Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 238 The Old Man's Secret

Old Man Roger didn't live in the town, but in the mountains near it. Logically speaking, going up the mountain at night is very dangerous, but Levi and Katie are both highly skilled and daring, and the rider had no choice but to risk his life to accompany them.

The forest was pitch black at night.

There were streetlights in the town, but in these mountains, there was no light at all. The dense forest made the darkness almost imperceptible, and even the gas lamps they carried could only illuminate a few meters ahead. The chirping of insects and animals all around added to the unease.

After about half an hour, the three of them finally saw the small house not far away.

It was a wooden hunter's hut. Li Wei walked up and knocked on the door. After a moment, a hoarse, deep voice came from inside.

"Who?"

"Hello, are you Mr. Roger? We have some questions we'd like to ask you."

"………………………"

There was a moment of silence inside the room after hearing Li Wei's words.

"It's too late to see any guests today. Please come back tomorrow."

"Excuse me, but I have something I'd like to discuss with you anyway."

"Didn't you hear what I said, kid? You dare come in? I'll shoot you dead, you believe me?!"

The old man's irritable tone frightened Katie, who hid behind Levi. However, Levi did not back down and continued to speak.

"A few years ago, you rescued a pregnant woman from the mountains, didn't you?"

"…………………"

This time, the old man did not answer. After a moment, the tightly closed wooden door creaked open, and the three of them saw an old man with gray hair and a disheveled appearance appear before them. He stared at Li Wei, then looked at Katie hiding behind him, and then looked at the rider standing to the side, frowning.

"It's you?"

“Yes, it’s me, Old Man Roger. Do you remember me? I’m Easter Dunn!”

The rider hurriedly shouted, but the old man only glanced at him before looking away.

"Who knows your name? All I know is that you were pretty annoying back then."

"Well…………………"

Faced with the old man's blunt reply, the rider's expression stiffened, but Li Wei clearly didn't care.

"Then, Mr. Roger, would you please speak with us?"

"Talk to them? Why?"

"Because the woman you saved died during childbirth, and her daughter Alice went missing not long ago."

"………………………"

Upon hearing this, the old man's face suddenly tightened.

"But what does this have to do with me?"

"The child vanished into thin air in a sealed room."

Li Wei stared at the old man.

"Please tell me, where did you find that woman? Was it in Death Valley?"

".........!"

Upon hearing the name, the old man clenched his fists, as if he had been provoked. He glared fiercely at Li Wei, while Li Wei looked at him calmly. Their gazes met and lingered in the air for a moment before the old man's previously fierce aura gradually disappeared, and he turned away, hunching over once more.

"come in."

"call……………"

Hearing this, Katie and the rider secretly breathed a sigh of relief, while Levi remained unchanged, simply saying "Excuse me" before walking into the room with his cane.

It was just a small wooden cabin, the firewood crackling and burning in the fireplace, bringing warmth to the cabin at night. The group sat down on chairs beside the wooden table, and then the old man took out teacups and poured tea for the three of them.

"There's nothing special here; we weren't originally planning to entertain guests."

As the old man spoke, he sat down on the bed next to him and stared at the three of them.

"So, what are you doing here?"

"Please tell us about Death Valley."

Li Wei repeated his question again, and the old man glanced at him.

How did you know I knew about Death Valley?

"It's just a guess, because I heard that you go hunting in the mountains every day, rain or shine, right?"

"So what?"

"No, I'm just curious."

Li Wei fiddled with the teacup in his hand and took a sip of tea.

"Are you really going hunting?"

"...This has nothing to do with you."

“Indeed, it has nothing to do with me. The reason I came here is simply to find out the location of Death Valley, because I suspect that the missing child is in Death Valley.”

"...What makes you think that?"

"That's just how I feel."

Li Wei smiled as he looked at the old man.

"Of course, it doesn't matter if you don't want to tell us. Most people in the town know the approximate location of Death Valley. We should be able to find it if we just look for it."

"Then why did you come looking for me?"

"I want to know what happened in Death Valley; it might help us with our next move."

"…………………"

Upon hearing this, the old man fell silent, while the rider hurriedly spoke up.

“Please, Old Man Roger, that child… Alice is such a lovely child! Our whole family adores her, especially my older brother and sister-in-law; they treat Alice like their own daughter! When my sister went back, she didn't even regain consciousness before passing away… But her daughter…”

"Why……………"

The old man sighed deeply, then opened his eyes again.

"If I had known, I probably shouldn't have saved her back then."

"Sir, what do you mean by this?"

At this moment, Katie also asked a question out of curiosity.

Didn't you do a good deed?

"Hehe, good news..."

The old man gave a wry smile and then continued speaking.

"Actually, I'm not from this town..."

"Hey?"

"I was born in Death Valley. Back then, it wasn't called Death Valley; it was called Silver Valley. It was called Silver Valley because a silver mine was discovered there, and someone bought it and started mining it. Because it was quite remote, not very close to other towns and villages, it gradually became a small village mainly inhabited by miners and their families. That's where I was born..."

