New Gods of North America

Although Dr. Allen didn't think much of the stone tablet's value,

Inessa and Lena clearly became much more cautious about the fragments Wayne had taken from it after learning that it was likely a "True Name Tablet" once embedded in the core statue of a temple deity.

However, compared to fear, their attitude was more like "being afraid of mice or bugs suddenly appearing at home," wishing they could soak the tablet fragments in potion and then bury them in the ground.

"Although the reason is still unclear, some special items, after being subjected to people's long-term emotional attachment and specific ritual 'soaking,' tend to be more easily infiltrated by various existences or extraordinary forces, leading to them becoming extraordinary items.

"Moreover, in many ancient civilizations, this process may even be reversed or mutually interactive—certain materials were actually first discovered to have certain extraordinary properties, and then they were regarded by the priests of the time as manifestations of specific divine power, and thus received special treatment.

"So from a mystical point of view, even if the corresponding deity has perished, it is still best to be cautious when dealing with these items that may be directly related to high-level existences, to avoid being affected by the legacy of higher beings."

While explaining, Inessa worked with Lena to perform a simple treatment on the tablet fragments.

Lena tried several reverse operations of extraordinary abilities, and finally a ball of thin iron wire tightly twisted together, wrapping the tablet fragments in an airtight "metal ball."

Then the metal ball was thrown into a bottle, the bottle was put into a cloth bag, and the cloth bag was placed in a safe before it was considered complete.

"Isn't that a bit too careful… We've all touched that stone tablet…" Wayne said from the side.

Inessa didn't seem to think there was anything wrong, "Our detective agency doesn't have a dedicated vault for extraordinary items. Without corresponding magic circles, this can only be considered a conventional special preservation method."

Okay, that's very rigorous.

Out of kindness and after-sales service to the wealthy client, Wayne specifically wrote a letter and had someone deliver it to Simon Sherman, who had purchased the stone tablet,

Telling him about Dr. Allen's appraisal of the stone tablet and reminding him to take the thing to the church's clergy to make sure it was safe.

Two days later, the detective agency rarely got a business deal.

On this Saturday, Wayne had just finished his Old World Civilization History and International Relations Theory classes in the morning, and received a message from Doug during lunch:

"Sir, we have received a commission to escort a valuable item to Atlanta, Georgia. The reward is $2,000."

Atlanta, Georgia, is one of the most prosperous and wealthy major cities in the American South, or rather in the entire America today.

It is not surprising that such a commission would appear, but although there are steam train lines connecting Georgia and Virginia that can directly reach Atlanta, the distance is a bit far, after all, there are two states in between.

If Wayne were to make a similar but not so accurate analogy, it would be like transporting something from Shanghai to Guangzhou.

$2,000…

Wayne thought for a moment, "Did the other party say they know me? Or is it related to the Fisk family?"

The reward for escorting items has reached this price, so the value of the item itself must be even higher.

Logically speaking, commissions of this level would not be easily handed over to strangers in non-emergency situations. At least the ability and reliability of the entrusted person must be confirmed first, or there must be corresponding network recommendations.

"Rich people" plus the condition of "Georgia," the only people Wayne can think of in his social circle are probably the Fisk family,

To be precise, just the Fisk siblings.

"The other party only sent a servant to the detective agency to initially state their intentions. Because the partners are not here, the other party has not disclosed their identity yet.

"However, the other party's master said that they will personally visit the detective agency tomorrow afternoon, and then you or other partners may need to have specific discussions with them," Doug replied.

"I see."

Wayne nodded, "This afternoon, go find David Mills and ask if there is any way for a detective agency like ours to extend the bishop's permission to other states in the short term, such as assigning tasks.

"Your wording needs to be modified to be as tactful as possible. He recently owes us a favor, so he should be easier to talk to now. The main reason is that this involves business, and we cannot entrust the safety of our agents and goods to the local church personnel 'possibly' giving face to the church in other states. We need to confirm the feasibility in advance."

"I'll do it later," Doug replied.

"By the way," Wayne added, "Before leaving the academy, go find Inessa or Lena and have them ask Miss Olivia if she knows anything about the situation.

"Willie should have delivered lunch to them today, right? He's still young, so he shouldn't be stopped from passing messages to the girls' dormitory during lunchtime."

"Yes, sir."

……

After finishing his etiquette class in the afternoon, Wayne returned to the detective agency in the carriage driven by Conner.

The number of personnel currently remaining in the detective agency, including the three partners, is only sixteen people at most.

Although the extra chef Parker and that Ironclad Coward Peter can temporarily make do, we still have to consider someone guarding the house and taking care of the little loli Emma, and students like Wayne and Seth are not suitable to leave for the time being.

So Wayne thought for a moment and felt that the number of people who could be spared was at most about ten, and the specific number would depend on the relevant details of the commission.

After Inessa and Lena returned, they told Wayne that this commission should not be from the Fisk family, at least Miss Olivia was not aware of it.

As for whether it was someone else giving face to the Fisk family or someone else, it is not easy to guess for the time being. Anyway, we will know when the person comes tomorrow.

Then the three discussed the allocation of personnel.

Lena had already lost her love for piano lessons, and after this period of investigation, the academy church's hostility towards the detective agency did not seem to be as high as needed to be strictly vigilant, so she planned to suspend the course temporarily:

"If it's an escort commission, I'm willing to go out and take a walk, but if I have a choice, I still hope that Parker doesn't participate. It's not easy to repair him if he gets injured.

"But since you still have classes, Wayne, and Inessa can't perform well in environments like steam trains, and if I, a partner, go, I will have to split 30% of the detective agency's commission, wouldn't that be a bit of a blow to the members' enthusiasm?"

This doesn't sound like something you, a little money grubber, would say...

Wayne first teased her slightly in his heart,

But after thinking about it, Lena had even taken out $30,000 to share before, and she was actually still very kind in some ways. Plus, her property is now worth at least tens of thousands of dollars, so it's normal not to care about these few hundred dollars for the time being. She really has a bit of a small rich woman vibe.

So Wayne pondered slightly:

"The detective agency doesn't have many commissions yet. In the eyes of outsiders, it is probably still in its early stages. I think that security commissions involving this level of amount still need at least one partner to participate to ensure basic safety.

"As for the partner's share, that's what we agreed with everyone at the beginning, and I think it can still be retained.

"If you are worried that this will dampen the enthusiasm of the agents, then we can change it slightly. In the future, we will use this deducted amount as funds for partners to use flexibly. For example, we can use part of it for the detective agency's rewards for agents, like scholarships in the academy, and issue them regularly in the form of commending outstanding agents."

Lena pondered for a while, probably thinking it was feasible, "Hmm, that's a good idea... Respected Mr. Wayne, you are becoming more and more like a cunning rich man."

Inessa had no objection to this, but she couldn't help but tease:

"The church's reply hasn't come yet, and it's not clear whether we can take this commission, but you have already figured out how to divide the reward..."