Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 546 Overwhelming Domination
According to the debate's procedure, the moderator should have asked Father Phillips to say something at this point. However, this was, after all, a radio program, and none of them had experience. The moderator was completely unaware of this, and Father Phillips, although realizing he had fallen into Levy's trap, was still considering his countermeasures and didn't react immediately.

As for Li Wei… of course he wouldn’t kindly offer any advice, so he continued talking.

"From the story above, we can see that neither the perpetrator's nor the victim's account is credible. So, how do we find out the truth? There are many methods, one of which is to ask witnesses around us, who may have seen the whole thing happen. Of course, we should also question these witnesses' statements, because many people's memories are also vague, and there may even be cases of false memories."

Will this situation happen again?

The host asked curiously, completely unaware that she had been drawn into Li Wei's rhythm.

"Of course, here's what we'll do: I'll ask you a question, and you answer it. What color was the uniform of the staff member who greeted us earlier? Don't look, answer now."

"Uh...this..."

Not only was the host completely bewildered, but even Father Phillips frowned. He tried hard to recall, but found that he couldn't remember what color the staff member's clothes were either.

Is it gray?

Upon hearing Li Wei's question, both of them thought for a moment before the host answered.

"I think so..."

"Then, please have that staff member step forward."

Li Wei chuckled and made a gesture. Then the staff member stepped forward, and the two were taken aback when they saw her attire.

"Huh? It's blue?"

"Yes."

Li Wei nodded.

"The reason you think it's gray is because I added the word 'gray' when I asked you. Then you instinctively pictured that staff member and imagined her wearing gray clothes, and thought it was right, so you assumed it was like that?"

"This... seems to be true indeed..."

Even Father Phillips was somewhat surprised, because he had indeed been thinking exactly as Levi had described.

"That's why the police can't use leading questions. For example, if I were to ask a witness about the incident, I would only ask them, 'What did you see?' and not, 'Did you see Dazhuang beat Xiaoshuai?' The latter would make them automatically associate the incident with what they saw and confirm that what they thought was what they actually saw, and they might just agree with my version of events."

At this point, Li Wei chuckled.

"This shows that not only are other people's testimonies unreliable, but even the witnesses' memories are not necessarily accurate. So for the police, what we need to look for is either objective evidence or contradictions in the testimonies."

"The point of contention..."

"That's right, and that's why I discovered the problem."

"————————!"

Upon hearing Levi's words, Father Phillips broke out in a cold sweat, as if someone were laughing and chatting while drinking tea, and then suddenly stabbed him without warning!

You have no way to hide!

Just then, Levi looked at Father Phillips.

“Father Phillips, could you explain why the Holy Bishop considered the devil to be a heretic?”

Finally it was his turn to speak, and Father Phillips immediately straightened up.

"The identification of heretics as demons is first recorded in the book 'The Heretics and Demons,' written by Saint Flynn in 218 BC. At that time, the Holy Bishop and Emperor Arthur acted together to exterminate believers in heresies. The book records that these heretics acted cruelly and even performed some bloody and inhuman sacrifices..."

"Ahem, excuse me, Father Phillips, may I interrupt?"

Li Wei raised his hand.

"Your microphone is not turned on."

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

Father Phillips was initially annoyed by Levi's interruption, but he quickly realized his mistake and hurriedly turned the microphone back on.

"Uh, hmm... regarding the heretics' identification of demons..."

Although interrupted once, Father Phillips quickly repeated his explanation. He was very confident about it, because that era was one in which holy bishops and Emperor Arthur acted together. The demonic designation of the heretics stemmed from their defeat of heretical gods and their practice of human sacrifice.

Li Wei offered no comment. He had already heard from the Goddess of Night that the followers of the gods had indeed frequently used this method for sacrifices in the past. The Holy Bishop, however, considered this behavior to be an act against humanity, and therefore regarded their gods and their followers as demons.

This is the origin of the current association between heretics and demons.

This is also a deliberate distortion by the Holy Bishop.

