Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 338 What the hell?

The sudden appearance of the Torchlight startled the airships searching nearby. Unfortunately, they obviously wouldn't get the reward for finding the Torchlight, because Li Wei fired a signal flare, and almost all the nearby airships gathered around almost instantly.

Needless to say, Princess Louise left first, while the other noble guests returned in other airships. Of course, they would also receive some treatment and observation. Fortunately, because most people had already taken refuge in the VIP room when the anomaly occurred and did not see the monsters outside, they did not suffer too much psychological trauma.

On the contrary, the princess's guards and the reinforcements brought by Levi were greatly frightened. Even Henry was momentarily dazed and stammered, not knowing how to report to Levi.

"This is really troublesome..."

Leaning against the wall, watching the soldiers slumped on the ground or leaning against the wall with their heads down, Li Wei scratched his head, looking troubled. He couldn't understand why so many people would suffer such psychological trauma after seeing those monsters. Li Wei knew about battlefield PTSD, but monster PTSD?

I've never heard of this Li Wei before.

Forget it, let's see what this mission has given me first.

Li Wei sighed silently, then opened the system notification in front of him.

[Mission "Shadow of Truth" Completed]

[Time consumed: s]

Survey efficiency: S

[Impact/Effect: S]

Overall Rating: SSS

[Lifespan +200, additional +50]

"…………………"

The system gives rewards, so why are people swearing?

However, it's not that difficult... It really is a tricky system. Once you find the mechanism, it's super easy to pass. If Li Wei hadn't realized that all of this was just a trick by an auction item and instead chose to confront that behemoth head-on, he might have just made things harder for himself.

[Receive a special reward]

[Old Seal Blessing]

…What the heck?
Li Wei was stunned for a moment when he saw the strange thing in front of him, and then he carefully read the skill description.

[Old Mark Blessing: When this mark is activated, it can eliminate or weaken the effects of surrounding mental pollution, similar to a blessing (your charisma is enough to ensure that people maintain their confidence and dignity even in the harshest environments)].

This is somewhat similar to his own "Stable Mind" buff, but "Stable Mind" is for self-use and is a passive buff. To Li Wei, this seems more like a purification skill… um…

Seeing this, Li Wei looked again at the soldiers sitting in the hall, looking like living dead.

Could this thing be for them?

Indeed, going insane after seeing a monster can be considered a form of mental pollution.

Let's try it out later.

Thinking of this, Li Wei looked at the upcoming rewards again.

[Soul Vision upgraded to LV3, additional level increase +1, consumes 3 minutes/second of lifespan (accuracy increases with focused attention)]

Improved precision? What does that mean?
Curious, Li Wei activated [Soul Vision] again and tried looking at someone beside him. He immediately discovered that his vision zoomed in rapidly, like through a telescope. The person, who was clearly on the other side of the hall, now seemed incredibly close. Li Wei continued to concentrate, even able to see every crack in the person's steam armor…

Goodness, a human telescope! It'll be so much more convenient to use it for spying from now on.

Seeing this, Li Wei couldn't help but sigh. The only drawback was that this thing could only be used when [Soul Vision] was activated, which meant that most of the time Li Wei would actually see a humanoid glowing thing... Hmm, that's not interesting.

It would be so much more fun if it had X-ray vision, hehehe...

Li Wei reluctantly tossed aside the "X-ray glasses" series that had popped into his head, then silently activated [Old Seal Blessing]. After all, these soldiers had become like this in order to fight those monsters, so it wouldn't be bad if he could heal their spirits.

However... to Li Wei's surprise, even though he had activated the [Old Mark], the behavior of everyone around him did not change at all!

What's going on? Did I use it wrong?
Li Wei brought up the system panel again and saw that [Old Marks] was displayed as [Activating]... That's right, isn't it?

and many more!

Only then did Li Wei take another look and notice something amiss.

This skill is located after the [Charm] attribute value, which means this skill is linked to [Charm]?

Uh…it can’t be what I’m thinking, can it…?

Li Wei's mind immediately conjured up a whole bunch of RPG games where characters could use "Purify" skills to remove debuffs like "Confusion" or "Charm"—but, damn it, that's usually something only saintly classes can do!
Should I do it? Seriously? Do you really expect me to stand here right now and sing a song for everyone?
This is absolutely deadly!
Although Li Wei had performed in front of crowds many times before because of his appearance—from kindergarten to university graduation, from Monday flag-raising ceremonies to sports meet openings and school talent shows—he was always the one who performed on stage without fail. And that didn't even include the social media reporters who asked for photos under the guise of interviews, or the TV crew conducting street interviews…

But at least there was some build-up. Now everyone is exhausted like dead dogs, and in a state of mental pollution, looking like they're about to commit mass suicide without saying a word. And then he comes out and shouts, "Li Wei from Class X, Year X, I'll sing a song for everyone"... That's just too embarrassing.

