Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 6: Gradually Deepening Intelligence

Doctor Doolittle’s clinic was located at No. C921, Pine Street, Oak District.

Strictly speaking, it was not a clinic, but a pharmacy.

The dusty glass looked like it had not been wiped for a long time, making it impossible to see what was inside.

Levi lifted the brim of his hat, then reached out to push open the worn wooden door in front of him.

“Ding-a-ling.”

The bell on the door swayed, giving off a crisp sound.

Levi stepped into the pharmacy and looked around.

To be honest, this was completely different from the pharmacy Levi had imagined.

It did not look clean, nor tidy.

Instead, it gave Levi the feeling of a wizard’s room from a movie.

All around were all kinds of strange plants; a thick vine, like a giant python, even stretched out of its pot and lay across the center of the floor.

The place was filled with dried plants and animal mummies.

Levi glanced around, thinking it would be perfectly normal to find one of those giant cauldrons from Western legends that witches used to cook children.

After all, the place did not feel like a pharmacy at all.

If someone told him it was an alchemy shop, he might have believed it.

And in this era, alchemy was still in vogue—at least, judging from the newspapers Levi had read, there was no shortage of articles on the subject.

“Welcome.”

Unfortunately, the one who came out from inside was not a robed witch, but a middle-aged man.

He was short and stout, with a square face and a beard that reached his waist, yet the top of his head was bald and even a little shiny.

Seeing Levi, the man froze for a moment.

“Oh, sir, may I ask what you need?”

“Hello.”

Levi removed his hat and nodded to the man.

“I’m looking for Doctor Doolittle. Is he in?”

“Oh, that’s me.”

The man nodded, staring at Levi with suspicion, while Levi also studied him.

“My name is Levi, a detective. I’ve come here to discuss something about the Courtesan Killer with you.”

“Ah, the Courtesan Killer……………”

Doctor Doolittle clasped his hands together, then released them, blinking his eyes.

“I know—yes, everyone knows. It’s been causing a lot of harm lately. But what does it have to do with me, Mr. Levi?”

“Perhaps you should be the one to tell me that.”

Levi met his gaze without flinching.

This idea had come to Levi earlier that morning, after he woke up, had a sandwich with ham and egg, and a cup of coffee at a nearby restaurant.

He figured that with the current clues, there was no way to find the real killer.

So he decided to bluff Doctor Doolittle, like stirring the grass to startle the snake.

First, you had to find out if there was a snake in the grass, then figure out how to deal with it.

“I know you’re the one who treats those courtesans’ illnesses…”

“I treat the people of this neighborhood, Mr. Levi.”

Doctor Doolittle calmly corrected him.

“Those poor girls are no exception. In fact, they’re far more likely to get sick than others. You could say most of the courtesans in this area have taken the medicine and prescriptions I’ve given them—but what does that matter?”

“I just want to ask you to provide some information.”

Levi responded calmly to Doctor Doolittle’s answer.

“As you said, you’ve treated most people in this district. So if they had any unusual conditions, I think you’d be aware of it.”

“In truth, I’m not that aware.”

Doctor Doolittle spread his hands.

“They only come to see me when they’re feeling unwell. Most of the time, it’s minor ailments. I usually just give them some anti-inflammatory medicine, disinfect and dress their wounds……… Ah, holy Lord, you have no idea what those children have suffered. You should see the scars on them—like their customers treated them not as ladies, but the way children treat toys. This era is truly depraved. In our day……………”

Soon, Doctor Doolittle began lamenting how depraved the present was, and how idyllic and beautiful the past had been.

Yes—just like everyone his age.

“Back then, every household lived self-sufficiently. The sky was clear, and there wasn’t so much steam in the air.

Even though chimneys have been improved now, the sky is still hazy.

I can’t even remember the last time I saw a bright, sunny sky.

It was good back then—everyone had work, generations knew each other, neighbors looked after one another.

Not like now, where in such a big place, people come and go without even saying hello.

Those girls were the same.

They could have lived decent lives, married a man they liked, had their own house and land in the countryside.

But now, they can only live in this muddy pit, rolling around, struggling desperately to get out.

It’s so pitiful…”

“What if they have children?”

“………………………”

Doctor Doolittle instantly stopped his nostalgic rambling, as if a squawking duck had suddenly been grabbed by the throat.

“You’re a believer of the Holy Lord Church, aren’t you?”

Levi fixed his gaze on the badge hanging from Doctor Doolittle’s chest.

It was an eye.

