Chapter 358: Steam Council

Brian, disguised as a secret police officer, died in an unobserved alley—not the climax of the foggy night, but a trivial prelude.

Today marks the end of the second day for players entering the Steam Phantom dimension.

In the Abyss Game, there is a common piece of knowledge: the first day of entering an instance is usually the most dangerous.

Nearly half of the players who die in an instance perish on the first day.

To avoid initial-kills, the vast majority of players remain extremely restrained on the first day, avoiding any actions that might trigger danger.

For instance, players competing for invitation cards, even when seeing secret police officers far fewer in number approaching, immediately choose to abandon combat.

By the end of the second day of instance time, after a day and a half, players have largely figured out the situation of the dimension and their own circumstances.

Some faster-progressing players have even tested the tolerance level of Grimlan's authorities.

This means everyone can drop the act and loosen their restrictions to some extent.

On the first day, the scramble for invitation cards was still restrained; today, tempers have flared.

Grimlan Bridge consists of two stone spire towers, with a hydraulic-driven opening and closing deck in the middle.

The bridge spans the entire Hills River and is an iconic structure of Grimlan and even Stilran.

At this moment, a chaotic battle is unfolding on the bridge, involving over fifteen players, at least six of whom rank among the top fifty on the combat leaderboard.

One side in the battle consists of the five players who successfully seized the invitation card last night.

They do not belong to any of the four major organizations, but are an alliance of two first-tier factions; their rapid assembly and mutual trust allowed them to succeed repeatedly yesterday.

Between last night and today's daytime, they have seized at least three invitation cards.

But there are still two days left until the Supernatural Gathering begins.

It's like sitting at a poker table—the first to win holds paper; what matters is not how much you take early in the game, but how much you walk away with at its end.

Among the spectators who watched the five-person group seize the card last night, some have now become one of the combatants on the bridge.

The battle has lasted fifteen minutes; during it, at least three players have suffered severe injuries and were forced to use items to exit the instance prematurely.

The players' combat draws the gaze of countless eyes beyond the fog.

Some of these eyes belong to other players; others belong to the instance's native inhabitants.

On the northern tower of Grimlan Bridge, Xiang Jianxing and Leng Shan stand atop, overlooking the battle below.

They did not come to fight over invitation cards; not only do they not seek them, but to attract enough heavyweight players, Leng Shan even used an invitation card given to him by Wu Chang as bait, drawing the battle to Grimlan Bridge.

The location is open, and secret police find it hard to interfere, allowing players to act freely.

The more they act, the more information they expose, and the more intelligence can be gathered.

In the Abyss Game, intelligence is not only information tied to the instance's main plot—knowing who the participating players are, their strength, and their abilities is also valuable intelligence.

Mastering the instance is only part of it; if you focus only on the instance and ignore the other players watching you like tigers, you won't go far in the Abyss.

Leng Shan gazed at the fog above and remarked:

"A near-out-of-control S-class instance is indeed different from the S-class instances I've entered before; under the influence of Abyss corruption, constant massive changes occur here."

"Just two or three hours ago, the dimension was stable, yet suddenly the Source Power began corrupting it."

"Under the influence of Source Power, all abilities not native to this dimension are suppressed."

Xiang Jianxing asked in confusion: "My ability differs greatly from this dimension's system—why don't I feel suppressed?"

Leng Shan exhaled, freezing the fog near him into ice crystals, then said:

"Because the Source Power's influence on the dimension's rules is still limited; your Sword Cultivator transformation is a Realm-level transformation, directly tied to the rules—it is itself an expression of Source Power."

"At this stage, the effect on you and me is still minimal."

"When the dimension's child's Source Power grows further and completely overwhelms you and me, even we will be affected."

Xiang Jianxing was about to reply when he suddenly sensed something and narrowed his eyes.

Someone had ascended to the other side of the tower they stood on.

The figure was shrouded in a large black robe, indistinguishable in gender or build; merely standing there, he radiated a dangerous, gloomy aura.

From his demeanor and attire, he was not a player, but a native of the instance.

As Xiang Jianxing noticed the newcomer, Leng Shan also detected the new observer.

The factions hosting the Supernatural Gathering are all open forces of Grimlan—they are not the entirety of the instance's powers.

Some shadowy, unseen factions also wish to seize this opportunity to recruit talent.

They cannot afford the leisure of the gathering's organizers; they must come in person to confirm their desired targets.

The new observer not far from them is likely one of those shadowy figures.

Xiang Jianxing whispered: "Should we make contact with him?"

Leng Shan paused, then said: "Better to be cautious—try to extract information from him."

After brief consultation, the Bureau personnel who entered Steam Phantom had decided to join He Ping's Mystic Knights Order.

Though they had not yet uncovered the Mystic Knights' true nature, they trusted He Ping's judgment.

Even if this organization isn't top-tier, with He Ping's joining, it will become top-tier.

To achieve success in a multiplayer team competition game, learning to band together is the simplest and most efficient method.

