New Gods of North America.

Chapter 258 Execution
After Mr. Brooke, the owner of the manor, finished his toast,

Mr. and Mrs. Brook took the lead and walked to the center of the dance floor, and together with the guests who followed them, they began the first dance of the night.

In this era, men and women dancing with different opposite sexes doesn't really mean anything.

——This is the social atmosphere of the upper class. Except for close partners, everyone actually maintains social distance when dancing normally. Touching hands is usually done through gloves, and it is considered good to be able to smell some perfume.

The real "match point" actually lies in whether the men can lead the women away from the crowd on the dance floor, or whether they can develop a "friendship" that allows them to continue communicating afterwards.

Although the detective agency is still small, it is still a relatively independent "organization".
As a guest whose status in the local area is similar to that of "head of the family", Wayne has no right to be lazy in the first dance.

However, the first dance usually belongs to "couples" or "acquaintances", so Wayne was very cunning and chose Lina who would not refuse him.
This was mainly because Wayne and Inessa's dancing skills were similar. When they were practicing privately in the detective agency, they always followed the routine and didn't make any mistakes. However, when they encountered a little unexpected situation, they would start stepping on each other's shoes.

We need a master like Lina to lead us, so as not to embarrass the detective agency in front of others.

Lina, radiant with radiance, took the starting position of the dance under Wayne's embrace.

As the dance music started, the two began to walk gracefully among the crowd on the dance floor.

In fact, the topic they talked about was quite unpleasant:
"I have learned from Miss Mary that the pendant she wore is usually locked in the storage room by her mother.

"I will find a chance to pretend to go upstairs to find the bathroom later. I may need someone to help pay attention to the movements of Mrs. Brooke and the housekeeper. It would be best to attract their attention and prevent the owners of the manor from noticing anything unusual."

Wayne thought for a moment and said, "I can go talk to Miss Mary. Mrs. Brooke might pay attention to us because of this, but I may not have any good ideas for the housekeeper."

"That's easy. Inesa can create an accident. If Miss Mary accidentally spilled wine on Inesa's dress, the owner of the manor should have asked a relatively important servant to accompany her to change the dress, most likely the housekeeper or personal maid."

"Then Miss Mary is very busy tonight..."

Wayne is talking here.
A man who was also dancing nearby seemed to notice that Wayne and Lina were whispering to each other during the dance, and he cast a gaze over here.

They were a pair of people with good chemistry, and their dance steps seemed to unconsciously take the opportunity to move closer to this side, as if they were curious about what the two were talking about.

Lina quietly pushed Wayne's legs apart.

The two of them slightly distanced themselves from the other couple as they spun, and Lina even took the time to make a face at them.

Fortunately, the other party seemed to be just a coincidence and didn't seem to pay too much attention to it.
After a moment of silent amusement, the dance returned to normal.

……

After the first dance, Wayne sent Lina back to the ladies' room, and then he started to serve the dishes.

Even if Lina wanted to take action, she had to wait until the first round of three dances were over. Otherwise, if she was in a hurry to leave the banquet hall at this time, it would attract too much attention.

Miss Olivia joked, "Last time at Mr. Russell's house, Ian told me that Mr. Wayne couldn't dance. Today, I saw that he danced quite well."

"This is all thanks to Teacher Lina's good teaching. I also started to learn from then on."

Wayne replied to her briefly, saying that according to etiquette, men should not stay too long where ladies gather.

Olivia looked into Wayne's eyes, and the expression on her face seemed to be joking. "Will Mr. Wayne invite me to dance with you later? My dance teacher also said that I have a talent for teaching people to dance."

Wayne originally thought she was just an acquaintance joking around.
However, seeing Miss Mary with a slightly puffy face next to him, Wayne changed his mind and nodded, "I will." Because she paid attention to the pendant when they met last time, Miss Mary didn't seem to have a very good impression of him.

If he wanted to find an opportunity to chat with her and attract Mrs. Brooke's attention, he would probably have to start with her best friend.

But anyway, since Lina's action will have to wait for a while,

So eating is the most important thing right now.

When David Mills saw the full plate of food in Wayne's hand, he was a little stunned:
"Are you too busy today and have no time to eat?"

Wayne was more open about this, and even forked up a cheese-baked prawn that had been cut in half, "This is quite delicious, you can try it too."

David Mills shook his head, still holding the wine glass and pretending to sip, "I am really more suitable for patrolling outside the venue. I can neither be as comfortable as you, nor can I enjoy the dance."

Wayne asked him about the man who had attempted to eavesdrop, and looked towards the crowd:

"What should I call that gentleman? He looks quite elegant."

David Mills followed Wayne's line of sight and confirmed the target. "He is... Simon Sherman, the eldest son of Owen Sherman. He has been here from New York City for a while, even earlier than you. Yes, it's the 'Sherman' that built large steam battleships for the navy."

Shipping tycoon...

I didn't see him at the dance at Mr. Russell's house before, but I saw him at Mr. Brooke's.

The shipbuilding industry pays more attention to technological development in steel?
At this time, America's naval ships are still wooden steamships, but America's first iron-hulled warship seems to be under construction. Although it is still a wood-covered iron-clad type, it should not be too far from an armored ship.

This is the trouble with traveling to this mediocre age. Wayne has already explored all the easy-to-climb technology trees in his knowledge base, and only allicin and penicillin are left for him.

Given the current situation in America, there is still a lack of opportunities to promote these two things. They can cure minor illnesses, but they cannot cure major illnesses. There is no rush for the time being. First get a diploma and get into the academic circle.

Otherwise, you are not considered an "insider" in the academic world. According to the current trend in America, after all the operations, you may not even be called an "inventor" in the end...

Although Wayne is lazy here,
However, in a sense, the ball is still an internal competition between unmarried men and women.

After the first dance, every time they were invited to dance, Miss Olivia, Miss Russell, Inessa and Lina had several men to choose from.

The men compete to see who can successfully invite a dance partner, while the women compete to see who has been invited most often.

Inissa smiled and refused as usual, while Lina was trying to show her presence like crazy, laying the groundwork for her disappearance by saying "I was tired of dancing" or "I twisted my ankle".

When Lina noticed that Wayne was eating and drinking on the dance floor, she even glared at Wayne while dancing with Simon Sherman.
Gladys Russell, who was dancing with Alex Brooke nearby, noticed Lina's expression and laughed obviously, making Alex, who was confused about the situation, seem a little at a loss.

It was not until the guests began to move freely and were about to invite dance partners for the second dance of the second round that
Seeing that there seemed to be a little commotion on Inissa's side, Wayne quickly went over to cooperate.
Facing Miss Olivia, who was looking at her vaguely and seemed to be hesitating about which one to choose as a dance partner among the men in front of her,
Wayne followed the planned plan and reached out to Miss Mary, who seemed to have just escaped from the chaos and her mother's scolding.

Miss Mary looked at her friends who were overwhelmed by the invitations, and then looked at Wayne in front of her.

Even though she still had a pouty face,
But she still reluctantly but a little proudly placed her small silk-gloved hand on Wayne's palm.

(End of this chapter)