New Gods of North America

The news that "Wayne Constantine has challenged Malcolm Baker to a public duel" spread like wildfire throughout the entire city of Richmond.

Since the news broke on a Friday, which is also the day of the week when many people who live paycheck to paycheck get paid and can afford to "relax" a bit,

that evening, many bars in Richmond were filled with inquiries like this:

"Who are these two guys?"

Those who were slightly better informed were generally more familiar with the former name, knowing that Wayne Constantine was the founder of a detective agency and that newspapers had previously reported on their agency's efforts to combat gangs.

Those who were even better informed would also know that he seemed to be embroiled in a scandal in Georgeburg, not far from Richmond, and was showing signs of developing into a "gang boss."

As for the latter name, the general public was truly unfamiliar with it. The newspaper didn't even mention his identity, and he didn't seem to be a local politician or wealthy businessman. Who knew where he came from?

Even some bartenders were surprised by this, wondering if their news sources were outdated.

Fortunately, there was never a shortage of "well-informed" people in bars.

The more fortunate bartenders and customers in several bars quickly heard the answers they were looking for:

"You don't know who Malcolm Baker is? Surely you've heard of 'Cohen Pharmaceuticals'? Yes, that big company. Their advertisements should have been in the newspapers before.

"Cohen Pharmaceuticals has a painkiller that has been selling in some northern and western states, but the effects are said to be not very good, so it has not been able to enter the Virginia market. This Malcolm Baker is Cohen Pharmaceuticals' authorized representative in Virginia, and it is said that he has been adding harmful ingredients to the pills without authorization in order to boost sales.

"That Wayne Constantine is a relatively upright private detective who tried to expose him after discovering the clues, but the small detective agency is no match for the big company, so he has been suppressed. It is said that Cohen Pharmaceuticals has launched several assassination attempts against him and has also tried to attack him through lawsuits and public opinion."

Some of this information could be corroborated with known facts,

so some bartenders, not wanting to be outdone, quickly added to it to avoid damaging their professional image as "well-informed."

For example, they elaborated on Wayne's detective agency's activities, talked about Cohen Pharmaceuticals' general situation,

and pretended to know more, trying to elicit more information from those in the know.

Although private duels were not uncommon in Virginia, not everyone had the chance to witness or hear about a formal challenge published in the newspaper.

So the news quickly spread from a few "well-located" bars to the ears of more curious people.

...

In front of the manor's study,

Mrs. Russell took the coffee cup from her personal maid, then pushed open the door and walked in, seeing her husband still frowning at his desk.

"It's getting late, and I saw you were still busy, so I made you some coffee."

She walked over with a smile, her face gentle and amiable, her eyes secretly glancing at what Mr. Russell was holding in his hand, a little curious about what he was worried about today.

Strange, it wasn't the recent financial statistics or strange letters,

but the newspaper that her husband had already read this morning.

Mr. Russell smiled, took the coffee cup, took a symbolic sip, but his eyes couldn't help but quickly return to the opened newspaper,

so Mrs. Russell quickly saw what she was also interested in:

"Wayne Constantine? Isn't he the Bishop's man, and now he's in charge of security for a section of the steam train line. Why would he challenge someone from Cohen Pharmaceuticals to a duel?"

"I'm also thinking about this."

Mr. Russell did not hide anything from his wife, "Cohen Pharmaceuticals, Bishop Corleone, and the 'Southern Faction' who are likely to succeed the Bishop seem to have a good relationship. I don't understand why they would have a public conflict, and I don't understand why some things would even be published in the newspaper."

Mrs. Russell tried to offer her advice:

"Does this mean that there will be changes in the selection of the successor to the Bishop? There have always been people in the political world who are dissatisfied with the 'Virginia Dynasty,' which has produced many presidents in a row. Does the Bishop also not want the position to fall into the hands of a Southerner?"

Mr. Russell shook his head slightly:

"All the candidates currently qualified to succeed the Bishop are from the South. The Church is different from the political world, and it is unlikely that such a big change will suddenly occur. Bishop Corleone's thoughts are not easy to guess, but he will definitely have a lot of say in the specific successor..."

Mrs. Russell asked, while gently stroking Mr. Russell's shoulder, "Do we need to keep our distance from that Wayne, or from Mr. Baker?"

Mr. Russell seemed to hesitate:

"I currently prefer to remain unchanged for the time being. I heard that Gladys was previously affected by the Fallen and almost attacked Miss Fisk, but Wayne stopped her. If we are too deliberate now, it may attract Bishop Corleone's dissatisfaction."

After Mr. Russell finished speaking, he gently patted the back of Mrs. Russell's hand, "You don't have to worry, I will handle these things."

Mrs. Russell did not doubt her husband's vision and judgment,

and then her thoughts shifted to another matter, "I haven't seen a public duel before. Who do you think has a better chance of winning, Wayne or Mr. Baker?"

...

"A public duel?"

After Bishop Corleone finished reading the contents of the briefing, he raised his eyes slightly and looked at Tom Hagen, who was standing respectfully beside him.

Many messages within the diocese that ordinary people would consider "major events" are usually condensed into a single sentence and appear in the daily briefing presented to the Bishop as soon as possible.

Some things will not even appear in the public eye without the tacit consent of the Cathedral.

However, these trivial matters have gradually been delegated to Tom Hagen.

Bishop Corleone now basically only listens to reports on important matters and only skims through and confirms the daily news when his mind is calm.

Tom Hagen nodded in response, "You said that Wayne and Cohen Pharmaceuticals should resolve their own affairs, so I did not order the dissemination of the news to be stopped."

"Yes, no need to interfere. Some people always think they can be friends with everyone, but that's the same as having no friends."

As soon as Bishop Corleone finished speaking, he bit his teeth slightly, clenched one hand into a fist and pressed it against his forehead,

Tom Hagen stepped forward in a timely manner and moved the cup on the table closer to the Bishop's hand:

"Baker has sent the latest 'Tranquility' pills, with a dosage ten times stronger than the original version. It is said that if taken on time, it can make people feel no pain and may be more helpful for treatment."

"The same as the previous ones," Bishop Corleone waved his hand, "throw them all into the warehouse."

"Yes."

Bishop Corleone's gaze moved away from the briefing and fell on the sailboats and coastline in the oil painting on the wall:

"I thought Wayne would be too scared to act. It seems that at least one of these seeds can germinate."

"You said that if believers pray sincerely to the Holy Spirit but never receive a response, it means that the Holy Spirit believes 'he can.' I think Wayne should be able to figure these things out with his level."

"The Holy Spirit always forgives, the public sometimes forgives, but the enemy never forgives."

Bishop Corleone shook his head slightly, raised his hand and pointed to the oil painting on the wall, "Did the ancestors take root in the New World simply because they were pious enough?"

Tom Hagen hesitated and dared not answer,

Bishop Corleone continued to speak to himself, "Also because they dared to cut off the scalps of their competitors and make them into leather shoes.

"Only those who can survive and take over the torch are the so-called 'descendants.'"