Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 205 Returning to Hometown
A new year, a new look.

After Li Wei filled out those seemingly endless forms and went through what appeared to be an endless series of procedures, his reward followed.

First and foremost, of course, is money.

Most earls have their own fiefdoms, but given the state of the empire, those that were due were already granted eighty years ago. Melisia was left unattended, but Levi absolutely refused to go there. So, as a lifelong nobleman, the royal family symbolically granted him the White Oak district, where Levi's tower was located.

Of course, this was only a nominal fiefdom; Li Wei didn't actually have jurisdiction over this district, nor did he want it. Management simulation games were Li Wei's least favorite pastime; looking at so many complex attribute values ​​and such gave him a headache. Besides, Li Wei preferred being a detective running around solving mysterious cases to a lord managing a territory.

However, this nominal fiefdom wasn't free, because it allowed Livy to receive tax revenue from that region. In essence, it meant the royal family would allocate a portion of the city's taxes to Livy as his annual salary, amounting to approximately £80,000.

In comparison, the annual income of the empire's famous nobles and landowners is currently between 100,000 and 200,000 pounds (Ovelia is also among them).

From this perspective, Li Wei became incredibly wealthy overnight.

From a political perspective, with the titles of Knight of the Thistle and Earl, Levi was qualified to participate in the work of the House of Lords as a member of parliament. However, Levi felt that unless necessary, he... well, he would basically not go to the House of Lords.

Otherwise, given my professional instincts, if I were to go and search around, I might end up arresting a few people.

In truth, Li Wei now felt he was practically the Queen's handpicked head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, albeit specializing in mysterious cases. From this perspective, as long as the Queen lived, Li Wei could do as he pleased, but if the Queen died, well… that would be a bit tricky.

Li Wei might have to consider running away.

From this perspective, he and the Queen are in the same boat.

Of course, if all else fails, Li Wei can just run away... That's why he chose an airship; if he encounters any troublesome problems, he can simply fly his airship to the ends of the earth. In this era, there are no anti-aircraft missiles or radars; if he leaves the empire and hides somewhere, it seems like no one can find him.

In addition, there is a manor.

Although Levi claimed to be a homebody with no interest in going out, the Queen still bestowed upon him a royal estate.

And coincidentally, this manor is a summer resort. Guess where it is?

Yes, it's in the Delicat area.

No wonder Olivia smiled and told Levi as she left, "Come visit sometime, I'll help take care of you."

It must be said that the Delicat region is indeed a place of beautiful mountains and clear waters, with fresh air, making it ideal for health and wellness. After all, it's an agricultural area, so people naturally come here to eat and drink, relax and rejuvenate, and maybe go hunting in the forest when they're bored.

In fact, if this manor were located elsewhere, Li Wei wouldn't bother traveling so far; he might just sell it directly to the local governor or lord.

But in Delicat… well, I've known Miss Olivia for a while now, we see each other all the time…

Having said all that, Levi must clarify that his trip to Delict was not to see what the royal estate he had been given looked like.

Instead, he was invited by Miss Olivia to investigate mysterious events in the Delicat region—or rather, to accompany her on the investigation.

Li Wei also remembered the so-called Baskerville curse that circulated around the Olivia family last year, which was later found to be the work of local Luddites.

After that, Olivia was naturally furious and thoroughly raided the entire Delicat region, uncovering many Luddite remnants.

Naturally, these unfortunate souls all met with bad ends.

During this process, Olivia discovered a mysterious map at the Luddite headquarters, which indicated a certain location. On the surface, it looked like a castle, and Olivia suspected it might be a Luddite hideout, so she sent people to investigate.

This happened before she invited Li Wei to the Steel City.

When Olivia returned from the Steel City, she received unexpected news: the team investigating the castle ruins had vanished without a trace. Surprised, Olivia decided to lead the team herself to investigate.

When Olivia arrived with her people, she was surprised to find that the castle looked abandoned and there were no Luddites at all. The team she had sent to investigate had also disappeared.

Moreover, the puppy was very nervous at that time, and kept growling as a warning.

