Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 451 Gather together

"Haa..."

Lydia leaned against the window, watching the scenery rushing past the carriages outside, and couldn't help but sigh.

"What's wrong, Lydia?"

Just then, a young girl's voice rang out, and along with the voice, a white cat poked its head out of Lydia's bag, its large, deep blue eyes looking at her curiously.

"You were invited to Chongqing as a representative to attend the conference, so why do you look so listless?"

"Because I was very nervous."

Looking at her white cat fairy, Lydia clenched her fists nervously. She had been with MI7 for less than half a year. In fact, Lydia was just an ordinary girl born in the countryside, but her parents were unfortunately cursed by an evil spirit, and her family was on the verge of death.

Lydia then wrote to Discover magazine for help, and MI7 later dispatched a team to Lydia's hometown, ultimately helping her defeat the evil spirits. In this case, Lydia also coincidentally became partners with a talking white cat fairy.

It said that its bloodline came from a very ancient family, and that it was the family's guardian beast... To be honest, for Lydia, this was more like a story told in a tavern than a reality happening to her.

Because of Lydia's and the white cat fairy's power, the squad leader at the time invited Lydia to join MI7. As a kind-hearted girl, Lydia also hoped to use her power to help others.

Of course, the unexpectedly good salary and benefits were also a reason why she chose to join.

Six months later, Lydia joined the team that had recruited her and participated in the investigation of several mysterious cases. Some yielded good results, while others were less successful. Regardless, Lydia and the white cat fairy played significant roles in both.

However, in Lydia's own view, the main reason was that her white cat fairy was powerful, while she herself... was more like a burden.

"Is it really okay for someone like me to represent the country? After all, I'm not very capable at all..."

"You're here again."

The white cat fairy was clearly used to Lydia's self-pity.

"Didn't I tell you? It was the power in your blood that awakened me from my slumber. If we can't communicate with each other, then it will be difficult for me to unleash my power."

"But... I didn't do much..."

"Your problem is that you underestimate yourself."

The white cat fairy stretched out a paw and slapped Lydia's face, looking at her owner with displeasure.

"In my opinion, you are actually very capable."

"Yes, really?"

"That's right, didn't you quickly accept facing those strange things? Most people would have nightmares just from seeing those things. But even when you saw them, you weren't particularly scared, were you?"

"I get scared too..."

Lydia retorted timidly, while the white cat shook its head.

"That's not what I meant... Never mind, you'll understand when you've experienced more in life."

"Waaah..."

Faced with the white cat fairy's words, Lydia could only let out a low whimper like a helpless cub.

"I heard there are other people like me here this time. Are they... easy to get along with?"

"I can't say for sure about that."

The white cat fairy shook her head.

"Although the people in the squad you joined are not bad, as an organization, MI7 has members with very different personalities."

"But, but, since there will be mysterious creatures accompanying them, they must all be good people, right?"

"That's not necessarily true. It's also possible that they've been entangled, or that they've accidentally established contact with mysterious creatures. A long time ago, there were indeed humans who specifically commanded those mysterious creatures, but that was a long time ago. Now..."

As she spoke, the white cat fairy shook her head.

"Based on my current feeling, there shouldn't be any particularly powerful mysterious creatures."

As they spoke, the carriage turned onto a side road, and a moment later, a building that looked like an inn appeared in front of Lydia.

Then the carriage stopped, and the driver's voice rang out.

"We've arrived, miss."

"Ah, thanks."

Lydia quickly stuffed the white cat fairy back into her bag, then opened the carriage door and carefully stepped down, bag in hand. She looked up at the building before her. It resembled a luxurious manor, and above it was written…Red Moon Inn?
Is this a hotel? Are they going to meet here? Have they gotten lost? Why are they here? Are they going to put them in a hotel? I didn't bring much money with me on this trip, what am I going to do?
"Hey, hello there, lovely lady."

Just as Lydia was puzzled and even somewhat embarrassed, a voice suddenly rang out, startling her. Lydia turned her head and saw a young man in his early twenties, who looked a bit frivolous, walking towards her with a smile. He came to Lydia's side, reached out and took her hand, and gave the back of her hand a light kiss.

"Welcome to the Red Moon Inn, lovely lady. May I ask your name?"

“Huh? Ah, yes… my name is Lydia Derek… I’m here to participate in…”

However, before Lydia could finish speaking, the young man put a finger to his lips, stopping her from saying anything more.

"Shh, be careful, the walls have ears."

"Ah, I'm so sorry...!"

"I'm just kidding."

"Hey?"

Lydia was completely bewildered when the man smiled at her, unsure how to react. He then snapped his fingers with a smile, and Lydia saw a tiny sprite, about the size of a thumb, with butterfly-like wings, quietly appear beside her.

“My name is Polk Bantley, and I’m a fairy messenger. She’s my most adorable fairy, Pixie. And you, Miss Derek?”

"Ah, I... I um..."

Before Lydia could finish speaking, the white cat fairy opened the bag and poked its head out.

"Hello, young man, as a gentleman, isn't it a bit rude of you to approach my master like this?"

"Ah, a cat fairy."

Upon seeing the white cat fairy, Polk smiled. "I apologize; it seems I was indeed rude. In that case, as an apology, let me take you inside."

"Ah, okay, thank you for your help..."

