Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 70 No clue
MI7.

The commotion outside had little to do with this place; everyone sitting at the table was mostly chatting idly.

"The men were a little frightened."

Anthony took a sip of whiskey and swirled the glass in his hand.

"They knew the Queen would eventually target the conservative faction within the Church, but they didn't expect her to go this far. The Foreign Ministry must be in a complete mess right now."

"His Holiness the Pope lodged a protest?"

Katie blinked curiously and looked at Anthony, who shrugged.

"I heard they're sending a delegation, but what they'll be discussing is beyond my knowledge, and I don't want to know."

"But today's battle was really dangerous."

Henry's expression was serious. He hadn't participated in the battle with Bishop Raphael, but he had read the report. Being hit would cause feathers to spray out; if these feathers touched others, they would turn those people into feather monsters. And those feather monsters would also be destroyed, spraying out feathers, and then…

Fortunately, most churches occupy a separate area and are relatively independent, and the surrounding area was sealed off before the operation, so Li Wei reacted quickly.

Otherwise, if these feathered monsters were to get into the city of Fog City... just thinking about the consequences sent chills down Henry's spine.

Even if fire could solve the problem, how big of a fire would it take? And how many people would die?
"They actually dared to do that!"

Henry slammed his fist on the table in anger and growled in a low voice.

"These bastards should all be hanged!"

"They are as dead as can be, let's worry about the living."

Li Wei closed the book "Genesis" in his hand and spoke calmly. Hearing his words, the others also turned their attention to him.

"Detective, have you found out where those feathered monsters came from?"

Katie looked at Levi curiously and asked him. After that, Levi's task was to investigate whether Bishop Raphael's strange appearance was caused by some kind of rumor or hearsay—after all, it couldn't be that he turned into that ghostly appearance on his own, right?
"Well, I found it."

Li Wei glanced at Elizabeth beside him and nodded.

"That's the image of an angel."

"…………………???"

Faced with Li Wei's answer, everyone was completely dumbfounded.

"An angel? How could an angel look like that? Aren't angels supposed to be beautiful?"

Katie looked surprised and asked in confusion, while Levi shrugged and looked at Elizabeth. The latter then explained helplessly.

"Indeed, this is the prevailing perception of angels among the public, but it is not actually the case. This image of angels is fabricated by the church for the convenience of proselytizing; the true image of angels is not like this. For example, the Great Throne, in Genesis, is depicted as having one eye and three pairs of wings covered with eyes, watching over human sins day and night, seeing through everything..."

"That's pretty much it."

Li Wei casually drew a picture on a piece of paper and showed it to the three of them. The three of them then saw a huge eyeball with three pairs of wings that were shedding feathers on both sides, and eyes looking around.

"Waaaaa... Is this an angel?"

Not only was Katie's face stiff, but the expressions of the others were also really unpleasant. It's just that this thing is hard to imagine just by hearing the written description... but seeing the picture makes you feel like you're about to lose your sanity.

No wonder the church wants to beautify itself; if it doesn't beautify itself, who will come?

"Huh? But...aren't these changes based on the rumors? So if everyone thinks angels are beautiful, then angels should be beautiful, right?"

Katie's words were somewhat incoherent, but the meaning was clear: since Bishop Raphael transformed into an angel, shouldn't he, according to the public's perception of angels, transform into a beautiful angel?

"That's just what the public thinks; the real clergy don't think so."

Li Wei shook his head, and Elizabeth spoke up as well.

"In fact, contrary to what most people think, real clergy are more accepting of this angelic image."

"No, why...?"

Katie racked her brains but couldn't understand why, when there were beautiful angels available, she would choose to accept someone who looked like a monster.

What is this operation?
"Because demons need beautiful faces to tempt humanity into depravity. Angels, on the other hand, only need to use terror to intimidate those who associate with demons."

Li Wei understood Elizabeth's point. Simply put, demons have a need for human souls, which is why they resemble human desires. Angels, however, don't have this need, and since they are of impeccable character, their appearance doesn't matter. On the contrary, the more terrifying their appearance, the more they can intimidate weak-willed mortals who are easily exploited by demons… Of course, that's the reality. If Li Wei were to encounter such a creature, he would undoubtedly fire a burst of bullets without hesitation, and then consider the consequences.

Moreover, judging from the feathered monsters we encountered at the church before, these angels might not be any good either.

"I still prefer beautiful angels."

Katie muttered a complaint and fell silent. Clearly, Elizabeth's explanation was like telling a child that Santa Claus doesn't exist, shattering the girl's innocent fantasy.

Li Wei merely glanced at Katie before resuming his thoughts. It was clear that Bishop Raphael's transformation was still related to the rumors, but these were two different systems. Simply put, the public's view of angels was like an external network, while Bishop Raphael's view was like an internal clerical network within the church, albeit with isolation.

