Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 88 Baskerville Estate

"So, Chief McMillan, what is your initial assessment of this case?"

Levi turned his gaze away from the corpse and asked, while Chief McMillan coughed and stated his deduction.

“We believe that the killers must have had a very deep hatred for the Baskerville family. Their purpose was not for money, but for revenge. They may even have disguised themselves as servants of the Baskerville family to infiltrate the family, stage disappearances, and create panic by spreading rumors.”

"Then what's the motivation?"

"Perhaps it's to get the Baskerville family out of this land so they can atone for what they call their sins."

"Sin?"

"You don't know? The rumors about the cursed hounds of the Baskerville family?"

"All I know is that because of this curse, every head of the Baskerville family mysteriously disappears on his thirty-eighth birthday, but I don't know the specifics of the curse."

"This is a well-known story in the Delicat area, even children know it."

Chief McMillan paused for a moment before speaking.

"Legend has it that deep in the mountains of Delicat, there lives a king who rules over all the wolf packs. We call him the Wolf King. He is as old as the Delicat district itself, and it is said that the Wolf King can transform into a human and roam the world. Every full moon night, one can hear the howling of wolves in the deep mountains of Delicat. People say that it is the Wolf King asserting his existence and authority."

This seems to have nothing to do with the Baskerville family.

Li Wei listened quietly without interrupting the other person.

"Then, in the time of the Baskerville family patriarchs of the previous generation... no, now it's the time of the previous generation of the Baskerville family patriarchs, they angered the Wolf King."

"Anger?"

"Yes, the Baskerville family has a tradition of hunting in the forest after the patriarch's birthday. Sir Baskerville organized the hunt, and his trap caught a white wolf. The wolf was pure white all over, with blood-red eyes. The patriarch was very fond of the prey and planned to make it into a taxidermied specimen to show off his bravery. However, the hunters who accompanied him advised against it, saying that the white wolf was the wolf king's wife, and that killing her would invite the wolf king's revenge."

Well, as a victim in a horror story, this gentleman certainly didn't heed the hunter's advice.

Levi could guess what would happen next without even hearing it, and sure enough, Chief McMillan soon confirmed Levi's guess.

"But the lord dismissed this with disdain. He believed that the Baskerville family was the true ruler of the Delicat region, not some wolf king. So, in front of everyone, he killed the white wolf with a single sword stroke. He even declared that as the ruler of the Delicat region, he had the right to dispose of everything that belonged to him! Legend has it that the white wolf let out a mournful howl before it died, which echoed through the Delicat mountains, and soon after, an angry howl also came from the depths of the mountains."

"and then?"

"Yes, everyone was stunned, and the knight's horse was frightened and galloped away, carrying the knight into the depths of the forest. Soon the others came to their senses and quickly gave chase. But in the end, they only found the knight's horse by the creek, while the knight himself was nowhere to be found. At that time, everyone just said that Sir Baskerville had angered the wolf king and was therefore carried away by it."

"It's quite an interesting story as a whole."

Li Wei nodded.

"What about the white wolf that was killed?"

"I heard that when everyone went back, the white wolf's body was gone. Everyone was terrified, and the forest was filled with howls of wolves. In the end, they had no choice but to flee the forest. Everyone thought that was the end of it, but obviously... that was not the case."

As he spoke, Director McMillan produced a stack of documents.

"These are the investigation materials from the Sir Baskerville Jr. case."

Li Wei took the file and flipped through it, finding it essentially identical to the current case. After the birthday banquet, Sir Baskerville Jr. saw off the guests and then returned to his room with his wife to rest. The next morning, when the servant came to wake Sir Baskerville Jr., he found his wife dead in bed.

The cause of death was similar to that of the two police officers; both were ripped apart by what appeared to be a sharp object, except the former was ripped open from the chest… Hmm, this reminded Li Wei of the couple in Wolf Head Village…

"Ever since this case began, rumors have circulated that the Baskerville family is cursed. This is because the first victim, the knight, went hunting after his thirty-eighth birthday and then disappeared. So everyone believed that the Wolf King had clearly cursed the Baskerville family, so that every year on their thirty-eighth birthday, their patriarch would die."

"What if there's a family head who's over forty years old?"

“The Baskerville family has a single line of heirs. If they had other relatives, the curse might have been broken long ago.”

"Then they can wait until they are forty years old before inheriting the family headship."

Li Wei casually made a pointless joke, knowing full well it was impossible. The chieftain wasn't just an honorary title; he was responsible for decisions affecting the entire territory. Besides, although the Delicat district might seem remote and underdeveloped, it was a vital grain-producing area—how could it possibly be without a person in charge?
"I have another question, and I wonder if you, Chief McMillan, can answer it."

"what is the problem?"

"The whole story is about the Baskerville family and the wolf king's feud, right?"

"Yes."

"Then why is this curse called the Hound of the Baskervilles?"

Li Wei stared at Chief McMillan and gestured.

"There's a difference between wolves and dogs, isn't there? And after listening for so long, I haven't heard a single dog appear in the entire story."

This story is a complete charade.

"this……………"

Faced with Li Wei's unconventional line of thinking, Chief McMillan frowned.

“Now that you mention it, it is indeed strange… Perhaps it’s because wolves couldn’t possibly sneak in, but dogs could? And I heard that the Baskervilles used to keep dogs… It’s really strange, why would they be called the Baskerville’s Hound?”

Chief McMillan muttered to himself, frowning, while Levi stared at him.

"I hope you can find the officer in charge of investigating the disappearance of the previous generation—Sir Baskerville Jr.—and ask him about the circumstances. Since this rumor started circulating after Sir Baskerville Jr.'s disappearance, I think it might not be entirely baseless gossip. Perhaps, the clues to the case are hidden within it."

