New Gods of North America.

Chapter 610 Finding the Rat
Wayne's reason for arranging the meeting was actually quite simple: to demonstrate the detective agency's "emphasis" on the new bishop's orders.
Since they've decided to cut corners and smuggle in their own stuff, the facade project has to be done properly.

So when Brother Merlin led the two men into the archives, almost all the remaining members of the detective agency in Richmond were waiting there, and they all stood up and applauded in welcome.
Although not a "full complement," the sheer number of attendees still surprised Brother Merlin. Aside from the intelligence team members who were specifically exempted from the meeting, even Lina's little black maid was temporarily brought in by Wayne to make up the numbers.

An internal consensus has been reached, so we can now boast freely to outsiders.

The detective agency not only made it clear that all members would "actively participate in the investigation," but the three partners also declared that they would each take the lead in a part of the investigation and fully support it, rather than being hands-off managers.

Wayne was a regular at the cathedral, and many monks knew he was the founder of the detective agency; his name would occasionally appear in the newspapers.
Although the bishop has changed, it's not like "the tea has gone cold after the person leaves." At least Brother Merlin still doesn't understand what relationship Wayne has with the two previous bishops.

Although Inessa's current status is special, she has already gained some recognition in certain small circles of the Church of the Holy Spirit; at least the Bishop of Tyrell approves of her quite a bit.

Wayne specifically assigned Inessa to handle daily collaboration and communication with Brother Merlin and the others. Not only was she practically a member of the church, making communication easier, but she was also likely to be on par with them in terms of rank and expertise, making her more convincing.

As for Lina, she personally doesn't like to make her presence felt at the church. However, with Wayne and Inessa as a comparison, Brother Merlin naturally looks at her, who is also a "partner of the detective agency," differently, and thinks that Lina must be no ordinary person.

After this series of moves, Brother Merlin's overall impression of the detective agency seemed to have improved considerably.

After initially agreeing on how both sides would cooperate in the investigation, Brother Merlin remarked before heading to the docks to continue catching rats:

"I'm starting to think that my suspicions about you guys were a complete misunderstanding. An organization like your detective agency, which is so dedicated to public service, would never use your extraordinary abilities on ordinary people indiscriminately."

This was exactly the effect Wayne wanted. At least when the Bishop of Tyrell asked him about it later, a "David Mills" like Brother Merlin wouldn't speak ill of others behind their backs, and would even appear more objective and impartial.
Then he smiled very sincerely, "It's okay, as long as we can work together to ensure the safety of the people in the dock area."

……

the next day,
While Doug, who had spent the night working in the dock area with the owl, returned to the workshop to rest, Wayne officially set off.

The sales team members were still pulling out fresh luncheon meat, not yet cooled, ready to sell. However, today they all wore red armbands made of cloth strips, indicating their current part-time roles as "hygiene inspectors."
There's no precedent for using this in America; it was Wayne's "spur-of-the-moment" idea. But that doesn't matter; it's conspicuous enough that the dockside gangsters will eventually find out what it means.

The task of extorting money from the sailors was handed over to the sales team, and Connor even volunteered to participate.
Wayne then went to the territory of the Erland gang, this time not to look at the docks, but to continue the owl's unfinished business—finding the rat.

Unfortunately, if we rule out that accident, the detective agency really doesn't have any more clues right now. The "wise sage's" directions are too broad, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact location in a densely populated human settlement.

Even Inessa could only place mousetraps by feel while conducting her investigation, then try to deduce the truth from the locations of the unusual mice. During the day, patrol officers occasionally spawned in the dock area, but the frequency was low, and they weren't always effective.
Wearing a red armband, Wayne randomly stopped someone, explained the situation, and then had them lead him into the settlement of the Erran laborers, where he began visiting each household.

Having official status felt pretty good, even though even the patrolling police officers were a bit cautious, and you'd occasionally encounter indifferent and wary scrutinizing glances in the neighborhood.

But after knocking on the door and mentioning the reason for "checking for the plague," most residents were willing to let Wayne in for a look and would answer some related questions. The few who were unwilling would become obedient after being coaxed by their boyfriend Sanders, who was quite the masculine man, since there were uniformed police officers patrolling the streets nearby who were watching silently and not stopping him.

What frustrates Wayne even more is that the country of Elland is right next to the Kingdom of Windsor, yet the connection between them seems to run deeper than that between the Kingdom of Windsor and the American Commonwealth.
Unexpectedly, Wayne, who could communicate with the natives without any problems after transmigrating, encountered a language barrier in this place...

What the heck... these two countries don't even speak the same language?!

Fortunately, there were bilingual people in the neighborhood. Wayne hired one as a guide for one dollar, which barely solved the problem and made home visits and inquiries much smoother afterward.

Wayne's knowledge about Windsor was also supplemented; it turns out that the language of the Kingdom of Windsor is indeed quite common in Elland, but those Ellanders who need to smuggle themselves over and make a living in the dock area are usually not included in this category. Moreover, if you were to say to their face that they sound like "Windsor people," it would be considered a very vulgar insult.
It can only be said that the "Empire on which the sun never sets" truly lived up to its name; it certainly had something when it came to being utterly inhumane...

After driving around the block with its minimalist design, the patrolling officer, using the excuse that Wayne already had a guide and the plague investigation seemed to be progressing smoothly, seized an opportunity to slip away.

Wayne didn't try to keep him, and continued entering houses while asking the guide, whose name was transliterated as "Sairen," about the situation.

This young, strong guy, who didn't work at the docks during the day and was quite tactful in conversation—basically what's commonly known as a "street hustler"—was indeed very familiar with the area, knowing a bit of all sorts of gossip and rumors.
Then Wayne overheard a detail that was clearly off: "Are you sure? There were several fewer workers who went missing that night than the bodies that were found at the scene?"

The guy didn't even realize what was going on, and nodded when he heard this. "That's what the person in charge at the dock said. When the scaffolding collapsed, several people were knocked into the river and couldn't be pulled out in time. But don't worry, they are all in good health and show no signs of infection. And it seems their families have all received compensation."

Just as Wayne was about to ask another question, Sanders stepped closer and shielded Wayne behind him: "Boss, it seems like we're being watched."

A quick glance at the minimalist lines revealed no obvious extraordinary reaction. Wayne looked up and around, and saw a group of thugs walking briskly towards him, their eyes fixed on him.

Hmm... it would be troublesome if a fight broke out...

Nine people, and they all had to reload their guns after firing in self-defense. If only there were gas pipes buried under the streets these days...

(End of this chapter)