Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 410 An Invitation

Hubin District.

Strictly speaking, this place is located in the suburbs of Fog City. It's at a relatively high altitude and has a lake nearby, hence the name "Lakeside District." Li Wei remembered reading about its development in the newspapers; he'd heard it was mainly intended for high-ranking officials to escape the summer heat. This was actually quite normal, since Fog City was the center of the empire, and powerful officials couldn't possibly spend weeks away on vacation.

In the case of the Kingdom of Krant, when the Sasha Alliance declared war on the Duchy of Seth, Emperor William II of Krant, the Chief of Staff of the Kingdom of Krant, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, and other important officials were all on vacation abroad. Only after they learned of the Sasha Alliance's declaration of war against the Duchy of Seth did they hurriedly return to Delin.

He was in a terrible state.

In fact, Krant wasn't the only country like this at the time. Apart from the Sasha Alliance, which was determined to declare war on the Principality of Seth, and the Empire, which had been preparing for this, the rulers and important officials of other countries were all on vacation in various places. This is why, after the Sasha Alliance declared war on the Principality of Seth, only the Empire was able to wait in comfort and deliver a blow to the Krant Kingdom, which had rushed to send troops.

In fact, when the Empire occupied Port de la Riviera, Francis and the Western European Empire were still in the midst of war mobilization.

Even with communication devices and telegraphs, it still takes time, and in war, time is life. Whoever reacts quickly gains the upper hand. Right now, the Empire can rely on Port Drey to leisurely watch the Krante, the Western European Empire, and Francis fight each other, while it sits back and observes the battle.

Ultimately, this was because the Queen realized this and demanded that all important figures remain in the City of Fog. Therefore, when war broke out, the Empire responded with lightning speed.

This demonstrates how important it is for key officials to remain in the capital at all times.

However, since they were only working in the capital and not under house arrest, the empire developed the lakeside area, aiming to transform it into a high-altitude summer resort. This way, those high-ranking officials wouldn't have to travel thousands of miles away for vacation every year.

Li Wei always felt that the next time he came here, it might be troublesome again, like some kind of murder case at a snow mountain villa.

Well, at least next time.

But this time the situation isn't much better.

No. 213 Tulip Avenue, Hubin District.

This is neither a manor nor a villa. It is an exquisite glass building. Viewed from the air, this beautiful glass building shines like a diamond on the ground.

"The Rare Botanical Garden, invested in by the Calent family and built by the Stresses Construction Company five years ago, was completed last year. It mainly displays plants from continents around the world. I heard they also built the Empire's largest greenhouse, specifically for growing some tropical plants."

"So they have their own filtration tanks?"

"Yes, water is taken from Emerald Lake and used to irrigate the entire botanical garden."

"Therefore, they don't need purified water from water stations...because they can produce it themselves..."

Li Wei stared at the botanical garden below, where a dark, crimson light was pulsating within his [Soul Vision].

Just like that giant dragon.

However, this thing is much harder to deal with than a dragon.

The Calent family was no ordinary noble family; their political influence in the empire was considerable. This wasn't the kind of place Levi could simply lead a group of steam-powered soldiers into, loot, and vandalize.

"Sorry, we failed, sir."

Soon, the radio relayed a response from the agents below.

"We intended to go in as tourists to see what was going on, but they refused our request, claiming that this place only caters to dignitaries. Without an invitation, you can't just go in."

"I understand. You guys come back first."

Upon hearing the agents' report, Li Wei pondered for a moment and then issued the order.

Unlike the old man before, the Kalent family wields considerable power, especially Marquis Kalent, who currently serves as the Empire's Minister of Education and Science, primarily responsible for cultural and educational matters. Of course, if this were a game, the next step would be to conceal one's identity, secretly infiltrate, and stealthily gather intelligence.

However, Li Wei felt that things didn't need to be made so complicated.

The reason is simple: the Calent family is also a royalist party, and a core member at that. Logically, they shouldn't be involved in a conspiracy to overthrow Her Majesty the Queen. While concealing their identities during the investigation isn't impossible, the problem is that it would leave a bad impression on the Calent family.

Li Wei didn't want others to see them as if they were imperial guards; detective work is all about cooperation. They were all from the same faction, constantly running into each other, not like they'd just finish a case and go their separate ways. Li Wei could simply go in and do whatever he wanted.

However, this matter still needs to be addressed eventually. It would be a bad thing if the Marquis of Calent found out that he was secretly causing trouble behind his back.

Moreover… after carefully reviewing the intelligence he had gathered, Li Wei made a decision.

He planned to speak with the Marquis of Calent in person.

“I never expected that you would come looking for me, Sir Levi.”

Li Wei's request was quickly approved, and Marquis Calent received him warmly in his office. Li Wei was currently a highly sought-after figure in the empire; setting aside the front lines (a military secret), his achievement of slaying the dragon alone was enough to secure his livelihood for life. Unless he committed treason, nothing else mattered.

Incidentally, after slaying the dragon, Livy's family crest was changed. Originally a skull surrounded by roses, it now depicted a dragon biting its jaws, symbolizing Livy's dragon-slaying achievement. In Livy's time, this was considered opening a new chapter in the family tree…

"Greetings, Your Excellency Marquis. I hope I have not disturbed you."

Li Wei bowed to the Marquis of Calent in salute, and the latter returned the salute with a smile.

