Chapter 662: News

After discussing the matter, it was clear that the Fisk Family was determined to seize the market in California.

Miss Olivia chatted and ate, and after finishing a cat-sized portion of mashed potatoes, she quickly took her leave—the next dish prepared for her by the chef was already waiting by the door on a maid’s tray, but it ultimately didn’t make it to the table.

The carriage convoy that had escorted the golden patron’s daughter didn’t all leave; one carriage and two men remained.

Luke Matthew, who had been sitting by Miss Olivia like a minion, silent the entire time, now perked up slightly, resembling a butler who remains quiet in his master’s presence but immediately steps up to handle things once his master leaves.

“A senior cousin of Miss Olivia has already gone ahead to the city to contact some gentlemen for specific negotiations, but the final agreement on the transaction still requires a core member of the Fisk Family to be present to make a commitment. Therefore, Miss Olivia was actually very busy today, and I hope Wayne, you don’t misunderstand that you were neglected.”

Luke Matthew explained the reason, then asked, “So, do you still have time to go to Brook Factory today? If you don’t have time, I can go ahead and understand the situation, then come back and confirm the results with you.”

He asked this because Miss Olivia had entrusted him with the subsequent negotiations regarding canned food production.

Compared to the other potential “big business,” the workshop’s current output was indeed limited by the shelf life of its finished products and the supply of raw materials. Forget a “fleet,” it wouldn’t even fill a “convoy” for transportation, and moving it onto a large cargo ship probably wouldn’t even fill a corner.

Miss Olivia’s willingness to specifically make time for this was indeed a great show of respect; this spokesperson was incredibly competent.

Wayne wasn’t in a hurry at the moment. He pulled Luke Matthew back to continue breakfast, actually wanting to learn more insider information.

So, he immediately launched into a “chat about family matters,” first diverting the topic: “By the looks of it, your employment issue should be resolved? Will you be going with the fleet recently?”

Luke Matthew didn’t hide anything. “Yes. If nothing unexpected happens, after we go, I might be responsible for assisting Ian with some trade-related affairs. So, helping you solve the canned food production problem will probably be my first official task.”

Chatting over breakfast, perhaps because he had planned his future career from the start, Wayne noticed that this guy’s mindset shift was truly seamless.

Given the employment situation of the time, he could truly be said to have a promising future; it felt like becoming at least middle-class or petty bourgeois shouldn’t be a problem.

He was much better off than McKen Reeves, who had become a “Big-eyed Octopus.”

The conversation returned to specific matters.

The wealthy southerners did not want the news of gold discovery in California to overly impact their daily lives. Therefore, the Fisk Family this time prioritized spreading the news starting from Virginia, the northernmost southern state.

The potential gold prospectors they were targeting were mainly free people from the North. The news Wayne had just seen in the newspaper belonged to this “first wave” of key publicity, and some people had even taken funds to the Old Continent to place advertisements and build momentum.

The Fisk Family was reportedly very busy during this time. Apart from Miss Olivia, other core family members still on the East Coast had already started traveling between New York City and several northern states.

Basically, by the time the news gradually reached ordinary people’s ears and they made up their minds to depart, many deals would have already been finalized.

Miss Olivia could currently make decisions on behalf of the Fisk Family in some matters, but she wasn’t actually spending her own money. Therefore, specific matters still needed to withstand their family’s subsequent internal audit, at least to be acceptable to partners of the same rank as their family.

The reason she dared to agree on the spot to fund and participate in the Detective Agency’s canned food production was that, compared to “big business,” this truly wasn’t a “big investment”—today’s tin cans mainly involved cutting tinplate, pressing it into shape, filling it, and then sealing it with low-melting-point tin metal. If there was factory cooperation, actually setting up a small workshop and hiring a group of workers could complete the canning, which was not considered significant by the Fisk Family.

However, business is business. She still had Luke Matthew participate in the preliminary affairs as the capital representative, and she also specifically named Miss Mary’s Brook Factory as the preferred cooperating factory, hoping to directly custom-order semi-finished products from them, with the workshop then handling the subsequent processes.

As for minor matters like rushing deadlines, pressing down unit prices, paying after delivery, and auditing accounts, these would, of course, be handled by professionals working for the Fisk Family, like Luke Matthew.

Feelings are feelings,

but making money, being formal about it, is not shameful.

After Wayne probed Luke Matthew for information, he then stood him up, sending Doug with Luke Matthew to run the factory.

As for Wayne himself, he continued to wander the Dock Area.

...

Arriving at James Damody’s old haunt, Wayne felt for the first time that he was so popular in the Dock Area.

The leaders of five or six large and small gangs also seemed to have received news that the City Hall was going to tax gangs, and they were gathered here to further inquire about the situation and discuss countermeasures with him.

As an authorized party assisting the City Hall with tax collection, and being superficially familiar with James Damody, Wayne was practically walking into a trap this time.

Before he even warmed his seat, and without anyone exchanging pleasantries, a barrage of questions came his way.

“Mr. Wayne, what you said before was only aimed at the Sailor Gang. Even if you added the Aierlan Gang that attacked you, you shouldn’t have made the situation like this, right?”

“What I want to ask is, how does the official definition of ‘malicious evasion of fees’ and ‘concealment of income’ actually work? Do we have to pay dock usage fees even for the intermediary fees we collect from laborers for finding them work?”

“Our gang has been cooperating with you in plague investigations during this period, and we didn’t stop your people from freely entering and exiting our territory. Mr. Wayne, I think you owe us an explanation.”

Several of the gang leaders at this moment were completely out of character, noisy like uncles at a wet market, utterly lacking the demeanor of “underworld bosses.”

Fortunately, not everyone was against Wayne. The last gang leader was immediately refuted by another who had remained silent.

“Oh, come on. Some of your gang members were tied up in the small square before. You know whether you were truly cooperating or not.”

This person’s gang must have been relatively large or more aggressive, as the person next to him, who had been rebuked, didn’t dare to talk back.

When he turned to look at Wayne again, his expression was relatively gentler. “I believe the tax matter was not created by Mr. Wayne, and it won’t target all gangs in the Dock Area, am I right?”

Wayne found this person unfamiliar and wasn’t sure if he was helping or setting a trap. Hearing this, he first extended his hand, trying to confirm his identity: “This is our first meeting. You are?”

This robust man, who looked to be almost forty, lightly clasped his hand. “Everyone usually calls me ‘Little Tuto.’”

Oh,

it was the Tuto Gang, centered around that family. Beaton “Dad” had specifically mentioned them.

This one was an ally.

Fortunately, with his interruption, the lively scene temporarily quieted down.

Wayne pondered for a moment, then leaned slightly forward, lowering his voice, and motioned for them to gather closer and listen:

“From what I’ve learned so far, someone has decided to get ‘serious’ this time. If the violent situation in the Dock Area doesn’t improve, all gangs might have to be thoroughly reorganized.

“Smart people had best recognize their position in advance, otherwise, no one can be saved.”

Someone’s face changed instantly, their expression a mix of shock and skepticism. “The rumor that those Aierlan people sank a ship, killing a squad of church monks and army soldiers, is actually true?!”

This sentence abruptly came out, somewhat confusing Wayne’s train of thought.

No, your news is too outrageous, isn’t it?