Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 300 Meeting
The silent space was filled with anger.

A man in a suit sat in a chair, the cigarette in his hand flickering.

“Pasman messed up, which is really rare. You guys have always been very reliable, but now it seems that my trust in you has been betrayed.”

"This isn't my problem!"

Another burly man roared in a low voice, his enormous body sitting in the chair as if the chair were made of a toy.

"Now is not the time for accountability."

The third person reached out and adjusted his glasses.

"The goods are lost, and we must find a way to get them back. Is it possible to find out who stole them?"

“In Cairo, there aren’t many who would dare to steal from the Pasman family, and besides…”

The burly man snorted coldly and looked at the man with glasses.

"Only your Beredi family knows what that is, right? My men have absolutely no idea what's inside!"

"So you mean my subordinates leaked the information?"

Hearing the burly man's angry rebuke, the bespectacled man reached out and pushed up his glasses, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Alright, you two."

As the two argued, the man in the suit shoved his cigarette into the ashtray.

"Now is not the time to argue. The auction is starting in a week, and we must retrieve the goods before then. This auction is extremely important to us."

"Speaking of auctions, I'm reminded of something else."

The man with glasses turned to look at the man in the suit.

"I heard on the news that the Empire will be conducting military exercises in Crodor these days? Have you heard anything about it?"

"I've inquired, it's just normal defense training."

The man in the suit shrugged.

"It seems that the empire is conducting defense training in various territories because of the recent tensions in the external situation. I guess it is to prepare for the possibility of being invaded by enemy forces."

"Hmph, how interesting, so that woman is scared now?"

The burly man let out a contemptuous sneer, to which the others did not say much, but soon he changed the subject.

"Why hasn't that detective left yet? The important person we invited will be arriving in a few days. Are we just going to let them watch Li Wei wander around right under our noses?"

The burly man's concerns were not unfounded. This underground auction was not just an underground auction; it was a gathering of the imperial underworld. Of course, this gathering was the idea of ​​the three major families, because only by hosting such a meeting could they prove their status as the top dog in the imperial underworld.

Those invited were all number one or number two bosses of gangs from all over the empire. In the plan of the three major families, everyone gathered together to exchange criminal experience, communicate and contact each other more, and connect with a few supply channels. The first Imperial Gangster Conference would then be a successful conclusion.

The reason for choosing an auction is merely as a pretext. Of course, various gangs will also take this opportunity to bring some of their goods, using the auction platform to showcase their gang's strength.

But what's the point of Li Wei staying here?
These days, who in the entire empire doesn't know the famous detective Li Wei? When gang bosses come and see Li Wei, they turn tail and run.

Levi's operation in Chongqing had sent shivers down the spines of the entire Empire's underworld, except in Caesarblanca, where he remained completely unconcerned. After all, they were practically semi-independent, so even orders from above were ineffective. Their willingness to attend this gathering was likely more than half due to discussions on how to counter the Empire's crackdown on the underworld.

Initially, they thought Li Wei's visit might be related to this, but...

"Oh right, I remember that detective was a special guest of the Discovery Newspaper."

The bespectacled man seemed to remember something and tapped on the armrest of his chair.

"Didn't he first go to the editorial office of the Discovery newspaper when he came to Caisablanca? Wasn't he here to investigate the rumors circulating here?"

As he spoke, the bespectacled man glanced at the burly man.

"It turned out that the entire editorial department had been raided. An ordinary person might just call the police, but what do you think a famous detective would think?"

"Of course I know we can't let this guy chase us!"

The burly man snorted in annoyance. He knew, of course, that the bespectacled man was targeting him. If the burly man had known Li Wei would be going to the editorial department, he certainly wouldn't have been foolish enough to let someone attack him. But the problem was, he didn't know! Anyone with half a brain would understand that Li Wei was here, obviously looking for the culprit who attacked the editorial department.

“I also tried to salvage the situation, but…”

"Failed."

The bespectacled man then spoke.

"Even the most famous Death Sisters of the Pasman family couldn't eliminate him; instead, they were killed by him and even lost a test subject..."

"Why don't you go and fight him?"