As he spoke, the old man lit his pipe and took a puff.

"Silver Valley was quite lively back then, and there was even a smelting plant there that smelted the mined silver ore into silver ingots and then transported them out. Although life was a bit tiring, everyone was quite well-off. I thought that when I grew up, I would become a miner or a smelting worker like my father... until that day."

The old man's eyes were fixed on the flames burning in the fireplace, as if he could not suppress the surging emotions in his heart without doing so.

"I was only five or six years old at that time. I can't remember exactly when, but I remember that there was a commotion in the mine. My mother was very worried and even suspected that a mining accident had occurred."

Later that night, Dad came home and told us some news.

During the excavation today, a hollow space was unearthed. Curious, the workers went inside and discovered it wasn't just a simple hole, but a place that resembled a church. Inside were chairs, tables, a pulpit, and even symbols of the All-Seeing Eye. Moreover, everything inside was made of silver!

This discovery astonished everyone, with some even considering it a miracle, causing a great sensation in the mine. Later, the priest stepped forward and told everyone that this was the Holy Lord's protection and blessing upon Silver Valley; it was because of the Holy Lord's blessing that everyone was able to find inexhaustible silver ore here…”

"Well…………………"

Upon hearing this, the rider displayed a complicated expression, while Li Wei's expression turned serious.

"Finally, everyone agreed to use that place as a church for prayer and to praise the gifts of the Lord."

The old man sighed. "I've been there once too. It's truly amazing. Everything is made of silver. Under the firelight, the entire church shimmers with a silvery glow, it's incredibly beautiful... and right in the center is the symbol of the All-Seeing Eye..."

Are you sure it's the all-seeing eye?

Li Wei interrupted the old man and asked.

"Is it any different from the current All-Knowing Eye?"

“Different…different places…um…”

The old man frowned and thought carefully for a moment.

"I honestly can't remember, since it happened a long time ago. Anyway, everyone thinks it must be the all-seeing eye, and even the priest said so, so there shouldn't be any problem. If there were a problem, wouldn't the priest have discovered it long ago?"

That makes sense; as religious people, they are certainly more sensitive to religious symbols than others.

“If things had just been like that, it wouldn’t have been a problem. But then things started to get weirder and weirder. Before, everyone just had to work in the mine. But now, the priest says that in order to praise the Lord, everyone has to go to that silver church to pray and give thanks for the Lord’s blessings every day when they go to the mine and after get off work.”

This was quite troublesome for everyone. Working in the silver mine already started early, and having to spend time going to church to pray made most people unwilling to go. However, some devout workers decided to follow the priest's instructions… and then, arguments began to arise…”

The old man stared intently at the firelight, his gaze unwavering.

"I don't know the specifics, but I heard my father complaining when he got home that the miners were using prayer as an excuse to slack off, reducing their manpower and slowing down the process. The boss was also very angry, since spending time praying every day affected the silver mine's output, resulting in losses. So they planned to talk to the priest and ask him to give up this pointless practice..."

Surprisingly, the priest refused the boss's and workers' demands. Not only that, but the workers who stood with him also stood firm. The boss was furious and threatened to fire them all. And then…”

The old man's tone grew increasingly cold, and Katie quietly moved closer to Levi.

"...The next day, I heard that the boss had gone mad. He was running frantically through Silver Valley as if he had encountered some terrifying monster, and then, in full view of everyone, he climbed onto the smelting plant and jumped into the furnace!"

"Alas-----!"

Upon hearing this, Katie let out a terrified scream.

"Then the priest told everyone that this was the boss's retribution for disrespecting God, and ordered us to obey God. To be honest, the situation was indeed strange at that time. Although I only heard it from my father, everyone felt that the priest was a bit scary, and God's punishment terrified many people, so many people later went to that underground church to pray..."

"Um………"

Li Wei remained silent, simply staring at the old man and continuing to listen to his story.

“Everyone was scared at the time, but my father said that as long as the agent came, they would tell him about the situation here, and then all the trouble would be over. As it turned out, an agent did come, but I don’t know what kind of spell the priest had on him, he actually handed over the ownership of the silver mine directly to the priest!”

It's a silver mine after all, so this medicine must be quite potent.

"Many people were angry at the time, but there was nothing they could do. However, after that, the priest went further and further. He even banned the transport of silver from Silver Valley to the outside world, claiming that he would use the silver to build a great idol to praise the Holy Lord!"

"Hmm? But isn't the prohibition against idol worship a commandment of the holy bishop?"

The rider realized something was wrong at this point. Although he wasn't a devout believer, he still knew some basic facts. The reason God didn't have an idol, but only the symbol of the All-Seeing Eye, was because of this.

"I didn't understand this at the time."

The old man shook his head.

"However, at that time, many miners did suspect that the priest was actually bewitched by the devil, but there was nothing they could do. The priest and the miners loyal to him firmly controlled the entire Silver Valley, and no one else could resist them. They could only cast idols according to the priest's requirements."

