Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 185 Case Tracking
"Alas-----!"

As the woman disappeared, Katie turned pale and grabbed Levi's sleeve. With a tearing sound, she ripped Levi's sleeve off.

"Yes, yes, it's a ghost! Mr. Li Wei!"

"Yes, I saw it, it's a ghost."

Li Wei stared silently at his sleeve, now half torn off, speechless. When Katie grabbed him just now, he felt like he'd been bitten by a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Before he could even react, his sleeve was ripped off like a piece of paper.

"Aren't you scared?"

"I feel more sorry for my clothes now."

"ah……………"

Hearing Li Wei's words, Katie was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses. Then she looked at Li Wei and smiled shyly.

"Haha... Well, um... I'll pay for this dress as compensation..."

"Then trouble you."

Li Wei took the sleeve back from Katie; he could have Eileen mend it when he got back, and it should still be wearable. Then, he turned to look at the tombstone beside him.

"Well, it seems we've encountered an interesting event."

As he spoke, Li Wei stared at the tombstone.

The tombstone reads, "Jim Rogers, XXX—???, may his soul find peace wherever he may be."

"You know what, this inscription is actually quite interesting."

Li Wei stared at the inscription on the stone tablet and spoke.

"Any questions?"

At this moment, Katie also curiously came over and looked at the tombstone.

“Look, this tombstone only says the date of birth, not the date of death, and the sentence at the end is also very interesting.”

"May his soul find peace wherever he may be?"

"Yes."

Li Wei nodded.

"This doesn't feel like an ordinary grave; there might not even be a body inside. Perhaps he went missing, and his family thought he was dead, so they erected a cenotaph for him, hence the lack of a clear time of death. By the way, have you ever heard of this name?"

"Not impressed."

Katie shook her head and then looked around.

"This must be the place where those nobles are buried. I think Mr. Jim Rogers must be one of them."

After all, nobility is divided into hereditary and non-hereditary titles. Non-hereditary titles are easier to obtain, while hereditary ones are difficult. Take Livy, for example. If he had obtained a noble title, it would most likely have been non-hereditary, and he might have been buried here after his death.

There are many non-hereditary noble empires like this, and probably not many people remember them.

Unlike the Baskerville family, which is an old and well-known noble family.

"What should we do now?"

Katie looked around uneasily; the cemetery remained deathly silent, without a sound.

"Anyway, let's go back and report first, and see if we can find any information."

When in doubt, Li Wei always consults the organization.

After that, the two left the cemetery, and then Li Wei drove straight to MI7, where he found the old steward to report the situation.

"The honorary cemetery is unattended? That is indeed a big problem. I will inquire about it later."

The old butler was clearly quite surprised by the matter and said he would inquire about it immediately. Then he focused his attention on the incident that Li Wei had mentioned.

"So, you encountered a ghost?"

"In short, it doesn't seem like a normal living person."

Li Wei wasn't sure what the other party was, but it was definitely something he could see and talk to, although its sudden disappearance at the end was indeed unlike something human.

"Speaking of which, Jim Rogers... I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before..."

The old butler squinted and reached out to tap his head.

"I'm getting old, my memory isn't so good... Oh, right... It's here."

As he spoke, the old butler opened the drawer next to him, searched through it, took out a document, and opened it to take a look.

"That's right, it's this one. Hehe, it happened just a few days ago, no wonder I remember it."

The old butler handed over the document, which Li Wei took and opened. Inside, he saw the following information.

"We cordially invite all detectives to the Blackwood Mansion before the 15th of this month to solve the Jim Rogers case. Those interested may contact us..."

"what is this?"

Looking at this message, Li Wei frowned and asked.

"Oh, it's a notice, it was just sent a few days ago."

Newspapers of this era were more than just newspapers; they also served a function similar to forums or online communities. They had dedicated sections for personal inquiries, including but not limited to births, deaths, marriages, pet sales, job applications, the sale of secondhand furniture and houses, recruitment of servants or maids, and even requests for letters for friendship.

When Li Wei saw these, he was reminded of the spam posts on the forum, where almost an entire page was filled with such things.

This shows that it is not a phenomenon unique to the information age.

