Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 6: Increasingly In-Depth Intelligence

Dr. Dolittle's clinic was located at C921 Pine Street in the Oaks district, but strictly speaking, it wasn't a clinic; it was a pharmacy. The dusty glass clearly hadn't been cleaned in a long time, making it impossible to see what was inside. Li Wei adjusted his hat brim and then reached out to push open the dilapidated wooden door.

"jingle."

The bell on the door jingled, and Li Wei walked into the pharmacy, looking around.

To be honest, this was completely different from the pharmacy Levi had imagined. It looked unclean and unkempt. Instead, it felt more like a wizard's room from a movie. There were all sorts of strange plants everywhere, and a thick vine even stretched out of its pot like a giant python, lying across the middle of the floor.

Everywhere were dried plants and animal carcasses. Looking around, Li Wei thought it wouldn't be unusual to find even a large cauldron, the kind of pot witches used to boil children in Western legends, here. After all, this place didn't feel like a pharmacy at all; it might be more like an alchemy shop. And in this era, alchemy was quite prevalent; at least, the newspapers Li Wei had seen contained numerous reports about it.

"welcome."

Unfortunately, what came out was not a witch in a long robe, but a middle-aged man. He was short and stout with a square face and a beard that reached his waist. In contrast, his head was bald, and even a little shiny.

The man was taken aback when he saw Li Wei arrive.

"Oh, sir, how may I help you?"

"Hello."

Li Wei took off his hat and nodded to the man.

"I'm looking for Dr. Dolittle, is he in?"

"Oh, that's me."

The man nodded, staring at Li Wei with a puzzled look, while Li Wei also observed him.

"My name is Li Wei, and I'm a detective. I've come here to discuss the matter of the socialite killer with you."

"Ah, the socialite killer..."

Dr. Dolittle clenched his fists, then released them, and blinked.

“I know, well, everyone knows, these days have been incredibly harmful. But what does that have to do with me, Mr. Li Wei?”

"Perhaps you should be the one to tell me that."

Levi stared at him, unwavering. This idea came to Levi this morning after he woke up, ate a sandwich, ham and eggs, and a cup of coffee at a nearby restaurant. He felt that with the current clues, it was impossible to find the real killer, so he might as well trick Dr. Dolittle, like stirring up a hornet's nest... You first need to determine if there is a snake in the grass, and then determine how to deal with it.

“I know you’re in charge of treating those socialites…”

“I treat the people in this neighborhood, Mr. Li Wei.”

Dr. Dolittle calmly made the correction.

"Those poor girls are the same, and they are much more likely to get sick than others. You could say that most of the courtesans in this place have taken the drugs and prescriptions I gave them, but what does it matter?"

"I just want to ask you for some information."

Li Wei remained calm in the face of Dr. Dolittle's answer.

“As you said, you’ve diagnosed most of the people in this neighborhood, so I think you should be pretty clear about any abnormalities they might have.”

"Actually, I'm not very clear about it."

Dr. Dolittle spread his hands.

"They only come to me when they feel unwell, and of course, most of it is minor ailments. I mainly give them some anti-inflammatory medicine, do some disinfection and bandaging... Oh, holy God, you have no idea what those children have suffered. You should see their wounds, as if guests treat them not like ladies, but like children treating toys. This era is truly decadent, in our time..."

Soon, Dr. Dolittle began to lament how decadent the times had become, and how wonderful the idyllic pastoral era had been. Yes, like everyone his age.

"Back then, every household lived a self-sufficient life. The sky was clear, and there wasn't so much water vapor on the ground. Although they've improved their chimneys now, the sky is still hazy. I can't remember the last time I saw a clear sky. Those were good times. Everyone had work to do, and we were familiar neighbors for generations, taking care of each other. Unlike now, in such a big place, so many people come and go. They don't even say goodbye. The girls are the same. They could have lived decent lives, married a good man, and had their own houses and land in the countryside. But now, they can only live in this muddy place, rolling around and struggling desperately to leave. It's so pitiful..."

"So, what if they have children?"

"………………………"

Dr. Dolittle, who had been rambling on about "that era," suddenly stopped, as if a quacking duck had been choked.

"You are a member of the Holy Lord Church, right?"

Li Wei stared at the badge hanging on Dr. Dolittle's chest. It was an eye, and the knowledge that surfaced in his mind told him that it was something called the "All-Knowing Eye," which was the symbol of the Church in this world, the Holy Lord Church, representing God's supreme power and omniscience.

