Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 37 Exploring the Mysteries
It must be said that Li Wei's tactic of fighting poison with poison was indeed ruthless, considering that people's views were still very conservative in this era. A guy who was biologically male but identified as female and was indiscriminate in his choice of food and drink would have been sent to the gallows in this day and age.

Li Wei wanted to see what kind of person this guy would become if his concepts were truly corrupted by him.

That would be really interesting.

Richard and Ms. Windsor were also greatly shocked by Levi's move. They never expected that this seemingly gentle and refined detective would have such a vicious side—once the arrest warrant was issued, regardless of whether Franz himself was alive or dead, he was already completely dead on a social level.

"Although I know that guy is a heinous criminal, at this moment, I truly feel sorry for him from the bottom of my heart."

Ms. Windsor shook her head helplessly and sighed, while Levi simply smiled.

"Then, I shall take my leave."

After saying this, Li Wei nodded to the two of them and then turned and left.

"call…………………"

Richard only breathed a sigh of relief after the door closed again, shifting his barrel-shaped body uneasily on the sofa.

"I never expected that Mr. Li Wei, who looks so young, would be so terrifying..."

For people in this world, same-sex relationships are already taboo, let alone a man with a distorted sense of gender identity who deliberately dresses as a woman to approach men... Richard couldn't even imagine how Levi came up with this idea.

Well, if they knew that in Li Wei's world, such monsters and demons could appear in broad daylight, they would surely lament the decline of morality and the depravity of the world, which had practically degenerated into hell.

As it turns out, the royal family's actions and efficiency were indeed swift.

Within days, the *Explorer's Daily* appeared on the streets and quickly became a favorite among many. Most newspapers of this era had a specific focus, such as finance, politics, or people's livelihood. But for Li Wei, the *Explorer's Daily* was more like a bi-monthly or monthly magazine than a newspaper.

It's not published daily, but weekly. The content includes folk myths and legends with historical revelations, reader letters, and announcements of weddings, funerals, and other celebratory events.

The newspaper's main selling point, however, is... "Detective Levi's Investigation Records".

That's right. This is basically a detective novel that takes Li Wei's case records, embellishes them with artistic flair, and omits most of the true details that couldn't be told to the public. People love this kind of thing and are very willing to read these interesting and somewhat mysterious novels.

After reading the original manuscript, Li Wei concluded that the discrepancy between this work and the actual situation was even greater than that between the novel *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* and the historical records of the Three Kingdoms.

It's really hard to believe that the author tried so hard to cover it up, or maybe he was looking at fake files too... Li Wei thinks it's probably the latter.

The first issue of the newspaper was a huge hit. The residents of the foggy city were tired of reading the same old political, economic, and tedious foreign affairs reports all day long. This interesting and somewhat thrilling newspaper, specializing in reporting on mysterious events—and even featuring novels adapted from cases solved by Detective Levi—was naturally their first choice for passing the time.

Soon, countless letters from readers flooded the editorial department like snowflakes. Naturally, many of them recounted strange events happening around them, or rumors and mysterious incidents they had heard.

These letters will be sorted and categorized, and then distributed to subordinates for investigation.

As to how exactly this works, Li Wei was unclear. However, it has been proven that a mature bureaucracy is always able to act quickly and achieve results.

Of course, this result may not be what Li Wei wanted.

Such as now.

"I thought I could rest for a few more days."

Sitting in the carriage, Li Wei looked exhausted. After defeating the bat monster, Li Wei had enjoyed several peaceful days, sleeping until he naturally woke up each day, then listening to records while eating breakfast, reading the newspaper, taking a walk in the park, having lunch at a nearby restaurant, and then going to the Imperial Library in the Fog City to research and read books and newspapers. He would then return home in the evening for dinner, enjoy the night view, and then go to sleep.

Plain, simple, and serene.

Unfortunately, this good time didn't last long, as the urgent ringing of the intercom shattered it all.

"I can't wait."

Sitting opposite Li Wei was Katie, who had reverted to her usual attire of a baseball cap and a laborer's uniform, excitedly clenching her fists and waving them around.

"This situation might be a bit bad. Are you sure you want to come along?"

