New Gods of North America.

Chapter 688 Employment
As night fell, after Wayne arrived at the community where the Erlan people lived, in addition to continuing to look for the two gang members who might know the inside story, he had one more thing to do.

The guide, Ciarán, was much more obedient now. Since Wayne's carriage was totaled, Mr. Paul, the leader of the Rabbit Gang, lent him his own carriage, and Wayne didn't hesitate.

The guy didn't recognize him at first, but when he heard the noise, he quickly shrank back behind the window. Then, he probably thought something was wrong and checked Sanders in the driver's seat again before obediently going out to greet him.

After getting into the carriage, he looked around the carriage and said flattering things, "Mr. Wayne's new carriage is more luxurious than the previous one, and it's very impressive."

This was a case of flattering the wrong person, and Wayne didn't offer much explanation; reducing costs and increasing efficiency for the detective agency was more important.

“I’ve had an idea these past couple of days. After all, this is your own community. The detective agency has been helping with tax collection and maintaining order lately. What will you do if we leave and O’Sullivan’s men are all eaten?”

I don't know if the guide, Seren, heard something, or if this kind of thing has already happened several times in the community.
He reacted quickly to this, and his expression seemed a bit wary: "You mean, you're planning to start a new gang in the community?"

“It’s not that bad…” Wayne was also trying things out in this regard. “Some neighborhoods in the city organize their own security, and we can organize some adults to take turns assisting in maintaining the community or something.”

It seemed that others had already traveled this route, and the guide, Seren, quickly chimed in: "Then, for families that haven't sent anyone, they'll need to provide corresponding financial support?"

Well……

Even in small towns in the West, many neighborhoods operate this way: those with money contribute money, and those with strength contribute strength. Sheriffs are often isolated individuals, and even if they can apprehend criminals afterward, they can't always stop crimes in time.

However, the key to this kind of thing is voluntariness. In good communities, people with money are generally more willing to invest in this kind of thing, but in the dock area, it is probably just another form of head tax or protection fee.

Wayne really looked down on these paltry sums: "Our detective agency doesn't intend to profit from this; our goal is to reduce violence in the dock area. Those who contribute only need to report the situation promptly. Even if someone volunteers to provide financial support, that money will only be spent in the community; we won't take a single penny. The current situation won't get any worse, except in places where everything remains the same."

After thinking for a moment, the guide, Seren, seemed to understand. "So, the things used for community self-governance can only be purchased from designated people? Although theoretically everyone has the right to choose the vendors, in reality, some things are predetermined?"

Damn, how come these gangs have so many tricks up their sleeves?
Wayne laid his cards on the table, bringing up his previously unsuccessful proposal in a new iteration: "I'm planning to open a cannery in the dock area, probably near your neighborhood. People living nearby can apply. So, making the gangsters less lawless is for everyone in the dock area, and also for my personal benefit."

This time, the guide, Seren, accepted it much more quickly: "It's business, we all understand."

“Those products have already received a lot of orders in advance, and you can buy them if you want, but actually I can get more profit from shipping them out for sale. You don’t need to worry about the issue of forced purchases.”

"On the contrary, considering that canning requires a certain level of skill, I will pay you more than you would as a laborer at the docks. You don't need to worry that I will deduct wages or take a cut from your pay. I'm doing big business, and efficiency and quality are my priorities. I don't care about those small amounts of money."

"Compared to the short-term laborers at the dock, my workshop should be able to operate for longer, which should allow my employees to have a more stable income. If they become skilled, their wages will also increase accordingly."

The sins committed by capital are indeed countless, but it still has its advantages in terms of incentives.
Even if slaves were unwilling on the plantation, the crops could still grow on schedule thanks to the overseers' control. Industrialized production, however, is not so simple. If problems arise, even killing people may not be enough.

Wayne continued, thinking as he spoke, "Besides having my employees work in the workshop, I'll also require them to dedicate a certain number of extra hours. They won't need to do anything else, just patrol their own neighborhoods and report any problems they find. They won't need to personally intervene—conversely, those who are proactive in this regard are more likely to become my employees." This time, Guide Seren was clearly surprised: "You mean you won't profit from this, but instead provide us with work, and the only price is spending time patrolling your own neighborhood?"

Wayne found that the selfish persona was more readily accepted: "You're wrong. I'll make money from this, but I don't need to make money off you. Similarly, I'm not going to make your lives any better—that's your business—but I don't want anyone interfering with my business either."

"As for those who disrupt order, you should have seen what I'll do in the next few days. I don't trust your fighting ability either, but since I'm putting in manpower and resources, you can't just stand by and watch."

The guide, Seren, seemed somewhat interested, but still a little wary: "If you're going to build a workshop, won't you be building it on someone else's land? Have you chosen a location yet?"

It seems he's not only worried that the detective agency will use them to seize territory, but also that Wayne might be making empty promises and fabricating a cannery project...

Wayne straightened his expression slightly: "Legally speaking, apart from some private land, the rest of the dock area is public land owned by the city hall. I will buy or lease land from the city hall, so I don't need any additional land and I won't allow outsiders to disturb me. As for the address, it should be somewhere along the river in that direction, not too far from your community."

The guide, Ciarán, was quite perceptive. Once he was free of problems, he quickly realized that Wayne wouldn't bring these things up with him for no reason.

So instead of actively seeking employment or applying for jobs, he adopted a defensive stance: "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Okay, this version of the solution seems to work, so I think we can start pushing it out. We can always fix it if problems arise.

Wayne pretended not to care: "Let's go find those two gang members tonight. As for what I just said, you can spread the word and discuss it with everyone when you get back."

"I haven't decided on the specific salary yet. I'll post an announcement later, and the official salary will be the one that's released. But you can ask the members of our detective agency about this. I never like to shortchange anyone when it comes to salary."

Honestly, the detective agency's biggest profits these days come from the extra money they make while carrying out missions.

Even if all the profits from the detective agency's cases were used as salaries, the partners would no longer need to worry about their investments going down the drain.

If the workshops and canneries can be fully operational, and the restaurant business generates some revenue, then the detective agency could even become an internal security department.

To maintain a balance between income and expenditure and preserve scale, some commissions with hidden potential returns can be considered even without charging fees.

Wayne was pondering how far he was from making money while lying down when several monks in regular robes, who were running out of the community, saw Sanders in the carriage and then turned around to approach:
“Mr. Wayne, Jason Wohrz ​​has committed another crime. It seems to be that Sailor Gang again.”

Well?
Does that guy have a grudge against the Sailors' Gang? They've already killed them twice, and he's coming again tonight?
I do have a real grudge against the sailors' gang, but if it were to come to blows, it wouldn't be this extreme...

The carriage carried several monks to the scene. Wayne briefly considered the possibilities along the way.
and many more,

The person who has such a deep grudge against the Sailors' Gang right now must be "that one," right?
(End of this chapter)