Upon hearing what the bespectacled man said, the burly man immediately widened his eyes and glared at him fiercely, while the bespectacled man smiled slightly and raised his hands.

"I have no grudge against that famous detective, and this matter has nothing to do with me. On the contrary, you need to think about how to handle this."

"you…………………"

"All right."

The man in the suit, who had been silent until now, spoke up, and the other two stopped and turned to look at him.

"There's no use talking about this now. This matter really needs to be resolved. We can't wait until the auction starts and everyone arrives, only to be looked down upon by others who think we can't even handle this small matter in Caesarblanca." "You mean...?"
The man in the suit looked at the burly man and remained silent for a moment.

"Send a representative to speak with that detective in person."

"Are you really going to talk?"

The burly man's face had turned quite ugly; calling it negotiation was really just an admission of defeat. Unlike the Beredi family, who would follow whoever offered the best treatment, the Passman family was responsible for the thugs, and therefore couldn't easily back down. Although he knew that letting them continue their investigation in Caesarblanca would only cause more trouble—what if they actually found something?

There are so many things you can't check in Cairo.

"This is what that person meant."

The man in the suit's expression darkened, and he spoke in a low voice.

"You should understand."

"………………………yes."

Upon hearing this, the burly man's aura instantly dissipated, but even so, he still spoke with some unwillingness.

"But what if that guy doesn't appreciate the offer and insists on investigating to the end?"

"We'll talk about it later. You should take care of what you need to do first."

The man in the suit ignored the burly man's comment and turned to look at the man with glasses.

"You also need to find the goods as soon as possible, after all, those are our best items."

Should I go look for it?

The bespectacled man spread his hands and stared at the man in the suit, who sighed helplessly.

"Okay, I'll send the police to investigate. They should be able to find some clues."

"No, actually, I have a better idea."

On the contrary, the man with glasses smiled even more enthusiastically at the man in the suit.

"If you want to find our lost goods, you should hire professionals."

"Professionals?"

“That’s right, that famous detective… Since he’s quite renowned in this field, he must be very well-known. If we can get him to help, we should be able to find the thief who stole our goods very quickly.”

"Hmph, how can you be sure he didn't steal it?"

The burly man was clearly annoyed by the bespectacled man's smug look, so he asked him a question.

"Because he was alone, and I think you know very well that the cargo couldn't have been moved by one person. Besides, he had no idea where the base where the cargo was hidden was. And... he had no reason to steal the cargo, did he?"

The bespectacled man smugly stretched out his hand, pushed up his glasses again, and spoke.

"Um……………"

The man in the suit pondered for a moment. He understood what the man with glasses meant; to put it bluntly, he wanted to drag Li Wei into the mess as well. They had done this kind of trick of dragging people down many times before. In the past, no matter what kind of people the officials from other places came to take up their posts in Cairoblanca, they all eventually became their puppets.

Ultimately, things become much easier as long as everyone is in the same boat.

Moreover, if a famous detective and an imperial knight could be completely brought to one's side, there would naturally be many benefits.

Thinking this, the man in the suit closed his eyes, as if to rest. The other two, seeing this, remained silent and waited quietly.

After a long while, the man in the suit opened his eyes and looked at the two of them.

“I have already reported this matter to the magistrate, and he agrees with your suggestion and has indicated that he may grant him a favor if necessary.”

"what?"

Upon hearing this, the burly man slammed his fist on the table.

"This little fellow actually deserves a favor?"

"A very reasonable judgment, as expected of that lord."

Compared to the angry, burly man, the bespectacled man nodded with obvious admiration.

"Indeed, that famous detective has no shortage of money, beautiful women, or fame; only a favor could catch his eye..."

"I disagree! That little brat doesn't deserve to be on equal footing with us!"

The burly man slammed his fist on the table again in anger. Several cracks immediately appeared on the heavy marble surface under his blow, and it caved in. The man in the suit watched him silently, then spoke.

"This is that person's decision. Do you want to question that person?"

"I…………………"

"That's it."

Seeing that the burly man had stopped talking, the man in the suit also stood up.

"This meeting is now adjourned. When the next meeting begins... I hope to hear some good news."

(End of this chapter)