Exploring the Occult

There was no denying that Li Wei's tactic of fighting poison with poison was vicious. People in this era were still very conservative. A biological male who considered himself a woman and would take anyone and anything to bed could be sent straight to the gallows by a court.

Li Wei wanted to see what would happen to the man if he really did contaminate his concept this way.

It would certainly be interesting.

Richard and Lady Windsor were equally shocked by Li Wei's tactic. Neither had expected this seemingly refined detective to have such a venomous side-once that wanted notice went out, Franz would be socially dead, whether or not he actually died.

"Even knowing that man is an utterly irredeemable criminal, I honestly feel sorry for him right now."

Lady Windsor shook her head helplessly as she spoke, while Li Wei merely smiled.

"Well, I'll take my leave."

With that, Li Wei nodded to them both, turned, and left.

"Phew..."

Only after the door had closed again did Richard breathe a sigh of relief, shifting his barrel-shaped body uneasily on the sofa.

"I never imagined Mr. Li Wei could be so frightening when he looks so young..."

To the people of this world, even romance between members of the same sex was taboo, let alone a man with a distorted sense of his own gender who deliberately dressed as a woman to approach other men... Richard could not imagine how Li Wei had come up with it.

Well, if they knew that all sorts of freaks like that could appear in broad daylight in the world Li Wei came from, they would surely lament the collapse of morals and decency. It had practically degenerated into hell.

As it turned out, the royal family really did move quickly and efficiently.

Within days, The Explorer appeared on the streets and quickly became a favorite among many readers. Most newspapers in this era specialized in particular subjects, such as finance, politics, or everyday affairs. In Li Wei's opinion, The Explorer was less a newspaper than a fortnightly or monthly magazine.

Rather than coming out daily, it published one issue a week. Its contents included folk myths and legends, revelations about the history behind them, letters from readers, and notices of weddings, funerals, and other events.

And its flagship feature was... Detective Li Wei’s Case Files.

Yes, these were essentially detective stories adapted from Li Wei's case records, with artistic embellishments and most of the true events that could not be disclosed to the public left out. People loved that sort of thing and were very eager to read these entertaining stories with their touch of mystery.

Li Wei had read the manuscript and concluded that the gap between it and reality was even greater than the one between Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Records of the Three Kingdoms.

The author had really gone to great lengths to cover things up. Or perhaps the files he had read were fake as well... Li Wei thought the latter was more likely.

The first issue was a huge success. Fog City's residents were tired of reading about politics, economics, and tedious foreign affairs every day. By comparison, an entertaining, mildly thrilling newspaper dedicated to mysterious events-with stories adapted from cases solved by Detective Li Wei, no less-was naturally their first choice for passing their leisure time.

Soon, countless letters from readers poured into the editorial office like snowflakes. Quite a few described strange happenings around them, or rumors and mysterious incidents they had heard about.

These letters were sorted by category, then assigned to people further down the chain for investigation.

Li Wei did not know exactly how the process worked. Still, the facts proved that a mature bureaucracy could always get moving quickly and produce results.

Of course, those results were not necessarily what Li Wei wanted.

Like right now.

"...I thought I'd get a few more days off."

Sitting in the carriage, Li Wei looked exhausted. After destroying the bat monster, he had enjoyed several peaceful days. He slept until he woke naturally, then listened to records over breakfast, read the newspaper, went for a stroll in the park, had lunch at a nearby restaurant, and visited Fog City's Imperial Library to look up information and read books and newspapers. In the evening, he came home for dinner, admired the night view, and went to bed.

Simple, unassuming, and peaceful.

Unfortunately, those pleasant days had barely lasted before the Telephone's urgent ringing shattered everything.

"I, for one, can't wait."

Sitting opposite Li Wei was, naturally, Katie. She had returned to her usual flat cap and laborer's outfit, and was excitedly pumping her fists.

"Things might be pretty bad this time. Are you sure you want to come?"

