New Gods of North America

After Willy invited the guests to the reception room,

Wayne soon followed.

Because the detective agency's collective office was converted from a large warehouse, most of the space was just partitioned off and not completely "enclosed" into a room.

The few exceptions were offices for agency partners, the "finance room" and the reception room.

There was even a padded interlayer for sound insulation - Lina's knowledge in some areas was so profound that it was hard to imagine.

Seeing that the guest who came over looked like a Windsor-style butler, Wayne felt that this order would probably be a lucrative commission.

"Please take a seat. No need to be so polite."

When the guest saw Wayne, he stood up again with his hat in hand and saluted.

Wayne motioned for the other party to sit back on the sofa and walked to the wine cabinet next to him. "I'm Wayne Constantine, the head of the detective agency. Would you like some whiskey?"

"Thank you," the other party politely declined, "I can't drink while working."

He sat on the sofa without leaning against the back, and only sat on the front half with his back straight. He really looked like someone who served in a large family.

In terms of intuitive feeling, he is not like Ian Fisk's old butler, who is so elegant that he hardly has the air of a servant.

Wayne signaled Willy, who was guarding outside the reception room, to make tea, and made a note to add this item to the reception process in the future.

"Are you here to do something for someone else?" Wayne asked, sitting on the sofa opposite the guest.

"Hmm..." The other party hesitated for a moment, looking at the still open door of the reception room.

Doug, who was guarding outside the door, reacted quickly. He nodded and gently closed the door.

Well, we need to add one more item to the reception process.

The other party withdrew his gaze.

But he couldn't help but look around the reception room again, "I came here to 'explore' when I was a child, and the changes here are really amazing..."

"Haha," Wayne said politely, "After our detective agency came here, we made some repairs to it. I hope it won't make the guests feel disrespectful or that the place is shabby."

It sounds like this person should be a local.

But he looks like he is already in his thirties. He came here to explore when he was a kid... The landlord has left this place unused for quite some time...

The other party shook his head. "The style of your detective agency seems very... unique. I just walked all the way from the courtyard and saw that several members were dressed in the same clothes. I was also very impressed. It's just that this place is a little far from the city."

The fact that it was a little far from the city was actually intentional by Wayne.

After all, as a detective agency, it is inevitable that there will be commissions to find cats and dogs or lost small items.

If we just increase the distance a little, we can probably avoid a lot of such commissions.

Of course.

If someone is willing to take the time to come all the way from the city and specifically entrust Wayne and his team to look for cats and dogs, then Wayne will accept the offer.

Willy quickly brought in two cups of black tea, then took back the tray and left again, closing the door gently.

Wayne picked up the teacup himself and made a "please" gesture to the other party.

The other party also took a sip symbolically, and then spoke:

"My name is Myron, and I'm the butler of Mr. Ben Harmon. He is a tobacco merchant, a lawyer, and an advisor to the governor. He has been concerned about his safety recently, and hopes to hire a bodyguard to ensure his personal safety when traveling between Richmond and Georgeburg."

Your composition is a bit complicated.

Wayne thought for a moment and said, "Does this involve party struggles? The principle of our detective agency is not to get involved in those matters."

"Ah, perhaps you can rest assured. Mr. Ben Harmon's current focus is still on business. As for politics, he only provides some economic reference opinions on several bills. At least for now, he has no plans to directly participate in politics." The butler explained.

When it comes to economic matters, it might be even more serious...

However, these days, the political and economic circles in America are not particularly separate.

Wayne's positioning for the detective agency is to at least not get involved as a "thug", or not to deceive oneself and others by "taking sides" after one party has obviously caused trouble or committed a crime.

However, it is still possible to intervene in some situations where there is no problem at the legal level but the enemy may make small moves under the table in "self-defense" - it is better to say that the gray area in this regard is the most profitable.

And we cannot use "morality" as a criterion.

After all, the "morality" of this day is a bit different from what Wayne himself believes in "morality".

Wayne then continued to ask:

"What are the main sources of Mr. Ben Harmon's concerns about his own safety?

"You know, most people wouldn't think their personal safety is threatened without reason. At least they should have expected it, or noticed some signs."

Butler Myron rubbed his hands unconsciously. "Actually... Mr. Ben Harmon recently suspected that there might be a commercial spy or someone with bad intentions infiltrating the manor. In addition to commercial competition, the bill he recently participated in drafting may involve the interests of many people and may also be related to the bill."

"Can you tell me what the bill covers?" Wayne asked.

The butler did not seem embarrassed. "Of course the specific content is confidential. I don't know it either. But Mr. Ben Harmon's participation and his opinions are public. Generally speaking, it should be to lower tariffs."

Tariffs...

It sounds so far away from ordinary people...

However, this matter should be left to the gentlemen in Congress to argue and canvass for votes - the original intention of the parliamentary system was to hope that the gentlemen would argue more and fight less - if they were to harm the drafters, that would be considered "crossing the line".

Wayne thought that didn't sound like a big deal:

"If that's the only reason, then we can accept this commission. But I also want to make it clear in advance that our detective agency does not protect criminals."

"Of course, I understand very well." The butler nodded.

…

After a preliminary discussion with the housekeeper,

Wayne took Doug and two "trainee agents" to Mr. Ben Harmon's estate.

There used to be a large plantation near Georgeburg, which was called "Central Plantation" by the Windsor colonists.

After the Windsor colonists were driven away, the area around Georgeburg became a favorite place for many southern plantation owners, and many wealthy people would buy plantations nearby.

However, due to the historical division of land and the limitations of the peninsula's terrain,

Today, the estates around Georgeberg are relatively small in scale, and most of them can only be regarded as "slightly pastoral", producing only for home brewing, some fruits, vegetables, and grains for tasting - the market these days is far less rich and convenient than in modern society.

It is quite different from the estates that actually produce large quantities of “commodities”.

Georgeburg therefore has the characteristics of a so-called "Southern city".

Most wealthy people live in various manors near or far from the city. The city is actually more like a "commercial area" and a "service area". On the contrary, the middle class and ordinary people live in the city at a much higher proportion.

Mr. Ben Harmon's estate is no exception.

It's in a suburban location.

If we make a horizontal comparison, the mansion itself is larger and more luxurious than Miss Harrison's home, which inherited the estate of a steel merchant, but the supporting facilities in the manor are more "rustic".

There is even a mill with a windmill.