New Gods of North America.

Chapter 636 Bounty
The cathedral's attitude toward controlling the plague was more proactive than Wayne had imagined.
After leaving the morgue, he had just returned the remaining unlucky souls who hadn't even recognized a single corpse when he saw a group of cultivators posting bounty notices in the small square.

Wayne leaned over for a look. The cathedral was pricing fresh rat tails at three cents each, and the cash-out period was from that day until next Thursday. All churches, large and small, within Richmond could accept cash payments.

This amount was roughly within his expectations. Even if a normal person could catch 100 rats a week, it would only amount to 3 US dollars. For the laborers, it wasn't worthwhile to participate full-time, but it was a decent income as a side job. It should have a certain incentive effect on rat extermination. Then, with everyone working "small profits but quick turnover," the rats eliminated could "accumulate into a large number."

Meanwhile, Sanders was locking the unfortunate men back to the lamppost, while Wayne prepared to return to the carriage to wait.

Then a monk who also seemed to be in charge and didn't have to do any work came over and introduced himself to Wayne: "I am Warren Leitcher, the treasurer of the cathedral. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wayne."

It turns out to be the new generation of "Tom Hagen" after the version update...

However, Tom Hagen also has a tight-fitting uniform and red gloves. This new version of the treasurer looks more "office-like" and doesn't seem like the type who can fight.

Wayne had never met this guy before, but he was no longer a Muggle completely ignorant of Richmond's high society.

Noticing the other person's surname, Wayne couldn't help but try to confirm it during the small talk, "Hello, it's an honor to meet you. Your surname sounds familiar, I feel like I often see it in the newspaper."

The other person seemed to have encountered similar inquiries before, and his reaction was quite composed, with a slight smile on his face, but not to the point of appearing overly "proud": "Governor Leitcher is my uncle. If you choose to settle in Virginia, he should try to get you to vote for him."

understood,

Cathedral Treasurer "My Uncle Governor" feels like Victor Beaton, both destined to be supernovas shining brightly in the industry.

Given the limited space, Wayne knew this guy wouldn't just strike up a conversation for no reason, so he casually invited him into the carriage, saying, "Why don't we talk in the carriage?"

"Thank you so much."

The two got into the car one after the other, and Warren Leitcher quickly got straight to the point: "The affairs of the Tranquil Church are not made public. Although the threat has not been completely eliminated, your detective agency has made a significant contribution to it."

“Based on feedback from the monks, these cultists have already shown signs of being influenced by ‘Koyatl.’ Their extraordinary materials cannot be given to anyone outside the church to prevent the spread of the evil god’s influence. Therefore, I think it is necessary for me to explain the situation to you in advance and ask if you are interested in any other rewards.”

Oh, so you're here to "bargain"?

"Eliminating these cult members who attempt to cause innocent casualties is the duty of every upright believer."

Wayne, as usual, exchanged pleasantries first, but seeing that the other party remained unmoved and did not respond, he figured this guy probably wouldn't resort to using his "dragon-slaying sword" when bargaining.
He then began to probe, "Do you know anything about Miss Inessa, a partner in our detective agency? Her experience and abilities played a decisive role in dealing with those cult members..."

Warren Leitcher cut Wayne off abruptly, his tone gentle but his attitude firm: "That's a 'restraint' imposed by the Exorcist Guild headquarters. They won't easily let these outsiders completely lose control. Shouldn't we consider something more realistic?"

"How about exchanging the cultists arrested by the detective agency for the extraordinary materials currently available in the cathedral?" Wayne suggested as a second choice.

Warren Leitcher remained reserved in his tone, “According to the internal records I’ve seen, Mr. Wayne, you should also be aware of the current changes in the situation on the Old World. In order to cope with more threats that may come at any time, the Cathedral actually has a large gap in training its combat forces... If we were to convert it into cash, the specific amount would be difficult to determine.”

I was wrong,
This guy clearly came with the "Dragon-Slaying Saber," but he hid it at the beginning.