But that wasn't all; the priest also wanted to offer a sacrifice… He claimed he would use the pure blood of a child as the sacrifice!

"Um…………………"

Li Wei shrugged, following the standard procedure.

"At first, everyone thought the priest was joking, but when he actually sent people to snatch children from other people's homes, those with children were enraged. They finally organized themselves and began to resist the priest and his men, but the priest seemed to possess some kind of terrifying power, and those who resisted were easily killed by him and his men..."

As he spoke, tears welled up in the old man's eyes, and his hands began to tremble.

“At that time, my father was also one of the rebels. When my mother heard the shouts outside, she knew something was wrong, so she took me and ran out of Silver Valley. But she was worried about my father, so she went back. She just told me to wait for them there. I waited and waited… but they never came out… and then I got scared and turned around and ran away…”

Well, for a small child, it's a perfectly reasonable choice.

"Later... I don't know how much time passed, but I arrived here. The people in the town found me and asked me what had happened. I cried and told them... Of course, I was just a child, and I couldn't explain clearly while crying, but they knew something had happened in Silver Valley. So the town sheriff at that time took a few people and decided to go to Silver Valley to check the situation."

They never returned, and the townspeople were worried. So they took me to Silver Valley again. When we arrived, we found the entire valley shrouded in thick fog, utterly silent. No one dared to go in, so we all left.

After that, Silver Valley became a forbidden place. The people there warned their children to stay away from that place, and for this reason, it was also known as Death Valley…

At this point, the old man let out a long sigh, looking utterly exhausted. He had only told a story, but it felt like he had gone through a life-or-death battle.

"So, you go up the mountain every day for..."

"Hehe, it's a kind of psychological comfort, I guess. Every day I go to the entrance of Death Valley and look at the white mist in front of me, thinking that maybe someone will come out from there. I don't know what happened inside, but maybe my parents are still alive... Of course, now it's just a fantasy."

"So, how did you meet Miss Dunn? Was it outside Death Valley?"

Li Wei raised the question he was most concerned about, since it was just background information in the game and didn't affect their progress in the dungeon.

"You could say that, but actually... I had met her before that."

"Hey?"

Upon hearing the old man's reply, the rider's eyes widened in surprise, and he stood up.

"You've seen her?"

"Yes, that was two days before I found her. I was on my way up the mountain when I saw her walking along the path. I asked her where she was going, and she said she was from out of town and was sketching nearby. She was even carrying a sketchbook..."

"...My sister really loves to draw...although her skill level is only average."

The rider lowered his head in disappointment and sat back down on the chair.

"She once told me that she wanted to become a children's author and draw picture books of fairy tales for children..."

"and then?"

"Then I told her not to go to Death Valley. Of course, I didn't say it directly, but I told her that it was too far in and there were wild animals, so it would be very dangerous. She listened to me then, and I watched her go down another mountain path to the stream. But two days later, when I went up the mountain to the entrance of Death Valley again, I found that young lady lying there..."

"and many more."

Li Wei interrupted the old man.

"Let me confirm, when you first met Miss Dunn, was she in good shape? Was she not heavily pregnant?"

"what!"

Hearing this, Katie also realized that something seemed off about what the old man had said. Now, after hearing Li Weiyi's explanation, she realized that, according to the rider, when he brought his sister back, she was already ten months pregnant and about to give birth, so her belly must have been huge.

The old man said that when he first met Miss Dunn, she was carrying a sketchbook up the mountain to sketch—could a pregnant woman go up the mountain to sketch alone?

"Of course not, which is why I said that perhaps I shouldn't have saved her back then."

The old man shook his head wearily again.

"So you understand what I mean now, right? I saw that lady at the entrance to Death Valley, but she's already pregnant. It's only been two days, but it looks like she's ten months along. I even worry if the baby in her belly is even human. I even considered just killing her there; no one would know anyway. But then I thought, maybe she just happened to be passing by, maybe…"

"…………………"

The group fell silent. Indeed, they would have been in a difficult position if they had been in that situation. On one hand, the woman's condition was indeed strange, but on the other hand, she was pregnant. Only someone with an extremely evil mind would do something like this, resulting in the death of both mother and child.

"So I thought, take her back and let a doctor or priest take a look, maybe there's still hope. So I ended up bringing her down... You all know what happened next."

Upon hearing this, Li Wei raised an eyebrow.

"Wait a minute, you said she brought a sketchbook up the mountain with her. Where is that sketchbook?"

"I, I don't know."

The rider first shook his head.

"When I brought my sister back, I didn't find any sketchbooks on her. I only found a suitcase in the hotel with a few changes of clothes inside."

"I do not have either."

The old man also shook his head.

"When I found her at the entrance to Death Valley, she was all alone and there were no sketchbooks."

"Um……………"

After listening to their conversation, Li Wei thought for a moment, then stood up.

"Thank you for your help; you answered many of my questions."

"So what are your plans next?"