Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 90 Hidden Secrets in History
Upon hearing Olivia's answer, Levi raised an eyebrow. It wasn't an unexpected response, but just to be on the safe side, he still needed to confirm.

"you sure?"

"I am sure."

Olivia nodded.

“Each member of the Baskerville family receives their own badge upon coming of age, with their name engraved on the back…”

As she spoke, Olivia flipped the badge over and pointed to the somewhat blurred, corroded lettering on the back of the badge.

"My grandfather's name is on it. I have the same one too."

As Olivia spoke, she took a badge from her chest and placed it in front of Levi for comparison. Levi took it and examined it carefully; it was indeed very similar to the badge he had received. Moreover, compared to the corroded and old badge, Olivia's badge was clearly quite new, with very clear patterns and lettering.

"Mr. Levi, may I ask where you obtained this badge?"

Olivia's expression was very serious at this moment. Levi's reputation as a detective was well-known in Fog City, and Olivia was certainly aware of it. But she hadn't expected that Levi would produce her grandfather's badge so soon after arriving at her house?

Even magic tricks can't be this fast!

"It was just a coincidence."

Li Wei did not explain the Wolf Head Village to Olivia in detail, as he felt it was unnecessary to tell her that her grandfather's head had been hung up for decades.

Huh? Wait a minute, the wolf god of Wolf Head Village is Olivia's grandfather.

That is, Sir Baskerville Jr.

Little Red Riding Hood is the daughter of the wolf god.

So, according to seniority, what should Miss Olivia call Little Red Riding Hood? Aunt?
Li Wei subconsciously began to think about this question.

Seniority is still very important, isn't it?

Is grandfather still alive?

Olivia wasn't annoyed by Levi's silence; she simply stared at him and asked her next question.

"Please accept my condolences."

That's all Li Wei could say.

"I think so too."

Olivia wasn't as annoyed as one might expect; she simply sighed silently.

"This badge has been returned to its rightful owner."

Li Wei stood up and nodded to Olivia.

“However, Miss Baskerville, I need your help with something.”

"what's up?"

“I want to see the history of the Baskerville family.”

Levi stared at Olivia and stated his request. He knew that families with such a long history had a tradition of recording their past, somewhat like genealogies, detailing family events and the achievements of the patriarch. Of course, compared to a diary, this would certainly be embellished.

However, Li Wei felt that it wasn't entirely unsuitable for research.

His focus remained on the first Baskerville family patriarch to be attacked, but that event had occurred decades ago, and he was Olivia's great-grandfather, making it impossible to find any useful clues. So Levi had no choice but to consult the family records, hoping to find some useful leads.

"No problem, the library has a special area for storing these records. When do you plan to go see them?"

"If possible, now would be fine."

"Ok."

Olivia picked up the bell on the table and shook it. Soon the maid opened the door and came in again.

“Take Mr. Li Wei to the history section of the library.”

"Yes."

"Thank you."

Li Wei nodded to Olivia, then turned and left with the maid.

Olivia remained seated, her expression unchanged, until Levi disappeared from sight, at which point she quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Then, Olivia frowned again.

Li Wei isn't that much older than me, so why is my heart beating so fast in front of him? It's so strange!

Maybe it's because I haven't been resting well lately.

Olivia thought for a moment and decided to rest early today.

After all, she is now the head of the Baskerville family, and she needs to ensure her good health.

Perhaps I should find some time to go to the hospital for a check-up...

On the other side, Li Wei was led by a maid to the library.

"This is it, Mr. Li Wei."

The maid who led the way was nearly forty years old. She wasn't as nervous as the younger man when she saw Li Wei, but she still spoke to him kindly.

"If you need anything, you can ring the bell to summon me, and I will stay here and be at your command at any time."

"Well then, would you mind if we talked?"

Li Wei sat down and gestured to the maid to sit down as well. The maid hesitated for a moment, then nodded and sat down.

"May I ask your name?"

"Fosco Gladys".

"Ms. Gladys?"

"Yes."

"You must have been working here for a long time."

"Of course, I've been working here since I was sixteen, and my parents have always worked here too. My father was a gardener, and my mother was a maid like me."

This is quite common in aristocratic households, passed down not only from generation to generation among the nobles but also among their servants. After all, the servants' lives revolve around their masters, and the nobleman's home is essentially their workplace, so it's not surprising that romances develop there.

This was especially true for established noble families like the Baskervilles.

The nobles encouraged this, since they also had children. Rather than letting their own children play with strangers of unknown origin, they felt more at ease letting their children play with the children of their trusted servants.

Of course, once the child grows up, their status will naturally change. They'll have to address each other as "Master," their attitude will become more respectful, and a sad, thick barrier will separate them. They can no longer use a steel fork to stab a badger like before… Sorry, I got distracted.

"I'd like to talk to you about some things concerning the Baskerville family."

Upon hearing Li Wei's question, Ms. Gladys suddenly became somewhat uneasy.

“Oh, sir, we are merely servants, and it is not proper for us to speak ill of our masters…”

“I understand your loyalty to the Baskerville family.” Levi was not surprised by Ms. Gladys’s refusal.

“But I hope you understand that I’m not here to get involved in the backstabbing and intrigue among nobles. My purpose is simply to investigate and resolve these strange events happening within the Baskerville family. It’s that simple. Do you understand what I mean?”

Ms. Gladys stared at Levi, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded slightly.

“…………………I understand, Detective.”

"very good."

Li Wei took out his laptop and leaned comfortably back in his soft chair.

