New Gods of North America.

Chapter 305 Signed
Compared to the last time I came to Mr. Russell to discuss the commission,
This time, Wayne finally didn't have to squeeze in with a bunch of people for a meeting. Instead, he was led directly to Mr. Russell's study by the butler for a "one-on-one" negotiation.

When Wayne first saw Chris in the manor - the fake identity of the "Supervisor" gang member who killed "Skinny" Charlie in one second - he was almost scared, thinking that Mr. Russell had called a group of people to hold a meeting again.
Then, after secretly asking the housekeeper, he found out that the guy had come to the manor to act as a bodyguard after all his companions were killed.

Wayne was actually a little curious about when Chris was replaced.
It turned out that Chris didn't seem to be familiar with Wayne at all. Although he remembered that Wayne was one of the team leaders invited by Mr. Russell at that time, and he had met Wayne and his team in Clarisburg,
But Chris said that he had never tried to find Wayne to discuss cooperation, because Wayne had too many people and he only recruited "scattered soldiers"...

Oh no,

I didn't expect that the "Chris" I knew from beginning to end was a fake.

Boy, you're quite good at acting, right?

If I meet you again next time, I will at least ask Lina to put away your disguise mask.

After meeting with Mr. Russell, although it seemed that there were no other competitors, Mr. Russell still looked hesitant and no one knew what he was struggling with.
So Wayne had to take the initiative to ask, "Mr. Russell, do you have any concerns or requests regarding the security commission of the steam train operating company in which you own shares?"

"It's not all about business..."

Mr. Russell thought about it, and finally took a few documents that had been prepared from the desk. "This is the agency contract drafted by the company's legal counsel. Mr. Wayne can take a look at it first to see if there are any objections to the terms. If there is a need for modification, the other party is downstairs now."

Wayne took it and looked at it.
Wow, the paper is filled with tiny typewritten words.

I think our detective agency needs a legal advisor too!
Fortunately, these commissions were not too confusing.
Although the content of the clause is very detailed, it does not use the pitfall-laying writing style of "according to the requirements of a certain law" or "according to the provisions of Article X and Clause X of a certain law", which only quotes but does not write the specific content.
So Wayne could basically understand it.

The actual content of the contract is even quite decent. The main business includes three major areas: providing security services for important trains, clearing out gangs or criminals along the route, and assisting in the pursuit of specific wanted criminals.

"Ensuring the safety of transportation for a specific train" is charged on a per-trip basis, calculated based on actual requirements or the amount of the cargo. In theory, the detective agency should give the most favorable price under the same commission.

If the mission is not completed, the steam train operating company can refuse to pay or deduct the remuneration according to the specific terms of the contract. However, it will only be required to pay compensation if there is a major mistake, such as there is no obvious disadvantage in terms of number of people and weapons, but the security personnel still fail to fulfill their protection obligations and run away, or if the security personnel commit embezzlement, etc.

"Clearing out criminals along the line" or "Assisting in the pursuit of specific wanted criminals" are similar to previous commissions, but the steam train company no longer pays additional proportional remuneration, but instead charges annually, with part of the remuneration paid in advance, part of the remuneration paid quarterly, and part of the remuneration withheld temporarily.

The detective agency must ensure that the incidence of cases targeting steam trains within the section is reduced to a certain level, and that the annual losses and number of cases of the steam train company do not exceed a certain amount.

In addition, there are also requirements for how many training sessions are provided for steam train crews each year, how many "general" onboard security services are provided at least, etc.

As for the specific contract amount, the contract is signed according to different road sections. The more expensive the road is if it is far from towns and has a high incidence of cases, the cheaper it is.

Judging from the few sections that have been taken out so far, the total contract amount is US$6000 per year.
If we calculate based on an annual salary of $400 per person, it would be equivalent to hiring 15 fearless people who would have to run back and forth along the steam train line all year round without any holidays. The hourly wage and working environment might even be worse than that of a cowboy in the West, and there is no injury or death allowance.

But Wayne thought it was okay.
The sheriff of a western town is not actually busy all year round. In fact, as long as the troublemakers or gangs are dealt with, many small criminals will become honest, and then daily patrols do not need a large force every time. Considering that the detective agency is currently full of extraordinary people, it can resist risks to a certain extent, and may also receive additional wanted criminal bounties. As the first long-term commission, it is worth trying.

After reading it, Wayne nodded. "I have no objection to the contents of the contract. The terms offered by your company are quite...reasonable."

I wanted to say that I was generous, but I still find it difficult to express my admiration.

Mr. Russell nodded as if he didn't hear anything. After a while, he suddenly asked:
"Wayne, I heard from Ian Fisk before that your detective agency seems to have a good relationship with the church? Bishop Corleone visited the manor during Gladys's coming-of-age ceremony and praised you specifically."

Wayne did not deny it, "Part of our detective agency's work, in a sense, is to help the church maintain stability."

"Is your current office still in Georgeburg? Have you ever thought about moving to Richmond?" asked Mr. Russell.

Wayne told the truth, "I haven't thought about it yet. If you have a request, Mr. Russell, I can consider setting up an office in Richmond."

"No, no..." Mr. Russell shook his head.

Strange, the contract drafted in advance was quite generous, he must have been sincere in wanting to cooperate,

What on earth is this guy worried about?
Wayne tried to think about it, then said tentatively:

"In fact, our detective agency has a good relationship with Pastor Bazzini. When the George Berg case happened last time, we participated in the investigation together with the George Berg Church."

Mr. Russell seemed a little surprised, "You are also in contact with Pastor Bazzini?"

"of course."

Wayne felt that he was not lying. "A few days ago, our detective agency caused a little trouble in the college. It was Pastor Bazzini who took the initiative to send people to help us solve it."

Mr. Russell finally showed a slightly more relaxed expression on his face. At least he was no longer so tense.

"In that case, please check the contract carefully again. If there are no problems, I will call the lawyer up and we can sign it."

oh……

So he is worried about the infighting in the church and afraid of being hurt by mistake?
But I don't think Pastor Bazzini can beat Bishop Corleone...

(End of this chapter)