New Gods of North America.

Chapter 705 Approval
When Wayne woke up from his nap at noon, as his energy returned, he suddenly noticed a change in his "blue bar."
If Wayne's "mana bar" was full but its maximum length was no longer increasing when he was stuck at a certain rank, now the maximum length of the "mana bar" has almost doubled.

Moreover, although it was just a "feeling" and not actually that intuitive, Wayne seemed to be able to see an invisible "bar" in the "blue bar".
The position indicated by the baffle is roughly the upper limit of Wayne's spiritual power that he can use and recover naturally. It is much higher than before, but it is stuck at about two-thirds of the entire "blue bar".

Compared to his previous state of complete confusion, Wayne now seemed to have a vague sense of understanding.

If he could find a way to directly destroy that "barrier" or push it to its limit in one go, then he could truly break through to the "intermediate level".

However, that "baffle" didn't seem so easy to push; it felt like it had its own resistance, as if there was a spring installed at the back.
If the extra accumulated spiritual power is insufficient to propel it, it is very likely that after being pushed away, it will "bounce" back to its current position.

How should one describe Wayne's feelings at this moment...?

Although compared to before, Wayne has now cleared the fog of advancement, and all his indicators seem to be becoming clearer,
But in essence, doesn't it still require "drastic measures"?

It was similar to the "flash of inspiration" he had at the time; it still required a "big" explosion.
It has only become somewhat more controllable, allowing Wayne to choose the timing more precisely, avoiding wasting effort by drawing too little power from extraordinary materials, or causing waste and irreparable self-harm by accumulating too much.

I feel like I'll need to do some small experiments first to confirm roughly how much extraordinary material it absorbs, how far it can push that "barrier," and so on.

That way we can better estimate the total amount and so on.

After getting up, there wasn't anything particularly urgent to do. Wayne was still pondering how to spend the rest of the day while eating lunch.

It's clear that Luke Matthews takes the task assigned by the Fisk family very seriously. Wayne sent him off to run errands and resolve the land issue just before going to bed, and now he's already back.

In terms of time and distance, Luke Matthew was essentially on the go all morning, going straight to City Hall and then immediately returning to the docks, and he couldn't drive too slowly on the road.

In an era when landowners still lived in idyllic pastoral life, they managed to live a life of high-efficiency, modern-day pace.

"Wayne, the land you're interested in is listed as undeveloped land in the city hall's records. It shouldn't be difficult to buy, and the price is cheaper than land in the city center. Are you planning to buy it, or sign a contract to lease it long-term with the city hall?"

“Actually, either way is fine.” Wayne thought about the recent investigation into the gang’s assets. “How about we register the cannery as a new company, and then sign the contracts in the name of the new company? That way, the Fisk family’s advance payments and subsequent dividends can be settled within the company, which will make things more convenient for you in the short term.”

Owning a piece of land on the East Coast sounds appealing, but the annual property tax, which can potentially increase, is less attractive. Furthermore, the dock area falls under the broader city limits, meaning the city council can enforce tax collection when necessary.
The initial setup costs for the cannery came from a small investment from the Fisk family. Wayne didn't ask Miss Olivia exactly how much discretionary money Luke Matthew had been given, but separating it slightly from the detective agency's internal operations would probably make it easier to manage.

In any case, the canneries will basically be supplying them exclusively in the short term. Wayne has the technology and shares in the business, so whether he participates in management or starts his own operation, it won't be difficult. He can enjoy the profits in the end.

It would be better to split the cannery into a detective agency unit comprised entirely of ordinary people. The Fisk family could also provide manpower, while the detective agency would no longer need to involve its agents in daily operations, and there would be no need to worry about the mix of extraordinary individuals and ordinary employees.

Luke Matthew seemed to have been given considerable authority in this matter, as he could nod directly on his own: "There shouldn't be any problem. The Fisk family actually has a habit of regularly arranging for people to review and evaluate various investments. If a new company is established, the accounting will be simpler. The specific procedures can also be handled by the local firms that partner with the Fisk family."

That's settled. Wayne was just about to send Luke Matthew away again, planning to pick up the land he already had ready to use later.

Then he heard Luke Matthew continuing to push forward: "So when are you free these next couple of days? The engineers and surveyors responsible for demarcation are already waiting downstairs. We need you to come with us to the site for confirmation before we can process the land use permits for the specific plots."

