Mr. Death in the Steam World

Moen took the oilcloth roll, untied the rope, unfolded it, and took a look.

It was a hand-drawn cross-section of the mining area, with the mine tunnels, shafts, and mining faces clearly marked.

In the lower right corner of the drawing, someone circled several areas in red ink, with the words "suspected activity area" written in a hasty but forceful hand next to them.

With such a map, the difficulty of infiltrating the mining area will indeed be reduced considerably.

He rolled up the map again and looked up at the butler.

"This is a very generous gift; your master has really gone to great lengths—what does he want in return?"

The butler shook his head.

"Our master said that no reward is needed. The best reward for us is for you two to wipe out Young Master Sidwin, or rather, those things behind him, from Ironcrown City."

He paused, his smile fading slightly, and his voice lowered even further.

"In addition, my master asked me to pass on a message to you two."

"What did you say?"

The butler's gaze shifted from Moen's face to Phils's face, then back again, a hint of barely concealed fear appearing in his gray-brown pupils.

"That bespectacled fellow next to Lord Sidwin—he's not human, he's a devil."

"You'd better settle what you're asking about as soon as possible."

"Before this city is completely dragged into the abyss."

After saying this, he bowed to the two of them again, turned around and disappeared into the depths of the dark alley, his footsteps quickly swallowed up by the night wind.

Phils stood there, goosebumps rising on her arms.

After walking through several streets and alleys and making sure there were no tails following them, the two returned to the Swallow Inn.

Arthur hadn't returned yet, and Emily wasn't there either. Only the landlady sat behind the front desk on the first floor of the inn, her knitting needles clinking crisply in her hands.

Seeing them enter, she looked up and glanced behind them, but not seeing Arthur, she lowered her head again, looking uninterested.

Phil went straight to her room. Moen stood in the hallway for a moment, then opened her own door.

Just then, the badge in his pocket suddenly felt slightly warm.

He infused a wisp of magic, and Emily's voice immediately rang in his ears.

"Detective, I've made some progress." She paused, as if organizing her thoughts.

"Sidwin's cousin, Catherine Ashton, is more willing to speak than I expected."

"What did she say?"

"She said that Sidwin had become a different person since last fall. At first, she was just a little more irritable, but then it got worse, and she would often hit the servants."

"Old Mr. Ashton specifically consulted a church doctor about this, but the doctor said there was nothing wrong with his health, and then—"

Emily lowered her voice slightly.

"Then she said that Sidwin's change began after he met a woman."

Moen's fingers tightened slightly. "A woman?"

"A woman who claimed to come from a declining minor noble family in the south."

"Catherine said she had only seen the woman once, at a family dinner last winter, when Sidwin brought her back to the manor."

Catherine said she wore a long black dress, spoke very little, and when she smiled—Catherine's exact words were, "that smile was creepy."

"That night, at the banquet, Sidwin publicly contradicted his father, saying that the Ashton family had been holed up in Ironcrown for too long and should expand further."

"Old Ashton was furious, but the woman just sat in the corner watching without saying a word."

Moen remained silent for a few seconds.

"Well done. Come back first, and be careful on the road."

"Okay," Emily's voice regained some of its cheerfulness.

"Oh, right, Catherine also told me something else. She said that Sidwin has hardly been back to the manor for the past month and has basically been staying at the mine."

"His mine had a collapse a few years ago, which blocked several mine tunnels, but Catherine heard that Sidwin recently reopened one of the old mine tunnels and even sent mercenaries to guard the entrance, not allowing anyone to get close."

A woman with a brand on her wrist, the beginning of Sidwin's dramatic change in personality, the old mine tunnels that were reopened, and the miners who were carried deep into the mine tunnels and never came out again.

All the clues are pointing in the same direction.

He turned and walked out of the room, then knocked on Phils's door.

The door opened quickly.

"Mr. Marcus?" Fils looked at him with some surprise. "Is there any new development?"

"Emily has made some progress." Moen briefly summarized the contents of the previous communication.

"The woman next to Sidwin is very likely the woman in black robes that the mercenary mentioned in the tavern. She is most likely a member of the Truth Society."

Phils nodded.

"So now we—"

She was speaking when her body suddenly swayed slightly. She instinctively grabbed the door frame, and the flame flower mark on the back of her hand instantly lit up with a dazzling light.

"Miss Ignis!" Moen stepped forward and took her hand on the shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Fils did not answer; the light suddenly went out, and she slumped down.

Moen caught her quickly, lifted her up by the waist, and put her back on the bed.

Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and she was breathing rapidly. Moen reached out and touched her forehead; it was frighteningly hot.

He stood up, about to ask the hotel staff for help, when his wrist was suddenly grabbed.

"Don't go..." Fils' voice was weak and hoarse. Her eyes had opened at some point, and a flickering flame could be faintly seen deep within her pupils.

"I dreamed of Him again."

Moen stopped and pulled up a chair to sit down on the edge of the bed.

Phils closed her eyes, as if trying to recall the details of her dream.

"The Temple of Flame, just like last time, but I can see it much more clearly now. Last time it was blurry, but this time I can see many details."

"That giant, He sat in the center of the temple within that ball of fire, saying nothing, but His eyes were fixed on me. And then..."

Her hands unconsciously gripped the blanket tighter.

Then I saw that woman.

"That woman?"

"It's that timid woman I saw in my dream last time." Fils' voice was slightly hoarse.

"She knelt in a corner of the temple, her body trembling violently, and she kept crying."

"I wanted to walk over and see her face clearly, but no matter how far I walked, the distance didn't shorten; it was as if there was an invisible pane of glass between us."

"She also said one more thing." Phils frowned slightly. "She said—'I don't want to die.'"

The room was silent for a few seconds.

"Did the giant speak?" Moen asked.

"I told you." Phils gripped the blanket tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white.

"He said a lot, but I can't remember most of it. The words just drifted past my ears and disappeared, as if my brain couldn't hold them all. I only remember a few words."

"Three people, altar, fire."