Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 276 Unleashing the Ultimate Move!
It's clear that the author of this book did very thorough research. From the origins of the Great Salt Lake to the status of the Krant family, everything is explained clearly.

Of course, the author also wrote some of his own speculations and thoughts later on. For example, regarding the fact that the ancestor Krant received the blessing of the Holy Lord to seal the extraterrestrial demon, the author believes that it may be some kind of metaphor.

Hmm... It seems the author of this book doesn't believe the story of that extraterrestrial demon.

So how did she write about the sacred stone disc?

Li Wei curiously turned to that page and then saw what was written on it.

Mr. Krant invited me to view the 'Sacred Stone Disc,' considered a family heirloom of the Krant family, placed within a recess formed by the All-Seeing Eye. According to Mr. Krant, this is the Krant family's destiny. One day, they will once again tread the same path as their ancestors. And this sacred object was prepared for that moment.

I asked Mr. Krant what that "that time" referred to, but he said he didn't know, only that we would know when the time came. After that, I conducted some preliminary tests on the sacred stone disc, and it was confirmed that it was indeed a very ancient artifact, but I did not sense any mysterious power within it.

Perhaps this is some kind of symbol passed down through the Krant family; I don't have much of an opinion on it.

Indeed, judging from the stone disc Li Wei had previously obtained, it seemed to be just a very ordinary stone artifact, and a rather crude one at that. Even when Li Wei used his [Soul Vision] to examine it, he couldn't discern any power within it.

"Um……………"

Li Wei closed the letter and began to think.

Basically, the content of the book does indeed align with what the strange man said. For example, the strange man mentioned that Deans investigated his family's past history and then dug into the secrets underground. These things are all written in the book, so Deans must have known them.

But the question is, why did he go dig?
The legend says that the ancestors of Krant defeated an extraterrestrial demon and sealed it underground.

Whether the rumor is true or false, it shouldn't be enough to make Deans actually dig into it. Even if he doesn't believe the story, the fact that he spent almost his entire fortune on it shows that this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. Or perhaps, he wants to find that extraterrestrial demon and resurrect it?

That's not impossible... After all, in many games and movies, the dragon slayer eventually becomes the dragon himself, which is a classic trope.

But what is the motivation?
We don't have enough information yet...

Li Wei shook his head, sighed, and closed the book. Although he had realized that searching for the sacred stone disc might be dangerous, it was the only thing he could do for now. After all, the deeper the investigation went, the less he trusted the strange man. Now, Li Wei could only find a way to leave this lost city shrouded in eternal night.

"Officer, we're closing time."

Just then, the inspector's voice rang out, and Li Wei looked up and returned the book to the inspector.

"Thank you, you've been a great help to me."

"You are welcome."

The inspector picked up the book and walked back towards the bookshelf, while Li Wei turned and left the library.

Just at this moment...

"Clap."

A crumpled piece of paper suddenly flew from a distance and landed at Li Wei's feet. Li Wei glanced at the paper, then looked up and saw a ghostly figure running towards the depths of the corridor.

He turned around, picked up the crumpled paper, and unfolded it. There was a line of text written on it.

Go to the third window on the south side of the dormitory building and knock three times.

This is where things get interesting.

Li Wei put away the note and then left the teaching building.

It was already past the end of evening classes, and the students had all returned to their dormitories. When Li Wei arrived at the designated location on the note, it was already pitch black.

He walked to the third window, looked around, and reached out to knock on it.

"Da da da."

With a sound, the window opened a crack, and then a deliberately hushed voice came from inside.

"Hello, officer, I'm sorry to bother you so late."

"It's okay. You specifically came to see me, there must be something you need."

"Yes, there's something that might be related to this case. I heard you ask about it today. You're looking for a 14-year-old girl who's 1.6 meters tall and left-handed, right?"

"Yes."

“I think that must be my friend Judy.”

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this answer, Li Wei raised an eyebrow.

What is this? Turning family members down for the greater good? An internal whistleblower report?
Why didn't you tell me before?

"Because she has disappeared."

"disappeared?"

"That's right, they've been missing for three days."

"I've never heard the teacher mention this."

"Because the teacher has given us a gag order and doesn't allow us to talk to you. And this has happened occasionally before, but the teacher always says that they have to transfer schools because of other things."

"I see..."

Upon hearing this, Li Wei immediately became interested.

"Could you tell me the specifics?"

“Judy and I are roommates. One day I woke up and found that she was gone from my bed. I thought she had gotten up early, but she didn’t show up until the morning class was over. I went to the teacher, and she told me that she had to leave for some reason. When I got back to the dorm, I found that all of Judy’s things had been taken away, as if she had never existed!”

At this point, the voice sounded quite excited.