Wow...you accomplice to capitalism, do you have to be so blatant?
No wonder he didn't even have lunch and came over to mooch a burger from our detective agency. But Luke Matthew's request was perfectly reasonable, and since Wayne was free at the moment, he went along.

When they got near the river from the previous night, without Jason's help with navigation, Wayne almost couldn't find the place himself.
Fortunately, a section of the rope that had been severed earlier remained on a low tree, and traces were left where Wayne had lain down last night in the wet spot. Near the corresponding location in the river, someone was still breathing on the surface of the water.

Brother Merlin was currently conducting a security check in the vicinity with a group of monks. He was somewhat surprised to hear that Wayne planned to build a cannery nearby.
“This isn’t the first time Jason has been spotted around here. You were the ones who found his ‘cocoon’ last night. Aren’t you worried that he’ll leave behind contamination or come back here if you choose this location?”

“Of course I’m worried.” Wayne nodded. “That’s why I specifically asked the patrolling monks to tell you about it. If this place can pass the church’s inspection and be confirmed, then we won’t have to worry about security.”

"..." This time, Brother Merlin was speechless. However, after thinking for a moment, he said, "The Church has a monitoring process for locations that have a vague connection with 7th-tier extraordinary beings. I suggest you choose another place to avoid the final approval being rejected for no reason."

Damn it?

There are such unspoken rules?
Wayne looked around and pointed to a spot near the roadside: "What if we build a small chapel there? It won't be very big, and the decorations will probably be quite simple, but we can donate it to the cathedral for free use. That way, the church can choose to send a pastor there long-term or use it as a temporary facility for short-term monitoring."

"There aren't many believers in the dock area, and the situation is special; it hasn't been officially incorporated into the Richmond parish yet. The cathedral currently only sends monks here periodically to preach," Brother Merlin replied, the implication being that even if a church were built, it wouldn't be of much use.

Wayne, on the contrary, felt this was more like an opportunity: "Isn't this perfect? ​​Our detective agency has recently been dealing with the gang situation in the dock area, which I believe will also help ensure the safety of the monks while they are preaching."

"Moreover, there have been followers of evil gods in the dock area before. If the local church doesn't occupy the high ground of faith, it may be secretly occupied by someone else. After all, believers have no national boundaries, and illegal immigrants can also be church believers. At that time, the employees in our cannery may become new church believers in the dock area."

“The high ground of faith…” Brother Merlin hadn’t expected Wayne to say that. After a moment’s thought, he quickly nodded. “This matter needs to be decided by the Cathedral. I will let you know if there is any news. Or you can submit a formal application yourself.”

"It would be best if you could ask them for me. That way, if the cathedral refuses, it won't have any additional negative impact."

So the two groups continued with their own tasks, demarcating boundaries and conducting inspections. Luke Matthew did not comment on Wayne's promises to Brother Merlin, but he also indicated that he needed to report back on this matter.
Donating a simple community chapel doesn't require a huge investment, especially since the Holy Spirit Church's land taxes are actually exempt; all it needs is city council approval.

The key point is that this was something Wayne proposed unilaterally on short notice, and it involved the issue of cost sharing. Someone from the Fisk family also needed to agree.

Wayne himself was, in the church's definition, an "unbeliever," and according to the scriptures, he was basically ineligible for heaven after death; instead, he would have the chance to line up at the gates of hell with heretics.
Therefore, he actually had no interest in helping to spread the belief in the Holy Spirit, and even hoped that no one would believe in it.

But people in the Old and New Worlds are different these days. It seems that most of them feel their lives would be incomplete without finding a god to believe in and worship.

There's no such thing as a comparison of the worst. Even if the Holy Spirit is no good, it's still a little better than some fake feathered serpent gods who are obsessed with blood sacrifices.

Since most people will choose one no matter what, why not use this opportunity to build a good relationship with the church and see if the cathedral can make an exception for it in the online approval process?
If some extraordinary immigrants manage to obtain Christian status, the church might support some of them to obtain legal status, and then further, they could register as residents and participate in local voting.

More importantly, the powerful being that possessed Peter the Spider earlier appeared too mysteriously. Wayne had just been lectured by that fake bearded man this morning and didn't have a real way to deal with it.

I always felt that having a church nearby might help to calm things down...

(End of this chapter)