Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 406 The Night Banquet of Insects
Looking at Li Wei in front of him and listening to his voice, the man felt a chill run through his body.

In the Empire, in the Fog City, who doesn't know this man's name? Moreover, he's practically a staunch royalist; by all accounts, his presence at this banquet is strange… But why is he here? Did someone bring him in? Why? Why does everyone else seem to know nothing about this?
What exactly is this...?

"...Oh, I'm sorry."

Just then, a guest accidentally bumped into the man, instantly snapping him out of his dazed state. The man paused, then looked around. But this time, he couldn't see Li Wei anywhere.

What happened just now?

Was it just my imagination?

The man then realized that his palms were sweaty and quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe them. He looked around, but the others seemed completely oblivious. They were simply holding wine glasses, chatting and laughing in small groups, as if they were just enjoying an ordinary banquet.

But the man knew that this banquet was not ordinary.

But what exactly happened just now?

Was it an illusion? Or reality?
The man casually strolled through the crowd, carefully observing everyone around him, whether they were wearing masks or not—the latter seemed to think it was just a simple aristocratic banquet, although some people didn't seem to like the occasion, they didn't show any aversion.

But the man knew that this was only temporary.

Soon, they will begin to enjoy the banquet.

A faint, pinkish fragrance enveloped the venue, initially appearing like some kind of incense. Upon smelling it, many stopped talking. Those wearing masks closed their eyes and began to savor the pleasant aroma. The newcomers, however, were somewhat bewildered, unsure of what was happening.

Normally, the man would join the others, closing his eyes to savor the wonderful fragrance. This would bring him joy, allowing him to forget all his troubles and worries, immersing him in boundless happiness. This was why he was willing to participate in the gathering; at least for now, he could forget the things that troubled and pained him…

However, the man couldn't calm himself down. His conversation with Li Wei had left him extremely nervous, and now that he couldn't find Li Wei, he felt even more uneasy. He knew that the banquet he was attending wasn't exactly "proper," not to mention that the next part of the event would be considered highly blasphemous by outsiders.

As a detective and a Thistle Knight, what would Li Wei think about this?
He simply couldn't believe it!
Perhaps he should warn that this party should end here, if that's all...

Thinking this, the man quickly walked to the other side of the banquet hall.

However, at that moment, the sweet scent in the air intensified once more. Upon smelling it, the man felt his body begin to float, a blissful pleasure gradually enveloping him. He was very familiar with this feeling; normally, he would have loved to be immersed in it, but… not now…!
The man furrowed his brow desperately, trying to resist the power of the scent, but his mind was clearly not as strong as he thought, and soon his resolve began to soften.

Why are you in such a hurry?

Perhaps it was just my imagination, and even if the Thistle Knight were here, what difference would it make? He would be just like everyone else, caught up in this boundless, beautiful dream…

That's right, that's it. Don't worry. There's nothing to worry about, everything will be fine...

A voice appeared in the man's ear; it was a sweet, melodious, and beautiful voice.

The man's will gradually succumbed, and then he closed his eyes and began to enjoy the wonderful pleasure.

"Well... is this all capitalists know?"

Standing on the second floor, Li Wei looked down at the banquet hall and couldn't help but complain. A pale pink mist floated throughout the hall, and within this mist, all sorts of utterly primitive scenes were unfolding. Li Wei saw a young man without a mask appear somewhat flustered, but quickly, his expression turned intoxicated. Almost simultaneously, a maid in revealing clothing approached him, chuckled softly in his ear, and then reached out to wrap her arms around the young man's neck.

Lord Klopp wasn't telling the truth either, which didn't surprise Levi. If he were to say that in front of Her Majesty the Queen, he might as well hang himself.

So you see, even the testimony of victims cannot be readily believed in many situations.

After all, some people even delete all their browsing history before they die.

That's perfectly normal. As the saying goes, "I'm not afraid of being crushed to pieces, as long as I leave behind a pure reputation."

Hmm? That's not how you use this sentence?
Forget it, they're all pretty much the same, aren't they?
Why is this all that capitalists know?

Li Wei watched the people below busily working with a bored expression, and yawned at the same time. Of course, he wasn't completely uninterested in it, but Li Wei came from an information-rich society and had seen far more exciting adult films than this. Naturally, he wouldn't be like the people in this world who couldn't resist seeing this.

But even in his own world, those wealthy people's private gatherings were all the same. Li Wei thought of that island—what was it again? Many celebrities and politicians participated, but ultimately it was all the same old thing. Don't they get tired of it? With so much money, what couldn't they do?

Li Wei finds it very satisfying to spend money on inventions, especially now with things like steam generators and jet engines. He even thought that once these technologies are fully developed, he could build a spaceship. Moreover, the world has proven that extraterrestrials do exist. In Li Wei's view, it would be better to go into space as soon as possible than to let humans fight each other on the ground.

Wouldn't it be a great future if you could even build a robot on the side?

