Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 99 The Hound of the Baskervilles
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The barking echoed through the forest, and upon hearing it, the old wolf, who was poised to pounce, trembled and abruptly stopped.

Although decades have passed since that nightmare, the old wolf still felt a deep-seated fear upon hearing that howl.

To be honest, he can't even remember what happened to him that day. Only the sound remains deep in the old wolf's memory.

Its fur was singed black, but the old wolf had no time to care. It even took two steps back, its tail instinctively tucked between its legs—it seemed that becoming a werewolf wasn't all good.

At least for now, even Li Wei can see it easily.

This guy chickened out.

"Woof woof... Howl..."

The barking has turned into a growling, which is actually more dangerous. After all, anyone who has ever handled or seen a dog knows that if a dog barks loudly at you, it doesn't mean anything. But when it stares at you and starts growling softly, you should be careful.

The old wolf trembled all over.

Then, a cloud of black mist was emitted.

Thick black mist erupted from the necklace Olivia clutched tightly in her hand, sweeping forward like a howling gale, swirling and growing ever denser. The surrounding forest trembled and swayed in the wind, making a rustling sound.

"roar……………"

Immediately afterwards, a colossal creature emerged from the black mist.

That was a hunting dog.

A three-headed hound.

It was the size of a bus, with three long tails swaying behind it. On its three long, pointed heads, scarlet eyes coldly stared at the old wolf before it, filled with the ferocity and savagery of a wild beast.

"Wow."

Looking at the monster before him, Li Wei couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

After all, he had seen Cerberus and the like in movies and games many times, but this was the first time he had actually seen such a legendary creature.

"roar……………"

Three heads stared at the old wolf from the left, center, and right, emitting low growls. The wolf trembled, its tail tucked between its legs, yet it still managed to open its mouth and let out pitiful howls, like a wolf cornered in its final struggle.

After a brief standoff, Old Wolf quickly made a decision.

run!
It leaped into the air, turned, and dashed into the depths of the forest. Once inside the dense woods, it was like a fish leaping freely in the sea or a bird soaring in the sky!
However, it is fast, but Cerberus is even faster.

Suddenly, the three-headed dog's left head shot out and bit the old wolf's leg, then pulled it back. Before the old wolf could react, the right head opened its jaws and bit the old wolf's upper body. Then, with both heads pulling simultaneously, the old wolf was torn in two.

Then, with both heads tilted back simultaneously, they swallowed the wolf's body, which had been torn in two, whole.

This is really…

Seeing this, Li Wei was also greatly shocked. He had seen monsters before, like the bat demon and Little Red Riding Hood. But compared to this three-headed dog, those two were completely on a different level.

To put it simply, if the bat spirit and Little Red Riding Hood are like genetically modified monsters from a monster movie, then this three-headed dog is like an ancient beast from the Jurassic era. They're not even in the same league.

"……roar……………"

The three-headed dog then turned around, one head staring at Levi, and the other two heads staring at Olivia.

Both of them were stunned.

"Detective, what should we do now?"

In terms of courage, Olivia would even dare to stab the old wolf in the back; in terms of personality, she is quite aggressive. But in front of this three-headed dog, Olivia felt like a little white rabbit, weak and helpless.

The fact that Olivia didn't sit down and burst into tears was her last act of defiance.

"You're asking me... who should I ask... since it came from the necklace, it should listen to you, right..."

Li Wei was also feeling uneasy, but he was prepared to run away at any moment. Just as Li Wei had said, this three-headed dog was summoned from Olivia's necklace, so it would definitely obey Olivia. Even if he ran away, he figured the three-headed dog wouldn't do anything to Olivia…probably?

“…thump…thump…”

The three-headed dog stepped forward and walked up to Olivia. Then the middle head lowered its head and sniffed Olivia. Then the left head, and then the right head.

Then, the three-headed dog emitted another burst of black mist, enveloping her. Olivia instinctively took two steps back, and when she looked again, she saw that the giant three-headed dog had vanished, replaced by…

"Wow, wang wang!"

