Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 184 Ghosts of the Cemetery
The cemetery Katie mentioned was on the outskirts of the Upper Town. Unlike other cemeteries, which are usually located in church gardens, this cemetery was simply a cemetery.

Well... that's not quite right. According to Katie, this place is where royal and noble members who sacrificed their lives for the country, but whose status wasn't high enough to be buried in the royal cemetery, are buried.

To put it bluntly, they held high positions and status, but lacked real power. Nobles like the Baskervilles had their own family cemeteries, and those who had made significant contributions were certainly buried there.

However, some people who originally came from humble backgrounds, later made great contributions in the war, and did not survive to the end, are buried here as a way to give them dignity.

In addition, some members of the royal family who could not be buried in the royal cemetery "for various reasons" were buried here instead.

Therefore, this place is also known as the Cemetery of Honor, implying that those buried here have nothing but honor.

The entire cemetery is divided into two parts, the upper part being a small section used by royalty, and the rest being mostly used by generals and soldiers who died in war.

This is somewhat similar to the nature of a martyrs' cemetery.

For this reason, although this place isn't heavily guarded, the punishment for tomb raiding is much harsher than in other places. However, no one usually raids tombs here, since the upper city has excellent public security, and the honorary cemetery originally buried ordinary officers and soldiers, whose burial items were just things they brought with them in life, which were practically worthless.

You might find more by digging up the graves of wealthy people in the cemetery.

Moreover, this place is, in a way, a spiritual symbol of the empire. After all, when soldiers chat, they often talk about going to the battlefield and possibly being buried in the honor graveyard... So the security here is quite strict.

This is how it should have been...

Why is there no one at the entrance?

Arriving at the cemetery entrance, Li Wei looked puzzled at the open gate, while Katie peeked out, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Huh? Isn't there a gatekeeper?"

"There wasn't a soul in sight around. I thought it was closed."

As Li Wei spoke, he glanced around. It was nearly evening, and the last rays of the sun flickered faintly on the horizon. The gas lights on the surrounding streets were already on, and apart from the dense woods, there wasn't a soul in sight on the wide streets.

This is understandable, after all, this is a cemetery, and the upper district is inhabited by people of status and position; no one wants to live near a cemetery. Not to mention it's evening now, and apart from energetic people like Katie who like to wander around, no one else would be near a cemetery at this time.

Except for tomb raiders.

really weird.

"Is nobody in charge here?"

"I don't know..."

Katie looked puzzled when Li Wei asked her question.

"I've only heard that ghosts haunt this place, but I've never been here before. But most cemeteries should be closed by now, right?"

"Um……………"

Li Wei stared at the open gate of the cemetery before him, pondering for a moment.

"Anyway, let's go and take a look first."

After making the decision, Levi led Katie to the cemetery entrance, where a gatekeeper was naturally stationed. The two peered through the window, but there wasn't a soul in the gatekeeper's room. They could even see a thin layer of dust covering the tables and chairs, indicating that no one had been there for some time.

"How is this going?"

Katie looked puzzled as she watched this scene, while Levi pondered for a moment.

"Didn't you say before that the gravedigger died from an accidental illness? Is it possible that after he died, no one was sent to take over the place?"

"No way..."

Katie was stunned by Li Wei's answer.

"This is a national cemetery..."

"Anyway, let's go in and take a look."

As for why there's no one to guard the tomb, we'll report it to MI7 later and let those bureaucrats sort it out themselves. It's likely just another product of mismanagement. It's possible that it would have been discovered much earlier elsewhere, but because almost no one comes here, they haven't noticed that there's no one in charge of managing it… That possibility cannot be ruled out.

However, this is a good thing for Li Wei.

"Waaah..."

Although Katie was a little scared, she still sidled up behind Levi and cautiously entered the cemetery.

The cemetery here has a rather gloomy feel, perhaps because it's surrounded by large groves of trees, making it dark as far as the eye can see. Fortunately, the gas lamps along the road seem to be connected to the outside, so even though it's already evening, the dim yellow light still illuminates the surroundings.

Li Wei walked slowly into the cemetery. The first thing he saw was a row of large stone tablets, each engraved with the name of a battle the empire had fought. Below them were the names, ranks, and causes of death of the soldiers who had died there. Although there wasn't much, it was still a thoughtful gesture.

The stone tablets in front are carved with ancient battles from long ago. The further you go in, the closer to the present day. The last record is of a battle fought by the empire fifteen years ago.

As for the civil war in Melicia... well, that doesn't even count, since actually only a few people died.

However, in a few more years, there may be a few more stone tablets here.

Li Wei gazed at the stone tablet, pondering these trivial matters. Katie followed closely behind him, even reaching out to grab Li Wei's clothes. This young lady was truly exasperating; clearly afraid of these supernatural events, she insisted on coming to investigate.

This reminded Li Wei of the many girls in his world who would cover their eyes in fear when watching horror movies, but would get upset if you told them not to watch... Hmm, if there were horror movies in this world in the future, Katie would probably be a loyal viewer.

"Squeak—squeak—squeak—!"

