Mr. Death in the Steam World

It was already 11 p.m. when we arrived in the West District.

Moen stood under the gas lamp at the street corner, surveying his surroundings in the dim light.

If Kansas City’s East Side is the home of the respectable, then the West Side is the city’s upside-down lining.

The street was almost half again as narrow as the East District, with buildings crammed together on both sides, making it extremely cramped.

A sour, foul smell permeated the air, and the occasional cough came from the window, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet night.

To be honest, I'm a little at a loss as to where to start.

He looked at the diagram Arthur gave him several times, and he remembered the runes and ritual features drawn on it very clearly. But when he actually arrived in the West District, he found that things were far from as simple as he had imagined.

All the buildings here look almost identical; it's already difficult enough to distinguish which way is north, south, east, or west, let alone discern any "features of concentrated magic."

He tried to recall how it was written in the detective novels he had read in his previous life.

The protagonist usually first finds a place to stake out and observe the abnormalities of passersby, then follows a suspicious person and follows the clues to find the hideout.

Or go to a nearby tavern to gather information and extract details from a drunkard, or rummage through the trash to find clues and piece together the truth from the smallest details.

But the problem is, he doesn't have the time.

Moen stopped at a fork in the road and looked around.

On the left is a dark alley, and on the right is another dark alley; the two look almost identical.

If he were to choose randomly based on luck, the probability of him getting it right would be about the same as flipping a coin.

"So, being a detective really isn't something just anyone can do."

He frowned and muttered something, just about to bite the bullet and try his luck in choosing a direction, when suddenly his chest felt warm.

The Death Note flew out on its own and hovered in front of him.

The pages turned on their own without any wind, revealing a line of blood-red text.

【Death Eye (Beginner): You can observe the existence and trajectory of spirits and life force with the naked eye】

[Consumes: A small amount of health]

[Enable?]

Moen stared at the notes that had flown out on their own, feeling somewhat lost.

So you had this function before!?

Also, isn't this notebook getting smarter lately? It's never flown out of the notebook like this before.

But with a shortcut right in front of us, there's no reason not to take it.

He silently chose "yes," and the moment he opened his eyes again, the whole world had changed.

All the colors faded away, replaced by a picture composed of light and shadow.

Countless tiny specks of light floated in the air, scattered sparsely among the streets and buildings.

Starting from his feet, countless black threads spread out like blood vessels, extending along the street.

They wove together a giant net that enveloped the entire city, and the center of this net was in a corner of the West End.

Moen stared at the black silk threads beneath his feet for a few seconds, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Other detectives, when faced with a case, have to conduct interviews and investigations, deduce and analyze, and unravel the mystery step by step; they might even put on a few brilliant deduction shows.

He, on the other hand, simply used full-map perspective, without even needing to look for clues, and just followed the lines to finish the task.

If those real detectives knew this, they'd probably be furious.

He followed the direction of the silk thread and walked for about twenty minutes before stopping.

Before me stood an abandoned warehouse, situated on the very edge of the West End, with a patch of overgrown weeds behind it, and beyond that, the Kansas City border river.

In the Grim Reaper's eyes, countless black threads extended from all directions of the city, converging above the warehouse to form a massive vortex.

Without a doubt, this is the place.

Moen slowly exhaled, preparing to return the way he came.

Arthur made it very clear that his task was simply to find the place, mark the location, and then go back to report.

Rushing in alone would be tantamount to suicide.

Just then, the metal door of the warehouse creaked open.

Moen's body tensed instantly. He looked around and chose to hide in the bushes not far away.

Two people dressed in black robes walked out from behind the door; judging from their figures, they were probably a man and a woman.

He was about to slip away, but seeing that the two weren't looking in his direction, he decided to risk staying a little longer.

"Are you sure everything is set up?" the woman asked in a low voice.

"Don't worry, all the nodes in the city have been activated."

"The school in the east, the factory in the north, the hospital in the south, and those apartment buildings, not one is missing."

"The church's response was much slower than expected."

The man took a drag on his pipe, the orange-red flame flickering in the night.

"My informant said that those useless bunch of bastards only sent out their first batch of priests this afternoon, and they were all low-level scum. Hmph, they still don't understand the situation."

"Don't underestimate them." The woman's tone was tinged with caution.

"The Holy Church is an old power after all. Even if it is corrupt now, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. We have waited so long, we can't afford to make a mistake at the most critical moment."

The man scoffed dismissively.

"You're being too cautious. Those idiots in the church are busy with meetings, writing reports, and fighting for power every day. They have no time to keep an eye on what's happening in the slums."

Upon hearing this, the woman agreed, nodded, and smiled.

"So, everything went very smoothly."

"It's not just going smoothly, it's practically divine intervention!"

"After the ritual is completed in three days, each of us will be able to draw power from that demon."

"Then, wealth and glory will be within your grasp!"

"Wealth and glory..." the woman repeated the word in a low voice, a hint of greed appearing on her pale face. "I've waited too long."

"Who isn't? Let's go, we still need to check the last few points. Don't sleep tonight, let's work harder and eliminate all potential problems."

The woman nodded, and the two disappeared into the night along an alley next to the warehouse.

Moen waited in the shadows for more than ten minutes, and only after confirming that they would not return did he slowly stand up.

He was rapidly processing the information he had just heard in his mind.

First, the mastermind behind this plague is a magician's society. The size of the society is still unclear, but it seems to have been planning this for more than a year.

Secondly, they set up numerous ritual sites throughout the city, and it was confirmed that spies had been planted within the church.

Finally, and most importantly—their final ceremony will be completed in three days.

Moen exhaled and activated "Meow Swiftness" to fly away from this place of trouble.

He was only responsible for the investigation; the rest should be left to the professionals.