Although Lydia had already handled several mysterious incidents with her team, the interpersonal interactions were usually handled by the other members, and she rarely talked to strangers. At this moment, she could only nod blankly and follow Polk into the inn.

In the hotel lounge, a man and a woman were already sitting on chairs. They didn't say anything. When Lydia came in, they just glanced at her subconsciously before looking away.

"I...I'm Lydia Delix, how are you?"

Looking at the others who remained silent, Lydia didn't know what to say. At that moment, Polk leaned over and whispered something in her ear.

"Sorry, now you understand, Miss Derek. That's how these people are; they almost never talk to you. It's a good thing you're not like that, or I would have been bored to death."

"Oh, I see..."

Lydia finally understood why Polk had come to talk to her; indeed, these people rarely seemed to talk...

Lydia also sat down in an empty chair and cautiously looked at the others.

The other woman looked slightly older than Lydia, with a pretty face, long, deep red hair, and wearing a black robe. She gave Lydia the impression of a fortune teller on the street who would use a crystal ball to tell divinations.

In fact, she was indeed holding a crystal ball in her hands.

On the other side sat a burly man wearing a leather jacket and a coat. He had a fierce expression and his face was covered with scars. He was carrying a shotgun and a belt of ammunition on his back. However, what caught Lydia's attention even more was that a coffin was chained to the man's back.

Lydia carefully withdrew her gaze, then asked in her mind.

What do you think? Are they in danger?

Lydia trusted her white cat fairy, for it was knowledgeable and could sense the strength and malevolence of other mysterious creatures by scent. It was precisely because the white cat fairy had ascertained the strength of the entities that triggered the events before several missions that they had escaped great calamity.

It's alright, about what I expected.

Soon, the white cat fairy's voice appeared in Lydia's mind.

[This young man's Pixie is a good fairy; she only likes to stay with kind-hearted people, so this young man can't be too bad. Hmm, as for that burly man... I didn't sense any danger. Don't let his fierce appearance fool you; the aura emanating from the coffin behind him is very holy and peaceful... That's quite interesting.]

At this point, the white cat fairy changed the subject.

On the contrary, you should be careful of that woman. I don't know what kind of mysterious creature she's with, but she exudes a cold and evil aura. In short, she's definitely not a good person.

【Huh? Is that so? Okay, I understand…】

Upon hearing the white cat fairy's answer, Lydia glanced at the female fortune teller with some surprise, then quickly looked away.

Just then, Polk leaned closer and whispered something.

"By the way, Miss Derek, did you know? There's a very important person among the people coming today."

"Big man?"

“That’s right, Sir Levi! I heard it from others too; I heard he’ll be attending this gathering!”

"Huh?! Really?"

Hearing this, Lydia almost screamed, and it's no wonder she lost her composure. Even before joining MI7, she had read plenty of detective stories about Levi in ​​the Discovery News. Of course, after joining MI7, she knew those were just public reports, and Levi's reports were far more exciting than the media.

Moreover, he not only destroyed the sea monster, but also killed a dragon!

Even their own white cat fairy found it unbelievable, thinking it was probably an exaggeration.

They must be mistaking sub-dragons for pure-blooded dragons. Pure-blooded dragons are impossible to find in this era; sub-dragons are a different story. Anyway, I think that guy named Levi is just bragging!

Lydia still remembered her white cat fairy's confident words, which made Lydia so angry that she didn't speak to it for several days.

After all, Sir Levi was her idol, and how could an idol lie? Besides, everyone saw it; it was clearly a dragon!

After that, four more people arrived one after another, men and women, old and young. Polk went up to greet them all. Some of them chatted with him for a few words, while others ignored him.

The youngest of them was a fourteen-year-old boy, holding a doll in his arms. The white cat fairy told Lydia that the doll was inhabited by a Hilchi, a fairy in legend who guards homes, and she didn't know how it ended up with this boy.

Then there was an old man in his sixties who looked kind and gentle, but the white cat fairy said that his cold aura was even stronger than that of the female fortune teller, so it was best not to provoke him.

There was also a plump middle-aged woman holding a small, furry, mole-like creature in her arms. The white cat fairy said it was called a treasure-sniffing monster, and that it could find the most valuable thing in a room.

Everyone took their seats and remained mostly silent.

Just then, Lydia heard the sound of footsteps and a cane tapping on the ground outside again.

At that very moment, Lydia suddenly felt the white cat in her arms stand on end. It arched its back and stared intently at the doorway. The others reacted similarly.

【What's wrong? 】

[This smell...it's so strong, the scent of pure dragon blood! I want to run away!]

[Pure dragon blood?]

[That's right, why is there an aura of pure dragon blood here?]

The white cat fairy stared intently at the door, ready to flee at the slightest provocation. Just then, the door opened, and a handsome young man with black hair and black eyes, dressed in a formal suit, appeared before them.

Ah, it's Sir Levi!

Upon seeing Li Wei, Lydia dared not call out aloud, so she silently prayed to herself.

See, I told you so! It was indeed Ser Levi who slew the dragon!

Ah, hmm… this aura… indeed… I never imagined… that in this era, there would still be someone capable of slaying a dragon?

The white cat looked at Li Wei with disbelief on its face.

At this moment, Lydia felt a small sense of pride deep inside.

Of course, he is Sir Levi.

(End of this chapter)