A tiny dog, about the size of a palm, resembling a mixed-breed dog with only one head, stood in front of Olivia, its tongue lolling out and its tail wagging excitedly at her.

"………………………"

The two looked at the puppy in front of them and exchanged a silent glance.

What to do? We'll just have to take it home.

The battle was over, but the work wasn't finished. Adhering to his usual policy of "destroying all evidence," Li Wei and Olivia built a fire in the forest and dragged the werewolf's corpse onto it to burn. This served not only to dispose of the body but also to signal the people in the manor. According to Olivia, if they saw smoke in the forest, they would send someone to investigate.

Now all they have to do is wait.

"Crackling, crackling, crackling."

The two sat silently by the fire, watching the corpses consumed by the flames. Olivia cradled the adorable puppy that was the form of the three-headed dog, stroking its fur as she stared at the fire before her, remaining silent for a long time.

Li Wei remained silent. He knew that Olivia must be feeling very complicated right now, and besides... this was, after all, their family matter. He had already had his fill of gossip and didn't want to get involved anymore.

"Thank you for saving me, Detective."

After an unknown amount of time, just when Li Wei thought Olivia had fallen asleep, she suddenly spoke.

"You're welcome, it's my duty."

Li Wei answered silently.

"But I still can't imagine it..."

Olivia reached out, hugged the puppy in her arms, and lifted it up.

"Is this the Hound of the Baskervilles?"

"Isn't that interesting?"

Li Wei looked at the little black dog and chuckled. After old Sir Baskerville was eaten by the three-headed dog, the two found a diary nearby. It explained the origin of the curse "The Hound of the Baskervilles." In fact, this curse was spread by old Sir Baskerville, who hoped that future generations would act according to their own desires out of fear of the curse.

After all, as the victim, Sir Baskerville always believed that the black dog he saw that day was the culprit behind his misfortune. But for everyone else… it was just a strange curse.

As for why the next two heads of the family both disappeared on their thirty-eighth birthdays, it's even simpler: it's simply because Sir Baskerville was attacked on his thirty-eighth birthday, so he would go and take away other people when they turned thirty-eight and turn them into werewolves.

So strictly speaking, this isn't a curse at all...

Olivia sighed, and Levi didn't say much more. Although there were still many things to deal with, clean up, and clean up afterward, at least for now, everything was pretty much over.

"Mr. Li Wei, does this mean everything is over?"

"That's about right, that's how it seems for now."

Li Wei glanced at the system task and provided the answer.

The system thinks it's done, it must be done... right?
Otherwise, what's the point of having this system?
"So, are you going to leave here?"

"Yes."

Now that things were settled, Li Wei would definitely have to go back and report.

"Thank you, Mr. Li Wei."

Olivia held the puppy, her head bowed, her expression obscured by the firelight.

"If it weren't for you, I have no idea what the Baskerville family would be like now."

"it is my responsibility."

Levi leaned against the tree trunk, gazing at the campfire as he answered. He felt the occasion would be perfect for a cool cigarette, but upon reflection… he decided against it.

"I plan to promote the steam mechanization of agriculture."

Olivia's voice was soft, but very firm.

“This is something that the Delicat region must do. Improvements are being made all over the Empire, and we cannot be an exception. No matter what others think, I will never give up.”

It's clear that Olivia also has a desire to compete with the Luddites, after all, the latter have ruined her own family so badly. It's only because the Empire doesn't enforce the extermination of nine generations of relatives that Olivia might have done something else.

"You can start with your own land."

Li Wei mentioned it briefly, but that was simply a suggestion.

“There’s no need to force it at the beginning. Your Baskerville family should own quite a lot of farmland, so start with your own land. Once others see the benefits, they will be willing to follow your orders.”

“Excellent suggestion, thank you, Mr. Levi.”

"You're welcome, Miss Baskerville."

“……………Ovelia”.

"Ok?"

"Just call me Olivia."

Olivia looked up at Levi, her face flushed, perhaps from the firelight. Levi gazed into those deep blue eyes, then smiled slightly after a moment.

“Yes, Miss Olivia.”

(End of this chapter)