New Gods of North America.

Chapter 723 Test
Having been unexpectedly delayed for a night, Wayne returned to the temporary base and continued working on the gang meeting.
The morning meeting thus changed its theme, shifting its focus from "summarizing information" to "assigning tasks."

“Seth, starting today, you can start going to the gangs you’ve already negotiated with to confirm the tax amounts. Also, now that the manual printing press has been bought back, the first issue of the tabloid can be made more respectable, focusing on the benefits of the dock area no longer being so violent, and also to reassure the general public.”

"Doug, you'll be in charge of the preparations for the gang convention. Make a rough list first. I'll personally talk to the gangs that need special attention, you can invite the smaller ones, and just send invitations to the smaller ones. The venue will be at the cannery, and the date will be in a few days after the wall is built. It doesn't need to be too formal, just a regular picnic will do. There's no need to waste too much money."

"The teams responsible for night patrols can spread out more these next few days. Besides cooperating with the church in the search for Jason, their main focus should be on whether the gangs have shown any unusual activity since receiving the invitation. If any of them show hostility towards our detective agency, please report it immediately, and we will handle it accordingly."

“Willie, you can start collecting cases for the prosecutors again. Although Richmond doesn’t actively investigate cases involving illegal immigrants, as long as the initial leads are complete, the prosecutors and the courts shouldn’t mind taking on this easy credit—prioritize investigating cases that are widely known in the dock area and are of a serious nature, especially those involving gangs that don’t cooperate with us.”

The so-called "gangster convention" was, in a sense, a test of obedience arranged by Wayne for the dockside bosses. Wayne didn't need them to actually submit to the detective agency, as long as they didn't act so recklessly anymore.

However, the Sailors Gang is already weakened and the Erlan Gang is also "injured internally." At this point, those who would still choose to jump out are basically "tough guys." So, since the new office hasn't started preparations yet and the detective agency has plenty of manpower, it's a good idea to deal with them all at once.

The investigation into Willie's case was a more intense "stress test."
Compared to the "semi-official actions" of collecting taxes from gangs and maintaining order in the dock area, the subsequent investigations were more subjective and unilateral in nature, driven by the detective agency.

The difference between these two in terms of their "nature" is actually quite significant.

The former is somewhat like a prefectural governor in a college conducting dormitory checks on behalf of the college. The gangs are now willing to obediently pay tribute, but in reality, they only acknowledge the detective agency's role as "acting on their behalf." Ultimately, the people they truly bow to are Richmond City Hall and its gentlemen.

The latter is like a fraternity in the college spontaneously organizing activities. If the gangs are still willing to cooperate, it means they recognize the detective agency's right and influence to speak and manage in the dock area, which is what Wayne really wants.

The gangster convention, sandwiched in between, served as a convenient transition.
The detective agency could continue to use its influence to imply that it was necessary for tax collection, or it could be seen as a separate public appearance for this "civilian organization," announcing its official "entry" as a kind of independent organizer.

So when Luke Matthews came to urge him on the progress again, Wayne had already drafted a preliminary recruitment plan.

Some of the spots are planned to be allocated directly to the Erranian communities, with the guide Seren helping to make arrangements; the other spots will be open to laborers throughout the dock area.
During the initial construction phase of the cannery, anyone willing to sign up was accepted, and the specific candidates were determined before formal production began.

Luke Matthews was puzzled: "I've heard that in some communities in the docklands, gangs don't allow migrant workers to bypass them to find other jobs. Won't we attract the attention of those gangs if we do that?"

"This kind of control is actually implicit in most cases. Sometimes they will exert pressure through things like hometown ties, and sometimes they will objectively create economic pressure by demanding debts in advance or collecting rent, forcing the workers to comply."

Wayne had actually learned about the situation and was somewhat inclined to use a "sting operation," but "without a contract, the gang obviously has no right to demand that the workers refuse better jobs, and our detective agency will also try to curb violence and coercion."

Before the detective agency "actively seeks trouble," a window of opportunity can be given to allow the gangs some "free rein."
Wayne felt like he was acting like a clingy scumbag, as if he was plotting how to play hard to get and then gradually take advantage of the situation.

