New Gods of North America.

Chapter 745 Relationship
Originally, according to Wayne's plan...
He should be able to easily fill his stomach before the banquet reaches the free socializing phase in the middle.

Because of the Auster family's will, Wayne is now one of the potential focal points of attention. It's "expected" that some people would try to use social opportunities to inquire about inside information.

However, since everyone at the table is young, and there is no direct conflict of interest between them at the moment, nor is there any particular intention to fulfill any promises, there is no need to be formal in terms of etiquette, and the relevant topics can be dealt with casually for the time being.

Moreover, the detective agency as a whole can indeed be described as "upright and honest".
Aside from Wayne's recent antics in the dock area, Lina's background, and minor details like the detective agency secretly reselling items related to evil gods and stealing some extraordinary materials—which they don't want to draw attention to—the rest is quite clean and can withstand close scrutiny.

Therefore, following the idea of ​​"hiding the leaves in the forest," Wayne chose a strategy of releasing more information and gradually guiding the conversation.

You asked what the detective agency had been up to in Richmond lately, and Wayne talked about fingerprinting cases and the cannery, and also mentioned assisting the city hall with tax collection.
If asked about his past experiences and future plans, Wayne would ramble on about "a small-town western story of an orphaned sheriff" and "a long-term vision for a detective agency and the food industry."

In any case, try to answer ten questions for every one asked, and try to steer the focus away from what others are paying attention to, making it seem as if you have never thought about it in that direction.

Wayne felt that this method should be sufficient for dealing with superficial social interactions.
However, things in the real world often don't go according to plan...

Things went relatively smoothly at first.

It's unclear whether Sophia Randolph was sent by her family elders to gather information, influenced by Harley Quinn, Wayne's little fan, or a combination of both.
But since they were curious about Wayne and the detective agency, and Wayne wanted to use a third party to spread information that he could use to stir up trouble, the two sides hit it off immediately and chatted quite enthusiastically.

"So Mr. Wayne's detective agency also takes on a lot of security jobs on steam train lines. Does that mean they need to have a lot of manpower stationed in other places as well?"

"That's true. For example, our detective agency already has two overseas offices, and a third office is currently being prepared..."

"Wow, that's amazing. I just heard that Mr. Wayne also has a workshop and a cannery in Richmond. Can I go visit them with Harley sometime?"

"Welcome. Speaking of the workshop, we actually renovated the windmill there, and it has many advanced technological features, for example..."

“That’s great, it sounds amazing. I’ll bring a gift with me.”

But then Richard Norton ran into problems.

This guy is the son of Virginia Senator Walter. Regardless of the political status of a "senator," his father effectively controls a local intelligence organization within the state, based on the postal system. His influence might even extend to other states through the postal system; he's the kind of person with exceptionally good eyes and ears.

The detective agency had indirectly dealt with Mr. Walter before. They not only protected a young Frank man who had recently written to Lina, but also thwarted their plan to frame him. Moreover, members of the intelligence team, such as "Softening" and "Inflating," could be considered as having been poached from his peripheral organizations.

Although the reason is unknown, it's fortunate that Senator Walter didn't target the detective agency afterward, or at least didn't assign agents to constantly monitor it. This seems to suggest a "grudge is a good thing" attitude.

Therefore, the detective agency's partners would certainly not provoke his son for no reason—especially since Richard Norton was Mr. Walter's "eldest son." In large families, the eldest son is often treated differently from other children, receiving different educations from a young age, and is almost considered the designated heir.

Richard Norton observed that Wayne and Sophia Randolph were having a very pleasant conversation, and both seemed quite enthusiastic towards each other.

It's unclear whether he was actually interested in Sofia Randolph, or if he was simply trying to kindly remind the naive young lady not to be too interested in an "impossible person."
But in any case, starting with him, the interpersonal relationships at the table were quickly turned into a mess.

"Wayne, why don't you chat more with Miss Anne? Neglecting your future partner is a dangerous thing."

"Haha, Miss Anne and I are cousins, Richard, you may have misunderstood."

Richard Norton first hinted that Wayne might become the son-in-law of the Auster family, while simultaneously observing Wayne's reaction.

Wayne thought Anne Auster's looks were pretty good, but he had absolutely no romantic feelings for her, so he subtly gave a negative answer without hesitation.

Now it was Anne Auster's turn to be unhappy.

