Thanks to the Difference Engine, the Empire had now entered the information age.
Unlike the modern information age, however, information existed here, but it was not necessarily up to date.
And now that had become a problem.
"I remember the records saying 'abandoned'?"
Li Wei looked at the brightly lit manor before him, momentarily at a loss for words.
"That's the countryside for you."
Inspector Lestrade, on the other hand, had seen plenty of this sort of thing and remained perfectly calm.
"Most likely, nobody was looking after it, and then it was sold again without anyone reporting the change. Happens all the time. Most country places don't have lines connected to the data center, after all. Updating the records means making a special trip to Fog City. Plenty of people can't be bothered, because once the status is updated, they have to pay taxes... so it's a kind of tax evasion, too... Oh, never mind. We're not the tax office, and it's not our business. I could have a word with them when we get back, though, earn myself a favor."
Li Wei was not surprised. The officials on the ground held more sway than those above them, after all. He knew what things were like in the countryside.
The little car puttered through the manor gates, reached the courtyard out front, and found a place to park. Their two steam cars were the only ones there, alongside several horse-drawn carriages. Not far away, horses ambled leisurely across the lawn, occasionally chewing mouthfuls of tender grass.
"I remember this manor having a riding ground built especially for young gentlemen and ladies from the city who wanted a taste of country life. Looks like they're still using it."
As a policeman, Inspector Lestrade seemed to know the manor better than