Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 356 The dust has settled
"...In short, that's about it."

Levi sat on the sofa, finished telling the whole story, then picked up his teacup and took a sip. Katie sat opposite him, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Oh, and in the end? What happened to those people?"

"Herman and Isaac were naturally arrested. The police conducted a detailed interrogation and search of them, and found that Herman was not only illegally operating a casino, but also suspected of smuggling and usury, which had driven many families to ruin and death. It is estimated that the gallows will be their final destination."

At this point, Levi couldn't help but chuckle. He didn't tell Katie that the most interesting part after this was actually Marilyn. In fact, Marilyn had already discovered Herman's illegal business, but Herman had always told Marilyn that it was because of the empire's unreasonable system that he, as an honest businessman, couldn't make money, so he had no choice but to take risks.

Marilyn accepted Herman's explanation entirely. In her view, the Empire was clearly in the wrong first, so her husband was completely innocent.

So the fault doesn't lie with her husband, it's with the Empire! It's all the Empire's fault for persecuting her husband, the Empire is in the wrong!
Of course, what Marilyn thinks is her business, but the problem is that Marilyn genuinely believes that Herman's illegal business dealings are not wrong. Therefore, when she was interrogated by the police, she practically spilled the beans.

According to the investigating officers, Marilyn seemed to want to make the officers realize how severe the oppression of the Empire was, after all, Herman had been forced to commit such a serious crime!
It's like someone trying to prove how evil society is, then telling a police officer, "Look, I've killed thirty people! They are... Doesn't that prove how evil the society that forced me to kill is?"

The officers weren't interested in Marilyn's theories, but they were very interested in her testimonies.

This is why Herman's business was raided by the police in a very short time, after all, Marilyn was too cooperative... In fact, the couple has now become a laughing stock in the police department.

In particular, according to Lestrade, Marilyn not only admitted to all the illegal business dealings herself, but also urged Herman to confess everything so that "these imperial lackeys would realize how depraved and evil their country is!" This almost made Herman faint with anger.

Li Wei was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, and as it turns out, being love-struck... is indeed deadly, for both friend and foe.

Incidentally, Richard also suffered, as he was dragged into many criminal activities by Herman.

Ultimately, Herman and his son were sentenced to death, and all their property was confiscated. Richard and Marilyn were sent to prison, where they would likely serve at least twenty years.

As for Sophie's situation, Levi only learned after inquiring that Sophie was actually a victim of this family. Because she was blonde like her mother, she was looked down upon in that family, and in the end, Isaac killed Sophie.

What's baffling is that Marilyn knew perfectly well what Isaac had done, yet she turned a blind eye to it. According to her, she believed that Sophie, like herself, represented the immoral heirs of the imperial bloodline, so it was only natural for Herman and Isaac to do whatever they wanted to her, as a form of atonement.

As for whether Marilyn and Isaac had any inappropriate relationship... well, it's highly likely they did.

Because Sophie was simply a victim, although she did help bury the postman when he murdered him, the court ultimately did not prosecute her due to the circumstances surrounding the crime and the abuse she suffered at home. Afterwards, Lord Cromwell sent Sophie to a boarding convent school for girls, which perhaps brought her some peace of mind.

Gladys was very reluctant to be the head of the family, but unfortunately he had no choice but to stay and help Earl Cromwell manage affairs.

As for Bianca, she went back with Ms. Ava. Of course, she also told Levi that she would write to him and keep in touch in the future.

Incidentally, during the investigation, the truth behind Andrei's death was also uncovered. Hermann had conceived a plan after learning from Richard that Andrei was to be appointed head of the family by Count Cromwell. Following this, Hermann sent an urgent telegram to Andrei, claiming that Count Cromwell was critically ill and ordering Andrei to return immediately.

At that time, communication devices were not yet widespread, so Andrei hurriedly rode his horse to try to get home, but Hermann's men had already laid an ambush on the way. They tripped Andrei with a tripwire, killed him, and then threw him into the lake.

Hermann's men were the ones who did these things, so they confessed quickly after being arrested.

Unfortunately, Herman had already been sentenced to death, and even if it was known that he was the one who planned to murder Andrei, it was impossible for Herman to die twice.

For the Cromwell family, that was the end of it.

But for Li Wei, this was not just an ordinary case, but a representative event.

As mentioned before, after the Queen ascended the throne, she implemented a series of reforms to the Empire. One of these reforms was allowing capitalists to marry nobles and introducing capitalists into the Empire's political arena, which prevented a revolutionary wave like that of Francis.

