Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 14: Maid Employment

For Levi, after becoming a special investigation consultant for the police, although he did not receive any pay, there were quite a few hidden benefits.

And this was exactly what Levi valued.

Civil servants earned fixed salaries, yet why were so many still willing to do the job?

Was it not precisely for these invisible perks?

Take the telephone machine for example.

People in modern society, used to buying SIM cards, probably did not know how difficult it was to have a telephone machine installed.

It was not something you could just request at will.

Even if you were enormously wealthy, before the Telecommunications Bureau you still had to act humble, and even then, it still depended on their mood whether they would approve your request.

In this era, there was no such thing as filing complaints.

Even if a wealthy person came forward, a petty clerk at the Telecommunications Bureau could toy with you for an entire year!

Ask why, and the answer would always be: “Your qualifications are not sufficient, your procedures are not up to standard, your forms are not properly filled out!”

One must never underestimate the bureaucratic institutions of the Empire.

Levi had only managed to ride on the momentum of the “Courtesan Killer” case, plus some arrangements from the City Council, for the Telecommunications Bureau to install a telephone machine for him in the shortest possible time.

Otherwise, if he had followed the official process, half a year—or even a full year—would not have been impossible.

Precisely because installing a telephone machine was difficult, the moment you went out, handed someone a name card, and said “This is my private telephone number,” people would instantly see you in a different light. It was a subtle yet luxurious way of flaunting power, influence, and connections.

Even the wealthiest merchant would feel inferior in front of you.

If the other party had no telephone machine, they would feel embarrassed to even suggest communication through telegrams or letters.

By the way, the Telecommunications Bureau did not actually have much work, but any qualified civil servant would never voluntarily increase their workload.

Also, since this was an official telephone machine, all communication expenses would be reimbursed by the Police Station.

Aside from that, another hidden benefit was… firearms and ammunition!

In this era, firearms were also strictly controlled.

Unless one had a firearm usage permit, most people were not allowed to carry guns.

Once discovered, they would be detained. So strictly speaking, Levi was also carrying a firearm illegally.

If not for the general tendency to turn a blind eye, he would not have been able to go home that very first night he had crossed over—he would have ended up directly in jail instead.

But now, with the special consultant badge issued by the Police Station, Levi no longer had an issue carrying a gun.

He could even submit a report at the station to requisition bullets.

Fortunately, his revolver used .455 ammunition, which was widely used by both the Imperial military and police, making it easy to obtain.

In addition, within most Imperial departments led by the Crown and government, Levi’s entry into the “system” naturally brought him many benefits.

In this world’s Empire, capitalists had not gained dominance through the Industrial Revolution and Information Revolution.

In the eyes of the Empire, only nobles with land had the motivation to defend their territory and country—capitalists were not to be trusted.

If those capitalists wanted preferential treatment and power, they had only one option: to marry into the nobility, inherit land and titles, and only then would they be qualified to enter Parliament and give their opinions and advice on state affairs.

Ordinary merchants? They could stay wherever they belonged.

Levi agreed with this point, and believed the Empire was right.

Nobles with land would devote themselves wholeheartedly to protecting their own estates and the Empire’s soil. But those capitalists, who worshiped money and betrayed loyalty at the sight of profit—why would they care?

History had also proven that the Empire’s choice was correct.

It had not crushed the rising capitalists outright but instead provided them with a path upward, binding their interests tightly with those of the nobility.

This forced them into serving the Empire.

Furthermore, those who were quick to marry into noble families and inherit noble status would even help suppress their former capitalist peers to reduce competition…

This was why, during the Industrial Revolution, the Empire’s rule had remained relatively stable, without large-scale revolts.

In contrast stood the Empire’s mortal enemy—the Kingdom of Francis.

During the Empire’s decline, the Kingdom of Francis had risen to become the continent’s strongest nation and was immensely proud of its noble system.

The Empire did not care much about bloodline, but the Kingdom of Francis was obsessed with it, never allowing anyone they considered unworthy or of low birth to join the noble circle.

