and looked at Mr. Walter, “Tell me what you think we should do?”

Everyone's eyes were fixed on him. Mr. Walter thought for a moment, "First of all, Tyrell is certainly no longer trustworthy. After the new parish priest takes office, we must seize the time to contact him and find people who can cooperate with him as soon as possible. In fact, Tyrell has a limited range of choices, and many of them should have been ours.

"Secondly, in order to prevent Corleone and Tyrell from having any more tricks up their sleeves, we must quickly hide those 'dirty' subordinates. Everyone knows how to handle some things, and if you are reluctant or don't do it well, then if you suffer a loss, don't blame others.

"Finally, it is not wise to openly confront the church, but if we only target those who have stretched their hands too far, then all the southerners should support us behind the scenes. If Tyrell really dares to arrange for someone to do the same as Corleone, we naturally don't have to be polite. Things that are under the table should be handled under the table.

"After all, Virginia is still our southern territory. Northerners should either stay on the other side of the mountains or get out of Virginia. If you are still not satisfied, then chop them up and bury them on the farm as fertilizer!"

(End of this chapter)