New Gods of North America.

Chapter 558 Notice
For the next few days, the three partners of the detective agency were practically living a life of "nightly revelry," with invitations to parties pouring in.

But this was clearly not the limit of what Richmond's high society could handle at the ball. At least Miss Olivia had been busy with various social engagements these past few days, yet Wayne and his group hadn't run into her at a single ball.

Of course, it's also possible that they "had a chance to meet," but Wayne and his friends "ran into the wrong place" when choosing the dance for their date...

For Wayne, the biggest gain from these past few days was attending the ball hosted by members of the "Industrial Union."

At the ball, he happened to run into a suitable old acquaintance, Miss Mary's brother, Alex Brooke—the same guy who had been tinkering with the "machine gun" before.

When Wayne bumped into him at the dance, he remembered that the guy had invited him a few days ago to "guide" him in developing a new model. Even though he'd been in Richmond the whole time, he still hadn't gone.
So Wayne decided to "strike first" and took the initiative to schedule a time with the guy, planning to go over and check it out during the day in the next few days.

Unexpectedly, it was the kid who started stammering and hesitating.

"Well... although we're still working on the issues of barrel explosions and overheating, I'm afraid that thing can no longer accept your 'technical guidance,' Mr. Wayne. However, our cooperation remains effective in the invention of silencers and other items."

Wayne thought for a moment and quickly understood, "Your new machine gun, the patent has already been sold?"

Alex glanced to the side twice, seemingly avoiding someone's gaze, and quietly nodded: "And they've also signed a confidentiality agreement. If the research and development goes smoothly, our factory might receive a large number of orders, or at the very least, we won't lose money, and we'll even have the opportunity to become a formal member of certain industries."

Objectively speaking, Wayne only provided the "idea" for the invention of the "machine gun." The actual research and development was all handled by this guy. According to current American law, "whoever applies for a patent first and whoever makes the physical product first owns it."
However, many inventions and creations in history sometimes lack that "flash of inspiration," making it difficult to specifically measure their "contribution value."

As a frontline R&D engineer, Alex had a deeper understanding of the "value of ideas," so regardless of how their factory actually signed the contract, he at least felt somewhat guilty about it.
So when Wayne expressed his desire for "large meat grinders, mixers, and filling machines that can be powered by windmills or water," this guy not only offered to arrange for people to conduct research and development and modification, but also offered to provide corresponding adaptation and installation services free of charge if Wayne wanted to use them—provided the quantity wasn't too large, a few sets would be fine.

The technology involved in these devices is actually quite basic. After all, windmills and watermills aren't new inventions, and modifying them into meat grinders and mixers isn't too difficult.
However, in this era of underdeveloped industrialization, this thing is indeed not available on the market. Rather than relying on luck to find a craftsman to customize it, it is not necessarily more reliable than Alex.

—At least this thing is of "military-grade quality".

Since many factory owners were also attending the ball, Wayne, through Alex's introduction, also managed to secure a "large-size steamer" and some molds that might be needed, thus solving the luncheon meat production problem in one go.
Considering the fast food restaurant business, Wayne also took the opportunity to get to know factory owners who sell cups, tableware, kitchenware, and even large teppanyaki grills. If he weren't pursuing maximum profits, it wouldn't be difficult for him to set up a shop where he makes teppanyaki right in front of customers.

Moreover, it's directly supplied by the manufacturer, eliminating middlemen and their markups.

There was one thing that made Wayne feel uneasy: although they were both industrial products, some goods from the Kingdom of Windsor were transported across the ocean and were subject to tariffs.
As a result, even with "direct from the manufacturer," locally produced products in the United States weren't much cheaper...

No wonder even the city hall's tax officer, Quinn, complained that your industry is "immature."

