Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 379 Return to Reality
Li Wei first walked around the campus, then tried to leave, but he found that he was blocked by an invisible wall as soon as he reached the gate. It was like an invisible wall in a game; you could keep running forward, but no matter what you did, you couldn't cross the school gate.

You know what... it's actually quite fun.

"Hey, is this what NPCs are like?"

Li Wei ran forward, complaining as he went. He was striding ahead, running as fast as he could, but no matter what he did, he couldn't take a single step out of the school gate, as if there was a treadmill under his feet.

There's nothing else in the school, no ghosts or monsters. After all, it's a world of collective subconsciousness; monsters would be terrifying... Besides, compared to other places, the school is ultimately quite peaceful. A prison or hospital, on the other hand, would be a completely different story.

In the past, Li Wei might not have had a real solution to this situation, but things are different now. The reason he dares to do this is because Li Wei has his own confidence.

That is... [Reality Anchoring]!
[Reality Anchoring: Can specify any object or area to erase all its mystical power; lifespan consumption is calculated based on the target's strength range (minimum 1 day/minute)]

That's right, Li Wei intends to try this out here!
After all, the strange tale circulating in the school does indeed seem to stem from a mysterious force. So, if he were to use this power on the entire Royal Academy, would he be able to dispel or erase the strange tale's abilities?
In truth, Levi had wanted to use this power ever since he acquired it, but he couldn't find a good target. He certainly couldn't use it on Betty or the little mermaid, but he also couldn't just find some mysterious being on the street to deal with. Wasn't this perfect opportunity? He could also take a look at the issues regarding its strength and energy consumption.

Then, give it a try.

Thinking of this, Li Wei's eyes narrowed, and he focused his mind.

[Reality Anchored]!
“……………………!”

As this thought crossed Li Wei's mind, suddenly, an unimaginable scene unfolded.

In the distance, the lights of the tower, which had been radiating a fiery glow that illuminated the surroundings, suddenly began to dim. The bright, dazzling light gradually shrank, condensing into a beam that stretched towards Li Wei's location. It truly resembled a lighthouse, guiding him with its own light.

Then, the light shooting from the tower continued forward, and like a spotlight on a stage, it enveloped the entire Royal Academy.

"———————!"

In an instant, the world turned upside down.

It was still pitch black all around, but the towering tower that had been shining brightly vanished in an instant, and the chirping of insects could be heard all around. Li Wei looked around and then activated [Soul Vision] again to scan the surroundings.

Yes, he was certain that he had returned to the real world.

Is this thing really that awesome?

Although Li Wei already knew from the description that this ability was indeed extremely powerful, just like the two jokers in a deck of cards, it was a royal flush.

By the way, if I'm not mistaken, the blue power that's been enveloping this place in the subconscious world should have been dispelled by now, so the two people who were supposedly sucked in should be back by now!
Thinking of this, Li Wei hurriedly turned around and ran back into the west building.

As expected, just as Li Wei had thought, when he ran into the west building, he quickly saw the guard lying on the ground at the bottom of the stairs. The young man still looked young. Li Wei gave him a quick check and confirmed that he was not seriously injured before rushing to the secret room on the third floor. There, he also saw Professor Andrew, who was unconscious, and Katie, who was standing next to him in astonishment.

"Oh? Mr. Li Wei?"

Katie was also taken aback when she saw Levi.

"What just happened? You suddenly disappeared, and then Miss Etina also suddenly vanished..."

"I see..."

Hearing Katie's answer, Levi frowned. It wasn't surprising, really. After all, Aitina's soul was connected to that rumor. If he had destroyed that rumor, then Aitina would probably…

"Never mind that, we can talk about that later. Let's get these two to the hospital first."

"Ah, okay!"

Soon, after some commotion, Levi and Katie took Professor Andrew and the young guard to the hospital for a thorough examination. Surprisingly, according to the results of the physical examination, both of them were in good health. The guard, however, had suffered some bruises, mainly from falling down the stairs. Fortunately, he did not hit his head.

Naturally, Levi informed the police—and Professor Henry—of all of this.

"Hahaha, I knew it! Sir Levi's involvement is a piece of cake!"

In the office, Professor Henry laughed heartily and shook hands with Levi.

"I really didn't expect him to hide in the archives. Indeed, it used to be a teaching building. How could I forget that? But you know what, that place is really good. If I ever plan to do any research, I can go there and stay there. Maybe I'll get some inspiration."

"Of course, if you don't mind that someone died there."

"Oh, speaking of this topic..."

Professor Henry's expression immediately turned serious.

"That wasn't a murder case, was it? I heard he was a graduate of our school?"