Thus, when the Industrial Revolution brought about the rise of the bourgeoisie, the Kingdom of Francis responded with heavy exploitation and suppression.

Eventually, the new bourgeoisie, together with the long-suffering people, overthrew that decayed and degenerate dynasty.

The reaction of the Imperial nobles to this was… “Hm, very well. I can drink a cup of tea while using their heads as a stool.”

After all, as countries with centuries of enmity and entanglement, the Empire and the Kingdom of Francis had always been at odds.

The restrained silence of Imperial nobles was viewed by the Kingdom of Francis as stiffness and dullness.

Meanwhile, the pompous and extravagant clothing and etiquette flaunted by Francis nobles, to demonstrate their power, was seen by the Empire as flashy, hollow, and pretentious.

In fact, when the Empire reformed and allowed the new bourgeoisie to join the nobility, the Kingdom of Francis had ridiculed them, saying they had sullied their barely noble bloodline, kneeling to money, losing noble etiquette and refinement, and degenerating into despicable lowborns.

To this, the Empire responded: “Well, I am sitting here drinking tea, and you are the one under the guillotine. Who is right and who is wrong is perfectly clear.”

That was idle talk. Now back to the main topic.

Unlike the all-purpose maids in games and anime, maids in this era were highly specialized.

Of course, this did not mean the skill requirements were high.

On the contrary, since most young women of this time were not very educated, what they could do was very limited.

In animations, one often saw scenes of maids cooking delicious meals for their masters. But such scenes were extremely rare in this era.

The reason was simple.

Those low-status maids rarely ate good food at home, so how could they possibly cook well?

And no matter how wealthy the employer was, no one would let them practice with expensive ingredients.

Similarly, maintaining leather shoes with oil, washing and drying coats without shrinking or misshaping them—these required skill.

It was not as simple as hammering a garment with a mallet as in the countryside.

Thus, the maid profession of this era was highly subdivided: dishwashing maids, kitchen maids, laundry maids, nursery maids, distillery maids, housemaids, errand maids, lady’s maids, housekeepers… all sorts, enough to give one a headache.

Unlike modern times, where you could hire one maid and leave all household matters to her.

Levi did not intend to find someone himself.

Instead, he asked Inspector Lestrade to help contact and find a maid that met his requirements.

After all, as an inspector, Lestrade’s connections were valuable and wide-reaching.

Indeed, after Lestrade’s arrangements, Levi quickly got in touch with the headmistress of a maid school and decided to hire a maid.

And today was the day she would arrive.

Levi took out his pocket watch for a look.

It was about time.

And almost at the same moment, the lift bell rang.

“Ding-dong………………!”

Eileen Roberts, carrying a heavy travel bag, looked uneasily at the slowly ascending lift.

She had already heard about her employer from her teacher.

He was a young, handsome, and capable man.

Currently working as a detective, he was also a special investigation consultant for the Police Station and had even solved the sensational Courtesan Killer case some days ago.

Of course, her teacher also told her that his requirements were a bit demanding. But Eileen believed she should be able to meet them.

Still… as the lift steadily rose, the weightless sensation made Eileen all the more uneasy.

Could she really handle this job well?

What if she was dismissed?

How should she greet him later? Should she say “Good day, sir”? Should she curtsy?

As Eileen’s heart raced with unease, the lift shook slightly, then stopped.

Slowly, the lift doors opened, and Eileen instinctively raised her head to look forward.

At once, she held her breath.

Before Eileen’s eyes was a circular stained-glass window—the clock face of the tower, though it had long since lost its original function.

Under the dim sunlight, Eileen could see a large desk placed before the glass.

Behind the desk sat a man, silently staring at her.

Because of the backlight, Eileen could not see his features clearly—only the vague outline of a shadow.

But she still lowered her head quickly and carefully, staring at the floor in front of her.

W-what should I do? How should I speak?

At this moment, Eileen’s mind was completely blank.

Meanwhile, Levi sat leisurely behind the desk, studying the black-clad young girl with brown hair, delicate features, and glasses.

Her figure was very slender, and she carried a patched-up old travel bag in her hand.

