New Gods of North America.

Chapter 634 Undercurrent
The detective agency already had a general, vague direction in their search for the cult members, which was at least easier than the previous needle-in-a-haystack search.

The abandoned dwelling, abandoned by those cult members, was rented. Asking the local "real estate agents" would reveal when they first rented it and the physical characteristics of the person who paid the rent.
Based on the ritual manual that Lina found, and by going back in time to check the completion status of the magic circle, it was basically confirmed that they had arrived at the dock area at that time.

A group of suspicious foreigners, likely smuggled in by ship, who clearly intended to cause trouble in the dock area from the beginning and weren't short of cash (at least not at the time), would have likely sought additional accommodation locally as backup "safe houses." This makes it a plausible scenario.
Otherwise, if they encounter any unexpected events while in an unfamiliar place, running around blindly is more likely to lead them into a trap, unlike the style of professional dangerous elements like the Silent Sect—after all, an organized "group" often does things differently than a lone "person".

Now that we have a general timeframe for the initial rental period, and the current residence can be used as a reference, the search for the other party's safe house becomes much narrower.

Moreover, they set up so many magic arrays during this period, and the extraordinary materials are hard to trace. They may have brought them over themselves, but they obviously couldn't have brought everything. For example, the rotten meat and offal used to feed the rats in that "garbage mountain courtyard" are worth investigating.

Wealthy households have servants, and plantations have slaves. Good things are always in demand and not easily discarded. In American cities of this era, the chance of finding large quantities of meat in the trash cans of wealthy neighborhoods is slim; in the docklands, it's practically unthinkable.
So, to be fair, that meat was either secretly bought by them, or stolen, cheated, or robbed. The former had a trading partner, and the latter had a victim. In any case, it couldn't have fallen from the sky. Otherwise, even Wayne would have wanted the agents in the workshop to stake out and collect it.

The same principle applies to other things. In short, anything that interacts with the real world will never be without leaving a trace.
Compared to criminals who randomly go to a place and start causing trouble without warning, these guys who have been staking out and planning for a long time are actually easier to find.

With Inessa and Lina taking this matter to heart, Wayne didn't rush to find those cultists.
He chose to socialize with the gang leaders, deciding to first identify the guy who ambushed him last night.

Because Wayne had already scouted out several gangs beforehand, many gang leaders knew that Wayne had a grudge against the Sailors.
When Wayne came to visit and heard him recount his experience of being attacked in the middle of the night, they all tacitly suspected the Sailors Gang, implying that "they must be the murderers." They chatted happily without Wayne having to say anything more.

Hmph, three men can make a tiger.
Let the sailors experience what it's like to be framed.

However, one thing is one thing, and having a scapegoat doesn't mean the matter can be easily resolved.

Last night, those guys really did fire more than one shot at Wayne as soon as they met. Wayne felt that at least some of them were quite hostile towards him, and it was still necessary to confirm their identities and motives.

Therefore, Wayne's plan actually consisted of two steps: first, to disregard everything and try to pin all the blame on the sailors.
After taking them down, if the real culprit is someone else, then say you were wrong, and then produce evidence to launch a proper second attack.

This should prevent the other gangs in the dock area from immediately causing an uproar, and the detective agency can play the innocent victim a little longer.
After all, the attack did happen, and it wasn't Wayne's own doing, so going along with it is just a matter of "reciprocity."

With this idea in mind, Wayne, while conspiring to accuse the Sailors, also laid the groundwork for his subsequent plans.
He claimed that he killed many of the attackers last night, and that the gang to which the attackers belonged should have been weakened. He also said that several people escaped and that he asked the gang leaders who wanted to expand their territory to help him find evidence about the gunshot wounds.

"Mr. Wayne, don't worry, the Sailors' territory isn't far from here. From today onwards, I'll have my men go there every day to help search."

