New Gods of North America.

Chapter 660 Get up early
The next day, Wayne got up very early and came out of the cabin before dawn.

Due to his personal preferences, all the facilities that the detective agency underwent major renovations had relatively convenient access to drinking water compared to the standards of that era.

Pipes connecting several high-level water tanks are buried all over the workshop, supplying not only key areas such as the kitchen, mill, and workshop, but also places such as the partners' cabins, agents' dormitories, and washrooms. There are even a few wild taps for convenient daily use.

Although the water pressure wasn't quite enough, some of it used rubber hoses, which aren't exactly durable or reliable these days.

Even the engineers at the Brook factory who helped renovate the mill commented that all the huts in the workshop combined were not as valuable as this complete water supply system—Alex Brook even arranged for people to observe the hot water system in the workshop, thinking about making it into a more sophisticated set of equipment to sell.

At this time, the workshop's early morning production had not yet officially started. After the detectives on night watch had done a rough inspection, they had already instructed the slaughterhouse's wagons to unload the wooden barrels containing fresh meat under the shed next to the mill.
Meanwhile, the plantation slaves, who were not officially employed but did not have to sneak around too much, were gradually gathering.

This part of the management is currently being handled by Doug, the "head steward." With him keeping an eye on things, Wayne feels there shouldn't be any major problems.

So he was munching on a piece of bread he'd taken from the kitchen, chatting with Hope, the new member who was also surprisingly up very early.

Hope continued working, diligently answering Wayne's questions:
"There is no mandatory requirement to polish leather boots in the army, but many commanders come from large families and pay attention to the appearance of their soldiers. Therefore, although there is no explicit rule, many garrisons have similar daily practices. I just got used to it."

Even during the War of Independence, leather boots were considered quite respectable and expensive household items, with soles made of leather and wood lining. Even poor families who owned a pair wouldn't wear them out all the time.

After the invention of vulcanized rubber, there were cheaper options for waterproof and mud-resistant materials. However, some ideas have persisted. In fact, although there are machine-made shoe lasts and stitching machines these days, leather shoes still need to be assembled by hand. Most families will still wait until the soles are almost worn out before replacing them.

While casually listening to the science explanation, Wayne peeked out and glanced at the young Black woman and her boyfriend having a secret rendezvous in the gap between the cabins a little further away.

He casually asked the same trivial yet intriguing question, "By your standards of beauty, do you consider that slave handsome?"

The two figures over there seemed to be talking as well, their hands already clasped together, facing each other. It looked like they might soon be snuggling together.
The voices on this side involuntarily lowered, making people both worried that the scene to come might become unbearable and slightly expectant.

Hope's voice sounded innocent from the side: "I can distinguish the faces of slaves, but as for whether they are handsome or not... I may not be so good at judging..."

"If we disregard skin color, I think he's not bad. Compared to 'softening,' he seems to have his own unique characteristics. However, I'm also curious whether they have any particular aesthetic preferences."

Inessa's voice naturally joined the discussion, and she asked, "What do you think?"

Unexpectedly,

You also got up early this morning just to eat melon seeds?
Before Wayne could answer, Lina whispered beside him, "The financial problem is probably bigger than aesthetics. I spoke with Alicia yesterday, and at her current salary, it would probably take them several years to pay off their debts if they wanted to cover living expenses."

"'Softening' avoids the issues of personal contracts. And even if Isaiah chooses to join the workshop, his future income is unlikely to be higher than that of 'softening'—Alicia's contract price is high, which is a considerable debt burden for a slave."

Ah this...

Wayne didn't really care about the money; he could have just waived it for them. After all, the beautiful mixed-race slave girl was practically a free gift from the Beaton family.

However, considering the issues of manpower and work enthusiasm, he felt that this door should not be opened casually. At the very least, Xiao Hei Niu should have consistently performed well or made some contributions worthy of recognition.

...Damn, so this is probably how the Exorcist's Association views Inessa, right? I guess I'm actually a bit "opposing the Church," "understanding the Church," and "becoming the Church" in this regard...

Seeing that the two figures were already close together and it seemed there wouldn't be any overtly violent interaction, Wayne, who wasn't planning to scrutinize the situation closely, finally looked away.
As he relaxed and pondered something, he turned his head and was suddenly taken aback, feeling a bit amused and exasperated. "Why are you all gathered around here?"

Besides the neatly dressed Inessa and the disheveled Lina, Doug and several agents preparing to change shifts were also present.
Even Connor, who was in charge of showing the new members around today, and Sanders, who was going to drive Wayne around, were there. The free-range chicken, Parrot, even huddled on the eaves, looking down at everyone.

Connor has now grasped some of Liam's essence: "So the person 'Softening' has his eye on is actually Miss Lina's slave maid. I think I know how to provoke him in the arena next time."

Ok……

Then watch out, lest you get ambushed and beaten up by the intelligence team...

If that were the case, Wayne felt it should fall into the category of "excusable," and would probably only receive a symbolic internal reprimand, with the focus being on publicizing Connor's humiliation.

Doug then asked if they should postpone the start of construction, but Wayne's capitalist conscience made him reject the suggestion.
Soon after, the usual whistle rang out next to the mill, and the large crossbeam that braked the windmill was once again released from the ground.

Everyone went about their business as usual, and Wayne also went to the cafeteria to wait for breakfast.
The meat-cart drivers, as usual, earned some extra money on their way and delivered the latest newspaper to the workshop. Wayne was immediately drawn to a headline on the front page:

Gold foil has been discovered in multiple locations along the Coloma River in California, leading geologists to speculate that a large gold mine may exist there, with a total value potentially exceeding $1 million!

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the Fisk family had already purchased almost an entire valley of land in that area.
Although the exact reserves are unknown and the estimated extraction period is quite long, it is estimated that it will make their already not-so-poor families even richer...

Lying trough,

Although it's known that discovering gold requires a significant investment—these are often piecemeal, and theoretically, a lucky person could become rich overnight—in reality, even after digging within the mining area for a year or two, most people might not find many grams of gold. In those days, it was a labor-intensive, slow-and-steady endeavor.
Moreover, purchasing land, especially preventing gold miners from illegally mining it, requires a lot of money. Protecting the land is not just a matter of money; ordinary families might have to risk their lives for it.

But it's really hard not to be envious.

Just as Wayne was eating his freshly grilled steak while sprinkling holy water on it—unfortunately, Lina was either taking a shower or going back to sleep, otherwise he'd have someone to keep him company while he grumbled about the rich—Doug walked over at that moment:
"Sir, Miss Olivia has come to visit, accompanied by Mr. Luke Matthew from the academy."

Based on the newspaper article I just read, they came so early today...

Wayne grabbed a napkin and started wiping his mouth. "Quickly, take them to the reception room. I'll be there soon."

Before the words were even finished, Miss Olivia's face had already peeked out from behind the door frame, albeit tilted to one side.

Compared to the familiarity and friendliness in her expression, Miss Olivia's already striking good looks, after being dressed up, were practically insignificant in Wayne's eyes:
"Ian's letter arrived too late; I haven't even had breakfast yet."

If you're willing, I can have a cow slaughtered and delivered right to you from the slaughterhouse!
Thankfully, I wasn't in a rush to leave today, otherwise I'd probably regret it later.
Those mere sailors almost ruined my plans.

(End of this chapter)