From He Ping's earlier hints, the Mystic Knights' duty is to safeguard the order of Grimlan's supernatural realm—those shadowy figures are clearly their enemies.

If we can extract some intelligence, won't that serve as our credential for joining?

Xiang Jianxing first emitted energy to draw the black-robed figure's attention, then spread his hands to show no hostility and slowly approached.

It was clear the black-robed figure held great regard for Xiang Jianxing and Leng Shan—he revealed himself deliberately, indicating intent to approach them.

He did not stop Xiang Jianxing's approach; instead, after Xiang Jianxing drew near, he exchanged a few brief words with him.

After speaking with Xiang Jianxing, the black-robed figure left the tower top without lingering.

"What did you just say to him?" Leng Shan asked.

Xiang Jianxing said: "He said he knows we aren't Stilrans—we're outsiders with special intentions."

He gave me a task, saying that if we could complete it, we could join his organization and welcome the future together.

He also said their organization was called the Steam Council.

As the battle raged on Grimlan Bridge, the fire burning in Philip's villa was preliminarily extinguished by firefighters' efforts.

Ignoring warnings of possible reignition, Wu Chang and Raventon pushed past the firefighters and entered Philip's villa directly.

The room's temperature, just after the fire died, was like an oven; Wu Chang and Raventon had to wrap their bodies in supernatural power to avoid being scorched by residual heatwaves.

They entered through the villa's main door and made their way to the grand hall.

The fire had burned thoroughly—everything combustible in the room had turned to charcoal.

Wu Chang found the Philip family in the dining room; from the scene, they had clearly been holding a birthday banquet.

Philip the Baron, the Baroness, and their four children were all present, with the youngest child likely in the act of making a wish.

The servants and butler of the baron's household were serving dishes, appearing extremely busy.

Why could he see so much?

Because the entire Philip family was frozen at the exact moment the child made his wish—had their bodies not been so thoroughly charred, one might call them "lifelike."

The servants hired by Philip the Baron, whether or not they belonged at this occasion, now stood in the dining room, frozen in celebration.

They did not struggle, did not flee—they were consumed by flames while maintaining their original postures.

This eerie carbonized family portrait startled the firefighters who had rushed in with them, causing one to collapse onto the floor, voice trembling as he said:

"Devil! This must be the work of a devil!"

"There is no devil," Wu Chang interrupted the firefighter's cry, saying:

"This is a meticulously planned murder. Leave immediately, secure the scene, and summon the Secret Police."

The firefighter had no idea how to summon the Secret Police, but he did not want to stay a single moment longer—he scrambled to his feet and fled the house as if escaping.

After driving away the firefighters, Wu Chang and Raventon searched the villa.

The bad news was that the interior had been burned clean—even Philip the Baron's safe had been warped by the flames.

When they pried open the safe, all documents inside, including banknotes, had carbonized under the high heat, leaving no trace of clues.

The good news was that the arsonist had burned so thoroughly that Philip the Baron had left behind a trace of resentment.

Amid the flame-like burning resentment, Wu Chang's vision blurred, and he was transported back to just before the fire occurred.

His consciousness clung to Philip the Baron, gazing tenderly at his youngest son.

Today was his youngest son's fifth birthday; to celebrate, he had ordered the birthday cake a month in advance from the most exclusive bakery in Grimlan.

As the servants wheeled the cake in, the entire family was immersed in the festive atmosphere.

He rose to offer his blessings to his son, and then the boy clenched his fists and began to make a wish.

At that moment, he found his body immobilized; only with all his strength could he barely lift his head.

He saw a figure in a black robe entering the dining room—his other servants did not stop him; instead, they walked in behind the black-robed man as if soulless.

The black-robed man's attire resembled what Wu Chang had seen in the mine bandits' resentment, the only difference being that this man held a cane.

On the cane's handle was a unique emblem: five steam pipes extended from a landmass, its outline identical to Styland's shape on the map.

The instant he saw the black-robed man, Philip the Baron's heart sank—he felt a powerful premonition of doom.

He forced himself to speak: "Zavier, today is my son's birthday. Whatever it is, discuss it tomorrow."

The man called Zavier sat at the far end of the long table, directly opposite Philip the Baron, and spoke slowly:

"I'm sorry, but you and your family have no tomorrow."

Philip the Baron panicked. "What do you mean?"

Zavier said: "You must have guessed already—the Pine Tree Mine affair has been exposed. We cannot let you live."

Philip the Baron fell silent for a moment, then exhaled deeply. "I can die—but don't forget, when I joined, you promised to care for my family."

Zavier looked troubled.

"Normally, that would be the procedure—but the opposition acted too fast, leaving us no time to react. And as soon as they discovered it, they released a message spell."

"I had no time to prepare—I could only come directly. Your family has seen me. To avoid being tracked by some hound, they must die."

Philip the Baron's eyes widened. "Zavier, you—"

Before Philip the Baron could finish, Zavier tapped his cane, stripping him of the ability to speak.