Olivia wasn't stupid. Given the bizarre situation, she decided to head back home. She was coming to the Mist City at the end of the year to attend the royal New Year's banquet, so she planned to find someone to resolve the matter then.

One of the people she was looking for was Li Wei, who was definitely an expert when it came to investigating mysterious events.

But she still needed to find out what the castle was for, so Olivia sought help from a famous scholar who was also in the capital at the time.

Well... how should I put it? Li Wei and the other party weren't exactly strangers.

"I never expected that Miss Olivia would actually invite you here."

Li Wei drove the car and glanced at the white-haired girl sitting silently in the back seat. She just sat quietly with her head down and didn't say a word.

Despite her young age, Anne, now recognized by the Royal Academy, is already considered a "renowned scholar." Incidentally, there was another car behind them carrying Lavinia and Joe—both acquaintances.

Lavinia told me that after the archaeological expedition in Melisia, the old professor's health deteriorated rapidly, and he eventually resigned from his teaching position. Anne took his place as the leader of the archaeological team, and now there are only three people left... Well, let's hope they have good luck.

"I'm surprised too."

Anne nodded slightly.

"This is my first time leading an archaeological team, and I don't know if I can handle it."

"I think you should be fine, and I'm here too, aren't I?"

"Um……………"

Anne didn't speak, but continued to look down at the map and documents in her hands.

Li Wei continued to gaze at the road ahead, remaining silent.

Winter roads are difficult to traverse; the thick snow is always a significant problem, not to mention the melting snow and subsequent freezing, making the roads even more slippery. Moreover, looking at the snow-covered roads, Li Wei felt a sense of unfamiliarity. He remembered walking this road for the first time last year on his journey to Delicat, back in summer, when the trees were lush and green, a truly vibrant scene.

It was on this very road that I encountered a little red hat who suddenly darted out from the road…

Li Wei snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the woods next to him again. The woods under the snow were still dark, and there was no sign of anyone.

He turned his gaze forward again and continued driving.

There was a fork in the road not far away, leading to a small village deep in the woods. Li Wei didn't intend to go and see what was going on there; he believed the villagers wouldn't be too welcoming of his return.

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I came into this world. I can't believe that a year ago at this time, I was probably lying in a hospital bed, listening to the machines and waiting to die. But now, I'm healthy, driving a sports car and speeding through the countryside. And in this past year, I've encountered many things that I used to only see in novels, games, and movies.

Looking back now, some things are so blurry that they seem like they happened a long time ago.

Li Wei sighed, still wanting to immerse himself in nostalgia and feel sentimental for a while.

However………

"Wow, so much snow, so much ground! Mr. Li Wei, shall we go down and have a snowball fight!?"

With people around, Li Wei wasn't allowed to properly grieve.

Katie, sitting next to Annie, was excitedly looking around, as if she wanted to jump out of the room. It seems that this young lady can travel far away this year. She runs to Levi's place every few days. When she heard that Levi was going to Delicatul, she immediately pestered him to go with her.

Having no other choice, Li Wei had to bring her along.

But it's tough on Annie.

Levi glanced at Annie through the rearview mirror. Ever since Katie got in the car, she'd been chatting non-stop with Annie, even though Annie wasn't usually a talkative person. But Katie clearly didn't care; perhaps it was because she rarely got away from Chongqing, and she was in high spirits, her mouth never stopping the entire way…

“When we get to Delicat, I think you’ll have plenty of opportunities to have a snowball fight, Miss Katie.”

Li Wei offered the latter a word of comfort.

"Really? Delicat is a great place for a snowball fight?"

"Well, that's not how it works... but there's plenty of land there, which is definitely suitable for running around..."

"It's great. I used to love rolling around in the snow, but my family always said it was improper, even though lying in the snow is very comfortable."

"That's true."

Li Wei recalled that when he was a child, he also liked to wear a coat and roll around in the snow, playing games.

Of course, playing in the snow is a lot of fun, but shoveling snow is a very tedious task.

"By the way, after we go to Delicat, are we going to see Duchess Baskerville?"

"Yes, she is a very... warm and hospitable hostess, and I think she will definitely treat you well."

Or rather, Li Wei hoped so.

(End of this chapter)