The *Exploration* newspaper naturally also has this type of section, and of course, the news on this section is mostly related to the supernatural. For example, the buying and selling of talismans for warding off evil, discussions about myths and legends, etc…

"And what is the Jim Rogers case?"

"I do not know then."

The old housekeeper shook his head.

"It must be some unsolved case. Wouldn't it be faster to ask the police?"

"makes sense."

Levi quickly dialed Inspector Lestrade's number, but fortunately, he was in his office as usual.

"The Jim Rogers case? Why are you suddenly asking about that?"

“I’ve run into a bit of trouble, it seems to be related to this Jim Rogers, and I also have a notice here, inviting detectives to the Blackwood Mansion to solve this case?”

"Ah, that notice, I saw it too."

It seems that Inspector Lestrade has been slacking off quite a bit by reading the Discovery newspaper.

"This case is indeed bizarre; some people even call it a century-old unsolved case."

"A century-old unsolved case?"

"Actually, only about fifty years have passed, and it's still a long way from a hundred years, but everyone thinks that this case may never be solved."

"You don't mind talking about it, do you?"

"Oh, that's alright, anyway, quite a few people in the police station know about this case."

Then, Inspector Lestrade told Levi about the case.

Over fifty years ago, there was an artist named Jim Rogers, who was quite famous at the time and thus received the favor of the royal family, who bestowed upon him a knighthood. This artist was quite talented, but he also had a wicked sense of humor and always enjoyed playing pranks on others.

At the time, newspapers frequently reported on the artist's pranks on others, which was quite an interesting anecdote.

Then one day, the artist placed an advertisement in the newspaper, claiming that he planned to hold a dinner party at his Blackwood Mansion, and the invited guests would solve a riddle he had set out. Whoever could solve the riddle first would receive the Blackwood Mansion along with all his wealth.

He published this story so that everyone could witness it, which, it must be said, is quite in line with everyone's perception of this eccentric artist.

The day after the banquet, many reporters arrived at the Kuroki Mansion, hoping to interview the lucky person who had acquired ownership of the mansion. However, to their surprise, the mansion's doors were tightly shut, and the reporters waited until almost dark without anyone appearing.

At this point, everyone felt something was amiss. A few daring reporters scaled the wall and quietly peered inside the mansion. What they saw was horrifying—through the windows, the reporters saw several corpses lying on the floor!

After that, of course, the police were dispatched.

According to the police's on-site investigation, there were a total of nine bodies at the scene, including Jim Rogers' wife and daughter, two servants, and five guests he had invited. Each person's face bore the marks of terror and profound pain; however, Jim Rogers himself was nowhere to be found.

Police searched the entire Blackwood Mansion but couldn't find Jim Rogers, so they listed him as a fugitive suspect.

There are many conflicting opinions surrounding this case. Most people believe Jim Rogers murdered the others, given the artist's somewhat eccentric and neurotic nature; such an act wouldn't be surprising. Others speculate that he might be a cult member or a demon worshipper.

Of course, other theories suggest it was likely the work of robbers. After all, everyone saw Jim Rogers's public announcement in the newspapers, so it's hard to guarantee that no one would covet the wealth. They might have used some means to poison Jim's dinner party, killing the others and then forcing Jim to hand over the treasure.

Then the robbers made their escape with the treasure, while poor Jim probably died in some neglected ditch.

"So, the case remains unsolved?"

"No, Jim Rogers didn't find it either, the bandits didn't find it either, and no treasure was found in the Blackwood Mansion."

Inspector Lestrade chuckled.

"Are you interested in this case?"

"Somewhat."

Li Wei, of course, would not tell him that he had found the clues from the ghost.

"Why don't you give it a try? After all, you're a famous detective."

"let me consider it."

After ending the call with Inspector Lestrade, Levi glanced at Katie beside him, whose eyes were now shining.

"So, this really is an unsolved case?"

"More or less, I don't know if it's right or wrong, but this is the only clue we have so far, unless that lady cried at the wrong grave."

Li Wei yawned as he finished speaking, then took out his pocket watch and checked the time.

"Alright, it's getting late, you should go home now, Miss Katie."

"So what should we do about this?"

"Let's go to the place where the notice was posted tomorrow and ask about the situation."

Anyway, I'm just sitting around doing nothing.

(End of this chapter)