Luke Matthew could only trust Wayne's judgment in this matter: "Alright, I'll have the accountant prepare the cash needed for short-term services. Whether you can manage it or we'll arrange for a separate cashier?"

"You can arrange the personnel, and all expenses in this regard will be covered under the name of the cannery."

The person in charge of the detective agency's finances is Inessa, who is currently busy gathering information from the cathedral and tracking Jason.
Wayne thought for a moment and then added, "Some of our partners in the detective agency may conduct random checks on the relevant accounts from time to time."

“Okay.” Not long after taking office, Luke Matthew already showed great competence in business affairs. “You will all be registered as directors of the cannery, with the right to directly intervene in management. As for the specific share belonging to your detective agency, that’s up to you to decide.”

...When the detective brought Seren, the guide, over at noon, she seemed both tempted and a little timid.
He already had a general idea that he would be one of the candidates for the detective agency's canned goods workshop, but he obviously didn't expect Wayne to actually give him a position similar to "community general agent":

“Mr. Wayne, there’s still no official outcome regarding Mr. O’Sullivan’s matter, and there are still quite a few gang members in the community. If you ask me to recruit people now, people might think I’m trying to form a new gang…”

This is the obedience test that Wayne is going to conduct on the Erland community and the Erland gangs.

The least risky approach right now is to select some willing agents from the existing leaders of the Erlan gang. This would not only allow them to continue using the existing hierarchical order in the community, but also enable them to take over the gang's affairs more smoothly.

But Wayne still chose to start from scratch.

On one hand, it's because he disliked the mafia and the original Erlan violent gangs.
On the other hand, after assessing the situation and the balance of power between the two sides, he felt that he could do it.

If you want to do it and can do it, then why be polite?

I'm going to pick someone who originally had no status and put them in a position of power. If you're not happy, come and fight me... no, if you're not happy, go and fight him.

Wayne's answer was, of course, "positive": "Our detective agency is not a gang, nor do we intend to form a new gang in your community. What I hope you will form is a community labor union, a non-violent organization that promotes employment for community residents and serves the workers, and will be fundamentally different from a gang."

This sounds a bit far-fetched, because according to Wayne's vision of the future, almost all the guilds on the New World will ultimately still carry some seemingly underhanded or shady elements.
However, in the context of the current dock area, it can at least be considered a kind of "civilizational" progress. After all, no matter how much a group of people argue, it is still better than gangs fighting and killing each other at the drop of a hat.

Moreover, giving ordinary workers their own voice can indirectly squeeze the living space of gangsters.
In this way, the detective agency doesn't directly profit from it; instead, it gains the "referee's seat" outside of their own interests, rather than entering the arena and becoming a part of the pie.

Wayne's approach to dealing with the dockside gangs was to eliminate their "foundation for existence," rather than simply "eliminating people."
If ordinary people in the Erlan community can speak out and defend their basic rights relatively peacefully, what reason would "middlemen" like the Erlan violent gangs have to continue to exist?

The founding principles of the United States were essentially the same: as long as there was room for negotiation, they were willing to tear the constitution to shreds to the point of a mess, just to keep more people coexisting. Otherwise, simply driving out the Windsorians would have likely led to war between the colonies back then.

Therefore, the current "gangster to union" solution is just a temporary one that Wayne has come up with.

Unfortunately, every advantage has its disadvantages. For "employers" like canneries, the workers uniting is not actually a good thing, because it almost certainly means that future labor costs will gradually increase.

But Wayne did the math and realized that, no matter what, this was still far cheaper than having so many agents "maintain order" in the dock area for an extended period, saving the detective agency the manpower of an entire "office" level.

Furthermore, if this approach can be successfully popularized in the dock area, it would be equivalent to the detective agency placing a "two-dimensional foil" on all the gangs. Sooner or later, they would all suffer a dimensional reduction attack and be pulled into areas where they do not have an advantage, forcing them to either improve or be eliminated.

“Mr. Wayne, I still have some concerns. Although that’s what you say, I’m afraid it will be difficult for the community to completely change their views in a short period of time.”

“Our detective society provides business guidance and practical support, and there are also corresponding subsidies for part-time work in the union. In short, if you choose to give up this opportunity, then I will go to your community right now to find someone else to take charge of forming the union.”

"I...I'll do it!"

(End of this chapter)