"I understand."

Chief McMillan also came to his senses at this moment and nodded with a serious expression.

"I will send someone to find the officer in charge at the time."

"very good."

Li Wei glanced at the corpse in front of him again and covered it with a white sheet.

"Let's go to the Baskerville Estate."

The Delicat region is a vital grain-producing area of ​​the Empire, with the majority of its produce supplying Fog City. From royalty to the poor, almost everyone relies on Delicat's crops, primarily wheat. Because of this, the environment here is far better than the perpetually foggy Fog City; at least one can see blue skies and white clouds. And with wheat fields undulating like waves, Li Wei drives his carriage along the country roads, witnessing a tranquil, idyllic scene.

"Actually, there is another version of the story about what happened to the Baskerville family."

Sitting in the back seat, Chief McMillan withdrew his curious gaze from his surroundings and spoke. He could have easily sent any officer to guide Levi, but Chief McMillan himself seemed quite interested in the car, so he used the excuse of leading the way to sneak in.

Li Wei didn't seem to care about that.

"statement?"

"Yes."

Chief McMillan lowered his voice.

"I can only say these things here, but not elsewhere. In fact, since the time of Sir Baskerville Jr., we have been working to promote the automation of agricultural steam machinery. They want to replace the current planting methods with steam harvesters and seeders to increase agricultural output and reduce the time spent on harvesting and planting."

"Let me guess, many people are against it?"

“There are quite a few opponents.”

Chief McMillan became serious.

"Many people believe that this method will cause serious damage to the land, making it impossible to grow crops the following year. Others say that the machines are highly toxic, and the grain harvested by them is inedible, etc. Although the Baskerville family has a high reputation in the local area, it has been unable to be implemented due to great resistance from the people."

At this point, Chief McMillan lowered his voice again.

"Therefore, we have always suspected that it was the work of those Luddites."

For Luddites in this world, hating machines is practically an instinct. To put it another way, if Luddites are capable of smashing machines and burning factories, what's killing a few people?
"But you haven't found any clues, have you?"

Li Wei naturally understood what Chief McMillan meant by saying this to him.

"No, we investigated secretly, but we couldn't find any clues. Actually, this place... sigh..."

Chief McMillan didn't say anything, but Levi understood his meaning. Delict was a grain-producing region, with high mountains and clear waters—a dream land for Luddites. One could even say that the majority of the people there likely supported Luddism. That's how people are; once they're used to their current lives, they don't want to change.

From Levy's perspective, the introduction of agricultural mechanization was an inevitable trend. The Baskervilles' ability to foresee this demonstrates their competence as leaders.

But if the people below are unwilling... then it's hard to say.

"The Baskerville Estate is just ahead."

After Director McMillan finished his whispered conversation, he changed the subject. Levi looked up and saw a manor gate appear at the end of the road.

The entire Baskerville estate was vast, with ivy-covered walls stretching almost into the endless fields. Even after Levi entered through the open gates in his steam carriage, it took him another ten minutes to reach the main gate of the Baskerville mansion.

Why do these rich people have nothing better to do than make their homes so big?

Li Wei muttered something to himself, but showed no other expression, and got out of the car with Chief McMillan.

Police officers were still on duty there, and they visibly relaxed when they saw the two men appear. One of the officers rushed forward and pleaded with Chief McMillan for help.

"Chief, you're finally here! That's wonderful! We can't hold on much longer. Please help us persuade that young lady..."

"what happened?"

Hearing his subordinate's complaints, Chief McMillan frowned. However, before the officer could answer, the previously closed door opened, and a menacing voice rang out.

"We're not prisoners! Or are you trying to arrest me like a criminal?!"

Li Wei looked up at the doorway and saw a young, beautiful woman storm out. She looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, with dazzling waist-length blonde hair, fair skin, and deep blue eyes.

A typical image of an imperial southerner.

The woman was dressed in riding attire, a popular style of sportswear for women in the Empire. The tight-fitting top and trousers clearly outlined her impressive curves. Her waist-length blonde hair was styled into curls with the Empire's most fashionable hair tie, giving her a very trendy look.

At a ball, a lady with such a beautiful figure and lovely face would certainly attract everyone's attention.

This remains true even now.

"Chief McMillan!"

At that moment, the blonde woman stormed down the steps and stood in front of Chief McMillan, staring at him.

"What exactly do you mean by this? If you want to lock us up and interrogate us, you can just put us in jail!"

"We just want to ensure your personal safety..."

Faced with the aggressive woman before him, Chief McMillan's face showed a helpless and bitter expression. However, he quickly turned around and made a gesture to Levi.

"But please rest assured, the investigation expert from Chongqing has arrived, and I am confident that he will be able to solve this case."

"Investigation expert?"

The woman frowned and looked at Levi, following Chief McMillan's gesture. Levi took the opportunity to remove his hat and bow to the woman.

"Hello, I am Levi, a special advisor to the Metropolitan Police Department, here to investigate the disappearance of Sir Baskerville."

"………………………"

The woman stared at Li Wei, and gradually, her originally fierce expression calmed down. Then she nodded.

"Hello, I am Olivia Baskerville. Welcome to this manor... I hope you can give me a satisfactory answer."

After saying this, the woman named Olivia turned and left. Seeing this, the surrounding police officers couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. As local police, they were also quite troubled by this unruly young lady. This was the first time they had seen her so docile.

Hmm… Chief McMillan glanced at Levi, then at Olivia’s retreating figure, and nodded thoughtfully.

Well, it's not surprising.

(End of this chapter)