novelraw Chapter 102 : Preparing to Depart
Chapter 102 : Preparing to Depart
Chapter 102: Preparing to Depart
Next, Levi spent most of his time soaked in the library.
After all, studying brought happiness.
Or rather, cheating at studying brought happiness.
And Levi’s efforts were not wasted.
After staying in the library for more than half a month, he also acquired three skills: 【Occultism: 30】【Linguistics: 20】【Natural History: 10】.
Although the values were very low, it was still better than nothing.
Besides, as long as he kept flipping through books in these fields, the values would continue to increase, wouldn’t they?
【Occultism】—no need to ask—naturally referred to knowledge about all sorts of folklore, myths, and legends.
In 【Linguistics】, Levi had by now also learned Francis and Kront languages.
But both were mute languages for him—he could understand them in writing, but his pronunciation was still far from decent.
As for how he learned them—well, for Levi, he had his own unique trick.
First, you needed a dictionary.
Then, you could find a novel written in the target language.
You read while flipping through the dictionary, and before long, you understood.
Of course, this also required some technique.
Not every novel would do.
If Levi had to recommend, it would be best to choose those courtly secret histories—novels that described in detail nobles and maids, nobles and ladies, nobles and young misses, engaging in long, thorough, “in-depth explorations” in bathrooms, storage rooms, bedrooms… stories like that were relatively easier to persist in reading.
After all, motivation for studying was important, wasn’t it?
【Natural History】was a relatively comprehensive subject.
Simply put, it was research on plants and animals in the natural environment.
Of course, if subdivided, it would naturally include 【Botany】 and 【Zoology】.
But while 【Natural History】 was not as deep as the latter two, it was broad enough, and for Levi that was sufficient.
After all, he wasn’t truly going to spend his life as an academic.
As a detective, what Levi needed more was a wide range of knowledge across fields.
As for specialization, he could always directly consult those experts who had studied one field for a lifetime.
It was impossible for him to become an expert in every area himself—that would hardly be perfect, and besides, he didn’t have that much energy.
Of course, apart from this, Levi also had a companion in the library—the girl who had asked to borrow a book from him that day.
Actually, the two hadn’t interacted much.
But perhaps because they both liked sitting in their usual spots, they often encountered one another.
Sometimes, when Levi arrived, he would see the girl and greet her.
Sometimes, when she came later, she would also greet Levi.
Just acquaintances who nodded at each other, nothing more.
But Levi still paid some attention to her.
Of course, this was not like in those overbearing CEO novels where a woman ignoring a man would make him think: “Woman, you have successfully piqued my interest.” Nothing that tacky.
The main reason was that the girl’s appearance was very peculiar.
Aside from her delicate features, the most eye-catching thing was her hair—snow white.
Katie’s hair color was also similar, but Katie’s was platinum blonde.
Under light you could see the golden hue.
But this girl’s hair was pure, like the white hair of an old person.
Precisely because of this, when they first met, seeing the girl like that, Levi’s heart had skipped a beat.
Based on his experience, characters with white hair in anime and games usually hid some kind of secret.
Perhaps she was a witch of destruction, or she had a mysterious, unfathomable background.
Or maybe she wasn’t even human—maybe an artificial being or a vampire…
Adding to that, with Levi’s current identity, it wouldn’t have been narcissistic to imagine that a vampire might approach him.
At the very least, that possibility definitely existed.
So Levi secretly conducted an investigation on her.
The results made him breathe a sigh of relief.
The girl was an exchange student at the Royal Master Academy, enrolled in the Archaeology Department.
Her records didn’t show anything strange.
Levi had even scanned her with 【Soul Sight】 and confirmed that her soul was normal, without any issues.
So it was probably just a coincidence.
But, speaking of which, the girl was also a three-no type—no words, no emotions, no expressions.
Aside from occasionally borrowing books from Levi, she almost never spoke.
She also wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses, looking very much like a serious bookworm.
A white-haired three-no—yet another stereotype.
Although Levi wanted to continue staying in the library to grind skills, a notice from MI7 forced him to leave and return to the Editorial Department.
As for the reason, it was simple.
“Intelligence from the Melisia Region.”
The Old Butler’s expression was extremely grim.
“Our investigation team found evidence of the enemy using mysterious powers, but they were also ambushed. Only three escaped back to the fortress, gravely wounded. The rest were completely wiped out.”