"Of course not. Well, since you've come in person, there must be something you want to discuss with me?"

"As expected of the Marquis, I do indeed need your help with something."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

Upon hearing Li Wei's question, Marquis Calent immediately became interested. Seeing the Marquis Calent's expression, Li Wei's eyes flickered slightly. From the moment he entered, he had been observing the Marquis Calent, noticing that the man was very curious about his arrival, but did not seem anxious or uneasy.

This is similar to how police officers spot criminal suspects. Most people, when targeted by the police, would simply stare back curiously or give a dismissive "What are you looking at?" But criminal suspects, when targeted, instinctively sense something is wrong and react differently. Many people are curious about how police identify criminal suspects; it's actually based on the suspect's reaction.

It's like two policemen patrolling the street; most people just look at them, or at most keep their distance.

But if someone sees a policeman and turns away, then there's something fishy going on!
The Marquis of Calent was behaving just like any other person, quite curious, but without any signs of anxiety or unease.

Well, we can't rule out the possibility that he's a very good actor.

Do you know about the Rare Botanical Garden?

"A rare botanical garden?"

Upon hearing Li Wei's question, Marquis Calent paused for a moment, then frowned and began to think.

"I feel like I've heard this somewhere before..."

"It was built with investment from the Carrent family and is located in the Lakeside area."

"Ah... I remember now."

Upon hearing Li Wei's words, Marquis Calent immediately clapped his hands.

"Ah, yes, there is such a botanical garden. When the lakeside area was being developed, His Majesty expressed his desire to build several iconic landmark buildings there, so I built that botanical garden."

This is the royalist nobility; whatever the Queen says, they will certainly follow. Their power and status come from the Queen, so naturally they must uphold the authority of the monarchy. In this respect, the Marquis of Calent and Livy are actually on the same side.

"But this botanical garden is not open yet. In fact, I went to see it today, and they told me that this botanical garden is only open to high-ranking officials and dignitaries. Is that true?"

"of course not!"

Upon hearing this, Marquis Calent was quite surprised and frowned.

"The original intention of establishing this botanical garden was to let the people of Fog City see the vastness of the empire and let them know how big and rich the empire is... This botanical garden was planned to be open to the public free of charge. I remember that a foundation was specially set up for this purpose, and funds were allocated to it every year!"

Sure enough.

Hearing the Marquis of Calent's reply, Levi nodded silently to himself. After reviewing the intelligence, Levi realized something was amiss. The Calent family were royalists, and logically, they shouldn't be involved in a struggle to overthrow the monarchy. But soon, he realized another reason.

That means the Marquis of Calent might not even know what this botanical garden is all about.

This is not surprising. Li Wei is now in a high position, and he has noticed that, basically, when a task is assigned by the higher-ups, if there is no bad news, they assume everything is going smoothly and almost never pay any more attention to it. This is especially true for powerful nobles like the Marquis of Calent, who is extremely busy with affairs of state. As the Empire's Minister of Culture and Education, he has so many things to handle that unless something like a fire breaks out in the botanical garden, he will simply assume that the botanical garden is operating smoothly.

This is why Li Wei went directly to Marquis Calent. The main characters in the game are just low-ranking minor characters, so they can only sneak in. If something happens, they will incur the wrath of those above them.

It's like the Marquis of Calent: suppose Levy sneaks into the botanical garden, discovers a monster, destroys it, and then burns the garden down. Perhaps Her Majesty the Queen could understand his decision, but the Marquis of Calent would only know that Levy, on some pretext, inexplicably blew up the botanical garden he had funded to please Her Majesty the Queen.

This was certainly not good news for the Marquis of Calent.

What if the Marquis of Carente is the mastermind?
Li Wei was even less worried. The purpose of cutting grass was to scare the snake away. Besides, if the monk could escape, could the temple escape?
"Then I may have to inform you of some very unfortunate news: the botanical garden you established may have already been taken over by someone else."

"what?"

Upon hearing Li Wei's report, Marquis Calent was taken aback.

"What does it mean?"

"You've heard about the recent reports and voices in the capital criticizing Her Majesty the Queen's autocracy and dictatorship, haven't you, Your Excellency?"

"Of course, I've heard about it too."

Marquis Calent frowned in disgust.

“Those treacherous anarchists, I really wish they could all be hanged.”

"But after my investigation, I discovered that these guys were using some method to win over some nobles, and I followed this clue and found out about this botanical garden. After further investigation, I discovered that this botanical garden belonged to the Calent family."

"So, you've come here to confront me and demand an explanation?"

Upon hearing this, Marquis Calent looked somewhat displeased, while Levi shook his head.

"No, on the contrary, just as I said before, I suspect that those traitors may have already taken over your botanical garden and are even trying to frame you. That's why I came here specifically to explain the situation to you, and... if you don't mind, how about you come with me to inspect the botanical garden?"

As Li Wei spoke, he smiled slightly at Marquis Calent and made an inviting gesture.

"Of course, there may be some dangers there, but I assure you I will protect you."

Hearing this, Calent's previously displeased expression softened considerably. He stared at Levi for a moment, then strode back to his desk and took a pistol from the drawer.

"Don't underestimate me, Sir Levi. I was once a soldier, and I was even a shooting champion!"

Marquis Calent raised his gun and pulled the bolt.

"Let's go, I want to see what those damned traitors are up to in my botanical garden!"

(End of this chapter)