The knowledge about this world that surfaced in Li Wei's mind told him that in this world, in this era, aborting a child during pregnancy was a crime. The root of this crime lay with the Holy Church, because its doctrine held that all life was created by the Supreme God, even unborn infants.

Therefore, in this world, deciding to do so or assisting in doing so is a clear violation of doctrine and law.

This is why whether it's socialites or Dr. Dolittle, their meetings always seem like private deals with the mafia.

Because according to the laws of this world and this era, what they did was indeed illegal.

“You are a devout Catholic, aren’t you?”

Li Wei turned around, walked to the other side of the counter, with his back to Dr. Dolittle, and picked up the Book of Creation on the table, flipped to a chapter, and began to read.

"The Holy Lord created all things in this world, and all living beings are its miracles and our brothers and sisters. Those who wantonly take away life will be punished... That's what it says, right?"

Li Wei spoke casually, silently observing the reflection in the glass case before him. Based on his experience, many people do strange things behind others' backs. For example, when walking down the street, Li Wei often felt someone secretly taking pictures of him from behind… He stared at the misty, frosted glass. He saw Dr. Dolittle extend his right hand to grasp the emblem on his chest, remain silent for a moment, and then sigh.

"It was a difficult choice, but I want to tell you, Mr. Levi, that I am not only a believer, but also a doctor. So when my beliefs conflict with my duties, I have to choose one. And I am here now, fulfilling my vow, and I think that speaks for itself."

As Dr. Dolittle spoke, he stared at Li Wei's back, his small eyes, hidden in their sunken sockets, filled with a complex emotion. Li Wei could sense that his gaze wasn't directed at him, just as his own attention wasn't really on the book.

“I’m sorry to have wasted your time, Dr. Dolittle.”

Li Wei turned his head and returned the Bible to the other man. The latter extended his left hand and took the sermon book. Just as his strong, thick fingers gripped the book's heavy cover, Li Wei suddenly spoke.

"By the way, who is Emilia, the name on the title page of this book?"

The force on the book suddenly froze, then it gripped tightly, pulling it away from Li Wei's hand.

That's my daughter.

"daughter?"

Yes, she has passed away.

"Could it be that your daughter also...?"

"It has nothing to do with the socialite killer."

Dr. Dolittle shook his head.

"She passed away six months ago in an accident. It's such a pity. I had hoped she would carry on my legacy. But now it seems things don't always go as planned... I'm exhausted and want to rest."

"Then I shall take my leave."

Li Wei wasn't an idiot; he naturally understood the meaning behind the other person's words. So Li Wei put on his hat, nodded to Dr. Dolittle, and then walked out of the pharmacy.

The heavy wooden door closed, blocking Dr. Dolittle's view, and only then did Li Wei silently breathe a sigh of relief.

Dr. Dolittle was not a socialite killer.

He was certain of this; he was short and stout, and didn't seem very agile. He was completely different from the guy who had scaled walls and rooftops that night, a true master of light-body skills. Of course, if this were a martial arts novel, then the possibility that the other person was a master of light-body skills couldn't be ruled out, but…

"Waaaaahh ...

Li Wei looked up, watching the elevated train spewing steam and carrying a string of carriages as it rushed past. Surely this world couldn't possibly create some kind of martial arts universe for him?

He remembered reading somewhere that it was an ironclad rule that martial arts should not appear in detective novels.

However, he did not rule out the other party's suspicion because Li Wei clearly remembered that when he asked Dr. Dolittle, he originally wanted to start by probing through the fact that he treated socialites, but the other party quickly gave a very normal answer, as if he had prepared the answer for similar questions in advance.

Whether it was Li Wei's intuition or his inherent nature at work, he felt that Dr. Dolittle at that time was like an actor on a stage, and when it was his turn to say his lines, he said them... that's how it was.

Although we didn't actually manage to catch the snake while cutting the grass, we still gained something.

Next... naturally, we still need to conduct visits and investigations.

As for the location, it's the same old place.

Pink Lady Bar.

Unlike the quiet of the daytime, the bar was busier in the evening, with many people drinking and enjoying the song and dance performances outside. But on the second floor, bathed in pink, a completely different scene unfolded. Intoxicating, alluring—but irrelevant to Li Wei.

“Emilia?”

Jesse sat down next to Levi, curiously observing him. This time, Levi had come not as a detective, but as a guest. Naturally, as a socialite, Jesse had to work once she was paid.

Of course, Li Wei was very generous. In this small room, there were three socialites, including Jesse, gathered around him.

However, Li Wei was clearly not in the mood to enjoy this rosy time, and he hadn't brought these socialites here to have them drink with him.

