Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 37: Exploration & Mystery

One had to admit, Levi’s method of fighting poison with poison was indeed ruthless.

In this era, people’s values were still very conservative.

A physiological male who identified as a woman, indiscriminate when it came to food or partners, was the kind of person who, in this time, could be directly sentenced to the gallows by the court.

Levi wanted to see for himself—if this man’s concept of self was truly polluted by him, then what would he turn into?

That would surely be very interesting.

Both Richard and Miss Windsor were greatly shocked by Levi’s move.

They had never expected this detective, who seemed so genteel and refined, to have such a venomous side.

— Once this wanted notice was issued, whether Franz himself lived or died, he was already socially dead.

“Although I know that man is a heinous criminal, at this moment, I really can’t help but feel sympathy for him.”

Miss Windsor shook her head helplessly and sighed.

Levi, however, only smiled faintly.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

After saying this, Levi nodded politely to the two, then turned and departed.

“Phew………………”

It was only when the door closed again that Richard finally exhaled in relief, uneasily twisting his barrel-shaped body on the sofa.

“Never thought… Mr. Levi, though so young, could be so terrifying…”

For the people of this world, even same-sex romance was already considered taboo, let alone a man with distorted self-gender recognition who dressed as a woman to approach other men… Richard couldn’t even imagine how Levi had come up with this.

Well, if they knew about the world Levi came from, where all kinds of grotesque beings could appear in broad daylight, they would surely sigh that the morals of the age were declining, society was corrupt, and everything had already fallen into hell.

Facts proved that the royal family’s speed and efficiency were indeed swift.

In just a few days, Exploration Newspaper appeared on the streets, and it quickly became a favorite among many citizens.

Most newspapers of this era had clear professional focuses—finance, politics, or livelihood.

To Levi, Exploration Newspaper was less of a newspaper and more like a semi-monthly or monthly magazine.

It wasn’t issued daily, but weekly.

Its content included folk myths and legends with historical revelations behind them, reader letters, and various announcements of weddings, funerals, births, and such.

And its trump card feature was… Detective Levi’s Case Records.

Indeed, this was essentially Levi’s case files artistically adapted, with most of the truths unsuitable for the public omitted, and reimagined into detective stories.

People loved this sort of thing, and were more than happy to read such entertaining stories tinged with mystery.

Levi had read the drafts and concluded that the gap between them and reality was greater than that between Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Records of the Three Kingdoms.

It was hard not to pity the author for trying so hard to cover things up—or perhaps what he had been given were already false files… Levi suspected the latter.

The first issue was a huge success.

For Mist City’s residents, they were tired of reading daily reports on politics, economy, and the boring affairs of foreign countries.

By contrast, this kind of paper—fun, a little thrilling, reporting mysterious incidents, even containing detective novels adapted from Levi’s solved cases—naturally became their preferred leisure reading.

Very soon, countless letters from readers poured into the editorial office like snowflakes.

Naturally, many of these described strange happenings around them, rumors, or mysterious events they had heard of.

These letters were sorted into categories, then assigned downwards for investigation.

As for exactly how this system operated, Levi was not clear.

But facts proved that a mature bureaucratic institution could always move quickly and produce results.

Of course, these results were not always the ones Levi wanted.

For example—now.

“……………I thought I’d at least get a few more days of rest.”

Sitting inside the carriage, Levi looked weary.

After destroying the Bat Monster, he had enjoyed several peaceful days.

Each day he slept until he woke naturally, had breakfast while listening to records and reading newspapers, strolled in the park, dined in nearby restaurants, researched in the Empire Library of Mist City, read books and journals, then returned home for dinner, admired the night view, and went to bed.

Simple, plain, and tranquil.

Unfortunately, these good days didn’t last long.

The shrill ringing of the telephone shattered it all.

“I’ve been looking forward to this, actually.”

Seated across from Levi was, of course, Katie.

She had once again donned her usual newsboy cap and worker’s garb, fists clenched excitedly, punching the air.

