Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 521 New Work
After handing over the missile project to the Empire, Li Wei gracefully withdrew from the scene. He wasn't really involved in research and development; he was more like an investor. He left the rest to the two sides to handle themselves.

Li Wei, on the other hand, returned to the tower and began... to think about what to do next in his painting.

The Queen herself is urging for more updates; this is truly tragic.

What else could he do?
"Oh, Daddy!"

Seeing Li Wei return home, Alice immediately ran over and hugged him. After all, Li Wei hadn't been home much lately, and the little ones had been lonely without him.

Incidentally, the Holy Maiden didn't come along. She's currently in charge of the Floating City, which is currently undergoing renovations. After all, the Floating City was originally just a bare shell with nothing inside. If the Queen wants the Floating City to be effective in combat, she'll definitely have to make extensive changes. As for how to make those changes, that's up to the Holy Maiden.

And also...

"Thank you so much for the missile issue, Qi Ya."

Li Wei thanked Qi Ya as well. He had learned from John that it was Qi Ya who suggested using a miniature difference engine to assist in missile trajectory adjustment. John had been troubled by this issue and wanted to discuss it with Li Wei in person. However, Li Wei was not there, so Qi Ya heard about the situation from the worried John and made this suggestion. She was also the one who developed the entire calculation program for the difference engine.

"You're welcome, Brother Li Wei. I'm glad I could help you."

In response to Li Wei's thanks, Qi Ya smiled shyly and waved her hand, while Li Wei shook his head.

"Of course, you've helped me a lot. You'll also get a share of the profits from here in the future."

"Huh? Is this okay?"

"Of course, you solved the key problem of missile launch."

Li Wei naturally wouldn't let Qi Ya Bai help him, especially since he knew that this was the essence of a missile, which is why missiles are called missiles instead of artillery shells.

However, Li Wei naturally wouldn't reveal this matter. In fact, most people's understanding of the missiles Li Wei manufactured was still that they were "shells that could fly farther on their own." For Li Wei, this also helped to obscure the information.

After all, unless they see it with their own eyes, many people simply don't realize what "a shell that can fly farther" really means.

Or rather, people simply cannot imagine things they have never seen.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Qi Ya was clearly not a naive young girl. Having followed Dr. Tester for so many years, she naturally understood the importance of funding for research. And her main research area was the Difference Engine—there weren't many research projects that cost more money than the Difference Engine.

"But it's amazing that you came up with a solution for the miniature difference engine. Will the difference engine be able to become even smaller in the future?"

Thinking of laptops and mobile phones in his own world, Li Wei asked curiously, since at least in his time, the computing power of a personal mobile phone had long surpassed that of the earliest computers.

What about this side?

"That's probably very difficult."

When the topic of her major came up, Qi Ya's expression immediately became serious, and she shook her head solemnly.

"The difference engine is limited by its physical model. If it is made too small, it will be technically counterproductive. If we want to make the difference engine more powerful, we must make it bigger."

"Like the central tower of a steel city, right?"

Li Wei recalled what he had seen in the control tower of the Steel City: a dense army of metal gears like a forest on both sides of the corridor.

"Well, ease of maintenance and manufacturing is also a reason, but the future of the difference engine... I'm afraid we need to think about it more."

When this topic came up, Qi Ya also showed a troubled expression. It was obvious that although the general public believed that the difference engine was the future, Qi Ya was clearly looking further ahead.

However, Li Wei couldn't help with this. He knew nothing about electronic chips, only some basic scientific knowledge, but that was useless—at least not now.

Who knows what will happen in the future?

"Ah, Dad, this."

After Li Wei and Qi Ya finished talking, Alice handed Li Wei a notebook with a smile.

"This is?"

Li Wei curiously took it and opened it, and what he saw was...

"Betty?"

"Yes, I copied my dad's drawing..."

“When I taught her to draw, she said she wanted to learn from your sketchbook.”

Adele, who was serving as a tutor, also chimed in from the side.

"So I had her study and copy your paintings..."

"Um……………"

Li Wei flipped through the sketchbook and was surprised to find that Alice's drawing skills were quite strong. At least, it could be said that her drawings were almost exactly the same as his own... Moreover, although the beginning was a copy, there were also her own drawings at the end. It was clear that Alice was not only quite talented in drawing, but she was practically a genius.

Speaking of extraordinary people...

Li Wei glanced at the little mermaid singing beside him; she and Alice were the only two in the family whose soul radiance was blue.

Currently, both of them seem to share a common trait: they are incredibly, ruthlessly strong in their areas of expertise. They're the kind of players whose opponents would scream, "I'm done with this!"

Putting aside the Little Mermaid, Alice Levi could be remembered as a soul more like one born from a painting. So, could her talent for painting be due to this reason?
Does this mean that all fantasy species with blue soul radiance possess such inhuman strength and talent?
Hmm? But this did give Li Wei an idea.

