Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 13 Inspector Lestrade's Request (Happy Children's Day everyone!)

Under Levi's expectant gaze, the elevator reached the top floor, and with a "ding," the doors opened. Levi then saw the portly Inspector Lestrade walk in.

“…Oh, it’s Inspector Lestrade.”

"Who else could it be if not me?"

Upon hearing Levi's words, Inspector Lestrade paused for a moment, while Levi himself did not say anything more.

"I thought there would be a client here. Come, please sit down. Your injury has healed?"

As he spoke, Levi gestured for Inspector Lestrade to sit down and poured him a cup of tea.

"Haha, it's just a minor injury. For us police officers, these kinds of injuries are commonplace. After all, I'm very busy with official duties right now, how could I let such a small injury delay me?"

Looking at Inspector Lestrade, who sat on the sofa with a beaming smile, Levi raised an eyebrow. Clearly, judging from his expression, the monster corpses and the magic book had not only fetched a good price for him, but had also brought the inspector considerable political benefits.

"By the way, this is for you."

Inspector Lestrade, meanwhile, smiled and handed Levi an official letter.

"This is?"

"Do you remember? When you first came to me, you said you were willing to help us solve the case."

"That's true."

"This is the official response."

Inspector Lestrade chuckled.

"If you accept, starting today, you will be a special advisor to our police department."

"…………………"

Li Wei took the official letter, opened it, and read it carefully. The contents were quite concise. The police had hired Li Wei as a special investigative consultant, with the requirement that he must provide assistance whenever the police needed his help with a case.

“The police station will give you a stipend of £25 a year, and I don’t think you need that little bit of money. But we can also install a walkie-talkie for you so that we can keep in touch.”

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Li Wei became somewhat interested. Telephone-like devices already existed in this era, but they weren't widespread. The most common means of communication were still letters and telegrams; telephones were still a luxury—just like when the telephone was first invented, only the wealthy and powerful could afford them. Even if ordinary people could afford them, the officials at the communications administration wouldn't bother them.

It's fair to say that unless you have connections, the only opportunity for the average person to access a walkie-talkie is in the public communications area of ​​the post office.

Moreover, a cost of one penny per second is not something everyone can afford.

"Is it because of the socialite assassin?"

Levi wasn't stupid. The city council had given him such a large reward, and now Inspector Lestrade was coming to him again, trying to recruit him. There was no other possibility.

"Yes."

When it came to serious matters, Inspector Lestrade's smile faded, and he nodded with a serious expression.

“You know the inside story, so I’ll be frank. We suspect that there may be more cases like this than just this one. Therefore, we are currently increasing our manpower to investigate those cases that have not yet been solved, or those that have been solved but still have doubts.”

Sure enough.

Li Wei wasn't surprised, given that the case was, strictly speaking, too surreal. In Li Wei's world, almost no one would take such supernatural or mystical matters seriously. But this world was different. As mentioned before, with the advent of the steam revolution, humanity had a desire for "comprehensive development." Things like necromancy and black magic could be openly discussed and analyzed in newspapers, so it wasn't surprising that the police would handle these matters with special care.

However... to say it's strange, it is still somewhat strange.

Levi looked at Inspector Lestrade with suspicion. In his experience, rulers in novels and games usually had departments that controlled mysterious powers, and such matters should be handled by them. After all, magic and sacrifices weren't like steam technology, which had only existed for a few decades; their history was ancient. Didn't the royal family have any precautions against them?

Why should the police be held responsible?
"Couldn't we just publish it in the newspaper, tell other people about the dangers of these things, and warn them to stay away from this nonsense?"

"Of course not."

Inspector Lestrade shook his head.

"If we directly declare that the courtesan killer case was caused by some mysterious evil ritual, it will definitely cause quite a stir among the people. And at least so far, the research on magic and rituals circulating among the public hasn't caused too much trouble. Everyone just sees it as a pastime and a way to pass the time. But once we declare..."

"Okay, I understand, this is indeed a headache."

Li Wei understood, of course, that at least for now, they had no effective way to combat this mysterious force. If they really published a warning in the newspaper, then in a few days, all sorts of black magic or cult rituals might erupt throughout Fog City.

“But Inspector Lestrade, you came to see me for more than just this, didn’t you?”

"of course."

Upon hearing Levi's question, Inspector Lestrade nodded, then his expression turned serious. "You remember Dr. Doolittle's magic book, don't you?"

"Hmm, what's wrong? Have you found any results from your investigation?"

"That's right, look at this."

