New Gods of North America.

Chapter 589 Suspicious
Some things are path-dependent, and when Wayne suddenly encountered such a clueless situation, his first reaction was to "seek divine intervention".

Lina's answer was also straightforward: "Seeking enlightenment from a sage is not difficult; it has been a full lunar cycle since the last time."

Unfortunately, after a moment's thought, Lina realized things weren't so easy to handle:

"However, the identity items Connor left behind are still stored at George Berg's headquarters, so we have to go back and retrieve them. And first, we need to clarify the specific question: do we want to confirm 'whether Connor is still alive,' or 'where Connor is currently?'"

After listening, Inessa asked, "Will it cause any problems if Connor is carrying the Hunter Association's insignia?"

Lina seemed unsure as well: "Normally, it shouldn't be the case. The hunters' insignia seem to only serve the function of confirming identity, and the influence of the Order Domain has never worked in this regard... But if the distance is too far or there is the influence of other deities, the sage may not necessarily give a clear revelation."

Well……

Let's consider a more realistic approach for now. After all, based on common sense, given Connor's level, most extraordinary individuals would probably only be bullied if they encountered him... At the very least, he should be able to escape.

Wayne thought for a moment, "Doug, contact George Berg. We don't need to open the safe. Have them send someone to pick two of the most suitable items from Connell's belongings left there and deliver them. Also, check on the situation at headquarters and the office, and remind them as well."

"Yes, sir."

Turning my gaze to Inessa, I knew I should definitely consult her on matters concerning the hunters.
Inessa remained calm as always: "We can't be sure if something has really happened yet, but just in case, it's necessary for you to be informed as soon as possible. I'll go to the Richmond police station and the exorcist association later to inquire about the situation. If there's no news, it's enough to remain vigilant for now; there's no need to overreact—after all, there's no way to find anyone right now anyway."

Lina, however, remained energetic. "It's still early. I'll go find someone to 'soften' them and get them to go to the bar tonight. With Connor's level of skill, if there really is an attack, even if no one witnesses it, it's unlikely that there won't be any commotion in the vicinity."

So, does that mean I'm the one guarding the house?
The group split up. While Willie and his team were still investigating, Wayne left a note, instructing the restaurant to close as soon as possible and the staff to go home early.

In a sense, Connor's disappearance isn't really something to be overly concerned about.

If it's just a false alarm, then there's no need to be nervous. But if someone can control him head-on, then being nervous won't help.

—There are organizations capable of taking action; both the church and local intelligence agencies are suspects.

The new store was opening and quite popular, so even though it was a little tiring, it was still quite enjoyable.

Someone bringing in new talent to the detective agency brings a different kind of joy.
The addition of this last-minute element made things anything but pleasant.

Back at the workshop, the restaurant is already open, and the luncheon meat stock is sufficient for now, but the work still needs to be done tomorrow morning.

Wayne gave some instructions, and everyone was armed. Those who didn't need to be on duty didn't need to stay up all night. The owl circled a few times in the air, and finding nothing amiss, it went back to hiding on top of the mill.

……

While it's true that "no news is often the best news," once people start to feel uneasy, it's inevitable that they'll start to feel a sense of unease.

The workshop resumed work before dawn the next day. Although the plantation slaves helping with the transport were generally reliable, the detective agency quietly added a "secret poison test" step between processes—basically, dropping a silver coin in to test it, with Inessa glancing over occasionally, and the head chef even tasting a sample. Inessa and Lina had returned the previous night; Richmond was a large place, and without any specific leads, there was a lot of random, misleading information circulating.
After initial screening, the most reliable information currently available is the approximate area marked out on the steam train line based on the pigeons' flight speed and the content Connor wrote on the small note.

The absolute distance isn't too far; you can probably cross the entire railway line by horse-drawn carriage in about half a day.
But "that circle" looks almost as big as the entire city of Richmond on the map. Even if you call on everyone in the Richmond Police Department, it would take several days to search it completely.

The minced meat and additional sauce were shipped to the restaurant again. Lina, needing to gather information from "softening" and her informants, was assigned to oversee the restaurant today.
Inessa temporarily requisitioned Willie and his agents, ordering them to search for and confirm Connor's whereabouts as she instructed.

Wayne remained at the workshop; even after the freshly made semi-finished products were taken away, the work here wasn't actually over.

After the slaves finished their part-time jobs and took their wages, the remaining tasks of making sauces and processing reconstituted cheese were relatively easy. The head chef and a few agents didn't have to rush and could complete the tasks step by step—they could even take some time to look at newspapers and picture books.

Compared to items like meat and cheese, which are already factored into the cost, the restaurant's fuel consumption has become a major expense that Wayne had previously overlooked.

These days, the United States mainly uses animal fats, such as lard, butter, and ghee. They each have their own unique flavor and are not unusable, but the restaurant almost turned the oil into petroleum by the end of yesterday. If you have any conscience, changing the oil regularly is not cheap.

No wonder it's said that many industries are actually positioned at the forefront of the times, trying to get things out of the loop ahead of time. It's easy for them to be betrayed by the "times" in strange ways...

Peanut cultivation is not yet widespread, and Wayne has no idea about corn oil. Olive oil is available, but it has to be imported from the Old World and is more expensive than butter.
While worrying about Connor, Wayne took a moment to think and decided that he should start with cottonseed oil. The cotton yield in the south was so high, and the cottonseed oil pressing industry had not yet taken off. Since cottonseed was basically being thrown away as garbage, it was the perfect solution.

In modern society, cottonseed oil accounts for a significant portion of commercial frying oil. Given its low cost, high smoke point, odorless properties, and stable characteristics, it is a model of comprehensive utilization.
The only minor drawback is that if you simply use physical pressing, this stuff contains natural toxins that cannot be removed by heating and filtration alone; chemical methods are required.

Therefore, in that era, cottonseed oil was mainly used as a lubricant for mechanical equipment.

Wayne only had a rough idea of ​​how to detoxify cottonseed oil; it might work in his mind, but actual production would likely still be quite troublesome.
So, having nothing better to do, he wrote a letter to Professor Maisel at the college, saying that he had made a small, unexpected discovery about the detoxification of cottonseed oil and wanted the professor to help him find experts to see if there was a way to commercialize it.

Professor Maisel is in charge of mathematics courses and probably not very proficient in chemistry. A more suitable candidate in terms of expertise would actually be a professor in the college who teaches foundational science or principles of science.

However, Professor Maisel has one advantage: he is both principled and stubborn in his character. With him keeping an eye on things, Wayne doesn't have to worry about being completely smeared after the results are achieved.

After finishing a letter, Wayne heard the occasional cawing of crows outside the window suddenly stop. Peeking out, he saw that Inessa had indeed returned.

These little black flies can indeed act as watchdogs to some extent; those familiar with them can distinguish different situations just by listening to their movements.

For example, Inessa doesn't like noise, and occasionally she'll scatter some treats, which will make the birds quiet for a while. If the calls suddenly sound like a chaotic market, it's probably Lina teasing the birds. If they sound fierce like a pack of mad dogs, they're probably fighting with someone again—maybe an owl or a peregrine falcon, or maybe Emmariam or something, but it's definitely not Peter the spider.

"Any new information?" Wayne asked.

It's not even dark yet, and unless something new happens, I feel like Inessa might not come back so soon.

Inesa looked hesitant. "I'm not sure... but I did find something suspicious."

(End of this chapter)