The shoes on her feet had already come apart at the seams, her face was pale, and she looked a little malnourished…

Hm, it seemed her financial situation was not very good.

Eileen Roberts. Levi had, of course, read her file.

She came from a merchant family—her parents had run a small shop and belonged to the lower-middle class in Mist City.

During her time at the maid school, Eileen had performed excellently.

According to plan, she should have graduated smoothly, become a maid for high-ranking nobles, and entered upper society—a kind of class leap.

Unfortunately, fate changed.

Eileen’s parents were attacked by pirates during a trade negotiation trip.

The couple was killed, and all of their belongings were plundered.

Worse, for the sake of that very trade, her parents had borrowed heavily, leaving behind a mountain of debt.

As a result, Eileen had to drop out midway and sell off everything the family had left to repay the debts.

It was precisely out of pity for Eileen’s talent that the headmistress could not bear to see her fall into ruin.

So, when Levi had Inspector Lestrade make inquiries, she introduced Eileen to him.

After all, not graduating was a stain on Eileen’s record.

Nobles would never accept such a servant. But Levi, clearly, was different…

Of course, that was why the headmistress introduced her to Levi. As for why Levi chose Eileen, it was not simply an act of kindness.

After all, he needed a maid who could handle housework, cook meals, brew tea, and who could read and write. In short, he essentially needed a maid to function as a secretary, which required a fairly high level of education.

There was no way around it—if Levi was not at home and Inspector Lestrade or someone else left a message over the telephone, how would Eileen record it otherwise?

An illiterate person could never do this job.

“You are Eileen Roberts?”

Levi set aside the file in his hand and looked at the girl, asking.

“Yes, sir…”

Her body trembled as she quickly replied.

“Do you know what you are supposed to do?”

“Yes…”

“You won’t have much to do—mainly cleaning the rooms, preparing three meals, and if someone calls, record their name and request… Is that acceptable?”

“Yes, no problem.”

Eileen kept her head lowered, eyes on the floor as she answered.

She had been taught in school that it was extremely rude to look directly at the master without permission.

Although this master looked young, who knew if he would be displeased by it?

“You are from Mist City?”

“Yes.”

“I heard your situation isn’t very good at the moment. Do you have a place to stay?”

“This…”

Faced with Levi’s question, Eileen didn’t know what to say. Indeed, as Levi had pointed out, she had sold both her parents’ shop and their home to repay the debt…

“I was looking to rent somewhere nearby…”

“No need to trouble yourself. There’s a single room downstairs—you can stay there.”

Levi was referring to the maintenance room beneath the clock tower.

Of course, since the tower had long lost its function, the room was now empty. But it was still suitable for living.

After all, it had originally been for the clock tower’s maintenance workers, so it came with a bed, a bathroom, and everything necessary.

It was just not as comfortable as Levi’s “penthouse suite.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“No need. By the way, I have only one request.”

“What request?”

“No matter how messy my desk is, don’t touch it. I know where everything is. If you move things, I won’t be able to find them.”

“Ah… alright, I understand.”

“Good.”

Levi nodded in satisfaction.

“Your salary will be 1 pound per month. The trial period is three months. If I am satisfied, we’ll sign a long-term contract.”

Levi was calculating based on the wages of a senior housemaid, since their duties were similar to those of a secretary.

Their annual salaries generally ranged from 12 to 20 pounds.

Although most people in this world were paid weekly, Levi was accustomed to paying monthly.

And besides, wasn’t it easier to calculate that way?

“Eh? 1 pound?”

She could not help but be surprised at Levi’s generosity.

After all, she hadn’t even graduated.

Even with the headmistress’s recommendation, she had never imagined she would actually receive a salary of 1 pound per month…

“That’s right.”

Levi finished speaking and picked up the file again.

“Now you can go tidy up the room. The stairs are to the left—go down. Once you’re done, brew me a pot of tea, thank you.”

Eileen gripped her travel bag tightly, clenching her teeth. She did not know whether her decision this time was right or wrong. But at least for now, her new life—seemed to have begun on a good note.

“Yes, sir!”