After all, although the book was about the time of Emperor Arthur, it was published a hundred years later.

How much of this book is true...? Heh...

However, Li Wei doesn't need to argue with the other party on this point, because he has enough trump cards in his hand.

After Father Phillips gave a detailed explanation to the audience, the host took over the conversation.

"Thank you for your explanation, Father Phillips. Sir Levy, what are your thoughts on this?"

"Thank you, host."

Li Wei took over the conversation.

"Actually, I don't need to explain. Father Phillips has already explained to everyone why demons are not heretics."

"Hey?"

Upon hearing Li Wei's answer, the host and Father Phillips were both stunned. Even the listeners in front of the radio were probably just as bewildered, not knowing what was going on.

However, Li Wei quickly provided an explanation.

“Father Phillips has already said that because the pagan beliefs of that time involved human sacrifice, a practice that was exceptionally cruel, they viewed paganism and its beliefs as demonic beliefs—so everyone should carefully recall this statement, and then a question will arise. Why demons? Why use this word? Why not evil spirits? Or something else? When exactly did the word 'demon' begin to exist?”

"this……………………!"

Father Phillips was taken aback by Livy's question. He had expected Livy to start with the history, culture, or customs of the time, pointing out that freedom of religion or the prevalence of human rituals at that time were historical topics.

However, Father Phillips did not expect that Levy would choose a point that everyone took for granted, a point that was almost the least controversial, and ask the most tricky question.

When exactly did the word "demon" appear? "When people see the word 'demon,' they immediately think of cruel, tyrannical, and terrifying acts. Perhaps Father Phillips would explain that this is because that's what the heretics did at the time... Well, I don't deny that, but what about before that? Where did the original word 'demon' come from? Since Father Phillips himself said that Saint Flynn saw these heretical rituals and regarded them as demonic acts, then that means the word 'demon' appeared much earlier than those heretical acts, doesn't it?"

"No, this, I..."

Faced with Levi's question, Father Phillips was speechless for a moment. He hadn't expected Levi to use this method to find a loophole!

It must be said that this is indeed a blind spot.

Perhaps it's because the word "demon" is so common and everyday that everyone accepts it without question. But when Li Wei points out the contradiction within it, a problem arises.

When did the word "demon" first appear?

"I think this might be something Lord Flynn created himself..."

Father Phillips paused for a moment, then began to explain.

"If we want the public to understand the evil of heresy, we can't use complicated words. It's best to let the public truly understand the horror of heretics... Therefore, a simple and representative word can solve this problem well."

"Hmm, that's a good reason."

Faced with Father Phillips's reply, Levi smiled slightly. Indeed, Father Phillips's statement was quite reasonable; without evidence, it could be explained that way.

"Unfortunately, I have evidence to prove that this is not the case."

"evidence?"

"That's right. Actually, everyone has this evidence at home, but it's so common that most people hardly notice it."

As he spoke, Li Wei turned his head away.

"Miss host, could you please give me a copy of a sacred text?"

"Hey?!"

To be honest, everyone was taken aback by Li Wei's words. The Holy Scripture held a similar status to the Bible in this world; almost every household had a copy, and even hotel rooms often had one. Everyone was quite accustomed to this book, yet Li Wei was telling them that it contained evidence?

Soon, staff brought three sacred texts and placed them in front of the three men. Li Wei then opened the books.

"Well, I think the audience in front of the radio has already opened the Holy Scripture. So let's turn to page thirty-six, the chapter on the journey of the Holy Lord, and start reading from the beginning."

"...The Holy Lord left Hui City and continued westward. Along the way, he encountered demons who mocked and ridiculed him, attempting to block his path. However, the Holy Lord did not stop there..."

There's no need to read any further; almost everyone's mind went blank when they saw the word "demon"!

demon!

It's amazing that demons were mentioned in the travelogue of the Holy Lord!
Even Father Phillips was bewildered by the words before him; they had studied this very topic at the seminary. The teacher's explanation then was that God, with unwavering resolve, remained unaffected by slander and falsehoods, continuing to advance towards his goals.