Li Wei looked at Katie, and although he knew it was useless, he still gave her a reminder.

Indeed, following normal procedures, no matter how effective this method is, it shouldn't produce results so quickly. After all, for the average person, it's difficult to distinguish between a mysterious event and supernatural occurrences. Even Li Wei himself, had he not encountered it firsthand, wouldn't have been able to determine the difference.

Well, this time the situation is clearly a bit special.

According to the old steward's report, one of the investigation teams went to investigate a rumor, and they were supposed to report back a day later—this was MI7's rule that when going out on an investigation mission, they had to contact the editorial department at a fixed time every day. If the team did not contact them at that time on any given day, it meant that something had happened to them.

The rest was straightforward: the team hadn't reported on time, and they hadn't gone home. According to their families, they never returned after going out. Therefore, the task of investigating the case naturally fell to Li Wei.

Being a celebrity isn't easy.

"Of course, those people were all good people, and I can't just watch them die. I hope they're still alive..."

"Alright, you make the decision."

Li Wei didn't try to stop Katie too much. After all, she was already in the car, and he believed that with the Katie family's power, they had plenty of ways to prevent their daughter from coming. And judging from Katie's current excited expression, she didn't seem like she had secretly run away from home.

In short, it has nothing to do with me.

Li Wei pulled himself out of his thoughts, took out the documents, and began to examine the objectives of this investigation.

The target was a house located in the Misty Knights district, which had once belonged to a fallen nobleman. However, the nobleman later died without an heir, and the house was quickly sold to someone else.

Up to this point, everything is normal; the abnormal part begins next.

The house subsequently had three owners, all of whom died suddenly. Some died from sudden illness, some committed suicide, and some went missing.

After that, the house was dubbed the "House of Death" and was completely abandoned. However, even so, nearby residents could sometimes see lights on in the windows of the house at night, as well as music and noisy sounds like a banquet.

None of them knew what was going on, nor did they dare to look; everyone kept their distance from the house.

They wrote a letter about what happened here and sent it to the editorial department of "Exploring the Mysteries".

Considering that this fits the requirements of a mysterious event, the old butler dispatched an investigation team to investigate.

Then they disappeared.

Okay, now it's gone from a "suspected" mystery to a "confirmed" mystery.

After all, the old butler had assured Li Wei that the investigation team members were all professional elites; they weren't the kind of negligent police officers, nor were they mercenaries who only cared about money. They were loyal, reliable, and willing to pay the ultimate price for their cause.

It's just that all of this happened a little too fast.

"They shouldn't have just gone in."

Levi frowned as he looked at the report. If it were him, he would first find out the details of the previous owners of the house from Inspector Lestrade, then talk to the neighbors to find out what they had seen and whether they had heard any rumors. He might even stay outside overnight to see what was going on before deciding whether to go in.

However, it was clear that this investigation team didn't take their mission seriously. Perhaps they even thought it was just a pointless investigation. Li Wei could understand this; most people wouldn't believe something existed until they saw it with their own eyes. Li Wei wasn't sure what the team members were thinking, but it was obvious they had been negligent.

However… in many cases, the price of negligence is devastating.

The house, known as the "House of Death," was located on the edge of the Knights District, an area originally slated for redevelopment. However, due to its notorious reputation, no one wanted to live nearby—well, having a haunted house as a neighbor was hardly a good thing.

The residents of the Knights Quarter were all nobles of high status, and naturally they didn't want to get involved with such gossip or ghost stories.

What should we do next?

Katie seemed quite excited, but also somewhat troubled.

"Are you planning to ask the residents here directly? I don't think that's an easy task, since most nobles are unwilling to spread rumors based on hearsay, as it's considered very unrefined. How about we start with the person who wrote the letter?"

"The letter is anonymous, and since the sender is anonymous, it will probably be very difficult to find out who it is."

Li Wei nodded.

"However, I didn't expect to get any clues from the gentlemen and ladies here. I had a better target."

"Ok?"

Upon hearing Levi's answer, Katie tilted her head curiously, looking at him with a puzzled expression, while Levi reached out and knocked on the carriage window.

"Excuse me, could you please take us to the nearest tavern?"

Then, he spoke.

(End of this chapter)