Then, at the ball held at Mr. Russell's estate, Wayne settled the issue of steam train freight from Blackrock to Richmond. In those days, the livestock transported from the West to the East Coast were all "live"—"cowboys" in the narrow sense, whose job was actually to drive the cattle to trading markets and transportation hubs—the transportation itself wasn't too difficult; the difficulty lay in the actual "digestion."

After all, it's easy to understand that in an era when ice wasn't cheap, urban slaughterhouses had a stable demand for "small, frequent" slaughter. Live cattle and pigs might lose a little weight after a few days, but fresh meat would likely spoil after a few days.
For additional supplies to come in, there needs to be new "buyers." At present, the only options Wayne can think of are luncheon meat, hamburger patties, and sausages for hot dogs.

When the other guests heard that Wayne wanted to ship large quantities of meat from the West, they all assumed he was interested in the canning business.
Wayne himself felt it was about the same; in a broad sense, canned goods and things like ham, sausages, cheese, and bacon are all considered "pre-made meals."

With the transportation and production issues initially resolved, the next challenge was supply. Wayne wrote to the mayor that same day, scheduling deliveries in batches, requesting that he arrange for live cattle, pigs, and wheat to be transported over.
The initial batch wasn't large; we'll see if the fast food restaurants and the planned processing workshops can handle it, and whether we can reach an agreement on collaborating with the local church's monastery on cheese production. If it really can't be consumed, giving away a small amount for free wouldn't be too much of a loss.

This time, the letter wasn't "sent out." Wayne, seeing Connor constantly looking for a fight, his energy as boundless as a husky ready to wreak havoc at any moment, arranged for him to make the trip himself.
On one hand, it's because this guy knows how to travel, ensuring both safety and efficiency.
On the other hand, they also wanted him to go back to Kansas City to personally "recruit people." Having someone he knew personally testify would be more effective than writing letters—and Connor could bring back anyone he could reach an agreement with directly. The detective agency also had a new office to open, and passively waiting was not a solution.

Having settled all that, Wayne, as he prepared to attend the Beaton family ball, suddenly remembered he needed to inquire about Willie's investigation progress.

Although the matter has been largely clarified, it is still the first time Willie has been in charge of an investigation, and it would not be good to leave it entirely to him.

As soon as Wayne stepped downstairs, he saw monks from the cathedral come to his door and were talking to Doug, who was in charge of receiving them.
So he went over curiously and asked, "Is there something you need?"

Could it be that the cathedral is going to hold a ball too?
Logically speaking, it shouldn't be like this... Not to mention that the church would at most hold some relatively simple "dinner parties" or "banquets," the bishop's funeral is only two days away, and the local church would not hold social activities at this time.

It's possible that they'll notify you to attend the funeral.

Wayne was able to immediately recognize that the monk must be from the "Cathedral" because his uniform was not the "standard" one for ordinary monks. The last time Wayne had seen such uniforms was in the "bishop-level" security detail that the priests of Tyrell had enjoyed in advance.
The other party seemed to recognize Wayne as well. Upon seeing the person in question, they switched to speaking directly to Wayne: "Mr. Wayne, although your detective agency is allowed to have extraordinary individuals and can investigate some cases within the state, we must still remind you that using extraordinary abilities to threaten and intimidate ordinary people is strictly prohibited in Virginia."

Ok?
Wayne was a little confused. Did the detective agency need to use extraordinary abilities to threaten and intimidate ordinary people?
Wouldn't it be more effective to just pull out a gun and press it against his forehead?
Seeing Wayne's reaction, the other party simply brought the topic to the forefront:

"Based on what we've learned, members of several gangs in the dock area have been affected by what appears to be extraordinary abilities in the past few days. And currently, the only organization investigating these gangs and with the means to use extraordinary abilities is your detective agency."

"Lord Tyrell... the priest Tyrell indicated that we need not follow up in detail, but also sent us to inform you that he hopes your detective agency will exercise restraint in this matter, so as not to attract extra attention and make things difficult to handle."

Ok? !

(End of this chapter)