Chapter 151: The Orient Express |
A week later, Levi arrived at the station as agreed, where he naturally met Miss Olivia.
"Ah, you've finally arrived, Mr. Levi."
Standing on the platform, Olivia smiled with delight and waved when she saw him. She was dressed as elegantly as ever, like a wealthy lady of high society. The little puppy, transformed from the Three-Headed Hound, was cradled in her arms, looking entirely harmless to the casual observer. Of course, it was only a look.
"Hello, Miss Olivia," Levi said, stepping forward with a polite nod. "It seems you are looking forward to this trip."
As he spoke, Levi glanced past Olivia. A short distance away, her maid was pushing a luggage cart piled high with suitcases that rose taller than Olivia herself.
"Are you only bringing that with you, Mr. Levi?"
Olivia looked at Levi with curiosity. He held his usual cane in one hand and his briefcase in the other, completely devoid of any specialized luggage or trunks.
"For me, traveling light is essential. After all, I can buy most things locally. Most importantly... at least I know exactly where my towel is."
"?"
"I have no idea what that means, but from now on, I suppose I will pay more attention to my towel as well."
Olivia certainly did not understand the reference, but it clearly sounded amusing. Levi merely smiled and made a polite gesture.
"After you."
As two wealthy individuals, Levi and Olivia naturally stayed in the first-class carriages. The layout was quite similar to the one Levi had used in Merisia, though that one had consisted of two rooms. The first-class carriage on the Orient Express featured three rooms; while it lacked a lounge car style sitting room for hosting guests, the compartments themselves were exceptionally spacious and comfortable.
"I didn't see your maid. Did you not bring her along?"
Olivia invited Levi into her room to chat while her maid began brewing tea. She looked at Levi with curiosity as she asked the question.
"As a detective, I feel she is much safer when she isn't constantly by my side."
Levi chuckled softly. This was precisely why he never brought Irene with him on his travels; after all, he never knew what kind of incidents he might encounter. Irene lacked the self-defense capabilities of someone like Katie or Olivia. Traveling with him would only expose her to unnecessary danger.
"But traveling entirely alone, don't you find it inconvenient?"
"Habit becomes second nature. I don't find it inconvenient at all."
For a wealthy young lady like Olivia, traveling with a retinue of servants was standard practice. Levi, however, clearly preferred to move alone.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Olivia brought up the main topic, detailing how she had officially taken over as the clan head of the Baskerville family. For the most part, the transition had gone smoothly, but certain matters still left her feeling deeply unsettled.
"I am rather worried about how things will unfold from here, Mr. Levi." Olivia sighed, gently stroking the little puppy in her arms. "To be honest, I truly despised the actions of my grandfather and great-grandfather at first. But once I became the clan head of the Baskerville family, I suddenly realized how incredibly difficult that choice actually was. The power of the Baskerville family can only be inherited by women, which is undeniably unfair to the boys."
Olivia extended a finger to scratch the puppy under its chin. The little creature narrowed its eyes in comfort, wagging its tail continuously.
"So I began to wonder, what if I have children in the future and give birth to twin boys? What should I do then? To ensure the continuation of the Baskerville family, I would have no choice but to designate a female heir. Yet the abandoned boys would inevitably harbor resentment and hatred because of it... The more I think about it, the more I realize my great-grandfather's method was the best among terrible choices. At the very least, it prevented the family from fracturing. But it is just so horrific..."
At this point, Olivia looked thoroughly dejected. Clearly, this dilemma had been tormenting her for a long time.
"Perhaps there will be a way to resolve this issue."
Levi reached out to play with the puppy as well. The little dog shook its head and comfortably crawled back into Olivia's lap.
"Though, it certainly won't be easy."
"Indeed. I even thought about trying to talk to it, to see if we could change the method. For instance, letting it choose who inherits the headship?"
Olivia looked down at the puppy in her arms once more, then shook her head.
"No, that is likely not a good solution either."
"I believe times have changed, Miss Olivia," Levi said, gently patting the puppy's head as he watched it. "The era of the Baskerville ancestors is entirely different from the present day. Perhaps in the past, your ancestors required this power to protect their territory, their people, and their country. But the situation is completely different now. If I may speak frankly, even though your great-grandfather and grandfather committed truly atrocious acts, you must admit that under their leadership, the Baskerville family and the Delicat region suffered no negative consequences because of it."
