Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 15 Looking for the target
For Eileen, the job was easier than she had imagined.

As a lower-middle-class citizen, Eileen knew how those even poorer than herself lived. Frankly, when she learned of her parents' death and the large debt they left behind, Eileen felt like her world was collapsing. She thought of the socialites standing numbly on street corners, the children listlessly making matches and pasting paper flowers in their dilapidated rented rooms, and the homeless huddled under bridges, desperately awaiting death.

Was she destined to end up like that? She once had a bright and promising future, but now, would it all vanish without a trace?

Fortunately, the gods smiled upon her and gave Eileen a job that was even better than she had imagined.

Although the repair room was smaller than Eileen's original place, it was still very warm, comfortable, and safe. Unlike those shared apartments, she wouldn't have to worry about her surroundings, fear police checks, or extortion from gangs. A somewhat cramped but very safe space was perfect for Eileen.

Moreover, Livy was a master who was very easy to serve.

Basically, Eileen's main job each day was to prepare breakfast for him. After breakfast, Levi would leave and not return until the afternoon. During this time, Eileen's tasks included cleaning the room, organizing files, and making the bed. Then she would go out to buy groceries for lunch and dinner. Levi was very generous in this regard, giving her a full pound for housework.

Eileen did not disappoint Li Wei's trust; she meticulously recorded almost every expense in her notebook. This included everything from groceries and spare clothes to miscellaneous items.

Of course, for Eileen, the biggest perk of this job is that her master is really handsome!

Eileen had seen many men, but she had never seen one so handsome! When she first clearly saw Levi, Eileen was completely petrified, frozen in place. She couldn't believe such a person existed in the world. In Eileen's eyes, if Levi changed his clothes and rode a white horse, he would be the quintessential prince charming every girl's dream!

Despite her thoughts, Eileen didn't dare hope for any romantic spark with Levi. Although at the maid school, they often circulated romantic stories of love that transcended class between nobles and servants, their teachers had repeatedly and calmly warned them against such wishful thinking!

A servant is just a servant!
Indeed, some masters may have affairs with their servants for various reasons, whether it's true love or just casual fling. However, if these servants think they can use this to climb the social ladder, they're delusional! Especially if discovered or if the servant is pregnant, their only fate will be to be kicked out of the house by their master!
By then, everything they have will be over. Their jobs, their reputations, everything. By then, all that awaits them is the despair of falling from heaven to hell.

Of course, Li Wei's current status isn't quite that high, but Eileen never even considered it, given how incredibly handsome her master was. She had no doubt that even the most beautiful young lady couldn't resist him. It's a real shame; if he were an actor, he would undoubtedly become the most famous star in the entire empire.

I really don't know why he chose the profession of detective, and I also don't know... what has the master been doing these past few days?
If Li Wei knew Eileen's inner doubts, he would calmly say that he hadn't actually done anything.

I just go out for a walk to church every day.

That's right, this has been Li Wei's daily routine lately. After breakfast, he goes to the nearby church for a while, then takes a walk around the neighborhood to gather information from other people. Of course, Li Wei will disguise himself to some extent at this time, because if he doesn't, he'll attract a lot of attention.

What Li Wei was eavesdropping on was information about Dr. Dolittle.

As a highly respected doctor in the downtown area, Dr. Dolittle certainly held a considerable position in the hearts of the locals. In fact, Li Wei had visited the area several times and heard many people believe that Dr. Dolittle was not the murderer at all, but was merely used as a scapegoat by the police.

Well, that's true in a sense, but the police can't exactly tell them that a resurrected corpse killed them.

But regardless of what people say, the socialite killer has indeed never appeared again since then, so many people now believe that Dr. Dolittle was indeed the killer.

Li Wei once passed by the pharmacy, but it had long been sealed off and entry was prohibited. Everything inside looked abandoned; he wondered what would become of the pharmacy… most likely, it was simply abandoned.

After that, Levi went back to the warehouse, but Katie still didn't appear. Come to think of it, he hadn't asked her for her contact information, or perhaps Katie just ran away too quickly. After defeating those monsters, he and Inspector Lestrade were frantically searching everywhere for things, and when they came to their senses, Katie was gone. Even Inspector Fletcher didn't know when Katie had disappeared.

Hmm, recalling the petite figure that stood in front of him back then, Li Wei thought—having a tank is indeed quite safe.

Unfortunately, this MT is unlikely to work for you for a long time.

Why not learn from games and raise a wild beast to be the tank?
Li Wei knew perfectly well that in this era, nothing was forbidden, and the concept of protected animals simply didn't exist. On the contrary, the rarer and more exotic the animal, the higher the price it could fetch. So, as long as he had money, he could buy any animal he wanted.

But buying it wouldn't be of any use. This isn't a game, I'm not a hunter, and I don't have any beast-taming skills. Besides, it's not easy to find beasts that can act as tanks; they're usually large creatures like bears. You can't just run around the streets with one of these things.

Ah, I wish I could draw a skill like [Fighting].

Li Wei has never fought in his past life; the only martial art he knows is random, unorthodox punches. Although Li Wei's [Shooting] stat is extremely high, and he even has abilities like [Death Eye] to assist him, he only has six bullets. If he encounters more than six enemies rushing at him, he'll be completely helpless.

Of course, Li Wei didn't come to church just to slack off; he had more important things to do.

“Squeak————”

Li Wei pushed open the church doors and walked in, finding the usually empty church now quite full of people. Seeing this, Li Wei raised an eyebrow curiously, then walked over to the side and whispered a question to a nun standing there.