“We’ve heard similar stories before, where students suddenly disappear the next day, saying they had an emergency to go home for, but then there’s no contact… Everyone’s very uneasy. Although the teachers say it’s just a few isolated incidents, we’re all worried that we might be the next missing person…”

"Um……………"

It has to be said that it is really interesting. The roommate who went missing 3 days ago has been found at the crime scene. It is even possible that she was the one who broke the glass and stole the sacred stone plate.

But why would she do that?
The theft itself was actually quite simple. Li Wei only needed to look at the footprints once to know that the thief first went to the gatehouse to get the key to the exhibition hall, then quietly opened the door and entered the exhibition hall. Next, he smashed the glass and stole the sacred stone plate. After leaving, he hung the key back at the gatehouse.

Unfortunately, the other traces had been cleaned up, making it impossible to determine where the thief went after leaving the teaching building.

"Oh no, the night patrol is coming. Please, officer."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Wei saw the light suddenly turn on in the window, followed by a serious voice.

"Who's there?"

"It's me, I'm sorry, teacher, I'm not feeling well..."

"It's bedtime, hurry back to the dorm!"

“Yes…” Footsteps sounded, and soon the lights went out. Li Wei then pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked at the academy in front of him.

Then, he let out a slow sigh.

"Hey, I knew it wouldn't be that simple. If it were just a simple theft, that would be great..."

Theft plus disappearance, and the victim of the disappearance case may also be the mastermind behind the theft—what kind of situation is this?

In other words, Li Wei needs to find the stolen sacred stone disc, which requires solving the theft case; but to solve the theft case, he needs to find the missing student…

They've actually started nested dolls with me?

However, if the suspect has already disappeared, then judging who is a suspect by class attendance will not work, since people are not attending classes and naturally will not care about the time.

However, this raises another question: where is the missing student?
It seems we still need more clues.

Li Wei pondered for a moment, and finally had to make a decision.

There's no other way but to use the ultimate move!

Soon, the night passed.

The next day was another busy but ordinary day for the students. After washing up, they went to the chapel for worship. After the worship, the students left to prepare for the morning classes.

"call……………"

Only after the last student left did the nun in charge of leading the worship breathe a sigh of relief, and then she began to tidy up the things at hand.

At this moment, a voice sounded.

"Hello, miss."

Upon hearing the voice, the nun looked up and saw Li Wei standing not far away, smiling and watching her.

Seeing Li Wei's smile, the nun felt her heart skip a beat, and an indescribable feeling welled up inside her, making her feel somewhat apprehensive.

"Hello, officer, how can I help you?"

"I do have some questions I'd like to ask you, Sister."

As Li Wei spoke, he walked step by step toward the nun, who instinctively backed away until she was pressed against the hard wall. She then stopped, watching Li Wei gradually close the distance to her... and then he was right in front of her.

"———————!"

Seeing Li Wei's dazzlingly handsome face so closely made the nun feel dizzy. She tried to calm herself down, but her eyes were completely out of control, fixed on Li Wei. Li Wei, on the other hand, smiled and looked at her.

"I'd like to ask, I've heard that students occasionally go missing from this college? Is that true?"

"I... this... I don't know..."

"You really don't know, Sister?"

Li Wei stared at the nun, a hint of disappointment appearing in his eyes.

"If that's the case, then I'll be very disappointed."

"I, I, I..."

Hearing Li Wei's words and seeing his disappointed expression, the nun felt her heart clench. At that moment, she could no longer heed the prohibition and finally spoke.

"I know."

"Then, would you be willing to tell me?"

Li Wei reached out and gently brushed aside the nun's hair, drawing closer to her and whispering in her ear. His voice, like fine wine, flowed into the nun's heart, making her mind increasingly hazy.

“Yes, yes… The principal said… don’t tell us to talk nonsense… but, students have indeed gone missing… we all know…”

How did they all disappear?

“They all disappeared when we woke up in the morning and took attendance… We were very worried at first, but the principal said… the principal said they just went home for something…”

"Do you believe it?"

"Of course I don't believe it... Actually... Actually..."

As she spoke, the nun blushed.

"Actually, we all know it was the principal who did it! She's the one who made those girls disappear!"

"Oh? Why? What did she do to those girls?"

“……………………I, I can’t say…”

“Answer me, miss.”

Li Wei extended a finger and pressed it against the nun's chin, forcing her to look up at him.

"Answer my question, Principal... what did you do to those girls?"

"………………………"

Looking at Li Wei, the nun's expression grew increasingly bewildered.

“I don’t know…nobody knows…it’s just…it’s just…”

"only?"

"But the headmaster... instructed me to guard the chapel's basement and not allow anyone to go in..."

Who has the key to the basement?

"In the principal's hands..."

Don't you have a key?

“I…I…”

"obedient………"

Li Wei stared at the nun and moved closer to her. The two were now only a centimeter apart, and the nun could even feel Li Wei's hot breath, as if it were melting away all her reason.

"Give me the key, okay?"

"…………………good………"

(End of this chapter)