Li Wei looked at Katie. Though he knew it was pointless, he still warned her.

Indeed, under normal circumstances, however effective this method might be, it should not have produced results so quickly. After all, ordinary people struggled to distinguish genuine supernatural incidents from trickery. Even Li Wei could not be certain of the difference unless he encountered it himself.

Well, this situation was clearly a little unusual.

According to the old butler's report, one investigation team had gone to look into a rumor and should have reported back a day later. This was a rule of Military Intelligence Section Seven: while carrying out an investigation, they had to contact the editorial office within a fixed time window every day. If a team failed to make contact during that window, it meant something had happened to them.

What followed was simple. The team had not reported on time, nor had its members gone home. According to their families, they had never returned after leaving.

And so, naturally, the task of investigating the case fell on Li Wei's shoulders.

Being famous was no easy job.

"Of course. They're all good people. I can't just stand by and let them die. I hope they're still alive..."

"All right. As long as you've made up your mind."

Li Wei did not try too hard to stop Katie. After all, she was already in the carriage. He believed that, given her family's power, they had plenty of ways to prevent their young lady from coming if they truly wanted to. And judging by how excited Katie looked, she did not seem to have sneaked out behind their backs.

In short, it had little to do with him.

Li Wei gathered his thoughts, took out the documents, and began reviewing the subject of this investigation.

Their target was a house in Fog City's Knights’ Quarter. It had once belonged to an impoverished nobleman, but he had later died without an heir, and the house had soon been sold to someone else.

Up to that point, everything was normal. The abnormal part came afterward.

After that, the building had acquired the name House of Death and been abandoned entirely. Even so, nearby residents sometimes saw light in its windows at night and heard music, along with the bustle of what sounded like a banquet.

None of them knew what was happening, nor did they dare investigate. Everyone kept well away from the house.

They had written a letter describing what happened there and sent it to the Exploring the Occult editorial office.

Since it fit the criteria for a mysterious incident quite well, the old butler had dispatched an investigation team.

Then they had vanished.

Well, it had now gone from a "suspected" supernatural incident to a "confirmed" one.

After all, the old butler had assured Li Wei that the investigators were trained elites. They were neither negligent police officers nor mercenaries interested only in money. They were loyal, reliable, and willing to give their lives for their cause.

It was just that all this had happened a little too quickly.

"They shouldn't have gone straight inside."

Li Wei frowned at the report. Had it been him, he would first have asked Inspector Lestrade for details about the house's previous owners, then spoken with the neighbors to find out exactly what they had seen and whether they had heard any rumors. He might even have spent a night outside to observe the situation before deciding whether to enter.

Clearly, however, this investigation team had not taken its assignment seriously. Perhaps they had thought it was just another dull investigation. Li Wei could understand that. Most people were reluctant to believe such things really existed until they witnessed them personally. He did not know exactly what the team members had been thinking, but they had clearly been careless.

And... the price of carelessness was often brutal.

The house known as the House of Death stood on the edge of the Knights’ Quarter. Under the original plans, the area was supposed to be redeveloped. But because of the House of Death's reputation, no one wanted to live nearby-well, having a haunted house as a neighbor hardly sounded like a good thing.

The Knights’ Quarter was home to nobles of standing, who certainly did not want anything to do with street gossip or ghost stories.

"What should we do next?"

Katie looked quite excited, though a little troubled too.

"Are you planning to ask the residents here directly? I don't think that'll be easy. Most nobles don't like repeating rumors they've heard, since it's rather beneath them. Should we start with whoever wrote the letter?"

"The letter was anonymous. And since they chose to remain anonymous, I'm afraid they'll be difficult to find."

Li Wei nodded.

"But I never expected to get any clues from the lords and ladies here anyway. I have a better target."

"Hmm?"

At Li Wei's answer, Katie tilted her head curiously and gave him a puzzled look. Li Wei reached out and knocked on the carriage window.

"Sorry for the trouble, but please take us to a nearby tavern."

Then he spoke.