Incidentally, Levi also tried it; a glass of sherry would accelerate his life countdown by 30 minutes.

So he decided to quit drinking.

"Ah, the doctor's daughter."

Another socialite snorted softly, smoking a cigarette and looking annoyed.

"I don't like her."

"Why? I think she's a really nice person. She always greets us warmly whenever we visit."

The third socialite was short and plump, with a lingering naiveté on her round face.

"That's because she's different from us, understand?"

The woman smoking rolled her eyes.

"What are we? We are bugs in the mud, and she is a noble swan. She goes to the Master's Academy and will become a useful person in the future. To her, we are just a bunch of pitiful worms, incompetent, illiterate, and only able to support ourselves in this way... Of course she will be friendly to us. Would a lion care about the thoughts of a little mouse?"

"I think your idea is a bit extreme. At least I didn't sense that she looked down on us."

Jesse joined the conversation, while Levi sat quietly to the side, sipping tea and listening to their chatter. This was why Levi had chosen several socialites to accompany him. In his experience, whenever more than two women surrounded him, they would speak ill of other women. Of course, Levi used to dismiss these as baseless rumors. But after experiencing them firsthand, he discovered that many of them were indeed true.

It can only be said that women behave completely differently in front of men and women.

"You've all been fooled by her appearance."

But the woman who smoked was clearly addicted to gossip.

"You guys think that girl is a good girl? She listens to her father, studies hard, and never interacts with men? Haha, but I bet you don't know, I've seen her dating other men. I bet that doctor doesn't know that."

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, the chubby woman and Jessie were immediately invigorated—indeed, gossip is the most effective stimulant.

"Of course, that night, I went out to find customers, and on my way back I passed through a small alley and heard... you know what I mean, so I curiously sneaked over to see which colleague was picking up work there. As a result, I saw that woman embracing a man, yes, it was that proud swan princess."

"oh………………!"

Jesse and another woman made timely remarks, while Levi simply sat silently to the side, without saying a word.

"Who is that man?"

"I don't know, I've never seen him in the store, but he's dressed very well, I think he might be that young lady's classmate or something..."

The woman smoking silently exhaled a puff of smoke.

"I did want to tell Dr. Dolittle about it. I thought he would definitely break the young man's leg, and that would be quite a sight. But I got a big job that night and then I forgot all about it."

"About that Miss Emilia..."

Li Wei seized the opportunity to intervene.

Do you know how she died?

"this……………"

The three exchanged glances, and Jesse was the first to shake his head.

"I don't know. I only heard that she was sick. At the time, we were all wondering how Dr. Dolittle, who is so skilled, could not even cure his own daughter."

“I have heard some things about it…”

This time, the chubby-faced one spoke up.

"I heard there was an accident."

"ACCIDENT?"

"Yes, Dr. Dolittle sometimes performs surgery in the basement below the pharmacy. He also has a very terrifying machine... it's a bed with a dozen or so tentacles with scalpels attached, like some kind of new medical equipment..."

"and then?"

"Mr. Dolittle was getting old, so he had Miss Emilia learn to operate it. After all, Miss Emilia was smart and talented, and she was also very familiar with these novel steam machines. Later, I heard that something happened during the operation... I only heard that, and then Miss Emilia accidentally died."

That was really quite careless.

Li Wei fiddled with his teacup, listening to the gossip of these socialites, but inwardly he was calmly pondering. He wasn't sure if his lead was correct. After all, you see, in many detective novels, the seemingly innocent person turns out to be the real culprit. And those who seem suspicious are just misleading people.

However, this case is not entirely unrelated to Dr. Dolittle.

Li Wei still remembers the investigation when he first saw the body; the wounds were clean and sharp, unlike those caused by an ordinary blade.

But what about the scalpel?
Aren't they designed to cut up human bodies?
Moreover, the chubby-faced lady mentioned that Dr. Dolittle's basement had a steam-powered surgical facility… Well, even after hearing her description, Li Wei still couldn't imagine what kind of operating table would use such a thing. One can only say that people in this era have such an incredible imagination, leaving him somewhat overwhelmed.

After all, modern people's imaginations are still quite common-sense, but in this era... well, that's hard to say.

There are no hospitals in this area, and it is very likely that Dr. Dolittle's underground clinic is the only place with scalpels, so he must be involved in this case.

However, this is not enough.

Further, in-depth investigation is needed.

Li Wei took a sip of tea and looked again at the ladies who were gossiping enthusiastically.

Do you know which school Miss Emilia attends?

Then he asked.

(End of this chapter)