Mr. Rat of the Steam World

Chapter 103 Tarot Cards

Deep within Blackstone Street, a secluded courtyard was shrouded in the thick darkness of night. In the center of the courtyard stood a bare old tree, silent and still. On its branches, a black raven paced restlessly, the withered branches beneath its claws rustling softly as it muttered to itself.

"...Just you wait, you stupid woman. If you don't come back to feed me soon, I'll steal that hideous pink fuzzy slipper you kept on the third shelf of the shoe cabinet! I'll take it far, far away! And stuff it down the chimney! Hah!"

It swung its neck, pecking at the bark with its hard beak, making a dull, thumping sound. The moonlight gilded its black feathers with a cold, silvery edge.

Jenna was much later than usual. The night was unusually still, the surroundings were eerily quiet, and even the stray cats had vanished.

Suddenly the raven stopped pecking, tilted its head, and its small eyes gleamed with alertness.

“…Something’s not right. This smells off…a bad omen…caw.” The raven glanced warily into the darkness, then suddenly flapped its wings and flew to the second-floor window, landing on Jenna’s table piled with old newspapers.

Its gaze swept over a pile of clutter. Soon, it randomly picked up a tarot card from a stack of tarot cards. The card depicted a reversed moon, a blurry dog ​​bark, and a pond with its reflection.

Then, it roughly pried open a chipped coffee cup with its claws, spreading the remaining black powdery coffee grounds evenly across the blank space of the newspaper.

He looked down at the blurry pattern formed by the coffee grounds, letting out a strange groan: "Eyes in the mist... something's nine-tenths off, ugh..."

Just as it was concentrating on trying to find more clues from the chaotic pattern, it didn't notice—outside the window, a pair of black bean eyes quietly peeked out.

Observe secretly.

The scout rat, codenamed 007, was gripping the wall tightly with its claws, cautiously observing the layout of the room, when it spotted the giant raven deep in thought.

"Whoo~"

Scout Mouse 007's chest heaved almost imperceptibly: "Go for it, Little Mouse, you're the best! Even though it's your first mission, you're the third place winner in the All-Rat Combat Competition, you're just a bird..."

Silently encouraging himself, 007 Mouse's gaze suddenly focused, and the muscles in his hind legs tensed and gathered strength under his fur!
The next instant, its strong hind legs suddenly pushed off the wall, and its small body shot out like a bullet, slicing a short black arc in the moonlight!

"squeak!"

Under Raven Bobo's horrified gaze, a pure black mouse suddenly took flight from the second-floor window, spinning 360 degrees in mid-air before landing perfectly.

Even more bizarrely, after the rat came in, it stood up on its hind legs like a human, and its pair of black bean eyes, which gleamed with intelligence, precisely locked onto the dumbfounded Bobo.

"Gah—!!!" This ghostly scene terrified Bobo, who already had a bad feeling. Almost the instant 007 landed, he fluffed up all his feathers and his wide wings flapped wildly, creating a gust of wind that sent the pieces of paper on the table flying everywhere!
However, 007 the Rat is even faster.

Just as the tip of Popona's broad tail feathers barely brushed the edge of the table, 007 slammed his hind legs against the table and launched himself out like a cannonball!
"squeak!"

With a low shout, two claws, not particularly thick but exceptionally powerful, clamped down on Bobo's right leg joint, which was kicking with all its might, with precision and ferocity, like iron clamps!

"Gah! Damn mouse! Let me go! I'm warning you, I know a really tough local cat, you're in big trouble if you mess with me..."

The sudden, intense pain and feeling of confinement terrified Bobo, causing him to struggle even more violently. The clutter on the table was swept to the floor with a clatter, and he made incoherent, hissing noises.

Faced with the angry, flapping ravens, the scout mouse remained calm. It deftly used the force of the raven's kicks to swing and flip over, landing steadily on the broad, undulating back of the raven.

Before Bobo could turn around and peck fiercely, a sturdy little paw smacked it on the back of the head with a soft, but not too hard, slap.

"Squeak! Shut up! It's so noisy!" The scout rat's voice came clearly, but at that moment, the struggle beneath him suddenly stopped.

Bobo twisted his neck with difficulty, his black bean eyes filled with disbelief, his voice trembling: "Gah?! You...you mouse can talk?!"

The scout mouse raised its head slightly with a hint of pride, but quickly remembered its mission and explained the key points in the simplest way possible.

“A woman named Jenna has trespassed on our territory and is now at the Morse factory! We have her in our hands!” The scout mouse paused, then spoke faster.

"She's safe for now, but she can't leave! Our boss wants to see you! Immediately! Right now! No discussion!"

Bobo's struggling movements suddenly froze. "Stupid woman? She's with you...? Huh? No wonder she hasn't come back yet, what happened to her?"

Seeing that its attitude had softened, the scout rat loosened its grip on the base of its wing slightly, but remained vigilant: "She ran in and started taking pictures! Boss is furious! But we haven't done anything to her yet."

"What does that have to do with me, Bobo? Why do you want to beat me up every time we meet?" Bobo twisted his neck in dissatisfaction.

The scout rat snorted and tightened its grip on its paws: "Who told you to try to run away as soon as we met? What can I do to ensure everything goes smoothly?"

Bobo hesitated for a moment, then, thinking of his foolish woman's situation, he relented. "Alright! Take me to see her... By the way, where is the Morse factory?"

"Come with me!" the scout rat said succinctly. Just as it was about to loosen its grip, it suddenly sensed something was wrong and immediately snapped its paw back in.

What if you run away after you go out?

Bobo was stunned for a moment, then said angrily.

"I'm a moral bird, quack... how could I ignore that stupid woman!"

But when faced with the suspicious, beady eyes of the scout mouse, he finally said helplessly.

"Then hold onto my neck and show me the way, and I'll take you flying."

Before Bobo could finish speaking, he felt his center of gravity shift instantly, and his neck was immediately locked by a pair of furry paws. He was almost strangled and struggled frantically, his eyes rolling back in his head.

"Gah... I'm dying... Bobo's going to die..."

He flapped his wings frantically, finally making the scout rat behind him react, and it squeaked awkwardly.

"Sorry, sorry, squeak... It's my first time flying, I have no experience, I'm a little nervous..."

"Gah... You wait! Lord Bobo will remember this debt!"

The raven let out a long, mournful cry, enduring the discomfort in its neck, and vigorously flapped its broad wings!
Whoops!

A strong gust of air swept up the papers scattered on the table. Bobo suddenly leaped into the air, rushing towards the deep night outside the window!
"Direction! Squeak! Left front! See that big chimney with the most lights on? Yes, faster!"

The scout mouse crouched on the undulating back, initially a little nervous, but gradually began to enjoy the strong wind on its face, its eyes shining brighter and it couldn't help but sigh.

"Is this what flying feels like? It's wonderful."

And so, in the deep darkness of Baker City, an extremely bizarre and unprecedented scene flashed by.

A gigantic raven, carrying a pure black squirrel on its back, soared through the sky. The raven's furious cawing mingled with the sound of the wind, making this strange night sky even more intriguing.

"We're here, we're here, it's down below."

"I told you not to choke Lord Popo!"

(End of this chapter)