Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 3 A World in Full Flourishing

[Life countdown: 9 days, 11 hours, 23 minutes, and 39 seconds]

When Li Wei woke up from his sleep, it was already the afternoon of the next day.

"Phew... I slept so well."

Li Wei sat up and stretched comfortably. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept so comfortably. In Li Wei's mind, since being hospitalized, he had spent every day in a daze, his consciousness unclear, his whole body filled with unspeakable pain, even breathing felt like torture... The daily routine that ordinary people take for granted was long gone from him, until now.

Sitting up in bed, Li Wei once again surveyed his "home." According to Li Wei's world description, it was a loft-style apartment. It had two floors; the first floor mainly consisted of the living room, dining room, and kitchen. The second floor contained a study and bedrooms. However, these rooms weren't particularly distinct, as there were no walls separating them, except for the bathroom and toilet at the far end.

The reason is simple: it is actually a clock tower.

Li Wei lived on the top floor of the clock tower, which was about ten stories high. From there, he could look down on most of the foggy city through the huge glass skylight that occupied almost an entire wall.

I must say, the scenery here is quite beautiful.

As he got out of bed and changed his clothes, Li Wei recalled the "background" of this world.

Based on the information he had gathered, this was not Earth, but a world called the continent of Cristria. And the country Li Wei was currently in was an empire, one of the most powerful nations on this continent.

The empires of this world are somewhat similar to 19th-century England in Livy's world. The Industrial Revolution also occurred here, and the advent of the steam engine completely transformed human civilization on this continent. The emergence of various steam-powered machines changed human life and accelerated the progress of civilization. In this respect, it seems no different from Livy's original world.

But there is one difference.

That is, a machine called the Difference Engine appeared in this world.

The difference engine is a really interesting machine.

According to the knowledge Livy gained, the Difference Engine is a device similar to an electronic computer, but unlike the world of Livy, it is not made of transistors or circuit boards, but is a purely mechanical design—a magical machine that uses a steam engine to drive gears and perform the finite difference method to calculate multinomial functions and obtain results.

With the advent of the difference engine, human civilization once again experienced a tremendous leap forward, and all sorts of mechanical products emerged, including many familiar to Li Wei. For example, the phonograph difference engine he had seen in the interrogation room was basically no different from a tape recorder, only larger, and in Li Wei's eyes, it looked more like an automatic typewriter.

However, when talking about the difference engine, we have to mention another derivative.

Punch card.

Thinking of this, Li Wei reached into his wallet and took out the ID card he had previously shown to Inspector Lestrade, examining it curiously. It was a card slightly larger than a business card, made of a plastic-like material. Several rectangular holes were punched in the left edge, and a corner was cut off in the upper right corner. In this way, it looked somewhat like an enlarged SIM card.

Yesterday, Li Wei had seen the wonders of this thing. After arriving at the police station, Inspector Lestrade led Li Wei to a room where a huge metal differential engine, which took up almost half of the room, was placed.

Then Inspector Lestrade inserted Levi's ID into the card reader, and Levi saw countless gears begin to rotate, making a crisp, clicking sound. Then a piece of paper was ejected from the other end, on which was recorded Levi's various identity information... Well, although it's not as advanced as a computer, it does look quite interesting.

It can be said that with the advent of the difference engine, human civilization simultaneously entered the steam age and the information age. They even saw the emergence of credit cards—though, strictly speaking, they were also a type of punch card. Data on the punch card was read by a card reader, then transmitted to the bank's difference engine for calculation, storage, and conversion.

Even if it's not as fast as the modern internet, it's still quite convenient.

And the feeling this era evoked in Li Wei was... freedom.

Yes, freedom.

After getting dressed, Li Wei stretched and went to the mechanical device by the wall, then pulled the handle. A moment later, the gate opened, and rolls of bound newspapers appeared in front of Li Wei.

Yes, the mailbox of the steam age was really useful.

Unlike modern newspapers that are simply stuffed into mailboxes, the mailboxes in this world use pneumatic postal pipeline technology. Houses are connected by thick metal pipes, and newspapers and mail are simply placed into a distribution machine, which then uses pressurization technology to deliver them directly to each household's mailbox through the pipelines.

From one perspective, this is a bit too advanced.

Li Wei picked up the newspaper and opened it. There were newspapers like the *Daily News*, *Financial Voice*, and *News Herald*, and more…

Are you troubled by the loss of a limb? Depressed by your inability to work? Saddened by the inability to find solace at night? Steam Prosthetics Mall is dedicated to creating a brand new future for you, freeing you from worries, pain, and loneliness…

It seems that no matter what world, era, or civilization, there's no escaping the existence of those annoying flyers and advertisements.

Li Wei tossed the small advertisement aside and picked up the newspaper to read it with great interest.

Generally speaking, with the advent of steam power and the difference engine, humanity should have fully embraced the path of modern mechanized technology and disregarded other systems. However, this was not the case. Perhaps because this was the first time in human history that such power had been mastered, it led to a different mindset.

