New Gods of North America.

Chapter 715 Overflow
After leaving the tax collector's office, Wayne strolled around the city hall and wandered into the archives for a while.

Compared to the seasoned tax officer Quinn, who embodies the unspoken understanding of "those who know, know; those who don't, I won't say too bluntly," Ms. Susan from the archives, a "gossip encyclopedia," has a completely different style.
Her sources of information even extended to the roommate of her colleague's maid's cousin—who was actually another local maid—and after Wayne asked her about it indirectly, she recalled the gossip she had heard that morning.

It's said that the Secretary of State and that banker, Mr. Schwartz, had a brief, private conversation last night at a charity dinner, and it didn't seem to go very well; otherwise, the maids present wouldn't remember it.
But that's all the information you can get from gossip; the rest is mostly just speculation. Ms. Susan even dragged Wayne along to use their imaginations to try and piece together some "secret anecdotes of high society."

Wayne wasn't particularly interested in this kind of entertainment news. He was thinking about finding an opportunity to introduce Ms. Susan to Lina, to see if Lina could develop her into an informant or a close friend.
With these thoughts in mind, he turned and went to the Beaton family's manor, intending to learn more about the situation from a different perspective.

The core member of the Beaton family at home today is not "Father" Pastor Beaton, who suffered a betrayal in his career, but rather "Grandfather" Mr. Basque, who is like a pillar of strength in the Beaton family.
Although in theory, this old man has handed over the daily family affairs to the next generation, it feels more reliable to talk to him about the truly important matters.

When Mr. Basque finished tending to his plants in the morning, Wayne was being led over by the butler when he was sitting in a deck chair under the shed outside the greenhouse, drinking tea.

Before Wayne could finish his indirect questioning, the old Basque gentleman had already picked up on the implication: "Wayne, are you worried that your tax collection operations against the gangs will be affected? Don't worry, I haven't heard anyone complain about your recent actions in the dock area."

This is good news, indirectly proving that the detective agency's strategy of not directly interfering in gang affairs is not a mistake. At least in the eyes of some influential gentlemen in Richmond, the detective agency is not currently an eyesore in the dock area.
Wayne thought for a moment, then continued to confirm: "The Secretary of State's secretary spoke with me for a while this morning. From what I heard, he seemed to want our detective agency to replace the Ellan gangs. What's your opinion on this?"

"What are your own thoughts?" the old Basque gentleman asked in return.

"The conditions the Secretary of State sent through his secretary were probably to ask me to ensure that their existing business would not be affected. On that basis, he himself would not mind having the people of the Erlan Gang nominally under the management of our detective agency."

Wayne was being honest, "However, I have no interest in gangs. I just can't stand the chaos in the dock area and don't intend to let the detective agency become one of the gangs in the dock area."

After all, judging from the secretary's implication, even if the Erlan Gang were truly under the detective agency's jurisdiction, there were still some things they hoped Wayne wouldn't "meddle in too much with," which felt no different from simply being a "figurehead."
The Old World also had its share of times when "the vassal of a vassal is not my vassal," and the result of historical iteration at that time was that smart people became "electors," finding it more exciting than being a regular "emperor."

The old Basque nodded slightly: "There are some things that are best avoided if you can avoid getting involved in them. Once you profit from them, it will be very difficult to completely distance yourself from them. The Pryor family has been rooted in Virginia since the colonial period and is one of the most senior local families. Just because they are not implicated in some matters does not mean that the specific people involved are also entitled to exemption."

"So, that banker has 'crossed the line' this time?" Wayne asked tentatively to confirm.

"He got into trouble because of the farce he caused at the hearing. It has nothing to do with the gangs in the dock area."

The old Basque gentleman was clearly aware of some things. "Even when certain people conspired against Pastor back then, they never used such despicable methods. It is reasonable for those who did such things to pay a price for it."

OK, the puzzle is complete.
That banker, Mr. Schwartz, is indeed being collectively targeted by some powerful and influential men in Richmond; some are involved, while others are standing by and watching in silence.

The Sailors' Gang was actually dragged down by him, resulting in the Ellan yakuza being gang-beaten by a bunch of other gangs for days. Ironically, the Sailors' Gang, who had been keeping quiet lately, suffered the most heavy losses. To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy, it's like Ian Fisk cheating on his exams to graduate from college.
The professors turned a blind eye, the fraternity members secretly provided assistance, and the students all tacitly turned a blind eye.

If an outsider were to accidentally witness this and then try to get a small favor from Ian Fisk, that would be fine. However, if the terms aren't agreed upon, and the matter escalates to the level of "academic fraud" and "personal integrity," causing difficulties for the college, embarrassment for the Fisk family, and awkwardness for everyone involved, then...

It's not surprising that the whistleblower would later be bullied for "entering the classroom with their left foot first."

Wayne doesn't actually know the specifics of that hearing yet, but he thinks that's roughly what happened.

It's not that reporting cheating is wrong, but that's just the current environment in the United States. In some situations, everyone knows there's a problem, but it's often the people who raise the issue who actually get it resolved.

Since it didn't concern him, and the banker targeted, Mr. Schwartz, was a behind-the-scenes supporter of the Sailors' Gang, a gang with which he had a grudge, he at least had to bear the responsibility of "walking his dog without a leash."

Wayne didn't consider himself a bad person, but he wasn't exactly righteous either; he'd just watch the show.

But thinking about it this way,
It seems a new problem has arisen...

It just so happens that the Beaton family also knew about the Extraordinary Realm. Old Master Basque was an old friend of the current Bishop of Tyrell, and their family's "grandson," Victor Beaton, had even been invited to a small meeting by Bishop Corleone.
Wayne then asked, "The person who actually attacked the Sailors' Gang in the docks recently was a criminal extraordinary individual who escaped from a church monastery. If the Sailors' Gang's ordeal was a result of the hearing incident, then whoever released that criminal extraordinary individual must be..."

Upon hearing this, the old Mr. Basque raised his hand, signaling Wayne to stop talking: "Let the parties involved worry about these things themselves. We, who are not involved, don't need to pay too much attention. I heard you recently discussed a business deal with the Fisk family, something about producing canned luncheon meat?"

understood,

On one side is the cathedral, and on the other is a long-established family that is considered "historic" in the area. The Beaton family, however, is not involved and does not want to get involved.

Wayne readily agreed and changed the subject: "It doesn't necessarily have to be all luncheon meat. If the canning process can be resolved, the related byproducts can also be canned and sold together, for example, as soups or other similar products."

After all, the animals brought over from Kansas are all live pigs and cattle; the cost is calculated from head to toe.

Even scraps should be used to their fullest potential; we can't let them go to waste.

(End of this chapter)