New Gods of North America.

Chapter 553 Unusual Movement
Time always flies when you're eavesdropping on other people's gossip.
Wayne didn't feel like he'd been eavesdropping for very long. The three people next to him were probably talking about "the mayor's future," "the recent situation in Richmond," then "the gossip and infighting within the state government and city hall," and "the pseudoscience that's been making headlines in the newspapers," and so on.

Incidentally, during the experienced player's explanation to the newbie, Wayne also unexpectedly learned a lot of useless and obscure facts.
For example, the "Secretary of State" of the United States is generally considered equivalent to the "Foreign Secretary" of the Kingdom of Windsor, but to those in the know, the two terms are not entirely the same.
The "Foreign Minister" of the Kingdom of Windsor is, of course, specifically in charge of foreign affairs. However, in the United States, the duties of cabinet members are divided in a different way: all matters under the jurisdiction of the "Federal Republic" are, at the cabinet level, excluding the parts handled by other cabinet ministers, theoretically handled by the Secretary of State—foreign affairs are just the most prominent among them.

Similarly, the Secretary of State's position in the state government is similar to that of the Secretary of State in the federal cabinet; both are the "first in line" among ministers of the same rank and are in charge of matters that other ministers "don't handle."
Those who succeeded understood that "what the Eastern Depot could manage, I can manage; what the Eastern Depot couldn't manage, I can also manage."
Those who don't do well say, "How can you always put all the blame on me... (crying)."

It's probably a hybrid of "the strongest working person" and "the most tragic scapegoat," but which one it is depends on who the person is.

The veterans weren't specifically talking about this; they were just discussing the recent gossip about the Secretary of State and a wealthy widow, and then they casually explained to the curious newbie next to them why a militia commander in the state government would dare to compete with the Secretary of State.

Then, just as one of the veterans began criticizing the pseudoscience in the newspapers, the band's background music was temporarily stopped by the steward. Surrounded by waiters, the mayor and his wife personally escorted the last guests of honor into the hall, announcing that the ball was about to officially begin.
At times like these, guests naturally want to support the organizers of the ball, so Wayne joined the crowd and clapped along with everyone else.

It's no wonder that many important figures enjoy various celebrations and social occasions; the differences between people can sometimes truly be revealed through comparison.

Just as the veteran had predicted, Mr. Basque of the Beaton family did indeed attend the ball, and was treated as the most distinguished guest of the evening, personally led into the hall by the host amidst the attention of everyone present.

If Wayne thought Mr. Bucks was just a "retired old man" when he first met him, then upon closer inspection now, even a complete stranger could tell that he was a still very influential figure who would be treated with great respect by some influential people even now.

What surprised Wayne somewhat was that, besides the old man from the Beeton family, Reverend Tyrell was also among the "guests."

Today, he was dressed like an "ordinary priest," which was unusual for him. However, accompanied by the mayor and his wife and with the Basque gentleman's modesty, he walked slightly ahead of the group of four, which immediately highlighted his weight and status.

"...Welcome everyone tonight, and thank you all for your continued support of the City Hall's work. Let us raise a glass together to celebrate this hard-won stability and prosperity!"

As is customary, the mayor, amidst the watchful eyes of the guests, stood on the small platform and delivered the opening remarks for tonight's ball, simultaneously declaring Wayne's eavesdropping operation tonight a complete failure.

When the mayor was "calling out" the guests, besides specifically praising Old Man Basque and Reverend Tyrell, he also mentioned some important supporters and "colleagues in City Hall," and unexpectedly, even the "great detective who recently solved a major case" was among them. He also glanced in Wayne's direction.
Many guests turned their gazes toward him simultaneously. The two seasoned city hall staff members who were standing not far from Wayne both took two steps back to the side upon hearing this.

Then, as they were preparing for the opening "first dance," the old Basque gentleman noticed that Wayne was standing still and didn't move. He even called out from afar, "Wayne, come on! You're a role model for the young people; you have to set an example."

Upon hearing this, the mayor standing next to him chimed in, "Yes, we need to let everyone see some fresh faces. You've appeared in the newspapers so many times lately, people need to know what you actually look like."

Well……

The host and guests called out names, and the host egged them on. Although Wayne felt it was inappropriate, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go along with it.

Fortunately, the academy offers etiquette classes, and basic dance fundamentals are now a mandatory component. Finding dance partners isn't a problem either; the detective agency partners can all dance a couple of rounds tonight. While Inisa doesn't particularly crave attention, she's not stage-frightened. Lina, usually outgoing and lively, surprisingly doesn't want to be in the spotlight this time.

After a brief exchange of glances, Wayne walked up to Inessa, bowed, and extended his hand. Inessa quickly reciprocated.
Then the two of them went to the very edge of the center of the dance floor, where they joined the mayor and his wife, the Basque gentleman and his dance partner, and several other prominent figures, and together they began the prelude to the evening's dance in front of everyone.

"What's wrong with Lina? I thought she was going to shine at the ball because she dressed up so beautifully, but now that she has the chance to go on stage, she's backing out."

Judging from the ages of the other lead dancers, it's clear that tonight's opening dance isn't the enthusiastic and cheerful type; it's more of a very "proper" performance.
This level of exercise was merely a warm-up for Wayne and Inessa, enough to keep them busy enough to whisper to each other during breaks.

Inessa whispered in Wayne's ear, "The security personnel around Pastor Tyrell are different now than before. Lina doesn't want to attract the attention of those people in the church—they might care more about her than the bishop himself."

So it turns out she was also thrown off her rhythm by the "old man"...

Taking advantage of the spin, Wayne subtly opened his eyes to the minimalist lines of the room, scanning the entire space to see if he could spot the church security personnel hidden within.

As a result, the large candlestick being held by a waiter suddenly went out, and Wayne himself was almost blinded for a moment, as if he had been "blinded" by a flash.

Wow, that's amazing!

Inessa had a vague understanding of Wayne's extraordinary "vision" ability and noticed that some of the waiters had suddenly become restless. In the midst of the commotion, she helped Wayne steady himself a little. "Don't use your reconnaissance-type extraordinary abilities indiscriminately. There are some things that can be warned about."

Wayne quickly closed his vision and resumed dancing obediently. "It's fine if it's just a church, but if we encounter something like this in actual combat, wouldn't it be very troublesome?"

Inesa is clearly very good at this. "In fact, so-called 'early warnings' are often two-way. The Hunter Association sometimes deliberately uses certain methods that can trigger a reaction to determine the level and authenticity of certain cult altars. In Lina's words, 'treasures are often hidden in safes.'"

I see,

Sometimes safes are actually easier to find, right?

In the brief moment between turning around, Wayne watched as a tall, upright "servant" quickly approached the Tyrell priest who was watching the dance, and then they whispered something to each other.
The priest Tyrell frowned slightly, but then waved his hand, as if to tell the man, "Don't worry."

Right, it's no big deal.
Maybe the candle was blown out by the wind.

(End of this chapter)