“Two squads—that’s no small number. They didn’t coordinate with the local army?”
Levi frowned.
By his nature, in such situations, unless pressed for time or conducting an infiltration, he would always drag a bunch of cannon fodder in front of him.
He wasn’t done living yet.
“Perhaps they thought relying on themselves was enough.”
The Old Butler pulled out an intelligence report and handed it to Levi.
“The problem now is that the enemy already knows they’ve been exposed. They may incite rebellion ahead of schedule. Therefore, we must act first. We must resolve this before the Melisia uprising breaks out.”
Levi opened the report and carefully read its contents.
According to the two squads’ investigations, the Melisia Region’s rebels had cooperated with a mysterious organization, and the latter controlled a monster known as the ‘Phantom Killer’ to attack enemies.
According to the gathered intel, the creature only appeared at night, vanishing at dawn.
It had no physical form—completely transparent.
But silver bullets had once managed to injure it……………
Hmm.
As expected from professionals, the key points of the intel were well noted.
“Alright, I’ll set out as soon as possible to deal with this problem.”
As for uprisings and rebellions, Levi couldn’t care less.
Such things always had both sides claiming justification.
He wasn’t an Imperial citizen anyway, so why would he care who was right? But if it involved mysterious incidents, that was another matter.
“Your itinerary is up to you, but make haste.”
“Understood.”
Levi understood what the Old Butler meant.
Anyway, his travel expenses would be reimbursed.
And since the Melisia Region was separated from Mist City by the sea, this time he couldn’t simply drive there.
That left either an airship or a ship.
In short, whichever it was, since it would be reimbursed, there was no reason to wrong himself.
So he took his leave, returned home, and handed the ticket-booking task to Irene—the little maid, who had now officially passed probation and become Levi’s maid.
Her annual salary had also been raised to 50 pounds, which made Irene very excited and thrilled.
Naturally, Levi wasn’t just spending money for no reason.
Irene’s maid duties were secondary, but the steam automatons she crafted had helped Levi immensely.
So he would rather pay her more than let such a skilled helper slip away.
And indeed, Irene was capable.
After Levi asked her to book the ticket, she needed only one day to deliver results.
“I’ve booked it, Mr. Levi!”
“Oh?”
Seeing Irene run out of the elevator, brimming with excitement, Levi lifted his head from his desk.
“So fast?”
“Yes! Once they heard it was for you, they immediately agreed to prepare a first-class cabin. As you requested, it had to be the fastest way to reach Melisia. At first, I considered an airship, but lately the weather hasn’t been good, and many flights were delayed. Fortunately, after asking around, I still found a vessel that matched your requirements.”
As she spoke, Irene placed the ticket and a small booklet on the desk.
Levi picked up the ticket for a glance, then opened the booklet.
“Let me see… The Platinum Shipping Company’s latest liner, the Arctic Star, will make its maiden voyage on the 20th……… It’s driven by two large steam engines, 270 meters in length—the largest liner in the world to date. It will open a brand-new route, reaching Melisia’s Mules Port in record time……… hmm……………”
As he read, Levi’s voice gradually sank lower.
“………………… Is there a problem, sir?”
“No problem, just……… Is this the only ship?”
“Yes.
They said it used to take half a month to reach Melisia, but this liner only needs one week, and it even opened a new route.”
At this, Irene grew excited too.
“Also, I heard they call it the ‘Unsinkable’! With a ship this big, there can’t possibly be a problem!”
“Ah, hmm……………”
Levi looked at the ticket in his hand, as if it were a death invitation from the Reaper.
Was he really going to board this?
Of course, he knew Irene meant well.
From her perspective, there was nothing wrong with this ship.
Or rather, from the perspective of people in this world, there was absolutely nothing wrong with it.
But……… Levi knew very well—in his original world, a certain very famous movie was about this.
And by sheer coincidence, that ship also had the nickname “Unsinkable.”
“Sir, did I do something wrong?”
Seeing Levi stare at the ticket with a blank expression, Irene asked uneasily.
Levi withdrew his thoughts and shook his head.
“No, nothing. It’s just……… I rarely take ships. Mm, it’s no big problem.”
“I see……….”
“So Irene……………”
“Yes, sir. What are your orders?”
“Make me an automaton that can swim in water.”
Levi made this request with great seriousness.