"No, from what I've seen so far, it's possible that he suddenly fell ill but went unnoticed and died alone—this tells us that it's safer for humans to avoid being alone."

"That's hard to say, but it's good this way. At least we don't have to worry about causing any more trouble. That young man who suddenly appeared is troublesome enough... Can you imagine? Someone falls from a building and then opens his eyes to find himself more than twenty years in the future? It's really bizarre. If there wasn't such a person, I would definitely think he was some kind of lunatic who appeared out of nowhere."

What do you decide to do?

"It seems the principal intends to let him stay and continue working as a guard. Anyway, he has nowhere else to go, and we are quite interested in him."

As he spoke, Professor Henry revealed a smile characteristic of anthropology professors.

Well, it's no wonder some people would be interested in someone who traveled through time from more than twenty years ago, but at least these professors still have some humanity.

"He's a living person, don't dissect him like a corpse."

"Don't worry, we know what we're doing."

"Oh right, that urn..."

“We have entrusted a nearby church to give him a proper burial. After all… a school isn’t a place to bury a body, is it?” That makes sense.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Professor Henry, Levi and Katie said their goodbyes and left the office. Katie looked at Levi as they left.

"Mr. Levi, could it be that Miss Etina has already...?"

"Probably, what's wrong? It's rare for you to be so interested in a ghost."

Hearing Katie's question, Levi looked at her curiously, while Katie smiled shyly.

"Because she doesn't feel like a ghost to me, I'm not that afraid of her."

"Oh? So what do you think defines a ghost?"

"Yeah, it's the kind that floats around, has a deathly pale face, makes ghostly screams, and jumps out from the sky or the ground to scare you..."

However, before Katie could finish speaking, a voice suddenly appeared behind her.

"So this is what the ghost in Miss Katie's heart looks like. I can take it as a reference in the future."

"Whoa!"

Hearing the sound from behind, Katie screamed in fright and hurriedly ran behind Levi. The two turned around and saw Etina standing there with a smile, waving at them.

Hello, both of you.

"Huh? Miss Etina? What are you doing here? Didn't we say your ashes had already been moved to the church?"

"Ah, that..."

Faced with Katie's question, Etina scratched her cheek a little embarrassedly.

"I don't know why, maybe it's because I've been at school for too long. Even though my ashes have been moved, I still can't leave this place."

"But didn't you suddenly disappear yesterday?"

"Ah, that... I don't know what happened. How should I put it? Suddenly, it felt like some kind of invisible shackle had suddenly broken, and gradually I floated up into the sky. At that time, I thought I was going to heaven, but when I opened my eyes, I was still here."

As she spoke, Aitina helplessly spread her hands.

By the way, so this means that Aitina became a ghost before that rumor appeared, so even though Levi eliminated the rumor, she didn't disappear.

Of course, Li Wei could also use [Reality Anchoring] to completely eliminate it now, but...

"Are you still planning to stay here?"

"Of course, I've gotten used to this kind of life."

When Li Wei asked her a question, Aitina chuckled and looked at the students coming and going around her.

"Perhaps it's the old lady's mindset. She feels that staying here to help these students and watch them move towards the future is a good thing, isn't it?"

"Then I wish you a pleasant day, but please don't spread those rumors about mysterious disappearances next time."

"Ah, that's the problem, Lord Li Wei."

Upon hearing Li Wei mention this, Aitina quickly looked at him.

"I came to you about this issue. It's good that the guard is alright, but he suddenly traveled twenty years into the future, and now everyone on campus is talking about it. He even said he saw a ghost before he fell, and luckily it didn't seem to recognize me... But right now, the school is buzzing with rumors that ghosts can send people to the future... What if I gain that kind of troublesome power again!?"

That's true. It's troublesome enough that she's missing, but it would be even more troublesome if the person who found her went to the future.

However, Li Wei did have a solution to this.

"That's just a rumor, so you can use rumors to fight rumors."

"For example?"

"For example, seeing a mysterious ghost can bring good luck, like being blessed with success in experiments or not failing exams..."

"This seems quite interesting!"

Upon hearing Li Wei's suggestion, Aitina's eyes lit up and she smiled.

"As expected of Lord Li Wei! This is good, I will do as you say! After all, this is much more useful than traveling to the future."

As she spoke, Aitina hurriedly skipped and hopped forward, then turned around and waved to Li Wei.

"Thank you, Lord Li Wei!"

After saying that, Aitina disappeared around the corner and vanished without a trace.

Seeing Etina leave, Levi also looked away and then spoke to Katie.

"Okay, let's go back too."

Although this case wasn't particularly dangerous, the gains it brought Li Wei were far more than he had expected.

(End of this chapter)