Some time after the assasination attempt, a bar somewhere in New Winstam. A card game is being played around a table.

"So d'ya hear? Apparantely our dear Minister hired assassins on 'imself." 

"That's old news, apparantely the Minister is a killer, that's why 'e kept a gun on 'im at all times."

"I've 'eard it figured he stole the ideas he used. Straight from the brains of 'is peers."

"No no no, last I 'eard, our dear old Minister is threatenin' the families of all who oppose 'im!"

"Well 'e better keep it up! I'd not like catching the plague from some nobody!"

"Hear 'ear!"

-------------------

In the police chief's office a woman angrily conversed with him.

"This is a tragedy! It is a disgrace! I demand justice for my family! Surely there is something you can do to fight this unwarranted attack on my family." The woman begged of the police chief.

"I am sorry madam, but your family has been implicated in an assassination attempt on a public figure, I simply do not have the power to influence this process, it is in the Mayor's hands now." The Chief replied in a placating manner.

"Fine! Then let me see the Mayor, I am sure I can talk sense into him!"

"I am afraid I cannot do that either, the Mayor is not receiving visitors right now."

----------

Vanderbilt walked the streets of New Winstam, looking for any areas he might have overlooked on his hunt and greeting the crowd of onlookers and whisperers, letting them part as he walked through the streets.

He noticed that some small scuffles broke out on the edges of the crowd, likely some disagreement, probably about the truth of the recent rumors, followed by violence. Little he could do about though, so he simply entered another storefront to check it out.

---------------------

A shadowy corner of thr city, a man converses with an assistant.

"How is the smear campaign going?"

"Very well sir, the Minister's popularity is at an all time low, especially among the elite. The only holdouts of support is in old Winstam and the dregs of society in New Winstam."

"What's the reason for the support?" The shadowy figure asked, confusion apparant in their voice.

"Old Winstam is still holding out hope for the Polio matter and generally like how he is cleaning up New Winstam while the dregs in New Winstam hope that he gets around to attacking the tenements and cleaning the streets themselves."

The shadowy figure spoke, a frown revealing itself through their voice, "No matter, all we need to do is force him out of office, how is our investigation on him going?"

"Wonderfully if I do say so myself, we now know the details of his life after his field service. Most of the time he went from place to place as a doctor, we also have record of several failed treatments and measures that backfired."

"Good, release it, I want Vanderbilt to look as incompetent as possible, what is the status of his family."

"They are living in the capital, we can abduct them in two weeks time."

"Good, I expect to see them in two weeks."

---------------

"'Ey, d'ya 'ear, Vanderbilt is some quack who can't perform medicine."

"What, where'd ya 'ear that?!"

"It's in 'is record, apparantely 'e 'as several times where he does the exact wrong thing. I say, the only reason 'e is as famous as 'e is, is because he steals the ideas of the smarter blokes around 'im and kills them right after!"

"A murderin' doctor, is that tomorrow's newspaper story?"

"I believe it is, turned it the idea in myself too."

"Well, ain't this gonna be interestin'"

------------

The prescence watching this fiasco knew all it entailed. The elites lead by a shadowy figure trying to pull down Dr. Vanderbilt, the doctor blatantly bulldozing his way through opposition, and all the people caught in between.

They watched and did nothing, for now.