But on the other hand, how many of these capitalists are actually Ittians who have changed their names?

Is Hermann's case an isolated incident, or a widespread phenomenon?
If these Itt people were to take over and use the empire as a shell company, the empire might end up looking just like Francis's.

So when the Queen summoned him for afternoon tea, Li Wei reported the matter and expressed his concerns.

Her Majesty the Queen nodded after hearing Li Wei's report.

“I understand your concerns. Indeed, this is a very serious problem. The nobles of the empire must understand that their responsibility is to protect the empire, not just their own families—by the way, Earl Cromwell has done a good job, and I am pleased.”

Good guy.

Upon hearing the Queen's words, Levi immediately understood their meaning. Clearly, the Queen had already considered this issue, and might even have already sent people to investigate families that had intermarried with capitalists. Perhaps she even knew about Herman's situation. But why hadn't the Queen simply wiped these Itt people out?
Because it's not the right time!

So when is the right time?

War, of course!
Judging from the current situation on the mainland, war is imminent, and it's unclear when it will begin. The Empire is also very likely to be drawn into this war. At least Li Wei frequently sees newspapers reporting news of warships being launched or airships taking off.

Moreover, foreign news reports also include a lot of news about military reforms, showing that countries are doing their best to prepare for this war in their own ways.

To put it simply, it's a bit like an animal about to hibernate, storing up food to survive the entire winter.

War is very expensive. Once those Eites take over, they will inevitably bring their wealth with them. The queen can raise them like pigs, and once they have brought all their money, she can take action and wipe them all out as soon as the war begins, and confiscate all their property.

Moreover, the Queen's actions were even reasonable and legal—both in terms of sentiment and reason. As the Queen said, the primary responsibility of the imperial nobles is to protect the empire. If you, as an imperial noble, do not even know the identity and character of the capitalist you are marrying into, or if you know but do not care, then it is your dereliction of duty. Whatever happens is naturally your own fault.

Legally speaking, it's even easier to explain—Charles I's laws still exist, strictly prohibiting Eits from joining the army, politics, or religion. These Eit capitalists want to usurp the throne and take over the company through a shell company, which is knowingly breaking the law and aggravating their crime.

Whether they end up in jail or on the gallows depends on how much they're willing to pay.

That's how Herman was. If Earl Cromwell hadn't sought help from Levy, the Queen wouldn't have warned him. She might have just watched coldly as Herman killed Earl Cromwell, then seized the Cromwell family, and gradually expanded and grew stronger—and then, when they were fattened up, slaughtered them for meat.

I must say, when it comes to ruthlessness and cruelty, Your Majesty is truly the best. I'm outta here.

Seeing that the Queen had already made arrangements, Li Wei said no more and decisively left.

"Aaaaaahh ...

After listening to Li Wei recount the case that occurred at the Crescent Moon Pavilion, Katie collapsed onto the sofa in anguish.

"I should have gone too! There was such a great show to watch, but I didn't even get to see anything?!"

As she spoke, Katie suddenly jumped up and clenched her fists.

"I've made up my mind. From now on, Mr. Li Wei, wherever you go, I'll follow! I'll never leave your side!"

"This isn't quite right..."

Faced with Katie's words, Levi broke out in a cold sweat.

"Besides, it's not like I didn't invite you..."

"I know, but I originally thought it would just be one of those boring, ordinary banquets. I didn't expect it to be neither boring nor ordinary! It seems I have to change my mindset from now on. As long as I'm with Mr. Li Wei, I'll never be bored, no matter where we go!"

"...You're making me sound like a plague god..."

Faced with Katie's words, Levi was speechless. It seemed to Katie saw him as some perpetual elementary school student, whose presence was seen as a curse that brought death wherever he went…

"grown ups."

Just as Levi and Katie were chatting, the butler Kane came over and handed him a letter.

"Here is a letter for you."

"mine?"

Li Wei curiously took the letter, opened it, glanced at it, and immediately raised his eyebrows.

Good guy!
My airship is finally finished!?

　Some readers say that reading foreign names is confusing, haha. Actually, I'm the same way when I read mystery novels. Besides the detective and assistant, there are other names for the victim and the murderer. As I read, I forget who's who. In this respect, Japanese mystery novels are much better. At least the names are easy to remember. Western ones are just... a bit troublesome.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)