Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 17 Problem Detection
Although it's unclear how Katie got in, the process of entering the Brilliant Club went smoothly. Katie showed a card to the waiter at the door and was immediately led inside.

In Li Wei's view, this was more like a high-end bar, or rather, a club—that's pretty much the nature of such places. A group of men and women, drinking, smoking, and chatting. It was a kind of social entertainment activity in the pre-television and pre-internet era.

Basically, it's no different from the drunkards chatting in the downtown pubs, except they're dressed a bit better and their boasts are a bit more sophisticated...

When Levi and Katie walked through the passage and into the hall, they saw many men and women chatting. At the same time, a middle-aged man dressed in a brightly colored suit, who looked like a playboy, walked over with a smile and nodded to the two of them.

"Hello, Mr. Levi, Ms. Katie, welcome to the Glorious Club."

"May I ask who you are...?"

Li Wei looked at the playboy in front of him and asked a question, to which the latter twitched his lips.

“I am Baron Cohen Drex, a member of the Glorious Club, and also your introducer. If you two need anything, please feel free to let me know, and I will do my best to meet your needs.”

“Very well, Baron Cohen. We are deeply honored by your generosity and hospitality, and I am sure we will have a pleasant time here.”

"Well then, I won't disturb you any longer. Have a good time."

After saying this, Baron Cohen nodded to the two men and then turned to leave.

Seeing Baron Cohen's retreating figure as he went upstairs, Levi tilted his head slightly and whispered to Katie.

"Do you know each other?"

"do not know."

Katie shook her head naturally.

"I just said I wanted to join the Glorious Club and asked them to help me figure out a way, it's that simple."

"…………"

Okay, as expected of you.

"call…………………"

Reaching the second floor, Baron Cohen reached out and took out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. Then he turned his head and stealthily glanced into the hall. As a baron, Cohen himself possessed no particular talent; if he was good at anything, it was eating, drinking, and having fun. That's why Baron Cohen had joined such a prestigious club.

There are probably eight or ten thousand such small clubs even in a foggy city, and normally Baron Cohen wouldn't think his little place was anything to attract attention. However, to Baron Cohen's surprise, an envoy of a very important person contacted him last night, hoping he could get these two people to join the club…

Baron Cohen was just a minor baron; he couldn't possibly compare to these important figures, not to mention they had no prior dealings with each other. Given Baron Cohen's status and position, it was simply impossible for him to meet such important people.

Although he didn't know what the other party meant, Baron Cohen certainly wouldn't refuse... or rather, he had no way to refuse. So Baron Cohen obediently wrote the letter of introduction as requested and tried his best to arrange everything smoothly to avoid any accidents.

However, this is also a good thing.

Baron Cohen smiled smugly.

Previously, he had no way of connecting with those high-ranking individuals, but these two young people looked like a perfect match. They might even be descendants of some powerful family, or perhaps engaged, and chose this place because they wanted a private setting for their intimacy. Otherwise, given their status and position, wouldn't it be much easier for them to join those exclusive aristocratic clubs?
Oh well, as long as I treat them well, I'll definitely have good opportunities to get closer to the bigwigs in the future.

Meanwhile, Levi and Katie greeted most of the people at the club, receiving mostly warm and friendly responses—which was quite normal, given Levi's devastating good looks and Katie's elegant and refined appearance after careful grooming. Most people assumed they were a couple, having chosen a private club for a clandestine rendezvous…

This kind of thing is actually quite common. After all, social classes were still quite strict in this era. Aristocratic couples couldn't just hold hands and stroll down the street or walk in the park, openly exposing their love life to commoners.

It is naturally the perfect choice for private occasions that also have a certain high-end social nature.

Compared to Katie, people are paying more attention to Levi. This is partly because Levi is really impressive, and partly because the case of the socialite killer was only recently solved. As a "famous detective," his popularity is still quite high during this period.