But after all, saving face and the soldiers' morale are more important, hmm...

Thinking of this, Li Wei suddenly noticed a piano in the hall, and an idea immediately came to him.

Would using a piano work? And piano music is probably more likely to soothe emotional trauma…

Anyway, let's give it a try.

Thinking of this, Li Wei straightened his clothes and then sat down at the piano in the hall.

Logically, Li Wei's sudden action should have attracted everyone's attention. However, the reality was that the soldiers present were like zombies, completely oblivious to what Li Wei was doing. It was as if even if Li Wei pulled out a knife and stabbed them to death, these soldiers wouldn't resist.

But this is for the best. If those soldiers were to look at Li Wei with strange eyes, then Li Wei would be the one in an awkward position.

But what should I play...?

Li Wei placed his hands on the piano keys and pondered for a moment.

"Moonlight Sonata"... No, I'm afraid if I finish playing this part, it will turn into a suicide scene.

Oh right, this one... "A Memorial of Love"!
Thinking of this, Li Wei also pressed the piano keys, and then... a melodious and light piano sound came.

Most people are familiar with the piano piece "In Memory of Love," as it is played in many primary and secondary schools after school. Li Wei is no exception; every time he hears this piece, his first thought is that he wants to go home after school.

This piano piece, also known as "Childhood Memories," has a gentle and soothing melody that evokes a warm, nostalgic atmosphere. Li Wei felt the same way; as he played, he recalled his own school days. As the school bell rang, the elementary school students happily left the classroom, walking home to this piano piece while the sun set…

The beautiful, gentle piano music echoed in the hall. At that moment, the soldiers, who had been like walking corpses, gradually raised their heads and looked at the person playing the piano in the center of the hall. The soft and gentle piano music was like a ray of warm sunshine, piercing through the inexplicable gloom that had shrouded their hearts.

The indescribable fear that had lingered in their hearts gradually dissipated, replaced by warm memories of childhood. Those beautiful memories from the past, accompanied by the sound of the piano, surged from the soldiers' minds, soothing their inner unease and pain.

The hall remained silent, but unlike before, the soldiers no longer bowed their heads, staring at the ground like corpses. Instead, they raised their heads and gazed at Li Wei. A light gradually returned to their previously dim and lifeless eyes.

Not only the soldiers, but even the nobles stopped in their tracks, staring blankly at Li Wei. The beautiful piano music seemed to possess a magical power, soothing all their unease and fear, leaving only peace and tranquility immersed in the music.

Soon, the music ended, and Li Wei raised his head, looking at the soldiers around him. Seeing that they were no longer like dead men, he breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems this method is still effective. If all else fails, he'll have to sing a song himself... although Li Wei really doesn't want to sing in this kind of environment.

"Slap... slap... slap..."

After a moment, applause broke out. Li Wei looked up and saw that the nobles standing on the stairs were also applauding him. This seemed to bring the soldiers back to their senses, and soon, applause rang out all around, as lively as a concert.

"Thank you."

Li Wei stood up and bowed slightly to everyone. He also saw Katie clapping excitedly beside him. However, unlike the others, Katie was a frequent visitor to Li Wei's house and had heard these pieces before, so she wasn't as surprised as the others.

At that moment, a soldier shouted again.

"Sir Levi, could you play another piece? I think it's very beautiful!"

"Yes, yes, Lord Li Wei, please sing another one!"

Compared to the reserved nobles, these soldiers were obviously much more casual. They didn't know what Li Wei was playing, but they could feel that as they listened to Li Wei's piano music, the indescribable fear and shadow in their hearts seemed to gradually dissipate like snow melting in the sun, and they felt much more at peace.

"of course can."

In fact, this was exactly what Li Wei had intended. Since the soldiers wanted to hear it, Li Wei naturally wouldn't refuse. So he then played "Autumn Whispers" and "Starry Sky," both melodies that were beautiful and gentle, capable of relaxing the mind. This gradually calmed everyone down from their previous fear, and they then boarded the airships and left.

As for the rest of the people, they naturally took a boat back.

Li Wei returned home and went straight to sleep, but unfortunately, his good mood didn't last long. The next morning, Li Wei had just woken up from his sweet dream when he received a message from the old butler.

"Her Majesty the Queen invites you to afternoon tea. Don't be late!"

"Okay, I know……"

Li Wei put down the microphone, looked out the window, and yawned.

This time... at least Her Majesty the Queen shouldn't be rushing me to finish the manuscript, right?

(End of this chapter)