Since steam technology is feasible, are other routes also possible?
Contrary to Livy's expectations, this era did not see other ideas rejected due to the existence of steam technology; on the contrary, it became an era of intellectual explosion. Alchemy, spiritualism, mysticism, and various other cultural practices considered backward, ignorant, and superstitious in modern times received considerable attention. Newspapers were filled with articles discussing mystical powers in an academic tone. Spiritualism and astrology were no longer mere entertainment in tabloids but became formal academic disciplines. In this vibrant and freely developing era, people believed in science, but they also believed in the mysterious, the legendary, and the magical… They rigorously analyzed curses rather than dismissing them as absurd superstition. They also studied magical spells and attempted to recreate their supposed power.

For Li Wei, this was truly a fresh and vibrant world.

Of course, most newspapers today have their headlines about the socialite killer, mainly about how the socialite killer struck again late last night. Unlike before, this time the police, with the help of a private detective, discovered clues about the socialite killer.

"We can assure you definitively that the socialite killer is not a ghost, nor a curse, but a living, breathing person! He can be shot and driven away. Although the incident happened suddenly and we weren't able to apprehend the perpetrator, we assure you that day is not far off!" — These are the words of Inspector Lestrade at a press conference. In my opinion, this is indeed exciting news…

Li Wei stared at the newspaper, pondering his next move. He had to catch this socialite assassin to complete his mission and prolong his life. But how? Li Wei had no clue. Randomly wandering the streets like the police was clearly not an option; yesterday's events were just a coincidence. Moreover, in Li Wei's view, now that the perpetrator had been exposed, they would likely remain inactive for some time.

But I only have ten days.

Thinking of this, Li Wei looked at the pistol on the table. It was his only weapon, a revolver, lying quietly on the table. With its brass barrel, ivory grip, and intricate carvings, it looked quite ornate. It was more of a work of art than a weapon.

However, Li Wei currently only has twelve bullets left, one of which was fired yesterday, leaving him with only eleven... which is his only guarantee of safety at the moment.

If it were a detective in a detective novel, he would probably choose to find clues on his own, but for Li Wei, cooperating with government agencies has always been an option.

Not to mention that Inspector Lestrade had a pretty good impression of him.

So Li Wei only had one thing to do.

"...Do you want to assist with the search?"

Sitting behind his desk, Inspector Lestrade looked at Levi with some surprise. Like Levi, most detectives were actually reluctant to deal with the police, as it involved a system of performance evaluation. Police officers received fixed salaries, while detectives earned their living entirely based on their performance. The more you did, the more you earned; the less you did, the less you earned.

In this environment, most detectives have developed the habit of being self-reliant and will never come to the police unless absolutely necessary.

Of course, since there's a reward this time, there's no need to make things so irreconcilable. However, for detectives, handling things themselves when in doubt is basic practice; they would never do something as rebellious as asking the police for help. Of course, it's a different story if the police come to them instead.

However, for Li Wei, it's always good to maintain good relations with government agencies. He doesn't understand why detectives in detective novels always like to go against the police... Anyway, he's not willing to create trouble for himself for no reason.

Of course, Li Wei knew that if he sought help from the police, the credit would go to them afterwards. But wouldn't it be the same if he asked someone else? What's the difference?
However, Li Wei did not explain. He was used to doing things without needing to explain himself, because others would provide the answers on their own.

"You're really young. You won't be able to get by in this industry like this."

Sure enough, Lestrade offered his own explanation, clearly believing Levi to be a newcomer unaware of the intricacies of the profession. A detective willing to cooperate with the police is more likely to be looked down upon by his colleagues. People are less willing to work with you because some detectives' connections might not be legal… But in Levi's view, that's precisely why it's necessary to seek official endorsement.

Since everyone is impure, the difference between knowing and not knowing is huge.

"All I want now is to catch the murderer as soon as possible."

Li Wei wasn't wrong. He didn't care about the detective circle. If he couldn't catch the person, he would be dead in ten days. So, the circle had nothing to do with him.

Excluding the funeral industry.

"I see."

Inspector Lestrade nodded.

“However, there is no precedent for this. This case is currently receiving a lot of attention, and no one wants outsiders to interfere without cause. This is not in accordance with regulations, and there are no such provisions… Therefore, I cannot agree to your request.”

As he spoke, Inspector Lestrade stood up and nodded to Levi.

"Excuse me, I have to go out for a bit. I'll be back in about half an hour."

After saying that, Inspector Lestrade walked out of the room.

Levi stood there, motionless. He didn't leave with Inspector Lestrade. Inspector Lestrade hadn't asked him to come with him either. He'd only said he was going out for a little while, probably half an hour…

So Li Wei reached out and picked up the case file on the desk.

It doesn't take half an hour to watch it.

(End of this chapter)