As night deepened, the sounds of insects chirping echoed from the surrounding woods. Listening closely, besides the chirping of insects and the sound of the wind, only the footsteps of Levi and Katie could be heard.

The two weren't really looking for anything, so they just wandered around the cemetery. After passing the soldiers' graves, they moved on to the officers' graves. Compared to the soldiers' graves, the officers' graves were better; at least each officer had their own tombstone.

But precisely because of this, it has a more authentic cemetery feel compared to the previous stone tablets.

"Waaah..."

Katie was now even more terrified, clinging tightly to Levi and looking around anxiously. Despite being such a coward, she still loved chasing after ghosts.

I don't know if it's because they're brave or timid.

"Is anyone there, Mr. Levi?"

"I didn't see it... Hmm, there doesn't seem to be anyone here."

Li Wei activated [Soul Vision] and scanned his surroundings; indeed, there was no one nearby.

"No, the dead woman hasn't appeared?"

"No, nothing at all." Li Wei shook his head.

"Ultimately, it's just a story, and it might not even be true. After all, aren't ghost stories most likely to appear in places like cemeteries?"

"But, but the gravedigger here is nowhere to be found... and the door is wide open..."

"It's also possible that the other person went somewhere to buy alcohol and forgot to close the door."

After all, in many stories, the cemetery keeper is a drunkard who is addicted to alcohol.

"Ugh...that's what they say..."

Hearing Li Wei's answer, Katie looked a little disappointed. So, you're afraid when you see a ghost, and you're disappointed when you don't see one. What exactly do you want?

"Waaaaah..."

But just then, a low murmur came from afar.

Upon hearing this sound, Katie's body immediately stiffened.

"Yes, is someone crying?"

"It does sound somewhat similar."

This time, Li Wei didn't try to brush it off with "maybe it's just the wind." Instead, he listened carefully and indeed, it sounded more like someone was crying than the wind.

"Want to go over and take a look?"

"Yes, I want to see it."

"Didn't they say watching this would kill you?"

"Waaah..."

Katie hesitated for a moment in response to Levi's slightly malicious answer.

"No, it's nothing. That's just a legend, a superstition. Nothing will happen!"

Have you noticed that what you're saying is actually quite contradictory?
Li Wei really wanted to complain about what would happen if it really was a ghost, but seeing Katie's amusing expression, he decided to let her be.

"Alright, let's go take a look then."

As he spoke, Li Wei walked toward the source of the crying.

To be on the safe side, Levi had already used the puppet bird to scout the area beforehand. Through the puppet bird, Levi did indeed see a woman dressed in a black dress and wearing a veil, looking like a widow, kneeling before a tombstone, weeping softly. From her appearance, she seemed to be simply a grieving woman who had lost her husband, which was why Levi was willing to bring Katie to investigate.

After walking for a while, the two came to the other side of the road, and then Li Wei stopped and looked into the distance.

Under the streetlights, the woman in black crying in front of the tombstone could be clearly seen, and Katie stared in surprise when she saw her.

"Wow, it actually exists!"

Katie covered her mouth and sighed softly.

"Alright, see? He's just an ordinary person."

"But why would she come to the cemetery so late? Isn't she scared?"

"Maybe..."

As Li Wei spoke, he recalled a news story he had read in his original world. It was about a policeman who found a boy walking alone at night during a night patrol. The policeman stopped the boy and later learned that the boy's mother had passed away, and the boy wanted to talk to his mother because he had encountered some unhappy things.

He wasn't afraid, even when he went to the cemetery at night.

One comment at the time said, "The ghost you fear most is the person closest to you," and perhaps that's true.

"Alright, it would be impolite to keep watching. Let's go."

"But she looks so pitiful. Should we go and ask her if she needs any help? After all, a lady coming to the cemetery alone at night and crying in front of a tombstone must have encountered some serious trouble."

"…………………"

Well, since we're already here, this problem still needs to be solved.

It would be troublesome if a report actually came up someday.

"Never mind, let's go and take a look first."

Li Wei sighed, then led Katie out from the side and walked towards the woman in black kneeling in front of the tombstone.

Perhaps hearing the two footsteps, the woman who had been weeping softly in front of the tombstone trembled, turned around, and stood up.

"Good evening, ma'am."

Li Wei stared at the other person, then removed his hat and bowed.

"I'm sorry to bother you, I hope you won't mind."

"…………………"

"May I ask what you're doing here all by yourself? It's already evening, and it's dangerous for you to be alone."

"………………………"

The woman silently observed the two of them, then looked at Li Wei, and her body trembled. She quickly walked up to Li Wei, reached out, grasped his right hand, and lifted it up.

What she was staring at was the bright red ring on Li Wei's right hand.

"Ah... Ahhh..."

A sorrowful sigh echoed, and upon seeing this, Li Wei immediately became alert. After all, this ring was no ordinary ring, and the fact that this woman was reacting to it meant she was no ordinary human!

Just as Li Wei's thoughts were turning, a voice came from under the veil.

"Please, end all of this..."

"call-----!"

The next moment, a strong wind howled, and Levi and Katie instinctively stepped back. When they opened their eyes again and looked forward, there was no one in front of them.

(End of this chapter)