Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 118 Monster Hunter
The night passed.

The storm finally subsided early the next morning, and the North Star set sail again, heading towards its destination.

But at this moment, the aft deck of the Arctic Star was packed with people. Passengers from first class, second class, and even third class all crowded onto the deck.

The reason they came here was simple: the huge, strange fish that was currently lying on the deck.

This strange fish took up almost the entire aft deck, its head as big as a bus. Even sailors who spend years at sea have never seen such a large fish, let alone those going to sea for the first time.

"To be honest, I really thought you were drunk, Mr. Li Wei."

Standing on the deck, looking at the corpse of the strange fish before him, the captain could not hide his excitement and astonishment even with a pipe in his mouth.

"I've sailed the seas my whole life and I've never seen a fish this big."

"You make it sound like I've seen it before. If I could, I'd never want to see that thing again in my entire life."

Li Wei rolled his eyes as he stood to the side. After killing the sea monster yesterday, he sent the second mate to fetch people, and almost the entire crew was in an uproar. Many even abandoned their posts to come and see the sea monster.

Of course, bringing this enormous sea monster ashore was no easy task. Ordinary nets wouldn't suffice, but fortunately, the Arctic Star had a cargo crane. Dozens of sailors were sent into the sea to secure the strange fish tightly before it was carefully hoisted up.

Even along the way, two cranes were damaged, and the deck was almost dented.

But the captain didn't care about any of this at all!

Just kidding, hunting sea monsters alone is enough to be a highlight of my life—of course, I didn't kill the sea monster myself, but at least I provided some help!
Just as everyone knows that the hero defeated the Demon King, the fact that the hero received start-up funds and equipment from the old king when he set off cannot be disregarded.

So even though Li Wei damaged some things as a result, the old captain didn't care at all.

Just kidding, what's this compared to a sea monster?
What are your thoughts now?

"I?"

Li Wei looked at the sea monster in front of him and stroked his chin.

"Hmm, I was wondering... is this edible? Is it tasty?"

"...Do you want to eat it?"

"What's the point of having it if you're not going to eat it? With such a big head, you could make a huge pot of stewed fish head with chopped chili peppers."

Looking at the sea monster in front of him, Li Wei was actually a little drooling.

After the storm, he finally saw the true form of the sea monster. It looked like a fish, with two pairs of fins on each side of its body. Its head resembled that of a crocodile, only larger and more ferocious, and its tail was like that of a shark... Well, given its size, it was truly a formidable opponent at sea.

According to rough measurements, this sea monster is about 25 meters long, 3 meters wide, and weighs at least 100 tons.

Thankfully, it's the Arctic Star, currently the world's largest passenger ship, otherwise Li Wei might have had to carry this thing around to experience The Old Man and the Sea.

"Aren't you excited at all, Mr. Levi?"

Looking at Li Wei, the old captain was somewhat surprised. Even he was incredibly excited at this moment, but Li Wei looked listless, as if this sea monster had no value to him other than food!
Indeed, that was true for Li Wei!

What's wrong with the monster? He's even seen the anthropomorphic Imperial Bridge! Compared to the Imperial Bridge that sings nursery rhymes, this sea monster isn't so strange, is it?

Of course, being chased by a sea monster in the ocean is certainly not a memorable experience.

"I feel so sleepy right now..."

Li Wei yawned as he spoke.

After killing the sea monster last night and confirming there was no danger nearby, Li Wei had the second mate inform the captain to set sail, and then went back to his room to sleep. He planned to sleep until dawn, but before the sun even rose, the excited captain dragged him out to show him the sea monster that had been dragged ashore…

"In any case, this is a great achievement."

The captain looked at Li Wei and felt that he probably still didn't understand the meaning behind it.

"You should know that there are so many legends of sea monsters in the world, but you, Mr. Levi, are the only one who can truly hunt them down! As long as we bring the sea monster's corpse to Melisia, your fame will immediately spread throughout the entire empire, and you may even receive a reward from Her Majesty the Queen!"

I belong to the Queen, did I tell you that? Have I been arrogant?

Li Wei glanced at the excited old captain and silently complained to himself. After all, killing this sea monster had taken a lot of effort, but there was no benefit. The system didn't issue any mission or give any treasure chest rewards. The only change was that Li Wei's [Ghost Ship] core level was upgraded to LV2, and in addition to [Mist] and [Water Movement], it gained a special ability called [Spirit Formation].

Of course, it's not that it's bad, but... you can't use this thing on yourself, right?