Inspector Lestrade took a photograph out of his pocket and handed it to him. Levi reached out and took it, then looked at it.

In the photo, on the inner pages of the magic book, there was a line of strong, powerful words.

Steel is a plague, machines are decadence, and technology is a curse!

"This is……………"

Upon seeing this line of text, Li Wei raised an eyebrow and looked at Inspector Lestrade, who nodded solemnly.

"This is a Luddite slogan!"

It's no wonder Inspector Lestrade is so nervous. Luddism had been suppressed under heavy crackdowns, but that doesn't mean it's completely gone. The authorities now consider Luddism terrorists, since their goal is to destroy machines, destroy civilization, and return everything to the idyllic era before steam technology.

They considered it noble, beautiful, and sacred.

But for other people... that's a different story.

If the authorities previously viewed Luddism merely as terrorists causing destruction, the appearance of this magic book immediately raised the severity of the situation several levels!
A group of terrorists who only know how to smash, loot, and burn are completely different from a group of terrorists who know how to perform black magic rituals!
"The higher-ups are taking this case very seriously, so we want you to investigate as a special advisor. You know, being a police officer isn't always the best approach. A detective like you is much more convenient. We went to that church to investigate the parishioner who gave the spellbook to Dr. Dolittle, but they told me there was no such person!"

At this point, Inspector Lestrade was also furious. There was no such person. Did Dr. Doolittle's strange magic book fall from the sky?
"This case is officially closed, which is meant to mislead the mastermind behind it. But conversely, because it's closed, we can't continue the investigation, so we can only rely on you."

"Okay, I understand. I'll accept this commission."

Li Wei didn't hesitate much, after all, his life was still tied to the system's mission. As things stood, continuing to investigate along this lead was the most likely way to prolong his life.

Upon hearing his answer, Inspector Lestrade breathed a sigh of relief and extended his hand.

"Pleasant to work with."

"Pleasant to work with."

The two shook hands, and then Inspector Lestrade stood up.

"I should go back now. Fletcher will handle the rest."

At this point, Inspector Lestrade walked to the elevator entrance and then stopped.

"Oh, by the way, what about Miss Katie? Did you see her again after that?"

"No, I'm looking for her too. I don't know where she went."

Li Wei shook his head, but he guessed that the young lady was most likely locked up by her family... Running around in the slums and fighting monsters at a murder scene are completely different levels of danger. However, that young lady was truly daring, and her fists were incredibly hard... at least Li Wei felt he didn't have that kind of ability.

Upon hearing Levi's answer, Inspector Lestrade laughed heartily.

"I think you two are quite a good match. By the way, Mr. Li Wei, I suggest you hire a maid to help you manage things. These days, almost every family hires a maid, right?"

"Thank you for your suggestion, I will consider it."

Watching Inspector Lestrade's short, stout figure disappear into the elevator, Levi sat down again and looked around.

A servant... He hadn't really thought about that, but Inspector Lestrade's reminder made sense. Levi had quite a bit of money on hand now, so hiring a servant to help him tidy up, cook, do laundry, and so on was perfectly reasonable.

As for hiring servants, that's quite easy. There are specialized servant training schools in this era, and advertisements for job fairs are frequently seen in newspapers. Incidentally, the demand for maids is much higher than for male servants. The reason isn't as romantic as depicted in anime, but rather a more practical one.

Due to the ongoing conflicts and wars between the Empire and its neighboring countries during the later Silver Calendar period, a large number of men were needed for military service. Therefore, legislation was enacted to levy an additional "Servant Tax" on families employing male servants, while female servants were exempt from this tax. For this reason, most families chose to employ female servants to avoid this extra tax.

Yes, that's a pretty practical factor.

However, being a maid is not easy. Just like the socialites Li Wei encountered before, why would they rather be socialites than maids? The reason is simple: being a maid is far more tiring than being a socialite.

Being a high-ranking maid is glamorous, but it's not easy. A high-ranking maid needs to be literate, capable of reading and writing, and skilled in various household chores. They might even need additional skills. However, in this era, only women from wealthy families can achieve all of this.

Women laid off from textile factories and left homeless due to the Industrial Revolution didn't have this skill. Even if they became maids, they could only do the hardest and most tiring menial jobs. They even had to take care of the entire family's needs, making them a prime example of low pay and heavy workload.

In comparison, socialites are actually more comfortable.

I do need to tidy up this place, whether it's hiring a part-time worker or a maid, but as for the specifics... well, we'll see how things go.

(End of this chapter)