The Beaton Family, or rather, "Papa Biddle," was quite generous in his dealings.

He offered to "lend a mill and the land around it" for Wayne to use, but the area actually demarcated on the Plantation was a several-hundred-meter radius centered on the mill, an area almost equivalent to "a farm" in the West.

Although numerically, it only covered about a hundred acres—and these were America units of "acres," where one acre was equivalent to over six acres in Wayne's previous life—the land on the East Coast's Great Plains Plantation, even if only for rent, was far more expensive than undeveloped wasteland in Kankakee.

Such a large area, if used purely as a factory site, was indeed a bit luxurious.

While "Alex Brook" and his accompanying personnel discussed how to specifically modify the mill, Wayne took the opportunity to wander around nearby.

Virginia's water systems are abundant, and good Plantations often have convenient water access with rivers flowing through them. The mill itself was built beside a small river, and not far away were some existing wooden houses grouped into "courtyards."

The wooden houses had, of course, been initially "cleaned" by then; for example, there were no pots, bowls, or utensils visible near the semi-open earthen stove.

However, judging by the traces of life, this place was probably a "dormitory" for some of the slaves on the Plantation before, and some things had not yet been taken away. The density of bed frames was quite remarkable.

It wasn't dirty, but the smell was significant. The beds were mostly padded with straw, which had become shiny and deformed, and it felt like there might even be bugs.

Wayne felt a little uneasy and turned to Sanders, who was following beside him: "Would it be too simple to use this as the daily living quarters for production staff?"

Sanders rubbed his nose, observing his surroundings, "Actually, it's not bad. This place can at least provide shelter from wind and rain, which is better than camping. But these straw mats probably need to be burned and replaced with new ones."

"Really?" Wayne wasn't too sure, "I feel like the restaurant is a bit too crowded now, and it's not convenient for keeping horses. If it's feasible, I plan to move the Detective Agency's base in Richmond here. Everyone can't always sleep on the first floor of the restaurant at night."

Unexpectedly, it would become "their own living space," so Sanders's answer obviously became more cautious:

"Then it's best to do some renovations—the floors in these houses are still dirt, some of the wooden wall panels have rotted, and the structure is a bit too simple, only qualifying as 'sheds with wooden walls,' perhaps not suitable for long-term living… It would be even better if there was a more convenient water supply system, at least not requiring trips to the river every time."

After listening, Wayne generally had an idea, "Then we'll renovate it according to the standards of the 'main camp' there."

Although the specific lease term wasn't discussed, given the grand manner of the Beaton Family, they shouldn't be so stingy as to reclaim it in just a few months.

If things ended amicably, the Detective Agency leaving them with some decent infrastructure would also be a gesture of reciprocity, a small return for their kindness.

When he brought up his idea to the steward of the Plantation, the other party still maintained an attitude of "absolute non-interference":

"Including the mill, you are free to dispose of anything on this land during your use, as long as Bask and his people have no objections, we will not disturb you. However…"

"However what?" Wayne asked.

Meeting Wayne's inquiring gaze, the steward continued:

"We will remind the slaves on the Plantation that this area is henceforth forbidden to enter without permission, and we will arrange for people to set up wooden walls. However, there are occasional runaway slaves on the Plantation who might pass through here. If circumstances permit, we hope your people will try not to directly kill any intruding slaves; it would be best to hand them over to us for disposal…"

Ah, this…

Wayne was slightly speechless but quickly nodded, "No problem."

"Thank you for your understanding."

...

After inspecting the site, Wayne and Miss Mary's brother quickly returned.

Knowing that Wayne wanted to rush the project, Alex Brook was very cooperative:

"I've already roughly measured the dimensions and can start designing once I get back. Unfortunately, I need to attend the Bishop's memorial service and funeral tomorrow, so progress might be slightly affected, and the production of corresponding parts will also take at least a few days.

"However, the workforce for the initial modifications can start work tomorrow. If all goes well, trial production should be arranged within half a month."

Wayne was quite satisfied with this projected timeline and also took the opportunity to ask this local expert if he knew any skilled carpenters, so they could also take care of the house renovation.

This aspect would have to come out of the Detective Agency's own pocket, but fortunately, building a few simple wooden houses wasn't expensive, and the East Coast, compared to the West, was closer to the so-called "primeval forest zone," making it very convenient to buy crude timber. Wayne was not short on funds now and even planned to pay for the construction of a slightly taller fence himself.

Though called a "fence," it was actually just a matter of driving thin wooden stakes into the ground one by one, and then nailing planks horizontally to secure them.

Large pieces of quality timber are now somewhat "hard to come by" on the Old Continent; it is only America that still boasts vast ancient forests with gigantic trees, so the cost of ordinary timber is only equivalent to the "labor cost" of felling, transporting, and processing. Using it for a fence is not something to feel bad about—even many frontier towns in the West often "lack nails, not timber."

Water tanks and pipelines, on the other hand, were a bit more troublesome; they couldn't be obtained without a factory or a blacksmith. Wayne would rather have pipes rust than use the lead pipes that were gradually becoming popular, so he had to be more selective.

But these requirements were just "small potatoes" for Alex Brook; since Wayne was willing to pay, finding people was no problem for him, and he could even try to get Wayne a discount.

However, this guy's thirst for knowledge was also quite strong: "It seems that some people in the medical community have recently questioned the safety of lead products, but according to historical research, the Roman Empire was very fond of lead products, not only using them as water pipes but also enjoying 'lead sugar.' Why are you so resistant to them?"

Wayne couldn't remember exactly how this heavy metal affected health, so he chose to use authority to explain, "I'm a history student, alright, and I'm studying at the 'Academy.' Trust me, the Roman Empire was destroyed because of excessive use of lead products. You'd best not use them in your home either."

"What about lead white? I see that the cosmetics my mother and Mary use are made with lead white."

"Same thing," Wayne bluffed casually. "You saw Inessa and Lina that night, didn't you? They don't use products containing lead white anymore."

"Hmm? Then what are the whitening powders they use made of?"

Uh...

Wayne actually wasn't sure, he could only guess, "Herbs, probably."