If Li Wei were just an ordinary detective, he wouldn't have received such a warm welcome. It was mainly because of his demeanor and appearance—black hair and black eyes are symbols of ancient noble blood, their roots traceable back to the First Dynasty established by Emperor Arthur. Furthermore, Li Wei's own manners were remarkably polite, neither servile nor arrogant, and carried a touch of nonchalance.

Everyone present was shrewd and could tell at a glance that this was definitely not the kind of education an ordinary family could produce, so they were all very friendly towards Li Wei.

Li Wei also spoke with some of them. To put it simply, the members of this club weren't of particularly high or low status.

Among them were no major capitalists or high-ranking politicians; on the contrary, many held positions similar to secretaries of major capitalists or deputies to politicians. In addition, there were individuals like equestrian instructors and painters who had connections to the upper class but did not actually belong to it.

Is this club perhaps specifically designed for people like this?

So what was its purpose in being established?
"Hey."

Just as Li Wei was thinking, Katie reached out and subtly squeezed his arm.

"Hiss—what's wrong, Miss Katie?"

"Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to reveal your identity like this? Aren't we here to infiltrate and investigate?"

"We're here to investigate, but we don't need to infiltrate."

Li Wei touched his arm. When Katie grabbed his arm just now, it didn't seem like much on the surface, but Li Wei felt as if his arm had been gripped by a pair of pliers, and it almost broke.

Go back and take off your clothes to check; they might be bruised.

This young lady looks so delicate and frail, where does she get such strength!

"Isn't it supposed to be infiltration?"

"No."

Li Wei shook his head. If he could, he would like to do something like in a detective novel, like infiltrating and slowly investigating and searching. Unfortunately, what Li Wei lacks most right now is time.

After completing the previous mission, Li Wei gained a total of forty-five days of lifespan. Adding that to what he already had, he only had a little over fifty days left, less than two months. He didn't have time to waste on that. So Li Wei had to resort to this risky method, just like with Dr. Dolittle. He had to appear directly in front of his opponent, forcing them to make a reaction.

Li Wei was certain that if the mysterious woman saw him here, she would be on high alert. After all, thanks to the newspapers, the entire Fog City and even the information-circulating regions of the Empire knew of Li Wei, the famous detective who had solved the mysterious case. If she had something to hide, she would inevitably react in a tense manner.

This is exactly what Li Wei needed: when you don't know if there are mice in a mouse hole, patiently waiting for them to come out is one way.

But if time is tight, you can just poke it with a stick.

However, that woman hasn't appeared yet.

Li Wei had just greeted several ladies, but none of them were the one he was looking for. Although he hadn't seen her clearly in the church because of the veil, he remembered her walk and demeanor. The ladies he remembered were completely different from those he had, so… she hadn't appeared yet.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Levi played a few rounds of cards with the gentlemen at the club, while Katie mainly chatted with the ladies about the latest fashions and cosmetics in the city. As night fell, most people said their goodbyes after dinner. Soon, the place was almost empty. Levi and Katie exchanged a glance and finally decided to leave. After all, this wasn't something that would happen overnight; if they didn't run into each other today, they could always come back tomorrow…

After another round of cards, Li Wei stood up to say goodbye when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him, "tap, tap, tap." Hearing this, Li Wei immediately perked up, because it was the same woman's footsteps from before!
She finally appeared!

"Ah, madam."

At the same time, the other three gentlemen who were playing cards with Li Wei also saw the owner of the footsteps and hurriedly stood up.

"I really didn't expect you to arrive so late. We thought you wouldn't show up today."

Then, a calm, gentle woman's voice rang out.

"Sorry, I have some things to take care of. Did everyone have a good time tonight?"

"Of course, by the way, there are also new members joining today..."

Just then, Li Wei turned around and looked at the other person, then paused for a moment.

The other party was slightly taken aback when they saw Li Wei.

To be honest, Li Wei really didn't expect to see her here—because the person standing in front of Li Wei was none other than Mrs. Clayty, who controlled the Pink Lady Bar!

Looking at the kind-faced old woman in front of him, Li Wei's lips twitched. From the Pink Lady in the Lower City to the Private Club in the Upper City?