"What happened? Why are there so many people here today?"

Faced with Li Wei's question, the nun hesitated for a moment, but seeing that Li Wei had been coming to the church frequently recently and was considered an acquaintance, she finally spoke in a low voice.

"The police have returned Dr. Dolittle's body, and we plan to hold a small funeral for him. These people are here to attend the funeral."

"them……………"

"They were all people who had been saved by Dr. Dolittle."

The nun faced the statue before her and made a devout gesture.

"Although we don't know why Dr. Dolittle did that, he did save many lives."

"Can I participate too?"

Hearing this, Li Wei didn't say much, but simply asked in a low voice.

"I also received his help."

That's quite a lot of care.

“Of course.” The nun nodded.

"No matter what crimes you committed in life, you will be the same before God after death."

Then your holy lord cannot succeed.

Li Wei forcibly suppressed the urge to complain. If good people and bad people are the same in front of the Holy Lord, who would want to be a good person? Ours is more reliable. At least after death, your behavior will be scored to determine whether you are put into the oil cauldron or reincarnated.

But then again, if such bizarre rituals and monsters really exist in this world, could gods really exist? If this Holy Lord really exists, and is just like what the church says, then it's a bit... well, pretty boring.

Li Wei certainly wouldn't directly express his dissatisfaction in front of the nuns. He simply pressed down on the brim of his hat, nodded slightly, and then left the church with the others, heading to the cemetery located behind it.

A normal funeral requires a ceremony, but Dr. Dolittle was a criminal, and according to the law, he could not be given a ceremony or blessing. Therefore, he could only be buried directly in the cemetery. At this moment, the coffin had already been placed in the grave, and even the process of sending flowers was skipped. Everyone was just allowed to see it, and then the grave was filled with soil.

After all, he's a criminal, and a repeat offender at that. What can you expect from him?
The crowd stood before the coffin, removing their hats and gazing silently at the tomb. The church pastor then stepped forward and raised his all-seeing eye high.

"May the Holy Lord bless his soul so that it may find peace, may his suffering be relieved, may he sleep soundly, may he rest in peace..."

As the pastor spoke, gravediggers quickly came forward, took shovels, and began shoveling soil to cover the coffin. The others bowed their heads in silent mourning.

Li Wei stood at the back, also pretending to be deeply saddened and in silent mourning, but this was the moment he had been waiting for!
Seeing that no one else was paying attention to him, Li Wei closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them again.

The Vision of the Soul!

This is one of the upgraded skills Li Wei acquired after completing the mission. According to the system explanation, this skill allows him to detect traces of various fluctuations and interferences at the soul level. This is also why Li Wei came here; clearly, the person who gave Dr. Dolittle the magic book must have interfered with his soul, and Li Wei now wants to see if that person is actually here!
The moment Li Wei opened his eyes again, the once colorful world instantly turned into black and white.

Like a black and white television, everything around him had turned into a bright, monotonous color. Li Wei stared at Dr. Dolittle's coffin, and could see that it was pitch black inside—clearly, Dr. Dolittle was dead, and naturally, he had no soul.

Immediately afterwards, Li Wei discovered that a black thread appeared out of thin air, connecting someone to the dark mass.

It is obvious that this person is inextricably linked to Dr. Dolittle!
Li Wei followed the silk thread and then saw the owner at the other end.

It was a woman, dressed in a black dress and wearing a black veiled hat, obscuring her face. Her attire was normal, the standard attire for someone attending a funeral… *sobs*

Li Wei felt a headache coming on, then quickly shut down his Soul Vision. A moment later, the monotonous black and white world vanished, and vibrant colors returned to Li Wei's eyes.

"call………"

Li Wei maintained a calm expression and let out a soft breath.

The vision of the soul—was that what the world looked like through the eyes of a soul? That was truly terrifying. Looking at the beautiful scenery he had "lost and found" before him, Li Wei once again felt the beauty of life.

Blue sky, white clouds, green grass, and lush greenery.

This is life.

However... I really don't know how to describe this ability.

Silently watching his lifespan slip away, Li Wei was speechless. It was a vicious cycle; he needed to complete tasks assigned by this system to extend his lifespan. However, the skills this system gave him all required consuming lifespan to use, and the mere five seconds of [Soul Vision] had consumed twenty-five minutes of his lifespan just now.

Indeed, when lifespan becomes clearly visible, it does become somewhat frightening.

Soon, the funeral came to an end, and the crowd dispersed. Li Wei blended in discreetly among the people, watching the woman in the black dress as she walked out of the church, got into a horse-drawn carriage on the street, and drove away.

Li Wei stood by the street, gazing at the taxi, and silently memorized its license plate. Then, he approached another taxi waiting for passengers by the roadside.

"Hello, sir, where are you going?"

Upon seeing Li Wei's appearance, the coachman hurriedly and eagerly inquired. Li Wei thought for a moment before asking.

Do you know the driver of that carriage?

"Of course, sir."

The coachman quickly answered.

“We often pick up passengers here. His name is Kent, and he's a very honest man.”

"I want to see him and learn some things from him. Can you make the arrangements?"

As he spoke, Li Wei took out a few coins, and the coachman's eyes lit up when he saw the money in his hand.

“No problem. We’ll all be at the nearby Golden Fish Tavern for lunch. He should go there after he finishes this job.”

"very good."

Li Wei nodded and then got into the carriage.

"Take me there."

(End of this chapter)