The knowledge surfacing in his mind told him it was called the ‘All-Seeing Eye,’ the symbol of the Holy Lord Church in this world, representing God’s supreme authority and omniscience.

From what Levi knew about this world, in this time, terminating a pregnancy was considered a crime.

Its root lay in the teachings of the Holy Lord Church, which held that all life was created by the Almighty Holy Lord—even unborn infants were no exception.

Thus, in this world, whether deciding to do so or helping to do so, it was a clear violation of both doctrine and law.

This was why meetings between courtesans and Doctor Doolittle were conducted like secret dealings with a gang.

Because according to the laws of this era, what they were doing was indeed illegal.

“You are a devout believer of the Holy Lord Church, aren’t you?”

Levi turned, walked to the other side of the counter, and faced away from Doctor Doolittle.

He picked up the Holy Scripture of Creation lying on the table, casually flipped to a chapter, and began to read aloud.

“The Holy Lord created all things in this world. All living beings are His miracles, and are our brothers and sisters. Those who take life wantonly shall be punished……… That’s what it says, right?”

Levi spoke casually, while quietly watching the reflection on the glass counter before him.

From his experience, many people did strange things behind others’ backs.

For example, Levi often felt that someone was secretly photographing him when he walked down the street.

He stared at the foggy, sandpaper-scratched glass and saw Doctor Doolittle’s right hand grasp the holy emblem on his chest.

After a moment of silence, he sighed.

“It’s a difficult choice. But I want to tell you, Mr. Levi, that I am not only a believer—I am also a doctor. So when my creed and my duty conflict, I can only choose one. And the fact that I am still here, fulfilling my oath, I think that already explains everything.”

As Doctor Doolittle spoke, he stared at Levi’s back.

In his small eyes, sunken deep in their sockets, there was a certain complicated emotion.

And Levi could sense that his gaze was not truly aimed at him—just as Levi’s attention was not really on the book in his hands.

“Sorry for wasting your time, Doctor Doolittle.”

Levi turned back and returned the Holy Scripture to him.

The latter reached out with his left hand to take the holy book.

But just as his thick, powerful fingers closed over its heavy cover, Levi suddenly spoke.

“By the way, that name on the title page……… Who is Emilia?”

The strength on the book suddenly paused, then it was pulled forcefully from Levi’s hands.

“That was my daughter.”

“Your daughter?”

“Yes, she has passed away.”

“Could it be that your daughter also……………”

“She had nothing to do with the Courtesan Killer.”

Doctor Doolittle shook his head.

“She died half a year ago, in an accident. Such a pity—I had hoped she would inherit my profession. But it seems life rarely goes as one wishes……… I am very tired now and would like to rest.”

“Then I will take my leave.”

Levi was no fool—he understood the meaning behind those words.

He put on his hat, nodded to Doctor Doolittle, and walked out of the pharmacy.

The heavy wooden door closed, cutting off Doctor Doolittle’s gaze.

Only then did Levi silently breathe a sigh of relief.

Doctor Doolittle was not the Courtesan Killer.

Levi could be sure of that.

He was short and stout, and his legs did not seem very agile.

He was nothing like the man from that night, who could leap across rooftops like a master of light-foot martial arts.

Of course, if this were a wuxia novel, one couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility—but still……………

“Wooo—woooo—————!!”

Levi looked up at the overhead railway as a steam-powered train roared past, dragging a chain of carriages behind it.

This world couldn’t possibly throw in martial arts, could it?

He remembered reading somewhere that martial arts had no place in detective fiction—it was an iron rule.

But that did not mean he cleared the man of suspicion.

Levi clearly remembered that when he questioned Doctor Doolittle, he had intended to probe him through the matter of treating courtesans.

Yet the doctor quickly gave a very normal answer, as if he had already prepared it for just such a question.

Levi didn’t know if it was his intuition or his “attributes” at work, but in that moment, Doctor Doolittle felt like an actor on stage—saying his lines when it was his turn……… and nothing more.

Although his attempt to stir the grass had not flushed out the snake, it had at least yielded something.

Next……… naturally, he would continue with field investigation.

And the location—was still the old place.

The Pink Lady Bar.

Unlike its daytime quiet, by evening the bar had grown lively, with many patrons drinking outside while enjoying song and dance performances.

Upstairs, under the glow of pink, was another world—indulgent, enticing—yet irrelevant to Levi.

“Emilia?”

Jessie sat beside Levi, curiously studying him.

This time, Levi had come not as a detective, but as a customer.