"First, I'd like to ask, what are your thoughts on the initial disappearance?"

“I wasn’t even born then, and my parents never mentioned this to me.”

Ms. Gladys shook her head.

"However, at that time everyone thought it was just an accident."

"Accident?"

"Yes, such things happen occasionally. The horse gets spooked and gets lost in the forest, and the person disappears... People in the city may not understand, but the forest is very dangerous. Whether you are a nobleman or a commoner, once you get lost, you may not be able to get out."

"okay."

Knowing that Gladys was clearly unwilling to discuss topics he didn't understand, Li Wei changed the subject.

"Then let's talk about the case of Sir Baskerville Jr. According to the reports I've seen, someone knocked on the door the next day, and when they went in, they found the body?"

"Yes………"

Gladys's face turned deathly pale when the topic came up.

“I still remember what the lady looked like then. She was lying on the bed, her eyes wide open, as if she had seen something terrifying. Her body was being torn apart… By God, it was truly horrific. I had never seen the lady like that before. She was so pitiful, to end up like that… It was truly…”

"and many more."

Upon hearing this, Li Wei interrupted Ms. Gladys's narration, then took a pen and scribbled a few lines in his notebook, sketching out the corpses he had once seen in Wolf Head Village.

"Is that right?"

"Yes, it seems to be similar to this..."

Looking at the sketch, Ms. Gladys recalled for a moment, then nodded.

"And then? You discovered that Sir Baskerville Jr. was missing?"

"Yes, there was blood everywhere. We even found footprints leading out the window, but there was nothing there. The roof of the second floor was outside, and there was no way out nearby. We searched the entire manor from top to bottom, but we couldn't find the master, so we had to call the police."

"It was after that that the rumors started to spread."

"Yes."

"What's the reason?"

"Because of footprints."

"footprint?"

"Yes."

Ms. Gladys nodded.

"What was in the bedroom at the time wasn't human footprints, but more like wolf footprints stained with human blood. After that, the news spread, and it turned into this irresponsible rumor."

At this point, Ms. Gladys was clearly very dissatisfied.

"Then I have another question."

"Excuse me."

"Why is this curse called The Hound of the Baskervilles? Dogs haven't even appeared in this story at all!"

"I do not know either."

Ms. Gladys shook her head again.

"It's possible that someone fabricated this rumor to deliberately smear the Baskerville family."

"Okay, thank you for your cooperation."

Li Wei closed his notebook, smiled at Ms. Gladys, and she stood up.

"Then, I shall take my leave."

After saying this, Ms. Gladys turned and walked out of the library, then closed the door. Levi kept his eyes fixed on Gladys's figure until she disappeared through the doorway before turning away.

Okay, let's start looking for information.

Looking at the bookshelves that stretched to the ceiling, Li Wei rubbed his hands together and stood up. A family's history was incredibly long, and he didn't intend to go through it all. Li Wei had already decided to start with the first generation and then work his way forward. He had plenty of time; he refused to believe he wouldn't discover some clues.

So Li Wei circled the bookshelf several times before finally finding a copy of "The First Knight of the Baskervilles," which was almost covered in dust and cobwebs. After wiping the dust off, he sat back down in his chair and began to read it leisurely.

However, to Li Wei's surprise, he found himself witnessing a major drama as soon as he opened the book.

"...When Baskerville was abandoned in the forest, she was not even a year old. At that time, no one knew that this woman would leave a profound mark on this chaotic continent...Wait, the Knight of Baskerville is a woman?"

It has to be said that this beginning slightly surprised Levi. He had always heard of the Twelve Knights and subconsciously thought they were all men, but it turned out that the Baskerville Knight was actually a woman.
This is an interesting place.

Li Wei read this book like a biographical novel; in fact, in Li Wei's view, it was indeed a female protagonist novel. The female protagonist was abandoned by her family at a young age, raised by wild beasts in the forest, and then possessed the eyes of an eagle, the ears of a wolf, the speed of a leopard, and the strength of a bear.

She then became famous locally, which caught the attention of Emperor Arthur. He found her and invited her to join his great conquest to unify the continent. The two fought a duel, and the heroine was defeated by Emperor Arthur, willingly becoming his knight and conquering the continent together.

However, the cliché plot of the two getting married did not occur in the end. According to the book, the female protagonist fell in love with another soldier in her own unit, and the two eventually got married.

However, Li Wei discovered something interesting: after the female protagonist went to war with Emperor Arthur, she was often called Arthur's hound because she frequently used her beastly powers to help Emperor Arthur capture fleeing enemies…

Finally, the female protagonist gave birth to a daughter and designated her as the heir to the Baskerville family... um?

Upon reaching the end of the book, Levi suddenly frowned, then seemed to realize something. He put down the book, stood up, and began searching the bookshelf again. This time, Levi found the Baskerville family genealogy record in no time, and then opened it and began to examine it carefully.

"Good heavens, this is really good heavens!"

The more he turned the pages, the brighter Li Wei's eyes became.

He discovered something very interesting, but no one had ever noticed it before!

That's the Baskerville family. Apart from the three Baskerville lords who recently disappeared due to being involved in a curse incident, they are all women!
That's right. From the very beginning to the present, apart from these three individuals, all the Baskerville chiefs have been women!

And coincidentally, these three men became the clan leaders, and then the Baskerville Hound Curse was born in them!

To say that there's absolutely no connection between them... Li Wei absolutely doesn't believe it!

The question now is, what exactly is the relationship between these things?

(End of this chapter)