New Gods of North America

Wayne and Inessa visited two bars one evening. Besides questioning the bartenders, they also needed to select suitable regulars for private chats.

This was both to gather more information and to cross-reference it, to avoid having the entire investigation derailed by one or two liars.

As often happens with criminals, telling one lie usually requires countless others to cover it up.

After Wayne set the example, Inessa's follow-up investigation basically used the same persona. She directly borrowed Freddy Rounge's name and reporter identity. Sanders could only act as a bodyguard tonight, but if Wayne didn't come along later, Sanders would have to take over the role of "Miss Rounge's lackey."

The investigation continued until late at night, not because Wayne and Inessa didn't want to continue, but mainly because the later it got, the higher the proportion of drunken ramblings became.

When people were tipsy or moderately drunk, they could take the opportunity to probe for unintentional truths, but when they were truly drunk, they mostly spouted nonsense like "aba aba," and you had to be careful that they wouldn't suddenly launch a burst of alcohol-laden "acid spit."

Early the next morning, the detective agency picked up the two Williams and then went to one of the trading companies where the killer had previously worked.

This was the company where Lina believed the killer's "basic character and behavior patterns had changed." It wasn't very large, and its profit level was about the same as the First Bureau. Even the boss himself was a former salesperson who had jumped ship and started his own business.

However, trading companies earn the price difference between "buying and selling," which is different from detective agencies where labor and equipment costs account for the majority of operating expenses.

With the same profit level, trading companies need to invest more actual capital and have a larger turnover, so the boss looks more like a "successful person" in the popular sense of this era, and his attitude towards Wayne and the others is more like "giving you face and cooperating for the sake of official duties."

Since it was "giving face," it was a bit difficult for the detective agency to see many accounting-related things. Wayne also understood that for trading companies, customer identities and specific quotations were trade secrets, which were fundamental to their survival.

Therefore, the investigators mainly talked to the nearly ten clerks of the trading company during the day, and borrowed a utility room from them as an office to organize the interview materials at night.

The boss was quite accommodating, and even gave Wayne and the others keys to enter and exit the office space—theoretically for the "police" or "investigators"—allowing them to work overtime on their own. The detective agency also returned the favor by guaranteeing not to disclose or use their trade secrets and paid for their own lighting expenses.

But the things that needed to be investigated still had to be investigated. During the killer's tenure, the trading company itself had not experienced any incidents, and its business dealings did not seem to be affected by unexpected fluctuations. So at night, Lina took people to open the safe,翻 through the ledgers and other things to find clues, and by the way, let the investigators practice the practical skill of "returning things to their original place."

"Although this company claims to mainly do tobacco business, the bulk of its profits actually comes from things like medicines and bandages. Although it theoretically does not involve foreign trade, their buyers seem to be agents of exporters. America shouldn't have such a large demand for civilian medicines, right?"

Lina only looked at the ledgers roughly and quickly came to a preliminary conclusion.

Wayne thought about the question she had just raised and looked up to reply, "They're dealing with hemostatic and trauma-related things, which are in considerable demand in America. However, many places and cities have organizations like doctors' or pharmacists' associations that conduct unified procurement and are unlikely to buy at a premium."

Thanks to the war in the Old Continent, although the Church obviously felt threatened by the extraordinary individuals who were tempered in it, the merchants of America were still ushering in a good period.

For example, bandages. The Southern states are rich in cotton, and the hostile countries of the Old Continent have mutual material controls. Even if American products are slightly more expensive, they won't be suppressed by old powers like the Kingdom of Windsor to the point of being unable to lift their heads.

Inessa looked even more carefully and liked to look according to a certain train of thought and order.

After she finished flipping through one book, she looked around and asked, "Based on the investigation of the employees during the day, the killer seemed to be more enthusiastic about that Ms. Lucy. Who has the business statistics she has been following up on in the past two years?"

Willie quickly raised his hand and quickly found the ledger and handed it over, "We are trying to classify the business according to the people who handled it, thinking it might be useful."

The difference in the investigators' cultural level was actually revealed at this time.

Although those who can become bounty hunters and haven't died casually are generally considered "bright," and the literacy rate is not too low these days, most people still don't have the opportunity to receive systematic education.

The investigators are usually fine reading newspapers, but when they flip through things like ledgers, many of them are like reading hypnotic materials. Even people like Doug and Willie, who are more active and willing to learn, actually seem a bit strenuous.

This type of business may be easier for people like Seth to do, but they haven't officially graduated yet and have to wait until they officially join the job. Moreover, their combat effectiveness is a bit lacking. The detective agency still needs manpower that is barely adequate in all aspects.

So Wayne silently designed corresponding cultural courses for the investigators in his mind, thinking about whether he should add some "elective courses" to the detective agency. The arena has a ladder, and business ability can also have a ladder.

For the next two days,

comparing the timeline and the relationship between the characters, several businesses that the killer was likely to want to contact were selected as key points.

In this era, commercial trade is not as standardized as it is in later generations. After initially reaching a transaction intention with customers, trading companies sometimes have to promptly purchase to replenish inventory. After that, some contracts have to continue to negotiate price fluctuations. In the end, it will be decided who to supply first, which batch of goods to send, and how to specifically carry out the delivery.

From the perspective of a "sleeper organization," if they launch an operation, they may want to take action on the goods of one of these businesses, maybe to "take something away" from it, or maybe to "add something" to it.

The detective agency doesn't have to worry about the grudges of the Old Continent, but in fact, finding specific people and things sometimes reveals the identities of the opposing parties.

Lina seemed very skilled at this time, "Let's check this 'Moliere' order first? A typical Frankish name, buying cotton products, it looks like something the Windsor people would want to tamper with."

The Windsor people are extremely guilty, right? Why do you always think of them first when something bad happens...