New Gods of North America.

Chapter 595 Learning
I watched two battles from the sidelines of the arena, and then chatted briefly with Connor.
To Wayne's surprise, the new members who returned with Connor are not currently enjoying a high win rate in the arena, as he had expected.

It's not that they lack skill, but rather that they are better suited to the "unrestricted combat" of the real world—the kind where any weapon or method can be used, and a single mistake could cost you your life.
Therefore, they will habitually prioritize "avoiding injury" and their overall combat strategy will be conservative, preferring not to "gain" but not to "lose out".

In the arena, firearms and most weapons are banned from the start, and irreversible damage to each other is not allowed in principle.

This, in turn, allows agents who are used to the rules to use bolder competition strategies in the arena, which has a bit of a "bullying the newcomers who are not yet used to the environment" feel to it.

The "water monkey" tactic, which also cost Connors dearly, was one of them.
In a real fight, if someone drags another person into the water, the one at a disadvantage will definitely try to escape as quickly as possible, perhaps even resorting to tactics like kicking someone in the groin or gouging out their eyes.

But in the arena, no one wants to kill their opponent. Both sides are "dancing in shackles," so Connor is at a disadvantage. He will be released when he is about to suffocate, and he will be pulled down again after surfacing and catching his breath. He has a kind of suffocating feeling of "if you don't admit defeat, you have to drink your fill," and he is on the verge of death.

After watching two games with Wayne, Connor felt that the record of his new teammate wasn't too good, so he quickly spoke up for him:

"Their experience and skill level are actually quite good. If given more time, their combat strength will definitely not be lower than the current average level of the agents. At least in the arena, they will be roughly equivalent to me."

Wayne understood perfectly. It's like a new character joining a team in some games; their potential might be better, but they still need to level up for a while.
Anyway, the detective agency doesn't just judge people by their arena rankings, so "reliable" members are actually more reassuring.

By the way, Wayne himself doesn't really like "river terrain," feeling like he could easily get soaked.
Fortunately, its explosive power is even more potent in water. A single stone thrown into the water can cause the fish hiding on the riverbank to float belly up, effectively extinguishing any hope the "water monkeys" might have.

Doug, who was originally the referee at the other end of the arena, also came over after the change:
“Sir, these new members are all quite qualified. There’s not much to teach them from scratch. Connor talked to them a lot on the way here, and the basic onboarding training should be covered in a day or two. Do the partners have any plans for their future? Perhaps I can provide some supplementary courses.”

Wayne thought for a moment, "Let them all stay in Richmond for now. Once they're familiar with the workshop, they can take turns helping out at Willie's. Connor said there will be a dozen or so people coming this time, and we'll arrange the rest once everyone is in place."

The detective agency's basic framework has been established, and stable revenue will primarily come from its various offices, restaurants, and workshops.
Willie's "case-handling team" appears to be more like a public service activity, with almost no economic gain, but the things they do are very "correct." They are best used to "cultivate the moral character" of new detectives, and it is more reassuring to release them afterward.

The "softening" aspect is a bit more complicated; they're all mixed-race indigenous people, and their identities are somewhat complicated.

The new members are both from the West and have some connection to the Hunter Association. We can find opportunities to arrange for them to get to know each other, but if we force them together in the short term, there might be some friction.

Although not everyone in the West is a "scalp hunter," and Lina's abilities should be enough to keep things under control, the situation in the United States is such that some differences in mindset are hard to predict. Just in case, it's best to work things out gradually.

Thinking about this, Wayne realized that the "softening" side seemed to be at a slight disadvantage in terms of numbers, and felt that perhaps they could balance things out a bit.
After inspecting the arena, he turned back to the archives and found the little black girl who was cleaning up the newspapers scattered on the floor with Lina.

“Alicia, would you be interested in teaching your… um… tribespeople knowledge?” Wayne pushed open the door and asked as soon as his head popped out.

The pretty little black girl was almost startled—she wasn't exactly brave to begin with, and compared to Emma, ​​who occasionally seemed to "fall apart," she was actually more afraid of Wayne. She was the type who would choose to take a detour if they encountered each other alone in the workshop.
However, this topic clearly piqued the little black girl's interest. After reflexively straightening her back and lowering her head, her chin quickly lifted slightly again. "Learning...knowledge?"

Hey, don't you think that this "I'm scared but I don't dare to fight back" attitude is more likely to cause trouble for yourself?

Wayne could roughly guess why the black woman reacted that way. After all, "beautiful mixed-race slave girls" were a relatively mainstream niche hobby these days, and there were similar scenarios in Westerners' jokes about stereotypical views of different states in the United States.
However, it's better to let others adapt on their own, so Wayne chose to ignore it and simply continued the conversation: "Yes, learning knowledge. We might not be able to teach anything too complicated, but the Beaton family probably won't mind if you learn some simple general education and practical production knowledge. Your clansmen who usually come to help can all participate."

The little black girl hesitated for a moment, "The gardener and carpenter at the plantation did teach us some words and tell us some knowledge from books, but I don't know many words myself, so I can't teach others..."

“We can arrange for someone to teach you. You can learn it yourself first, and then you can teach your people. Of course, the premise is that it cannot interfere with the work, otherwise the managers and supervisors in the plantation probably won’t agree.”

Lina stood to the side with a "what are you up to now?" look on her face, while the little black girl cautiously glanced over, "Is it you personally teaching me, sir?"

"I don't have time for that; someone else will have to come. Just answer me directly: do you want to study?"

The little black girl looked like she was selling her soul to the devil, "I want to..."

Wayne waved his hand. "That's fine. I'll start arranging people later."

The detective agency doesn't have many options at the moment. To "soften" the group of natives, teaming up with the little black girl seems to be the safest approach for now. They're both locals, and the other slaves on the plantation can provide some counterbalance.
Some people's value lies in their "irreplaceability." If "softening" them can teach the little black girl well, and the little black girl can help keep the slaves who come to "work part-time," then even if the other agents have some reservations about their identities, they probably won't disregard the actual needs of the detective agency—otherwise, if you're so good, you do it yourself.

After seeing that Wayne and the others had reached an agreement, Lina made up an excuse to send the little black girl away temporarily before asking, "So you're not satisfied with just using the mill, and now you've set your sights on the Beaton family's plantation?"

"That's not the case."

Since the matter was still far from being settled, Wayne wasn't in a hurry to tell anyone. "The main thing is that I feel you seem to be a bit short-handed. If Alicia could help with some of the document organization, wouldn't that make things easier for you?"

"Hmm..." Lina's expression still looked a little suspicious. "Who do you plan to have teach her?"

“Since it’s an intelligence document, it’s best to teach them in a ‘soft’ way. Besides, they’re all under your control now, so it’s easier to arrange things. Seth can probably take over after he graduates, but for now, they’re the most suitable.”

Lina's thoughts were indeed diverted, "But 'softening' them now requires gathering intelligence everywhere, so they probably won't have much time to stay in the workshop..."

"Take turns teaching shouldn't be too difficult. Just spend an hour or two teaching them a week, about two or three lessons a week. They can also take a break at the workshop, eat some good food to replenish their energy, and get to know the other agents better. The rest depends on how hard Alicia works."

“Alright…” Lina’s eyes darted around slightly. “Actually, if Emma hadn’t gone back to Georgeburg, I think she could have taught Alicia.”

"If Professor Maisel comes to visit again, we'll say it's because you wouldn't let Emma go back to class?"

"Then forget it... I hate these stubborn scholars the most, their heads are full of theories, and they never listen to what others have to say..."

(End of this chapter)