“Um… Mr. Li Wei…”

Just then, Sofia cautiously walked over, carrying a tea tray with a cup of tea on it.

"Please have some tea..."

"Thank you, Sophia."

Li Wei smiled and patted Sophia's head, then picked up his tea, took a sip, and looked at Sophia curiously.

"Did you make this?"

"Yes, this was made by Miss Sophia."

At this moment, the maid Eileen also spoke up from the side.

"Because the bathing experience felt different from yours, I guessed it must have been prepared by someone else, and it was Sofia who brought it..."

"No, doesn't it taste good?"

Hearing Li Wei's words, Sophia felt uneasy, while Li Wei smiled slightly.

"No, although they taste different, they are both very good, just like oranges and apples. Although they taste different, they are both very good."

"…………………"

Hearing Li Wei say that, Sophia breathed a sigh of relief, and Alice smiled and took her hand.

"That's great, Sophia, Daddy praised you!"

"Ok!"

"But why would you want to learn how to brew tea?"

"Because..."

Faced with Li Wei's curious question, Sophia lowered her head somewhat uneasily, fiddling with her fingers.

"Because I also want to do something for Mr. Levi, but I don't sing as well as Sister Muse, nor am I as good at drawing as Alice, so I'm thinking... is that not allowed?"

"It's not that it's impossible..."

Hearing Sophia's reply, Levi was momentarily speechless. He was pleased that she had such a kind intention, but the thought that Sophia was a princess of the Sasha Alliance and the next queen, yet she was learning how to be a maid in his own home… made Levi feel a little uneasy. However, upon closer reflection, the Sasha Alliance might be on the verge of collapse. In fact, Levi had already learned from the closed-door meeting that the Sasha Alliance was showing signs of disintegration. Originally, the Sasha Alliance was a union of two countries, but in the recent battle against the Principality of Seth, the Sasha Alliance not only failed to easily annex the other side as it had expected, but also suffered heavy casualties and losses.

The reason the Duchy of Seth was ultimately conquered was simply because internal problems arose within the Western European Empire, and Francis had already been annexed by Krant, leading the Western European Empire to sign a ceasefire and withdraw. The remaining Duchy of Seth was left alone and unable to withstand the onslaught, which is why it was captured by the Sasha Alliance.

Even so, various resistance forces continue to emerge within the territory of the Principality of Seth. It's clear to anyone with eyes to see that the Sasha Alliance is now on its last legs and has little ability left. The people of the Principality of Seth also believe that if they put in a little more effort, they can once again break free from the clutches of the Sasha Alliance.

This has resulted in the Sasha Alliance being extremely exhausted from suppressing rebellions everywhere, even though the war has ended.

With things turned out this way, everyone was complaining, so naturally, the higher-ups started shifting the blame among themselves.

One criticizes the other for being stubborn, while the other berates the other for thinking too simply.

The argument escalated to the point where they were about to split up.

This is the consequence of a Pyrrhic victory.

That's why Her Majesty the Queen demanded that the Empire not only win, but win decisively, because it was a political necessity, not a military one.

If the goal is to resist aggression, then a pyrrhic victory is acceptable. Although it's a tragic victory, at least we won.

However, the Sasha alliance was aiming to annex and expand, so a Pyrrhic victory was unacceptable.

Levi had already guessed how the Queen planned to deal with the Sasha Alliance. After the Sasha Alliance dealt with the resistance forces of the Duchy of Seth, she would simply eliminate the Sasha Alliance, and then the problem would be solved.

Well, that's assuming the Duchy of Seth doesn't produce another Gates of Hell or something...

As for the Western Empire of Europe, the Empire probably has little interest. Even during the time of Emperor Arthur, the Western Empire of Europe was barbarian territory. To put it bluntly, there was no country there at the time, and it was sparsely populated with limited resources. Emperor Arthur had no interest in conquering it.

Later, when the Western European Empire was established, the capital of the empire had already changed twice, so naturally they paid even less attention to it.

Judging from this, it seems Sophia won't be able to become queen in the future, and will be a maid... Well, as long as she's happy.

Li Wei patted Sophia's head again, then looked at Alice.

"By the way, Alice, since you draw so well, why don't you help me out?"

"What is it, Dad?"

"How about you draw me a puppy named Betty?"

That's right, the Queen was pressing for updates, so Li Wei had no choice but to resort to child labor.

"Huh? Shall I draw it?"

Alice looked surprised when she heard Li Wei's words.

"Me? Can I do it? I don't think I can draw stories as interesting as Dad's..."

"I will prepare the draft for you, and all you need to do is draw it."

Li Wei remembered seeing on TV that when cartoonists were rushing to meet a deadline, they would first draw simple lines on the draft, and then their assistants would fill in those lines to complete the design.

There are many people in this era who can draw, but few who can draw comics. Since Alice has this kind of inhuman ability, Li Wei naturally has to use her.

Of course, he wouldn't exploit his assistants like those cartoonists do, since he only updates once a month, what more could he ask for?