Although I'm not involved in scientific research, all I can do is provide the funding.

But if you have money and don't do anything beneficial for humanity, what's the fun in just eating, drinking, and having fun? Besides, entertainment in this era isn't really that fun. It's not like we have VR now... where we might even be able to create virtual game pods or something.

So these capitalists really have no ideals and no future.

Li Wei shook his head, then glanced down. He had already noticed that behind the banquet hall wall was a secret room where someone was currently secretly taking photos of the event. As for the purpose of those photos, Li Wei could guess with a grain of salt.

Even if humanity develops for another hundred years, the result will still be the same.

Not to mention, in Li Wei's opinion, the current scene was not exactly beautiful.

Especially when viewed with the [Soul Vision], one can see that the maids are covered in tiny, tentacled insects all over their bodies. When they hug those people, these insects will emerge from the women's bodies and crawl into their heads through their ears or noses.

Of course, those idiots who are so infatuated and enjoying themselves are obviously completely unaware of this.

But then again, where did these bugs on the maids come from?

Li Wei stared at the banquet hall below, pondering this question. Through [Soul Vision], he watched the insects fall from the maids' bodies, then burrow into the bodies of others through their nostrils, mouths, ears, and anuses.

But they were completely unaware of this.

But it's not over yet.

Li Wei yawned. These gases were obviously useless against him, since his magic resistance was maxed out.

But standing here like this is really boring... Let's go wander around somewhere else.

Thinking of this, Li Wei shook his cane and turned to walk towards the end of the corridor on the other side.

It is unknown how much time passed before the man regained consciousness.

He looked at the maid lying in his arms and let out a soft moan. He stood up, pushed the unconscious woman aside, and then his previously hazy thoughts began to clear again. Like every man who, after releasing his excess passion, enters a period of philosophical contemplation, the man now recalled what had happened. Perhaps he really should talk to that guy; perhaps what he saw wasn't reality, but perhaps it was some kind of premonition…

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

Just then, applause rang out, and the man saw the black-robed figure emerge under the protection of several guards. He looked at the scene before him with smug satisfaction, while the regulars, who were already used to this, had already straightened their clothes. On the contrary, the newcomers were now looking around in fear and confusion, as if they were sleepwalking.

Perhaps they do feel like they are sleepwalking at this moment.

"Welcome, our comrades, welcome to our big family."

The man in the black robe opened his mouth and began to speak. His voice was as shrill as ever, but at this moment it sounded very pleasant.

Even men who know his true colors have to admit that his voice sounds much better at this time than usual.

"Ah, don't be shy, my friend."

The man in black robes smiled and walked towards the uneasy newcomers. He extended a hand and shook theirs.

"Everything you've done is normal. We're here for a common ideal, a common goal. Do you agree?"

"I...agree? I think I should agree?"

The person whose hand was being held by the black-robed man murmured to himself, his eyes filled with confusion, empty and lifeless.

"That's right, we all hope for the same thing. All we need is friendship. You will become our friend, and friends should support each other..."

"Friends...should support each other..."

"That's right, would you like to join us and fight alongside us for our ideals? We should support each other so that we can move forward together...?"

"Ah, um...yes, I think that's true..."

"congratulations."

Upon hearing the other party's reply, the man in black laughed, then reached out and took out a mask from the side, handing it to the newlywed.

"Now, we are one. We will fight for our rights, we will fight for the rights we deserve. Now, you are our comrade-in-arms..."

"Ah, um... I will... fight alongside you all..."

The newlywed nodded, then reached out and took the mask.

Then I put it on my face.

Upon seeing this, the man in black began to applaud.

"congratulations."

At the same time, everyone else started clapping.

"congratulations………"

Congratulations on joining us.

"Congratulations………"

For a moment, the atmosphere around them was incredibly harmonious and joyful, and the newlywed wearing the mask also showed a happy expression.

"Ah, thank you everyone, I..."

"Boom!"

However, before he could finish speaking, the tightly closed door suddenly burst open, and a group of fully armed steam engine soldiers rushed in, surrounding the entire banquet hall.

This sudden scene startled everyone, and they turned around in surprise to look at the soldiers. Then, Li Wei, holding a cane, walked out leisurely.

His gaze lingered on the masks, then he smiled slightly.

"Sure enough."

As he spoke, Li Wei made a gesture.

"Guards, arrest all of these people."

"This is private territory!"

The man in black robes puffed out his chest and glared at Li Wei with displeasure.

"How dare you trespass on private property?"

Faced with the black-robed man's angry roar, Li Wei merely glanced at him.

“We received a tip from the public that someone was holding a blasphemous cult ritual underground here. It seems we have arrived at the perfect time.”

"This is not some cult ritual..."

The man in black glared fiercely at Li Wei and spoke.

"This is just part of the banquet procedure..."

"I'll explain the details when we get back."

As Li Wei spoke, he made a gesture.

"Take them all away."

(End of this chapter)