Besides, he knew he would definitely receive a reward from the Queen within the year; he just didn't know what the reward would be.

Strictly speaking, Li Wei didn't really want to receive too much recognition. Although he was now certainly considered part of the royal faction, Li Wei had also discovered that the empire's bureaucratic system was somewhat different.

In the empire, the most secure positions are actually those of civil servants. They may appear unassuming, but in reality, they are indispensable in all matters. The royal family, the prime minister, and high-ranking officials may seem glamorous, but the more glamorous they are, the faster they are destined to die. After all, the principle of "the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked" is understood everywhere in the world.

This is why Li Wei didn't refuse when MI7 asked him for help in building their own team. While handling these problems alone would certainly give him more power, it would also make him a target of jealousy. Although it's said that mediocre people don't attract envy, who has nothing better to do than scheme and plot?

Therefore, Li Wei's goal was to become a high-ranking bureaucrat, primarily an assistant—doing whatever you tell me to do, and refusing to do what you forbid. It's a classic case of "iron-clad civil servants, ever-changing ministers," and as the saying goes, "the best warriors don't achieve great feats." Those who become famous are, of course, famous, but when it's time to fall, they're more unlucky than anyone else.

Li Wei's current goal is simple: save up some money, save up some lifespan, and then enjoy life to the fullest. This world isn't his original world, and it doesn't seem to have a country of his own. So why should he bother with all the trouble and risking his life?
Sipping tea, enjoying snacks, surrounded by beautiful women, and occasionally checking out exciting sights—isn't that more exciting than anything else? Or perhaps I'm just lucky; at least I'm connected to the royal family, and the Queen of the Empire's position is quite secure, unlike the one next door who's been dragged to the guillotine.

In contrast, there was another person who was even more excited.

"Mr. Li Wei".

When Annie, covered in blood, crawled out of the monster's belly, she almost gave Levi a fright.

If you didn't know better, you'd think you'd been eaten by this monster.

"You really allow me to dissect and study this sea monster?"

“Of course, Miss Branson.”

Looking at Annie, who was covered in blood and looked like she had crawled out of a blood-soaked movie set, Li Wei smiled slightly.

"On this ship, you are the most knowledgeable expert in biology. I believe you will be able to conduct thorough research and achieve results."

"I understand, I won't let you down."

Although Annie's expression remained calm, her slightly flushed cheeks and slightly faster speech indicated that the girl was far less innocent than she appeared.

"Of course, this is a deal between us, you haven't forgotten, have you?"

"I see."

Anne nodded.

"I will conduct a thorough examination of this sea monster as soon as possible and then write an investigation report."

"Then please."

Upon seeing the sea monster, Annie immediately approached Levi, hoping he would allow her to conduct a comprehensive investigation. Levi agreed, but on his condition that Annie write an investigation report afterward and submit it to the Exploration Editorial Department.

This was also the solution Li Wei came up with, since, from the current perspective, researching the monsters and "debunking" them seemed to be able to weaken them.

Of course, this is just speculation, but that doesn't mean Li Wei can't give it a try. If it's true, then sea monsters and the like will pose a much smaller threat to humanity in the future.

Not only that, he also planned to use this as a pretext to establish a long-term cooperation with Annie. Since her expertise was in paleontological research, she could potentially weaken not only sea monsters but also terrestrial monsters by "debunking" them.

In short, there's no harm in giving it a try, right?
Annie greeted Levi and then crawled back into the sea monster's belly. You can imagine the stuff inside must smell awful, but… that's what you call professional, right?

"Alright, Captain, let's not talk about the sea monster for now."

Levi turned his gaze away from Anne, who had disappeared into the sea monster's belly, and looked at the captain.

"Let's talk about the mechanical failure last night. What exactly happened?"

"I have already sent people to investigate this matter."

Getting to the point, the old captain's expression also turned serious.

"Based on our current investigation, our preliminary conclusion is that it was an operational error."

"Operational error?"

"Yes, someone in the rush prematurely shut down the boost system, causing the power unit to stop abruptly."

"oh……………"

Hearing this, Li Wei narrowed his eyes.

To others, it might seem like a mistake, but Li Wei knew it was far more complex than that.

After all, the sea monster pounced as soon as the ship stopped... You're telling me it was a coincidence?

This is such a coincidence...

Where is that crew member?

"He has been put in solitary confinement as punishment."

"Oh ho..."

Li Wei chuckled.

"Would you mind if I talked to him?"

Compared to those who are already dead, those who are still alive are clearly a bigger problem.

(End of this chapter)