Therefore, Bishop Raphael ultimately became the angel in the clergy's imagination, rather than the angel in the public's imagination.

Well, it seems he's getting to know the rules of this mutation better and better.

"Click."

At that moment, the conference room door opened, and the old butler walked in. Upon seeing him, everyone else sat up straight.

"Have there been any results from the investigation?"

That should be about right.

Li Wei handed over the investigation report, which the old butler took, looked at carefully, and then nodded.

"Very good. Are there any leads regarding the Imperial Bridge?"

"There are no useful clues at the moment."

Li Wei shook his head. After returning to MI7 late last night, they immediately dispatched people to gather information on rumors and gossip about the Imperial Bridge. They also had people review the letters from readers, but unfortunately, there wasn't much mention of the Imperial Bridge. "What's the situation with the Imperial Bridge?"

"Final finishing touches are underway, and the line will open in three days. Her Majesty the Queen will personally attend the opening ceremony."

The old butler's expression turned serious as he spoke.

"We must figure out exactly what dangers lie ahead of the Imperial Bridge before we do that!"

"How do I investigate this?"

Anthony was the first to complain.

"According to the boss's idea, shouldn't rumors spread widely? But right now we can't find any useful rumors at all."

"But the captain also said that if there is some kind of mysterious power there, then perhaps it doesn't need to have too much influence."

Henry chimed in to Anthony from the side.

This is also a pattern that Li Wei summarized based on the cases he handled.

Of the four cases he handled, the socialite killer and the vampire were relatively influential, but the haunted house and the manor had very little influence, almost none.

However, the latter is more dangerous and powerful.

"But no one died during the construction of the Imperial Bridge, and there weren't any particularly strange altars or anything like that?"

"No."

The old housekeeper shook his head.

"The Empire Bridge is a key project designated by Her Majesty the Queen, and the media is watching it very closely. If too many people die, we will definitely find out."

Where is the altar?

"A thorough inspection has already been conducted, but nothing has been found."

The old steward spoke, glancing at Li Wei.

"Or you can go and check it out yourself."

"no solution anymore."

Li Wei sighed and stood up.

"Let's go straight to the scene."

The Fog City Bridge is located at the mouth of the Thales River. It is 325 meters long and has two 60-meter-high towers made of granite and steel on either side of the mouth. When a large ship passes by, the bridge deck between the two towers will crack open and rise to the left and right.

For this reason, the Imperial Bridge at the estuary now resembles a city gate in the river, and has even been referred to in the news as the Water Gate of the Fog City and even the Empire. It represents the product of the Empire's highest steam technology and steel power in this era.

To put it simply, it's a spectacle.

I just don't know whether to add entertainment or culture.

When Li Wei and his companions arrived at the Imperial Bridge, they were thoroughly impressed, especially Li Wei. The six-lane bridge was completely free of traffic jams; people could walk across it freely, and it felt truly exhilarating.

As the Empire's most celebrated marvel, the Imperial Bridge was naturally under tight security. Li Wei and his party were stopped by nearby soldiers before they could even approach, and were only allowed to pass after showing their identification. When the group arrived at the bridge, they found people already waiting for them.

“We conducted a full search of the entire bridge and found no signs of damage.”

The man in charge of the construction of the Imperial Bridge was a burly man, about the same size as Henry, tall and strong, looking like he could kill someone with a single punch. He had a pipe in his mouth and a menacing look on his face, but although he spoke with great arrogance, his eyes betrayed his unease. After all, if something really happened to the bridge on the day of the opening ceremony, his life would be over.

"What about those who use explosives or similar means to cause destruction?"

Henry was very interested in this, and the two quickly began discussing the issue.

"Impossible. The tower bridge was designed with the issue of destruction in mind. Thousands of tons of steel and stones are piled up here. You can't possibly blow it up. At most, you can only force some parts to stop working."

The burly man shook his head.

“We have sent people to inspect those places and found nothing suspicious. It was built to wartime standards, with the highest requirements for robustness, reliability and stability.”

"So it's difficult to cause damage?"

“These things around here aren’t just for show either.”

The burly man pointed proudly to the soldiers around him. Indeed, such a project was a matter of national pride and naturally had to be well protected.

"Under the bridge?"

"There is someone monitoring us at all times."

The burly man pointed to the river and saw a small motorboat chugging back and forth under the bridge, inspecting the area.

Li Wei ignored the other side; he simply used [Soul Vision] to walk across the bridge once, and silently flew over it again with the puppet bird and crawled through it with the puppet cat.

As a result, nothing was found.

At least within the scope of [Soul Vision], nothing unscientific has appeared.

"Any results, Detective?"

When Levi returned to the bridgehead, Katie also came over.

"No."

Li Wei shook his head and sighed.

"Let's go back and investigate other leads."

This is all he can do now.

(End of this chapter)