He rose, walked behind Philip's youngest son, and said:

"What a lovely child—just five years old, yet already possesses astonishing mathematical talent. Had it not been for today, you would surely have become one of us."

"Pity. Uncle didn't bring a birthday gift—so I'll give you a birthday candle instead."

Zavier raised his cane and traced a mystical rune in the air—the rune landed on the cake and instantly became brilliant candle flames.

But these flames burned too fiercely, surging toward the ceiling, and in an instant ignited the entire dining room.

Zavier returned to face Philip the Baron, removed his hat in a formal bow, and said:

"Baron Philip, the Steam Council thanks you for your past contributions."

The mystical flames consumed the dining room, and Wu Chang's consciousness detached from the resentment.

His gaze shifted from Philip the Baron's corpse and met Raventon's watching eyes.

Raventon asked curiously:

"Well, Detective of Intuition—what did you find?"

Wu Chang glanced at Raventon. "I saw a mark on Philip the Baron's corpse."

Raventon froze—he hadn't expected Wu Chang to actually perceive anything. He pulled out a magnifying glass, circled Philip the Baron, confirmed he saw nothing, then returned to Wu Chang's side and asked:

"What did you see?"

Wu Chang sketched the emblem on Zavier's cane and asked: "Do you know what this is?"

"The Steam Council—damn it, I should've guessed sooner. These lunatics aren't so easily wiped out," Raventon muttered involuntarily.

Wu Chang asked, "What is the Steam Council?"

Reventon said hastily, "This isn't a place to talk. Come back to my place."

No evidence remained at the scene, and Wu Chang had already seen the resentment—there was no point in staying.

Reventon pulled Wu Chang away from Philip's villa, picked up him and Erin, and drove straight to 41 Sal Street.

Back at the detective agency, after activating a protective mystical ritual, Reventon relaxed slightly and took Wu Chang up to the third floor.

After complex decryption, he opened a storage room, moved out the disguised items, and revealed a web of evidence more intricate than the one from the murder of the head investigator on the second floor.

At the center of the evidence web was a pattern—clearly the same mark Wu Chang had seen on Xavier's cane.

Wu Chang stared at the wall covered with case files and asked, "You investigated them before?"

Reventon grabbed a bottle, poured himself a drink, took a sip, and let out a bitter laugh.

"Investigated? I personally sent them to hell."

"The Steam Council is a group of complete madmen. They're ordinary people, yet they're dissatisfied with their lot and desperately seek to seize supernatural power."

Reventon gazed at the old investigation records on the wall, recalling what he knew of the Steam Council.

The Steam Council originally began as a club of mathematicians, physicists, and new nobles.

At the time, supernatural power was still secret—the Alchemical Society and the Clocktower Magic Association hadn't been formed yet. They found descriptions of supernatural power in some book and obsessively pursued it.

The members had knowledge, wealth, and immense initiative. To gain supernatural knowledge, they joined various organizations, even the Quiet Church.

Through their efforts, they truly found books on mysticism and alchemy.

They studied relentlessly and eventually learned mystical rituals, enabling them to activate the inherent supernatural power within mystical artifacts and use it for themselves.

After that, they went too far—deepening their study of mysticism while using alchemy to modify their own bodies, attempting to become true supernatural beings through external energy sources.

But at the time, they only experimented on themselves, and since mystical artifacts were scarce, they caused little commotion.

Until five years ago, Your Majesty Olivia discovered the former library of the Mystic Knight Order, which contained vast records of supernatural power. She gathered the finest scholars in Stilran to study how to merge the supernatural with machinery.

Thanks to this effort, Stilran's industry surged rapidly in a short time, and Your Majesty Olivia regained partial power through it.

Yet among the scholars involved in the research, besides ordinary academics, were members of the Supernatural Enthusiasts' Club.

They saw the future potential in industrialized supernatural technology and formally established the Steam Council.

Reventon pointed to a newspaper clipping about the major fire at Grimlan University Library.

"They engineered that fire to steal every book recording supernatural power."

He then pointed to several reports about workers dying from poisoning due to deplorable factory conditions.

"One benefit of industrialized supernatural technology was no longer relying on scarce mystical artifacts—so they began using human bodies as experiments, trying to turn people into machines and subject them to industrialized supernatural modification."

"They operated in secrecy, but I sensed something off. About three and a half years ago, I solved a major case and had free time, so I investigated these industrial poisoning cases."

"My investigation revealed the workers' deaths weren't simple poisonings."

"But as I dug deeper, I uncovered these madmen."

Reventon pointed to several photos—some of the people in them had parts of their bodies replaced with grotesque steel prosthetics.

"Some among them had begun modifying their own bodies, but their modifications were crude, far inferior to true supernatural beings."

"So I used Zhu Li's power to strike during their regular gathering and netted them all."

"I personally handled every single one, ensuring they all went to hell."

"Since then, I've kept investigating them, making sure no remnants survived. For a while, they vanished completely—no signs at all. I assumed they were gone forever."

"I never expected these madmen still existed—and their actions are even worse than before."

(End of Chapter)