New Gods of North America.

Chapter 725 Different opinions
Compared to the detective agency's well-functioning workshop, the initial construction of the cannery was actually much more troublesome.

Even setting aside issues like land use permits, just the "pre-processing" of the land alone would add at least a week to the construction period, or even longer.

The reason for this is that the plantation of that large family occupies flat, open, and high-quality land, and after years of enclosure and use, it has long since become cultivated land imbued with "human presence."

Although the cannery was located within the dock area and closer to the residential area, it was still a completely "wilderness".

Human activities have always had a significant impact on the natural environment. For example, in areas and their surroundings that have been meticulously cultivated, the land will either gradually be trampled into compacted "roads" or become soft "farmland" with almost no large rocks.
Experienced people can often tell the difference between "abandoned fields" and "uncultivated wilderness" at a glance, while friends who like hiking and camping can usually intuitively distinguish which roads lead to villages and which directions are unlikely to have settled people.

Therefore, although American wooden buildings and workshops of that era did not have high requirements for the environment and foundation, the interiors, filled with weeds, shrubs, and rocky mud, were clearly not conducive to work and life.
Therefore, just clearing away the obstructive wild vegetation within the cannery area and making the "everywhere potholes" into a "barely smooth" appearance was a rather labor-intensive "clean-up".

Even though Luke Matthew was already efficient enough, and he kept urging the workers and carpenters to speed things up, the guide, Seren, also recruited some laborers from their community who were interested in applying for jobs or simply wanted short-term work to participate in the construction.

However, several days passed, and the cannery area still hadn't become "a flat area completely enclosed by wooden walls." Its current state was even worse than when the workshop first took over the plantation mill.

The detective agency hasn't been idle these past few days. Besides their ongoing work of "maintaining order in the area" and "finding Jason and pretending to search for the two extraordinary outsiders,"
He also devoted some of his energy to "monitoring the situation in Richmond" and "trying to understand the inside story."

After learning that Mr. Schwartz's bank might be in serious trouble, Wayne wrote a series of letters overnight and sent a team of agents to deliver them.
Using the most subtle language possible, he reminded everyone he considered close enough to potentially be innocent victims of financial risks, warning them to be mindful of such matters.

This includes Alex Brook, who owns a factory in Richmond; the landlord who rented out the detective agency's headquarters, George Berg, for free; Sheriff Bill Tench; David Mills; and Professor Maisel from the academy.

—Incidentally, Professor Maisel also wrote back criticizing Wayne for half a page. He had heard that the case of the murdered journalist seemed to have been dropped by the prosecutor, but Wayne was not going back to the college to attend classes, which was setting a bad example for Emma.

Then in the next few days
Wayne then witnessed firsthand what it meant to have "multiple opinions."

It started with some local newspapers, which published vague yet seemingly pointed clarification statements in prominent positions.

The general gist of the statements was that they had recently heard some news about a bank and investment company going bankrupt, and they urged the public to remain calm and not make rash decisions to avoid suffering losses by prematurely withdrawing their investments or forfeiting interest.

Accompanying this is an even greater stream of rumors. It's said that members of certain powerful families have already spoken out within their inner circles, definitively proving the rumors to be completely fabricated.

Management from Schwarz Investments and Richmond Business Investment Bank indicated that they have ample cash on hand and are operating well overall.
Like Wayne, some people are reminding everyone to be aware of the risks. There are so many investment companies and private banks in the United States, and even some of them, though they are huge, may still go bankrupt.

There are also statements like, "A certain banker did offend some important figures, but the deal has been reached. Now, because that person is short of funds, it's a good time to invest or transfer funds to them to profit from them."

“Those high-society figures aren’t so easily swayed. Perhaps this is a joint effort by both sides to create momentum, so that they can each get what they want and reap the benefits from the investors and depositors who are wavering between the two sides.”
And questions like, "What's the benefit of doing things that damage the economy? Aren't those big shots afraid of their own funds being wiped out? People should learn to think independently and not blindly believe false information," etc.

Even Wayne almost wavered after reading the information compiled by the intelligence team.

Logically speaking, if those powerful families wanted to run over Mr. Schwartz's company and related banks, they would first have to invest their funds or indirectly control the funds already invested, before they could "quickly withdraw them in the short term."
This involves the concentration and ambush of "chips". The attacking side may be rich and powerful, but the defending side may also try to play the coward and even make things a "lose-lose" situation - that is to say, there is indeed a possibility that the two sides will "cease fighting halfway", such as one side "ceding territory to make peace" and the other side choosing to "call a retreat and secure the spoils".

Ms. Susan from the city hall was the type who got confused by all sorts of rumors. She was worried that Wayne's warning would come true, but she was also tempted by the recently announced preferential investment/savings programs, feeling that she would be missing out if she didn't get involved now. Her mindset kept oscillating between "better safe than sorry" and "go all in."
James Damody was in a more difficult position. His group was there to collect debts for Mr. Schwartz, and they had a considerable amount of money deposited there. He wanted to withdraw it but was afraid of completely offending his "boss," worried that not only would he be deliberately prevented from doing so, but he might even lose his job.
Mr. Paul of the Rabbit Gang is a cunning old fox. He seems to think that both sides are right, and he has bet on both sides. He also seems to be a complete entertainer, not caring about others' affairs, but advising them to avoid pitfalls. It is impossible to even find out which side Mr. Paul actually thinks is the "pitfall".

In any case, whether people are "completely unaware" or believe they possess certain "key information," almost all current speculations can be corroborated by corresponding sources, and many of these sources appear to be quite reliable.

It's a completely diverse landscape, it just depends on what people are more willing to believe.

Although Wayne felt the situation might have endless possibilities, he had no intention of investing money to "make a quick buck," nor was he interested in jumping on the bandwagon. Therefore, aside from being curious about inside information and the specific truth, he was truly a "pure bystander."
The detective agency's trial run of the "Dock District Gazette" even dedicated two pages to dividing the news into positive and negative perspectives, where the left and right brains engaged in a battle of wits. Because it happened to be on a current hot topic and was sold for a penny a handful, it became quite popular for a while.

And so, under these circumstances, a week slowly passed.
The major gangs in the dock area that had any influence had all been initially interviewed. Some of the faster ones had already completed their accounts and asset audits. Apart from Jason, who was still an unstable factor and had no trace, the situation was generally stable.

Regardless of whether the venue still seemed a bit too rudimentary, Wayne chose a Sunday when Holy Spirit believers generally didn't work, and decided to hold the conference that afternoon.

(End of this chapter)