“This time things might be troublesome. Are you sure you want to come along?”

Levi glanced at Katie.

He knew it was useless, but he still reminded her.

Indeed, under normal procedure, no matter how effective this system was, results shouldn’t have appeared so quickly.

After all, ordinary people found it hard to distinguish between genuine mysterious events and mere superstition.

Even Levi himself couldn’t tell the difference without witnessing them firsthand.

But this time, the situation was clearly unusual.

According to the Old Butler’s report, one of the investigation teams had gone to look into a certain rumor.

They were supposed to send in a report the following day—this was MI7’s regulation: during missions, every day at a fixed time, they had to check in with the editorial office.

If they missed it even once, it meant they had met with trouble.

And indeed, this team had failed to report, nor had they returned home.

Their families said they had left but never came back.

Thus, the task of investigating this case naturally fell upon Levi’s shoulders.

Being a public figure was not so easy.

“Of course I’ll come.

They’re good people—I can’t just sit by and watch them die.

I hope they’re still alive…”

“Well, it’s your decision.”

Levi didn’t push Katie too hard.

After all, she was already in the carriage.

And with her family’s influence, if they truly didn’t want her coming, they certainly had the means to stop her.

Seeing how excited she was now, it didn’t seem like she had sneaked out.

In any case, it wasn’t really his concern.

Levi withdrew his thoughts, pulled out the file, and began reviewing the investigation target.

The target was a house in the Knight District of Mist City.

It had once belonged to a fallen noble.

Later, the noble had died without heirs, and the property was quickly sold to others.

So far, everything was normal.

The abnormality came afterward.

That house had gone through three owners since, all of whom, without exception, died violently.

Some from sudden illness, some from suicide, and others who disappeared.

After that, the house earned the name “House of Death” and was abandoned.

Yet even so, nearby residents sometimes saw lights shining from its windows at night, heard music, even the noise of what seemed like banquets.

No one knew why, nor dared to find out.

Everyone stayed far away from that house.

They wrote what happened into a letter and sent it to the Exploration & Mystery editorial office.

Seeing that it fit the criteria of a mysterious incident, the Old Butler dispatched an investigation team.

And then, they disappeared.

Well then, from “suspected” mysterious incident, it had now become a “confirmed” mysterious incident.

The Old Butler had assured Levi that those investigators were elite professionals—not neglectful policemen or mercenaries only chasing money.

They were loyal, reliable, and willing to sacrifice for their cause.

But this had all happened far too quickly.

“They shouldn’t have gone in directly.”

Levi frowned as he read the report.

If it had been him, he would first have obtained the details of the former owners from Inspector Lestrade, then interviewed neighbors to learn what exactly they had seen or heard, maybe even staked out overnight before deciding whether to enter.

But clearly, the team hadn’t treated their task seriously.

Perhaps they had thought it was just a boring investigation.

Levi could understand—most people wouldn’t believe in such things until they saw them.

He didn’t know what they had thought, but it was obvious they had been careless.

And… many times, the price of carelessness was grim.

The so-called “House of Death” stood at the edge of the Knight District.

Originally, the area was to be redeveloped.

But because of the house’s notorious reputation, no one wanted to live nearby.

After all, who wanted a haunted house for a neighbor?

The Knight District was home to nobles of status, and of course they had no wish to be linked to street gossip or ghost stories.

“So, what’s our next step?”

Katie was both excited and troubled.

“Do you plan to question the residents? That won’t be easy—most nobles don’t like repeating hearsay. It’s considered uncouth. Should we start with the letter-writer instead?”

“The letter was anonymous. Since they chose anonymity, it’ll be hard to find them.”

Levi nodded.

“But I wasn’t counting on getting clues from the lords and ladies here anyway. I have a better target.”

“Hm?”

Katie tilted her head curiously, puzzled by his words.

Levi stretched out his hand and tapped the carriage window.

“Please take us to a nearby tavern.”

Then he spoke aloud.