While the actions of her great-grandfather and grandfather were undeniably cruel, from a purely objective standpoint, losing the protection of this entity had not truly impacted the Baskerville family in a meaningful way.
"Furthermore, I suspect it doesn't actually care about any of this either."
Levi teased the puppy's nose again, causing it to let out a disgruntled sneeze.
"If those Luddites hadn't placed the corpse beneath the statue in the ancestral mausoleum, the Baskerville family likely would never have been cursed in the first place."
"So, are you suggesting that we should completely... abandon tradition?"
Olivia looked somewhat uneasy. She understood Levi's point. Strictly speaking, the curse afflicting the Baskerville family had nothing to do with their ancestors; it was entirely the fault of the Luddites who had intentionally buried a corpse under the statue in the ancestral mausoleum to trigger it.
Looking at it from the opposite perspective, if the Luddites hadn't done that, the Baskerville family would never have suffered the werewolf curse. Her great-grandfather and grandfather would not have vanished on their thirty-eighth birthdays. In other words... they would have faced no retribution whatsoever. Though thinking about it this way was somewhat unpleasant, it was the cold reality.
"In truth, you have already abandoned tradition, haven't you? Aside from you, there is likely no one left who even remembers the old traditions of the Baskerville family."
"..................."
Olivia fell into a long silence at his words.
"You are right, Mr. Levi. If you hadn't uncovered the evidence, I probably wouldn't even know such a tradition existed in our family."
"Therefore, while it may sound improper to say... Miss Olivia, your great-grandfather and grandfather completely severed the Baskerville family from its ancient traditions. Their motives were wicked, but the end result was beneficial."
"What a thoroughly bleak joke."
"It is indeed hard to laugh at."
Levi finished his tea, stood up, and gave Olivia a polite nod.
"You should probably get some rest. I shall take my leave."
"Alright. Thank you, Mr. Levi."
Knowing that Olivia needed time to process her thoughts, Levi did not disturb her further. He left her compartment and made his way toward the Salon Car. Since his own room was empty, he figured he might as well enjoy the scenery and watch the people in the communal carriage.
To Levi's surprise, upon entering the Salon Car, he immediately spotted a familiar face.
"Ah, Boss."
Anthony, currently dressed in a fine suit, was sitting by the window admiring the passing landscape. When he noticed Levi, a look of genuine astonishment crossed his face. Levi nodded in acknowledgment and walked over to sit opposite him.
"What a surprise, Anthony. I certainly didn't expect to see you here."
"My thoughts exactly, Boss." Anthony looked at Levi, completely exasperated. "Do you have any idea? I put on my favorite charcoal-gray suit today specifically to come to the Salon Car, hoping for a romantic, charming encounter with a beautiful lady or a wealthy wife. We would chat, share a drink, and connect on a deeper level. Perhaps she would even invite me back to her compartment..."
Anthony threw his hands up in resignation.
"Now that dream is shattered. With you here, Boss, I'll be nothing more than a backup option. And I don't think any man enjoys being the second choice."
"You're starting to sound just like a Francis native. What's wrong? Did you take a refresher course in Flower City recently?"
Levi ordered a pot of tea from the steward, looking at Anthony with amusement. Anthony rolled his eyes in response.
"That's a bit insulting, Boss. Do I really look like one of those people?"
"I think you look exactly like one."
Levi chuckled. He didn't press Anthony on what he was doing on the train. Judging from their previous encounter in Merisia, Anthony was likely working for the Cabinet. It was unclear which specific department he belonged to, but unlike Levi, Anthony was an official agent explicitly trained for this line of work.
"Are you heading to Bisbalu as well?"
"Whenever events like this come around, everyone gets incredibly stressed." Anthony let out a weary sigh. "Large-scale events sound wonderful on paper, but that's only true for the high-and-mighty lords at the top. They get to admire the grand spectacles and magnificent displays, while insignificant small fry like us have to run ourselves ragged."
"Then you truly have my sympathies."
Levi could only offer his condolences. Anthony wasn't wrong. It was much like an official inspection at a school; the evaluation committee merely glided through for a superficial look, while the students had to spend massive amounts of time scrubbing every single corner perfectly clean.