She's a young lady who's proud of her family; even putting everything else aside, her looks and figure are quite remarkable.
It felt like even if someone were to refuse, it should be a down-on-his-luck relative like Wayne who shamelessly pestered them, and then the other person would express their denial. How could it be the other way around? "Oh? So Wayne, you already have a future partner you like? What kind of person is she?"

Fortunately, this girl was at least polite, at least in the way a "proud young lady treats someone of equal status."
So she steered the conversation downwards, and the topic turned to what kind of marriage partner Wayne preferred—her gaze not only pointed at Wayne, but also swept over Inessa, Lina, and Miss Olivia at the table.

"Well……"

Faced with such a potentially disastrous question, Wayne could only stammer and stammer.

Then, in Richard Norton's eyes, it seemed to further confirm that Wayne was interested in Sofia Randolph, which made him even more excited.

“Wayne, you’re still too shy. A man can’t be too timid in this regard. Why don’t you choose one of the ladies at the table as a reference and let us see which type your ideal partner is closer to?”

Ironically, the relationship between Richard Norton and Sofia Randolph seems to be at best a "family friendship," even more distant than a "childhood sweetheart" relationship. They probably knew each other before, but weren't particularly close.
So, instead of directly trying to persuade Sophia Randolph, he joined forces with Annie Auster to launch a counter-attack, taking the conversation to a whole new level, and the scene practically turned into a game of "Truth or Dare" with Wayne on the table.

Wayne wasn't without help; Lina stepped in with an assist:
"As a partner in the detective agency, I think Wayne should focus on the business for now. He needs to concentrate more on making money for us. But if I go by a woman's intuition, I feel that Mr. Richard and Miss Anne actually have quite a good rapport. Why don't you two consider developing a relationship?"

The tables have turned; now they're the ones who dislike each other.

Anne Auster acknowledges Richard Norton's family background and social standing, and is able to treat him with equal respect, but clearly does not want to be associated with him.
Richard Norton, however, seems to need to consider Sophia Randolph's opinion, so his explanations will require more careful consideration.

“Miss Anne is certainly charming enough, but unfortunately our family has long been settled in Virginia, and my father would probably prefer me to find a partner locally.”

Lina was adept at setting the tone, and after listening, she launched into a barrage of questions: "If we're going to choose 'similar types' from the table, Mr. Richard, wouldn't you only be able to choose between Miss Sophia and Miss Olivia? Which one of them do you prefer?"

Now it was Richard Norton's turn to answer the deadly question.

He wasn't exactly a social novice; he tried to balance things out with both sides and avoid offending either.

The first person he mentioned was Sofia Randolph, who lightly covered her mouth, her pretty face slightly flushed, her eyes widening as she leaned back in her chair, seemingly both shy and with a hint of "I treat you like a brother/friend, how could you have feelings for me?"

Then he mentioned Miss Olivia, one reason being that he believed "Hunter Calhoun was a better match for Miss Olivia".
Miss Olivia's expression was somewhat amused, which could be interpreted as her being joking, as her being unhappy about being ranked last, or as her displeasure at hearing the rumors about her and Hunter Calhoun.

However, Lina wasn't about to let things slide. She took the opportunity to have Richard Norton rank the ladies present in his personal opinion, and even explain his reasoning.
Wayne discreetly flicked a blueberry under the table towards her, signaling her to stop while she was ahead and not to attract the attention of Mr. Walter, her father. Lina returned a meaningful look but didn't stop.

Wayne quickly understood that Lina was deliberately stirring up trouble and, incidentally, indirectly gaining firsthand insight into the interpersonal relationships among these large family members.

Okay, that's one way to do it...

Then the real chaos began.

Richard Norton, of course, couldn't simply compile a list obediently, nor could he avoid dragging Wayne into it. So, the two men pulled at each other, and the topic gradually shifted to whether the ladies should compile the list first.

In the end, everyone unanimously decided that it would be more interesting to have the other young family members at the table, where the crickets weren't.

So towards the end of the meal, Wayne felt like he was playing a murder mystery game; if he had a cooling fan on his head, it probably would have started spinning by now.
Not only must one maintain a relaxed and comfortable demeanor and speak when necessary, but one must also connect the gossip told by others to the relevant families and the possible relationships between them—for example, if someone from one family is related to someone from another family, it means that the two families have a marriage alliance; or if two seemingly unrelated young people have actually played together since childhood, it may mean that their families are actually closely connected.

Many things aren't exactly "secrets," but in this age of limited information flow, it's difficult for outsiders to systematically organize them.

It's true that you can't do it if you don't have the chance.

(End of this chapter)