"There are still survivors? I'll keep an eye on the Sailors' Gang. If I find them, I'll tie them all up and hand them over to you, Mr. Wayne, for your personal disposal."

“Shooting wounds like that are difficult to treat. Mr. Wayne is truly brave. I work with many doctors in Richmond, and I’ll send someone to remind them not to sell medicine to the Sailors’ Gang.”

Wayne dismissed it all as nonsense, but while these gang leaders might not actually want to help Wayne, they were clearly interested in testing their rival's strength or kicking him when he was down.

While he didn't intend for the detective agency to get involved in sowing discord, Wayne would be happy to see the gang leaders start making moves if they ever began to think, "Whoever grabs the territory first gets to keep it."

According to the message, when Brother Merlin returned to the cathedral, he assumed the Tyrell High Church would be primarily concerned with the attack on Wayne and the two monks the previous night by suspected gangsters.

As it turned out, after listening to the briefing, the bishop actually talked about the plague in the dock area.

“You did a good job this time. Not only did you detect the signs in time, but you also destroyed all the magic circles before the ritual was completed, thus maintaining the security and stability of Richmond and saving many innocent lives.”

Bishop Tyrell nodded in affirmation before continuing, "Is the legacy of this ceremony still significant? Is there still a risk of it truly spreading into a plague?"

Brother Merlin gave a brief assessment: "Last night, when the ritual array was destroyed, some rats that were suspected of being contaminated escaped. But overall, I think the risk is basically under control, and the possibility of a large-scale outbreak of plague in the city is not high."

"What do Wayne and the others think?"

"Miss Inessa had experience dealing with the Quiet Cult when she was in Windsor. Her view is similar; the main concern is that the cult members haven't been completely captured, and that the problem rats might infect the general public. Wayne suggested last night that if there are concerns about rats, a limited-time bounty could be offered in the dock area to collect fresh rat tails. However, he also said the price shouldn't be too high to avoid speculation and profiteering, and to prevent a large number of workers from temporarily abandoning their jobs, disrupting order. It's best to keep the amount low enough to mobilize housewives and children."

“I understand.” Bishop Tyrell nodded slightly. “By the way, what about Miss Lina? What are your conclusions?”

"Although she is not close to the church, she does not reject contact with clergy, and there is no perceptible malice in her daily words and deeds. I guess she may have other beliefs besides the Holy Spirit, or she may be a casual believer in the Holy See, basically fitting the characteristics of a wild extraordinary person from the Old World. Judging from her position as a partner in the detective agency, she should have the character and ability that Wayne and Miss Inessa can recognize, and her rank should not be low."

"It's pretty much the same conclusion that Tom Hagen recorded in the archives... Merlin, if the Quiet Cult cultists continue to lie low in Richmond and look for an opportunity to hold their rituals again, are you confident that you can stop them in time again?"
“I’m confident. Miss Inessa’s experience at the Hunter Association has been a great help, and Wayne and the others have found the ritual manuals used by those cultists, so we will be more prepared to deal with similar threats in the future. Even if it is a high-ranking intruder, we are not completely powerless to resist.”

"very good."

Just as the Bishop of Tyrell was about to continue, Warren Leitcher, the newly appointed treasurer of the cathedral, quietly entered the reception room, stood respectfully by the door, and bowed his head with his hands at his sides, as if waiting.

Bishop Tyrell then pondered for a moment and prepared to end the conversation, saying, "Merlin, you should go back to your business and try to resolve this matter as soon as possible."

"Yes!" Brother Merlin tapped his chest a few times, forming a sacred triangle, bowed, took a few steps back, and then turned and walked towards the door.

Before leaving the reception room, he overheard Warren Leitcher beginning his report to Bishop Tyrell:
"Your Excellency, Senator Walter has invited you to dinner at his home tonight, and I've heard that Mr. Schwartz, the banker, has also been invited. Should I go and give his butler a reply now?"

"Walter? He's still so well-informed..."

(End of this chapter)