"By the way, are you staying in a first-class carriage?"
"Yes."
"Must be nice to have money. I'm stuck in third-class, and it doesn't even qualify for reimbursement." Anthony immediately began to complain. "You have no idea, Boss. The people in third-class are an absolute nightmare to deal with, especially during this specific period."
"Is there something special about this period?"
"It really is your first time attending the Steam Machinery Exposition, isn't it?" Anthony laughed out loud. "Then you definitely wouldn't know, Boss. Every time the exposition comes around, inventors from all over the Empire flock there to showcase their creations. Of course, we aren't talking about the prestigious manufacturers and massive corporations that have the capital and reputation to secure proper exhibition booths. We're talking about the amateur, grassroots inventors."
Anthony curled his lip in disdain.
"You'll see when you get there. They loiter right outside the main gates of the exposition like street hawkers, trying to pitch their utterly useless inventions to anyone walking in or out. Every single one of them dreams that some wealthy tycoon will take a liking to their work, provide investment, and skyrocket them to fame and fortune."
Anthony sighed deeply. "Worse yet, every single one of them is completely delusional about their own creations, while simultaneously belittling everyone else's. As a result, arguments break out constantly, often escalating into full-blown fistfights—honestly, it happens all the time in the third-class carriages."
"Is that why you retreated here?"
"Of course. If I weren't wearing this suit, the conductor wouldn't have even let me set foot in here. I had to slide him a small tip just to secure a bit of peace and quiet." Anthony glanced annoyed past Levi's shoulder. "But for the people traveling first-class, the staff don't care what they wear at all."
Levi followed Anthony's gaze and saw a man entering the Salon Car. He wore a somewhat rumpled suit, his hair was a disorganized mess that looked as though it hadn't been brushed in days, and he clutched a briefcase tightly to his chest. Holding the briefcase in that defensive manner, he looked around nervously before making his way to a far corner of the carriage and sitting down.
"I'm genuinely curious how he even managed to board the train." Anthony retracted his gaze, looking thoroughly displeased. "If I were the conductor, I would suspect he stole that ticket from somewhere."
"Indeed."
Levi nodded. First-class tickets on the Orient Express were exceptionally expensive. Those who could afford them were typically individuals of wealth, leisure, and status. Whether they behaved elegantly or rudely, they at least projected an aura of belonging.
This man, however, was different. He looked like a beggar who had accidentally wandered into a five-star hotel, so wracked with anxiety that he didn't even know where to rest his hands.
"Though, perhaps he won some sort of lottery, and the prize happened to be a first-class ticket?"
"No lottery would ever offer a prize with such poor taste." Anthony shook his head, his expression filled with utter disdain. "Just looking at his appearance tells you everything. He's no different from those destitute grassroots inventors; they're all cut from the same cloth. I should honestly go back and tell those fellows in third-class that one of their peers is living it up in first-class. By the next station, they'd probably drag this poor bastard out onto the tracks out of pure jealousy."
Just then, the door opened again, and two more passengers stepped into the carriage. It was a man and a woman, the woman holding the man's arm in a display of clear intimacy.
"Ah, a married couple. How dreadfully boring," Anthony critiqued once more. "Just look at how inseparable they are. It's obviously a honeymoon trip."
"Have you turned into a detective now, Anthony?"
"I don't need to be a detective to see it, Boss. Once any couple has been married for more than a year, that sickening sweetness vanishes entirely. They grow sick of looking at one another and won't even glance in each other's direction." Anthony looked at Levi, flashing a smug grin. "And I can guarantee you, they will steer completely clear of us."
As he finished speaking, the couple walked further into the Salon Car, scanning their surroundings. Their eyes naturally fell upon Levi and Anthony. Levi offered them a polite nod, and the young lady returned the gesture with a nod of her own. Her husband maintained a stern expression, offering Levi a cautious yet respectful nod before guiding his wife to a seat in a corner on the opposite side of the carriage.
"See what I mean?" Anthony took a sip of his drink, looking incredibly pleased with his accurate prediction. "By the way, if I ever get a girlfriend, I am absolutely never introducing her to you, Boss."
"Do you even have a girlfriend?"
Faced with Levi's question, the smile on Anthony's face froze completely.
"I think being single is actually perfectly fine..." Anthony muttered under his breath.