Naturally, as a courtesan, Jessie had to work once she was paid.

Levi was generous, so in this small room, three courtesans—including Jessie—sat close to him.

But Levi was clearly not in the mood to enjoy any pink-tinted pleasures, and the reason he had gathered them was not to drink with him.

Incidentally, Levi had discovered that a glass of sherry would speed up his lifespan countdown by thirty minutes.

So he had decided to quit drinking.

“Ah, the doctor’s daughter.”

Another courtesan gave a short hum, smoking a cigarette with a look of annoyance.

“I didn’t like her.”

“Why? I thought she was nice. She always greeted us warmly when we visited.”

The third courtesan, a bit short and plump, still had traces of youthful innocence on her round face.

“That’s because she’s not like us, you understand?”

The smoking woman rolled her eyes.

“What are we? We’re bugs in the mud. She’s a noble white swan. She went to Shuo Academy, and will become a useful person in the future. To her, we’re just a bunch of pitiful creatures—unskilled, illiterate, surviving only by these means……… Of course she’s kind to us. Does a lion care what a mouse thinks?”

“I think that’s a bit much. At least I never felt she looked down on us.”

Jessie joined in the conversation, while Levi sat quietly beside them, sipping tea and listening.

This was exactly why he had chosen several courtesans at once—experience told him that if more than two women were around, they would gossip about other women.

In the past, Levi had thought this was just baseless rumor, but after experiencing it firsthand, he found much of it was actually true.

One could only say—women behaved very differently before men than they did before other women.

“You’ve just been fooled by her appearance.”

But the smoking woman seemed addicted to gossip.

“You think she’s a good girl? Listens to her father, studies hard, never deals with men? Ha! I bet you didn’t know—I once saw her on a date with another man. I’m sure the doctor had no idea.”

“Really?”

At this, the plump-faced woman and Jessie perked up—proving that gossip was the best stimulant.

“Of course. One night, I went out to find customers, and on my way back I passed an alley. I heard……… well, you know. I was curious, so I slipped over to see which colleague was working there. And there she was, that proud swan princess, in a man’s arms.”

“Oh………………!”

Jessie and the other woman gave a well-timed gasp, while Levi sat silently.

“Who was the man?”

“I don’t know. Never saw him in the bar before. But he dressed well—I think he might’ve been one of her schoolmates or something…”

The smoking woman blew out a puff of smoke.

“I even thought about telling Doctor Doolittle. I’m sure he’d have broken the guy’s legs—that would’ve been a sight. But that night I got a big job, and later forgot all about it.”

“About Miss Emilia………,” Levi took the chance to cut in, “do you know how she died?”

“This……………”

The three exchanged glances.

Jessie was the first to shake her head.

“No idea. We just heard she was sick. We even wondered—Doctor Doolittle’s medical skills are so good, how could he not cure his own daughter?”

“I did hear something…”

This time, the plump-faced woman spoke.

“I heard it was an accident.”

“An accident?”

“Yes. Sometimes Doctor Doolittle performs surgeries in the basement under the pharmacy. He has this terrifying machine……… just a bed with more than a dozen tentacle-like arms holding scalpels. I think it’s some new kind of medical device…”

“And then?”

“Doctor Doolittle’s getting old, so he had Miss Emilia learn how to operate it. After all, she was smart and talented, and familiar with these new steam machines. Later I heard that something went wrong during a surgery……… or so they said, and Miss Emilia accidentally died.”

That was… quite an accident.

Levi played with his teacup as he listened to their gossip, but his mind was calmly turning things over.

He didn’t know if this lead was right.

After all, in many detective stories, the seemingly innocent one was the real culprit, while the suspicious ones were just red herrings.

Still, this case was not unrelated to Doctor Doolittle.

Levi still remembered from his initial investigation of the body—the wounds were clean and precise, unlike those made by an ordinary blade.

But a scalpel?

Wasn’t it designed precisely to cut human flesh?

And as the plump-faced woman said, Doctor Doolittle had a steam-powered surgical device in his basement…

Even with her description, Levi could not imagine what kind of operating table used something like that.

One could only say—people in this era had such explosive imagination that even he could barely keep up.

Modern imagination had limits of common sense.

But here… all bets were off.

There was no hospital in this district.

It was entirely possible that Doctor Doolittle’s underground clinic was the only place with scalpels—meaning he was inevitably tied to the case.

But this was not enough.

More investigation was needed.

Levi took another sip of tea and looked at the women still gossiping.

“Do you know which school Miss Emilia attended?”

He asked at last.