"I...I want to try!"

Hearing Li Wei say that, Alice became excited. She also liked the Betty the puppy comic, and now that she could participate in it, she was naturally overjoyed.

"Then let's give it a try."

Li Wei was a man of action. He then took Alice to his study, where he first drew some drafts and then taught Alice how to draw them. Alice learned a bit and felt she understood, so she went off to do her own thing.

Li Wei, however, began to think about something else.

That was a comic that the Queen commissioned to change the public's perception of demons.

Li Wei didn't plan to publish a comic book directly explaining what demons were, because that would indeed contradict the current church's theories, and Li Wei knew that people really dislike being forcibly implanted with knowledge. This is why most people can't concentrate in school; they're drowsy in class, but if it's something they enjoy, they'll stay up all night to study it.

Online, if someone says, "What I say is right, and you must listen to me," then most people will likely not listen to them. Many officials have incurred public wrath by making similar mistakes; even if they are right, such statements can easily backfire, causing people to be unwilling to listen to them.

So Li Wei decided to use a subtle approach, and... simply telling everyone that demons come from hell wouldn't be very appealing.

So Li Wei decided to follow the example he had read and create a... mecha comic!
The story is set against the backdrop of this war.

Levi had already decided that the protagonists would be three Imperial students studying in the Duchy of Tiris, who were then attacked by the army of the Kingdom of Krant. As the three were escaping, an Imperial airship was shot down by the Krant army and crashed in front of them. Inside, they discovered an intact mech.

To save their lives, the three piloted their mechs and fought a fierce battle against the synthetic beasts of the Kingdom of Krant. Just as they were about to be overwhelmed, imperial reinforcements arrived and defeated the Krant army.

The three men and their mech were taken away by the military. They later learned that it was the Empire's latest new type of mech, and their outstanding performance in the war had attracted the military's attention, leading to an invitation for them to participate in the next battle.

The three men did not immediately agree; they were afraid of the bloody battles on the battlefield and only wanted to go home. But when they left the army and returned to their quarters, they were met with devastation and children weeping bitterly in front of the ruins.

The protagonist then realizes, "As long as nations exist, war will never end. Only by unifying the continent again, like Emperor Arthur, can war be eradicated!"

Ultimately, he persuaded his two comrades to rejoin the army and fight the war.

Well, Li Wei responded, "Don't you all like to talk about the global village? Well said. If there were only one country on the entire continent, then there would be no national borders, wouldn't that be a world of great harmony?"
As for who leads this country, that's none of your business!

Who can deny Qin Shi Huang's power?

Of course, even if there were only one country, war wouldn't disappear. But this is a comic book, not the Bible, and the protagonist is just a teenager. What's wrong with him having slightly extreme ideas?
Of course, Li Wei wrote this plot to conform to the empire's "political correctness." If Francis or the Sasha Alliance had read it, the people of the Duchy of Seth would definitely have been indignant—why should you rule over us?

Hey, if you're not happy, come and hit me.

Ultimately, confidence and strength are what have allowed us to thrive since ancient times.

If the empire dies, there will still be a debate about who is the rightful heir.

But what can you do when the empire is still alive?

You'll just have to put up with it.

Of course, Li Wei is also designed to appear in the story. Many shonen manga feature a high-status, powerful teacher-type character who, although not the protagonist, is more popular than the main character. Li Wei is also designed to be this type of character, which aligns with his own identity—he is, after all, a Thistle Knight and an Imperial Earl; he can't really become a teenage brat.

Of course, in Li Wei's mind, the whole story mainly focuses on the growth of the three kids, from being ordinary people at the beginning to becoming elite pilots who can stand on their own. As their teacher, Li Wei only needs to occasionally step in to save the day and show off a bit.

However, Li Wei would definitely not portray himself as the kind of clown who says, "Sorry, I couldn't make you have enough fun," hahaha.

Seeing this, some people might say, "This doesn't seem to have anything to do with demons, does it?"

Ah, that's exactly what Levi did on purpose. He planned to have the protagonists encounter demons in the latter half of the story. At first, the protagonists thought these were new chimeras from the Kingdom of Krant, but later, through their investigations, they discovered that they were actually demons.

And the one who summoned the demon was actually the Holy Bishop Headquarters!
Well, in the past, such a plot would have caused a huge stir, but now, the Empire and the Holy Bishops have long since separated, and the Holy Bishops' headquarters have a bad reputation in the Empire. If Li Wei kicks a dog when it's down, no one will care, right?
Not to mention that what he said was true!

As for how it will end... well, that depends on how the fight goes.

If things get really bad, Li Wei might as well just stop updating altogether.

Anyway, he's not afraid of someone sending him razor blades.

Sending a detective a razor blade? What, you think you're too old for this?

Okay, let's do it this way!

With that thought in mind, Li Wei nodded in satisfaction and began to paint.

After all, the Queen's urging for updates is really killing me...

(End of this chapter)