Sensing the change in Wayne's attitude, Warren Leitcher decided to make the topic even more explicit:
“I saw in the memo left by the former treasurer that you seemed to want to collaborate with some local monasteries to produce cheese? I think that’s a good idea, and if things are handled well, His Holiness the bishop should approve it. We can make some concessions on the specific methods and profit-sharing ratios. Some of the monasteries also produce quite good beer and wine.”

Ah this...

Wayne, on the other hand, was becoming unsure of the other party's intentions. Thinking the worst, the cathedral had essentially spent nothing this time, not only getting the detective agency's labor and all possible gains for free, but also expecting Wayne to later send a batch of cows to the various monasteries—it was incredibly stingy.

On the bright side, this is equivalent to gaining access to internal channels opened up by the local Holy Spirit Church. The specific output is secondary; the key is that with the cathedral's endorsement, at least the workshop and restaurant businesses can avoid the covetous eyes of many stray cats and dogs. Moreover, the cathedral is currently willing to make concessions on profit sharing. All things considered, this is the kind of internal benefit that only "insiders" can obtain.

They're stingy, yet willing to offer discounts.

These two temperaments don't seem to match at all, do they?

Wayne pondered for a moment, then considered a possibility: "Last night, while the two monks and I were on standby, we were ambushed by what appeared to be gangsters and nearly killed on the spot. What are your thoughts on this?"

Warren Leitcher raised an eyebrow, seemingly thinking that Wayne had hit the nail on the head:

"That's probably just a coincidence. To be fair, the security situation in the dock area has indeed become quite chaotic lately, and some gangs need to be punished. The Church has always supported the forces of justice, whether official or civilian, in these kinds of matters, but the situation in the dock area is special, and the Cathedral does not want to see the stable situation become too turbulent."

So that's why they wanted to protect someone... No wonder they chose to make concessions.

So the cathedral already knows who did it? That's quite efficient.

Wayne tried to pose a multiple-choice question: "I just came back from the police morgue. The bodies of the attackers left at the scene all seemed to belong to the Ellan gang, but I personally suspect the so-called 'Sailor Gang' more. Do you have any related leads?"

Warren Leitcher smiled and said, "When it comes to solving cases, I'm afraid a great detective like you, Mr. Wayne, is more adept. In any case, the murderer can only be a gangster from the dock area, and whoever it is, he shouldn't be able to escape the law."

Understood,
What the cathedral actually wants to protect is a certain "gentleman" from high society.
They don't care whether there will be "personnel changes" within those gangs.

This aligns with the idea behind the list that Bishop Tyrell initially gave to the detective agency: while there might be some commotion, the scope of the attack should be controlled to prevent those respectable gentlemen from turning against each other.

Doctors are exempt from punishment, that's for sure.

The current atmosphere of gangs "breeding hordes of spies" in the dock area is probably created by this kind of atmosphere.

Wayne then threw out another question: "I've recently been embroiled in a murder case. The police suspect me of killing a journalist, and they've reportedly found a witness. This has not only affected me personally, but it has also damaged the reputation of the detective agency."

“I believe that is definitely a slander.” Warren Leitcher nodded slightly. “Mr. Wayne should have a way to clear his name. If the court ultimately delivers an unexpected verdict, I am willing to vouch for you and provide clarification during the appeal process.”

If I can't handle it myself, then it'll be a different price, right?

It's neither good nor bad; at least the cathedral is willing to make empty promises, unlike how they treat the dockside gangs with "it doesn't matter who it is."

Wayne hesitated for a moment, then extended his hand. "I'll try to contact Kansas as soon as possible to get a batch of cows delivered promptly. The specific allocation and follow-up arrangements will be up to you, Mr. Treasurer."

Warren Leitcher shook hands with him: "I will have someone draft a plan, put it in writing, and then give it to Mr. Wayne to review."

"It's a pleasure doing business with you." X2
Let's continue tidying up the dock area as planned. I want to see who's hiding so well behind the scenes.

He'd better not be some old acquaintance, otherwise even the cathedral, the referee, might not be able to "persuade" him.

(End of this chapter)