Isn't that a bit too big of a leap?
"…………………"

Lady Clarty's expression subtly changed when she saw Levi. At that moment, Levi's [Surveillance] immediately allowed him to detect the fleeting surprise, unease, and panic in Lady Clarty's eyes!
Sure enough, there was definitely something wrong with this old lady!

Li Wei narrowed his eyes, revealing a gentlemanly smile, then stepped forward and gave Madame Clarty a slight bow.

"Hello, madam, I am Li Wei, a detective. May I ask your name?"

"You may call me Mrs. Durex."

Lady Clytie paused for a moment, then gave an answer that almost made Levi lose his composure.

"Yes... Madam."

Li Wei hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't say the name out loud. He suspected that the moment he did, he might burst out laughing.

“This is my good friend, Katie.”

Li Wei casually pulled Katie over, and the latter, looking at Mrs. Clarty, opened her mouth slightly and stared wide-eyed like a fish. However, Mrs. Clarty didn't seem to recognize Katie, but simply composed herself, smiled, and nodded at her.

"Hello, Miss Katie, it's an honor to meet you both. I hope you enjoy yourselves here."

"Of course, we are very satisfied with this place."

Katie, having regained her composure, smiled and curtsied to Mrs. Clarty. Levi, meanwhile, picked up his hat and put it back on.

"Excuse me, madam, it's getting late, we should go now. I hope to see you again someday."

"Of course, Mr. Li Wei, you are welcome to visit the Brilliant Club anytime."

The two exchanged farewells, and then Levi led Katie away from the club and back into the carriage.

"Here, here, what exactly happened?"

Back in the carriage, Katie couldn't wait to show her surprise.

"Was that Mrs. Clayty just now? What's she doing at the Brilliant Club?"

"It seems that this case is more complicated than we thought."

Levi reached up and touched his chin, frowning. Lady Clarty's appearance had suddenly brought a question to his mind.

That is—even if, hypothetically, resurrecting Emilia really requires the flesh and blood of sinners, shouldn't we be focusing on courtesans instead?
Even if their abortion was a sin, in the Lower City, a place rife with crime, aren't there people everywhere whose crimes are far more serious than theirs? Robbery, murder, theft, kidnapping... Dr. Dolittle, an underground doctor, must only have patients who are not respectable. He could simply mix Emilia's finger powder into other potions, have those people drink it, and then kill them, wouldn't that solve the problem?

The Lower City district may have plenty of other things, but it certainly has plenty of criminals.

Moreover, this way, you don't need to specifically kill socialites; if you kill a few thugs or gangsters, nobody will care.

The reason this case involving socialites caused such a stir is because all the victims were socialites, and they all died violently in the streets, resulting in a very negative impact.

why?
Li Wei had previously accepted Dr. Dolittle's explanation entirely, but now he was beginning to have doubts.

After all, Dr. Dolittle's explanation was something he heard from someone else. How could a doctor possibly know anything about mysticism?

Lady Clyde is the master of the Pink Ladies. Judging from the [Soul Vision], it is very likely that she gave Dr. Dolittle that magic book. It is even highly possible that Dr. Dolittle's choice to attack the socialites was at her behest! After all, as the master of the Pink Ladies, it is impossible for her to be completely unaware of the situation of the girls under her command. Even if those girls wanted to hide it from her, could they really?

Or is it that she simply doesn't care?

What exactly does Mrs. Clyde want to do?
She runs Pink Lady in the Downtown and a private club in the Uptown. Does she have any other identities?

What does she want to do?
Just then, a flash of light appeared before Li Wei's eyes, followed by a line of system information.

[Activate the quest "Darkness and Shadows"]

[Mission Objective: Investigate Mrs. Clarty's true purpose]

[Task Reward: Lifespan +50, Random Reward]

Seeing this, Li Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It's obvious that I found the right clue this time!

With this in mind, Li Wei made a decisive decision.

"parking."

(End of this chapter)