However, no one thought about one thing, which was... what the word "demon" originally meant?
"So, Father Phillips, do you think the 'devil' here also refers to heretics?"

“I…I think it’s possible.”

"If that's the case, then why are other gods specifically described in the holy scriptures? Wouldn't it be easier to just call them all demons? Wouldn't that be easier to remember?"

"No, this, I..."

Faced with Levi's question, Father Phillips broke out in a cold sweat, completely at a loss for words. It's important to understand that the Holy Scripture holds a different status than other books for a bishop; it was originally the bishop's sacred text, and has always been so. Any attempt to modify any part of it would be considered blasphemy.

Therefore, even seminaries at most interpret the scriptures, but they don't say they want to modify them.

This means that the word in the holy book has not been modified, but has been like this from the beginning!
Compared to Father Phillips, Levi seemed quite calm. After all, he knew that the Holy Bishop and this holy book were both creations of the volatile Knight Mephistopheles to deceive people. If he were here, he would definitely shout into the microphone, mocking or even calling those who believed in this holy book idiots…

I just wrote something casually, and you guys actually believed it? You bunch of idiots!
Li Wei could even guess what he would say.

This is Li Wei's advantage: he knows the truth about the holy bishops and the scriptures. Although he can't say it, his attitude towards the scriptures certainly won't be as serious and earnest as Father Phillips'. At least, he's more relaxed when he finds something wrong with them, unlike Father Phillips, who, upon discovering something amiss, would first doubt his own faith, his intelligence, or whether he had misunderstood the other party's meaning.

After all, what kind of meticulous writing can you expect from Mephistopheles's work, which is meant to deceive people? The fact that he didn't leave a "to be continued" at the end is already quite a concession.

"Some might ask, even if it's true, so much time has passed, why bring this up suddenly?"

Levi didn't look at Father Phillips again, but continued speaking.

"But you're all wrong. As I described in 'The Steel Legion,' the demons haven't completely disappeared; they've returned to this world. I think you've probably seen the monsters those Francis's refugees talked about in the newspapers. They lurk in the black mist, slaughtering people in the night. They're cruel, tyrannical, and terrifying—they haven't disappeared; they are the demons."

A collective gasp rippled through the recording studio, while Levi glanced at Father Phillips, whose face was deathly pale.

"If you want to study demons, you can go to the front lines in Francis now and witness those terrifying monsters firsthand. However, they are not without weaknesses, nor are they invincible, and we will soon prove that to everyone. Those demons have not changed much over the years, but humans are different. We have steel, flames, steam, and machinery. We even have missiles capable of flying hundreds of kilometers!"

As Li Wei spoke, his melodious voice began to rise with passion, inspiring those who listened to him to feel courage from within and dispelling their initial unease and fear.

“These demons failed to conquer the world before, and they will fail again now. We can certainly destroy them and drive them out of this world once more.”

"But... Sir Levi, how did these demons return?"

The host then asked the question, and Li Wei simply smiled.

"This is a long story, and it has a lot to do with the Holy Bishop Francis, but the time is almost up... Well, I will explain this part in the sequel to 'Steel Legion'. If you are interested, you can subscribe to 'Empire Comics' to follow the latest news."

Finally, Li Wei didn't forget to give his magazine a shout-out.

After finishing the recording of the program, Li Wei declined the host's invitation to have lunch and then returned home.

Not long after, the Saintess made a contact.

Sir Levi.

"How is it, Miss Saint?"

Holding the microphone, Li Wei felt somewhat uneasy. Today, he had specifically sent the Holy Maiden back to the Floating City to monitor the situation in the Flower Capital, just to see if his radio debate with Father Phillips could affect the seal.

"The black mist has stopped spreading; the seal has worked again!"

call……………

Hearing the saintess's reply, Li Wei breathed a long sigh of relief.

This operation was not in vain after all.

(End of this chapter)