New Gods of North America.

Chapter 653 Understanding
After saying goodbye to the city hall, Wayne went to the Beaton family's estate.

When we arrived, the sun had already set, but it wasn't completely dark yet.

Wayne's plan involved taxes, and while Tax Officer Quinn seemed clearly interested, the clerk's power was concentrated at the execution level; whether or not to allow execution was a matter of decision-making.

To be on the safe side, it's best to ask influential political figures to help with internal communication beforehand. Perhaps a few words from them during a casual conversation could be more effective than going through the proper application process.

Unfortunately, the most important member of the Beaton family, "Grandpa" Basque, is no longer with us, and his seemingly promising "grandson," Victor Beaton, is still away organizing militia training in other counties of the state.

Only "Dad" Pastor Beaton remained idle at home.

"How about it? Not bad, right?"

After being led by a servant to a stable that was as spacious as a large warehouse, Pastor Beaton took the opportunity to show it off to Wayne.

Wayne glanced at the horses being groomed by the trainer and thought that although they weren't as good as Little Chestnut Hat, which he kept in Blackrock Town, they were still quite decent.
He nodded and chose to praise it, "Tall and imposing, with bright eyes, strong breathing, and smooth muscles, it seems to combine power, speed, and elegance; it is an excellent horse."

Pastor Beaton thought Wayne made a lot of sense: "Wayne, you truly deserve to be called an outstanding talent from the West. Your eye for horses is much more accurate, unlike some ridiculous nouveau riche who think that a racehorse's pedigree represents everything."

Horse racing is a popular form of entertainment in the United States today, especially in the southern states, where racetracks are reportedly quite profitable.

When a seasoned pro like Pastor Beaton gets into the game, it's naturally different from what ordinary people do. While others at the racetrack can only say which races and which horses they bet on, he can actually point to a particular horse and say that it's his.

However, to be fair, a horse's pedigree is still quite useful. For example, if Oguri-kamaru were taken to Virginia, its value would definitely not be as high as those racehorses with certified pedigrees.
Unless you can win enough awards or achieve good enough results, you'll just be a nobody in the horse racing market.

After strolling and chatting for a while, the two gradually moved away from the stables, and only then did the conversation begin to get down to business.

After roughly understanding the situation, Pastor Beeton's first reaction was to frown. "Tax the gangs in the dock area? The dock area has been in this state for quite some time now. Shouldn't we avoid making any major changes so hastily?"

Wayne couldn't agree with this view, and, guessing why he thought that way, tried to persuade him:

"This is just an experiment that I personally hope to conduct. Although it may not necessarily become the norm in the future, I don't think it's a bad thing at all—at least it can serve as a 'case study' to prove that the gentlemen of Richmond have always had the power to restrain the dockside gangs."

At this point, Wayne took the opportunity to bring up the church, saying, "Some gangs in the dock area have indeed gone too far lately. This time, it wasn't just me; even the monks at the cathedral were attacked. When I went to visit them earlier, Brother Grant was still unconscious and needed to be fed liquid food through a tube."

The Beaton family clearly has its own intelligence network in the docklands, and Pastor Beaton seems to already have a general idea of ​​the situation:
"Weren't you attacked by the Erlan gang? We also thought it was clearly the result of the gangsters' arrogance, but I thought you had already punished them—weren't some of the bodies dumped in Erlan territory the next day? Wasn't that your doing?"

Is that true? When I spoke to O'Sullivan privately today, he didn't mention any of this to me...

Wayne suddenly gained a deeper understanding of why Mr. O'Sullivan had been willing to cooperate back then.

However, that guy's thought process wasn't important, so Wayne continued to tell Beaton's father the truth, and also planned to ask him to help clarify things within the upper-class circles:
"I just found out about this myself. It wasn't us who did it, and it probably wasn't the monks at the cathedral either."

"If we encounter an attack or serious resistance during an arrest, our detective agency will indeed choose to kill the perpetrators, but we will not resort to vigilante justice or provoke them in that way. This is why I plan to deal with them through a tax investigation. Our detective agency is a civil organization that stands on the side of civilization and the law."

What one does in private is one thing, but one must certainly try one's best to maintain one's public image.

That thing is like a pedigree certificate for a racehorse; having it is better than not having it.

After listening, Pastor Beeton pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded, seemingly agreeing with Wayne's statement.
However, he clearly still had concerns. "Those gangs are in the dock area, and there are quite a few people in Richmond who have dealings with them. The situation is very complicated. Even if our family expresses its support, some people will probably object."

“That’s what I’m hoping to achieve.” Wayne shrugged. “Actually, in my personal opinion, it’s not very realistic to completely get rid of the gangs and extend the city’s governance to the dock area in the short term.”

"But then again, it's not a good thing for gangs to become too entrenched; they can easily get out of control. I believe some gentlemen in Richmond might think the same way—the gangs in the dock area may have their place, but that doesn't refer to any particular gang or any particular individuals within it."

"Just like the bloodletting therapy that some doctors like to use, regularly removing some waste blood and then re-cultivating new blood may be more beneficial to health."

Pastor Beaton seemed persuaded by this reasoning and began to inquire about the details: "Is this additional tax only targeting the Ellan gang?"

Wayne thought for a moment, "Perhaps more than that. At least the Sailors were also involved in the attack, and they might even be the real masterminds. As for the other gangs, if some of their actions clearly crossed the line, I think it's necessary to deal with them as well."

"But you can rest assured that I know the normal operation of the dock area should not be affected, and I will not try to sabotage any gentleman's business. The whole matter is entirely for the public good. I think a less violent dock area might be more beneficial to the city's development."

Pastor Beaton pondered for a while before finally nodding slowly. “What you said makes sense. The guests I invited to visit before all experienced theft in the dock area; it’s indeed a bit too chaotic there now. I’ll have the Tuto gang cooperate with your operation. They’ve been relatively well-behaved lately, so you can negotiate with them in a more peaceful way.”

I knew it.

Judging from your behavior just now, the Beaton family must have a gang operating in the dock area as well.

(End of this chapter)