New Gods of North America

Facing the well-intentioned fans, Wayne chose to tell the truth and handed over the ticket stub:

"I once helped an 'Old Jack' in Kanx City. Do you know him? He gave me this and said that if I need it in the future, I can use it in exchange for help."

"Of course I know him. I recently helped him board the departing steam train."

The lady took it and looked at it carefully, then smiled. "Mr. Wayne, is there anything we can help you with?"

"Do you know a lady named Wahana? She should have just come from Georgia recently. I want to contact her about something." Wayne smiled.

"Ms. Vahana?" The other party was slightly stunned. "I seem to have heard of such a person, but she is not a member of our local group, and we don't know where they went afterwards."

"Them? How many of them are there?"

"Seven, right? They bought several tickets to New York City in advance. The dates were different, but the number of people was basically the same."

"Are there any other ladies among them besides Ms. Wahana?" Wayne continued to ask.

"I don't know about that. They were two men who came to buy the tickets, and I only knew there was a lady when I heard them talking."

After asking for some more details about the group's plan to leave Chicago, Wayne gave the lady a hint that he would contact her again if the detective agency needed help, and might also need help from their local members.

The other party readily agreed and gave Wayne a brief description of his work schedule.

And if she's not there, you can contact another "companion" in the steam train station.

After thanking the other party and saying goodbye, Wayne returned and told Inissa about the situation:

"Although we cannot confirm whether the information provided by the lady just now is completely true, it does not seem to be very suspicious for the time being. Moreover, among the departure tickets they purchased in advance, the earliest batch was the day after the ransom was agreed to be paid in the ransom letter, which basically matches the time."

"At least we know how to intercept them when the time comes." Inessa thought for a moment, "The date the kidnappers agreed on is Wednesday of this week. Today is already Monday. Haven't they contacted the hostage's family yet?"

"At least not last night. And Doug and the others haven't sent any news yet. Maybe there is still no movement at the moment."

…

"Ms. Wahana, you are right. As expected, the Fisk family contacted a real estate agent to buy a house as soon as they arrived in Chicago. I have asked a newsboy to deliver the letter."

Standing opposite this man was a lady in her early thirties, placing food on a plate.

Her figure and appearance are above average, but her every move is quite elegant and graceful, full of the charm of a mature woman.

"very good."

Vahana Haisen nodded, one of her hands resting on her chest, her fingers seeming to inadvertently hook up the necklace, pulling the pendant out from the soft ravine, holding it in her hand and stroking it gently.

The blue gem on the pendant felt slightly cool, and then her eyes also glowed with a faint blue light.

"Have you been discovered? Or is there anything unusual that deserves my attention?" Wahana asked, looking directly into the other person's eyes.

His eyes stared back into hers, "No."

The blue light in his eyes faded, and the man seemed to be distracted for a moment.

Then he saw Ms. Wahana's feminine smile: "Thank you for your hard work, Jon."

"I'm happy to help."

Just as Jon said this, there was a sudden noise coming from the attic on the ceiling. He raised his head and asked, "Is the lady still unwilling to cooperate?"

Ms. Vahana picked up the plate, her demeanor revealing a subtle allure:

"Don't worry, she'll cooperate. Children who have tantrums can be cured by giving them some candy."

…

"No need to fight over it, everyone gets some candy. Only those who don't obey don't get any."

On the other side, Willy grabbed a handful of candy from his pocket and shared it with a group of children gathered around him.

Thanks to the climate in the southern part of the New World, there are many sugarcane plantations in America today, and the sugar production is not low.

However, sugar is a valuable cash crop after all. The better ones can be sold directly and transported to big cities or the Old World in exchange for valuable currency. Even the black "molasses" left over after sugar extraction can be used to make rum.

Compared to the slaves who could occasionally find some wild fruits or occasionally get some molasses from the plantation owners,

"Sweetness" may be a rarer luxury for children from poor families living in cities.

Lina next to her already had a piece of ice cream in her mouth, and the edge of her pretty face would bulge slightly from time to time as she looked at the group of children crowded there.

These children are not very old, about five or six years old on average, and they are all skinny.

They are not polite, but their nature is not bad either.

Willy knew how to deal with them.

Children of this age in the city, whose families are not well off, can only do odd jobs such as running errands and delivering newspapers to supplement their family income.

If they were a year or two older, or taller, they could work in factories.

Although my salary would be reduced and deducted by my employer as a rule because I was still young, and I had to work more than ten hours a day, it was relatively stable and at least I could have a full meal from time to time.

"Have all the companions in this nearby neighborhood come here now?"

Willy asked after making sure everyone got three candies.

Some of the children had already opened the packaging and started eating, while others hid it deep in their clothes.

After hearing the question, the children were silent for a while, and then a bolder child answered him, "We have called everyone who can be called."

Lina was obviously also a leader among the children. She clapped her hands to attract the children's attention.

"We are looking for someone now. Do you know if there is any place around here where people with dark skin sneak in and out occasionally or from time to time? The kind that is mysterious and secretive."

I don't know whether it's "no" or "can't say".

The children looked at each other, then shook their heads silently.

There are no clues in this neighborhood...

Lina asked Willy to give everyone another candy, and then pointed to the tall building in the distance that looked tall in the city today:

"We should all be in the city recently, living there. If you have any information, you can find us there. We will also reward those who can provide valuable clues. Do you understand everything?"

"Got it." Several of the more outgoing children nodded in agreement.

Then Lina told Willy to leave and continue to the next block.

The children dispersed.

Some of them took their own things and continued to deliver newspapers or find places to help people shine shoes.

Some don't have extra tools and still need to find work.

There were even a few children who ran very fast, as if they were afraid that their candy would be snatched away.