New Gods of North America.

Chapter 662 News
After the discussion, it was clear that the Fisker family was determined to seize the California market.

Miss Olivia chatted and ate, finishing a plate of mashed potatoes meant for the cat before quickly taking her leave—the next dish prepared for her by the chef was already waiting by the door on a tray by a maid, but it never made it to the table.

The entire carriage convoy that had escorted the wealthy patron's daughter didn't leave; instead, one carriage and two men remained.
Luke Matthew, who had been sitting silently next to Miss Olivia like a lackey, now straightened up a bit, somewhat like a butler who "remains silent when the master is present, but immediately steps up to take charge after the master leaves."

“One of Miss Olivia’s cousins ​​has already gone to the city to contact some gentlemen for specific discussions. However, the final agreement still requires the presence of a core member of the Fisk family to make a commitment. Therefore, Miss Olivia is actually very busy today. I hope Wayne will not misunderstand that you have been neglected.”

Luke Matthew explained the reason and then asked, "So, are you free to go to the Brooke factory today? If you don't have time, I can go first to find out what's going on and then come back to confirm the results with you."

He asked this because Miss Olivia had entrusted him with the subsequent discussions regarding canned food production.

Compared to the potential "big business" on the other end, the workshop is currently limited by the shelf life of finished products and the supply of raw materials, so its output is indeed limited. Let alone a "fleet", it can't even use a "vehicle fleet" for transportation. If it were moved to a large cargo ship, it probably wouldn't even fill a corner.

Miss Olivia's willingness to make a special trip is truly a great honor; she is an exceptionally competent spokesperson.

Wayne wasn't in a hurry at the moment. He pulled Luke Matthew back to continue eating breakfast, actually wanting to learn more about the inside story.

So he immediately changed the subject by making small talk: "Judging from your expression, your job problem should be solved by now? You'll be going there with the fleet soon?"

Luke Matthew didn't mince words. "Well, if nothing unexpected happens, I'll probably be responsible for helping Ian with some business dealings. So, helping you with the canned food production will probably be my first job after officially joining the company."

Over breakfast, they chatted casually. Perhaps because he had already planned his future career path from the beginning, Wayne found that this guy's change in mindset was indeed quite seamless.
Given the current job market, he really does have a promising future, and it seems like he should be able to easily become a middle-class or petit-bourgeois.

It's much better than McCann Reeves, who has now become known as the "Big-Eyed Octopus".

Returning to specific matters,

The wealthy people of the South did not want the news of the gold discovery in California to significantly disrupt their daily lives, so the Fisker family prioritized spreading the news in Virginia, the northernmost southern state.
The potential gold prospectors they're targeting are mainly the free population in the North. The news Wayne just saw in the newspaper belongs to the "first wave" of this major publicity campaign. Some people have even taken funds to the Old World to place advertisements and create momentum.

The Fisk family is said to be extremely busy lately. Apart from Miss Olivia, the other core family members who are still on the East Coast are now traveling between New York and several northern states.

Basically, by the time the news gradually reaches the ears of ordinary people and they make up their minds to set off, many deals have already been finalized.

Miss Olivia can currently make decisions on some matters on behalf of the Fisk family, but these decisions are not actually made with her own money. Therefore, the specific matters still need to withstand subsequent internal audits by the family, and at least be acceptable to partners of the same level as the family.

The reason she dared to agree on the spot to invest in the detective agency's canned food production was that compared to a "big business," it really wasn't a "big investment"—nowadays, tin cans are mainly made by cutting sheet metal, pressing it into shape, filling it with ingredients, and then sealing it with low-melting-point metals like tin. If there were a factory to cooperate with, a small workshop could be set up and a group of workers hired to complete the filling, which was not worth the Fisk family's attention.

However, business is business, so she still had Luke Matthew participate in the initial stages as the investor's representative. She also prioritized hiring Miss Mary's Brooke factory as the partner, hoping to directly order semi-finished products from them, with the workshop handling the subsequent processing.
As for minor issues like delaying the construction period, lowering the unit price, requiring payment after delivery, and checking accounts, these will naturally be handled by professionals like Luke Matthew who work for the Fisk family.

Feelings are feelings,
But when it comes to making money, it's better to do it legitimately, not shamefully.

After Wayne finished gathering information from Luke Matthew, he stood him up and sent Doug to the factory with Luke Matthew instead.
As for Wayne himself, he continued to stroll around the dock area.

...Upon arriving at James Damotic's stronghold, Wayne felt for the first time how popular he was in the docklands.
Five or six gang leaders, large and small, seemed to have also received news from the city hall that it was going to levy taxes on gangs, and they were gathered here to find out more about the situation and discuss countermeasures.

As an authorized representative of the city hall assisting in tax collection, and with a sham relationship with James Damody, Wayne has essentially walked into a trap.
Before he could even sit down properly, and before anyone had a chance to exchange pleasantries, a barrage of questions came his way.

“Mr. Wayne, you previously said you were only targeting the Sailors’ Gang. Even if you include the Ellan Gang who attacked you, you shouldn’t have made things like this, right?”

"My question is, how exactly do the authorities define 'malicious evasion of fee collection' and 'concealment of income'? Do we have to pay dock usage fees when we charge workers a job placement fee?"

“Our gang has been cooperating with you in the plague investigation all this time, allowing your people to freely enter and leave our territory without any hindrance. Mr. Wayne, I think you still owe us an explanation.”

Several of the gang leaders were completely out of character at that moment, behaving like noisy market vendors, utterly lacking the aura of "gangster bosses."

Fortunately, not everyone spoke up for Wayne. In the end, the gang leader was refuted on the spot by another person who had been silent.

"Come on, people from your gang have already been tied up in the small square before. You know best whether they were really cooperating or not."

This person's gang must be relatively large or ruthless; the people next to him were being challenged but didn't dare to talk back.
When he turned to look at Wayne again, his expression was relatively more relaxed. "I believe that the tax was not something Mr. Wayne came up with, and it is not targeted at all the gangs in the dock area. Am I right?"

Wayne, seeing that the man was a stranger, wasn't sure if he was helping him or setting a trap. Upon hearing this, he extended his hand first, trying to confirm his identity: "This is the first time we've met. And you are?"

The robust man, who looked to be close to forty, gently shook my hand. "Everyone usually calls me 'Little Tuto'."

噢，
It's the Tuto gang, centered around that family member. Even "Dad" Beaton specifically mentioned them.

This is considered an allied force.

Fortunately, his interruption temporarily brought the lively atmosphere to a halt.

Wayne thought for a moment, then leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, and gestured for them to come closer to listen:

"From what I understand so far, some people have decided to 'get serious' this time. If the violence in the dock area doesn't improve, all the gangs may have to be cleaned up."

"Smart people should recognize their own position in advance, otherwise no one can save them."

Some people's expressions changed immediately, their shock mixed with disbelief. "The rumor that the Erlan people sank the ship and killed a group of church monks and army soldiers is actually true?!"

This unexpected remark somewhat confused Wayne.

No, this news is way too outrageous!
(End of this chapter)