New Gods of North America

The carriage gradually left the city, and Wayne and his friends sat in the carriage and divided the money.

Ms. Harrison's reward was $1,000, and the thank-you gifts to each person were of varying values.

However, the thank-you gift will not be included in the sharing of the spoils. Whatever it is given to belongs to whomever it is given. If it is given to the detective agency, it belongs to the “detective agency”.

First, 300 USD will be withdrawn from the 1,000 USD and transferred to the total fund pool of the detective agency, leaving 700 USD.

Then the detective agency's "partners" and "employees" who participated in the operation divided the profits in a 30:70 ratio. Since the detective agency was just starting out and had the same number of partners and employees, the amounts seemed a bit exaggerated.

Wayne, Inissa, and Lina each received $70, for a total of $210.

Doug, Ryan, and Willie each received $163 and 33 cents, a total of $490, and the remaining 1 cent was left to them to decide. In the early days, there were few employees, and the extra money was considered the "era bonus" of the agents. When there were more employees, the income per person would gradually decline.

"Although the calculation is correct, why do I feel like the money I get is less?"

Lina looked at the few banknotes in her hand, then looked at the several small stacks separated on the floor of the carriage, and couldn't help feeling a little suspicious.

"There were fewer cases at the beginning, that's probably why."

Wayne explained, "If the detective agency can be successful and we get enough cases, and we have more staff, we can divide it into several groups to handle cases. Then the total income of the partners after dividends should be higher in theory."

Then, as the founding team of the detective agency, the three of them also divided up the daily work.

Wayne is responsible for making decisions on daily affairs. He votes together on major matters and decides minor matters himself.

Inissa is the brain of the detective agency, and is responsible for the daily management of the agency, including the allocation of funds and materials.

Lina is a bit outgoing and doesn't like to take charge of things, but she still cares about Xiao Qianqian and is responsible for internal supervision.

Let me summarize this as the first commission of the detective agency.

Overall it went pretty smoothly.

When we got back to Chicago, we had a good meal to celebrate, rested for a day or two, and then took the steam train to continue east.

What surprised Wayne a little was that Clint told them his identity when he said goodbye.

It turns out that he was also a member of the "Underground Railroad" organization.

But Miss Harrison didn't know his identity.

Clint himself wanted to gather a team to secretly protect Miss Harrison, the "shareholder" heir who had been funding their business, because he heard that the bodyguards she had hired before had all died and her life might be in danger.

Unfortunately, the Underground Railroad was a scattered organization.

The members he was familiar with were interested in the great cause of saving slaves, but not very interested in protecting fellow "shareholders" whose lives might be in danger, so he could only go to the tavern to recruit companions himself.

Wayne did not comment on this, but felt that Clint was the type of person he might "meet again someday".

…

Because of its location at the hub of the current American East-West Railway Line and the convenience of the port,

So although it is still a city, the Chicago in this world has become a relatively prosperous big city at this time.

It certainly cannot be compared with modern society.

However, the bustling areas include tall buildings and busy traffic, and just cleaning up the horse manure on the road keeps the cleaning staff busy.

Because of the invitation letter sent by Miss Harrison, after Wayne and his companions left the small town and "entered the city\

,"This time I stayed in a "hotel".

There are doormen who will help you with your luggage when you enter the door, beautiful and elegant ladies at the front desk, more waiters inside, and their service is more enthusiastic and proactive, the decoration in the suite is more low-key and luxurious, and there are more standard servant rooms.

As for other places, they are not much different from better hotels.

But it is just the same as the circle culture that has been passed down from the Kingdom of Windsor.

Guests who can stay in the same hotel have basically "passed the test" in some aspects. It is often easier for them to chat and get to know each other without being subject to too much scrutiny and vigilance.

This is a great place to advertise.

We all had a nice meal together in the suite - it would have been more convenient to eat in the hotel restaurant, but there were candlelight dinners and whispers, so it wasn't as quiet as a haunted house but it was almost as quiet, not suitable for making noise - and then we all rested and did whatever we wanted.

After Wayne had eaten and drunk his fill, he did something that was very consistent with his "country bumpkin" identity.

Wandering around.

There is a so-called "leisure club" in the hotel, where guests can read books or newspapers or chat with each other. It is a place for guests to socialize or serve as a temporary meeting room.

I just had a full meal, so there is no need to rush to attract customers.

Wayne found a seat by the window and was about to take a look at the "urban night view" of this era when a waiter came over and asked Wayne if he wanted anything to drink.

Several basic teas, coffees or alcoholic beverages are provided free of charge. If necessary, some books, newspapers or snacks can also be provided, also free of charge.

So Wayne ordered a cup of black tea and some local newspapers. Then, seeing that the guests next to him had given tips, he took out a $1 bill and handed it over.

I opened the newspaper and picked up the teacup.

When Wayne saw the above content, he almost spit out a mouthful of tea.

Although it was not the front page headline, it still took up most of the space on the third page of the newspaper.

"Inheritance dispute, crime fighting, or party dispute? - The background of Wayne National Detective Agency revealed"

There was also an illustration next to it, which looked like the scene where he had previously sent back the gang member who had left the police station without bail.

——In this era, there were already daguerreotype cameras, but if you wanted to print it in a publication, you still had to create a second woodcut print. However, woodcut prints were already quite advanced at that time, and the more exquisite picture albums could even be printed in color.

Which villain wants to harm me?

Wayne looked at the author's name, Freddy Rounds, and suddenly had a bad feeling.

Fortunately, this time, the female reporter was just a headline-grabber.

It seems to be an objective and in-depth exploration, but in fact it is a seemingly negative and actually positive compliment under the guise of questioning.

Wayne was quite satisfied with the detective agency character she created.

Obey the law, do things for money, do not get involved in internal disputes of the party or the employer's family, and do not compromise with criminals.

Even Miss Harrison is described as an introverted, helpless, beautiful but wealthy daughter of a rich family.

It's all the Carter Gang's fault.

Wayne stroked his chin and thought for a moment. It seemed that he had never given her any advertising fees... right?

Then he flipped through several other newspapers. Although the layout and length were different, the name of their detective agency was almost visible in every newspaper.

What's going on?

Is the Carter Gang so famous in Illinois? There are so many people in Chicago who follow their news.

At this time, someone walked up to Wayne and asked, "Excuse me, are you Mr. Wayne Constantine?"

Wayne looked up.

He is an elderly gentleman with silver hair, wearing a monocle, and his clothes and demeanor seem to be quite Windsor upper-class style.