Mr. Rat of the Steam World

Chapter 18 Cats and Dogs
"There is no such person as Sherlock Holmes?"

Earl Biden frowned slightly as he looked at the information presented by the butler.

The butler spoke clearly and eloquently: "Although the registered firm's Anthony Becker is the owner of the nearby grain store, the name Anthony Becker is also a false information."

"The firm was set on fire on March 21st. The Grain Mill closed down that day, and Anthony and Sherlock disappeared at the same time. As for the arsonist, it was one of Zell Birmingham's men. They had been investigating the firm's background recently."

Biden seemed thoughtful: "Is it because of the case you investigated for Afra?"

The butler nodded: "It seems to be retaliation for that incident. We can't contact Mr. Conrad for the time being, so it should all be the work of Zell. Moreover, I suspect that Mr. Conrad may have been imprisoned by him."

Earl Biden tapped the wooden table lightly with his knuckles: "I can't believe I misjudged someone. It seems Conrad is quite good at teaching children. Try to find Conrad's location, see if he's dead or alive, and whether we can still rescue him."

"Understood." The butler nodded.

Earl Biden suddenly became interested: "We can try asking that Sherlock for help. I want to see what this detective who appeared out of nowhere is up to. Keep an eye on Afra. If that detective still has some ulterior motives, he should find a way to contact her again."

"Wouldn't this be a bit risky? Should we inform Miss about this beforehand?"

"No need, she's actually quite happy about this lately."

……

"Bella."

"Wang!"

"Detective Mouse Number One".

"squeak……"

"Detective Mouse No. 2".

"squeak!"

……

“Very good!” Afra put her hands behind her back and looked at the row of animals in front of her with satisfaction.

"Today your lunch is delicious scones that I made myself. Remember to be back on time at noon. Meeting adjourned."

"Squeak!" "Woof!"

Morning roll call is over.

Lu Ran plopped down on the ground, his eyes still glancing at Bella, who was happily bouncing around.

"Does this guy even know how to talk?"

Last night, that damn dog must have recognized something from my behavior. He should have reacted at least a little. Did he want me to go and recite a slogan?

Lu Ran was helpless.

Having learned about the so-called ritual from Anthony, Lu Ran guessed that the dog in his memory was very likely a product of that ritual going out of control, for example... it also gave birth to human-like intelligence.

His only uncertainty was whether this guy was a time traveler like himself, even though he guessed from Anthony that his system was probably just an exception.

But what if they are all exceptions?

Anthony only knew that the ritual had gone out of control, but he didn't know what happened afterward. Lu Ran kept dreaming that the dog was chasing him, so something must have happened later.

"I'm worried."

He really didn't know how to start a conversation, since not all people from his hometown were good. But he couldn't stay out of contact either, since his most pressing need was to establish contact with the rats outside the village so he could remotely control many things related to the rat swarm.

Take his correspondence with Sheriff Edwin as an example. On the day of the arson, Lu Ran deceived him and disappeared without giving an explanation. Lu Ran wanted to maintain his friendship with the sheriff for a while longer.

However, if you want to open up this path, Bella, who hangs out with the stray cats outside the manor, is the key you can't avoid.

As a gray mouse, Lu Ran couldn't very well just run up and negotiate with a group of stray cats; that would be no different from feeding them. While pondering this, Lu Ran suddenly realized Bella was gone.

"Where's the dog?"

Lu Ran was taken aback and quickly asked Detective Rat No. 2 who was standing next to him.

"I just went out to play."

"You didn't tell me earlier!"

Lu Ran cursed and hurriedly chased after it. Fortunately, the guy hadn't gone far. It still marked the familiar spot where it peed everywhere, making Lu Ran feel drowsy.

I did see Tamara, the maid, passing by carrying a bucket. Judging from her serious expression, she probably hadn't realized that anything was missing. I wonder what she was planning to do with a potion she brought here. I didn't see any leftover gold pounds last night. Could this potion be something she just acquired recently?

After recovering from the initial surprise, Lu Ran was left with an uncontrollable urge to complain.

The three pieces of knowledge about using potions together turned out to be backstabbing, lies, and legal loopholes.

What kind of church organization would require its members to learn to betray others before gaining power? Wouldn't that mean that the first thing they would do after gaining power is to forget their roots?

"This god called the Serpent of Contracts is quite humorous."

As for the related knowledge of order and chaos, Anthony didn't explain it in detail that day, so Lu Ran can only guess at it now. Could it be that the church is divided into two factions, good and evil?
Watching Tamara's departing figure, Lu Ran shook his head.

He didn't know how to use the Backstab Potion, nor did he know how to sell it for money, not to mention that he had lost all contact with the outside world.

As Lu Ran was resting his chin on his hand, staring blankly at the lively and playful dog Bella, a sudden meow caught his attention. He then saw Bella, who had been jumping around a moment ago, suddenly stop and run towards the direction of the meow.

"There is a situation!"

Lu Ran's spirits lifted, and he quickly followed after her. Sure enough, he soon saw Bella meet up with a fierce-looking calico cat.

"I hope the cat's nose can smell me out."

Although Lu Ran's agility had been slightly enhanced, he still felt somewhat uneasy.

"Never mind, we're still in the manor. Bella, I'm your master's beloved mouse, so you must protect me."

Lu Ran cursed under his breath, but just to be on the safe side, he smeared some mud on his body and then jogged closer, hiding his figure under the grass. He gradually got within a few meters of the grass, and as the Britannian language became clearer, Lu Ran's eyes widened suddenly.

The calico cat arched its back, its amber eyes cautiously scanning the surrounding bushes: "How are things going at the manor?"

Bella, who was lying on the ground, immediately perked up her ears and slapped her tail happily behind her: "Boss! I've completely tamed the two-legged beasts inside! The manor owner's little maid now serves me with a comb every day, and if she's even a fraction slow, I'll scratch her silk skirt!"

"very good."

The calico cat let out a low growl, its eyes swirling with long-standing hatred.

"Dealing with such despicable creatures as humans cannot be rushed. We have finally awakened our intelligence, so we must proceed slowly and patiently grind their bones down little by little."

Bella stuck out her tongue excitedly: "I've already planned it all out. Once grooming becomes a routine, the next step is to have that little girl massage my back! If she's too gentle, I'll whip her with my tail!"

The calico cat said viciously, "We need to steal more canned meat and send it over, so that these misers will be heartbroken and unable to sleep at night. We need to make them both our slaves and empty their pockets to support us, giving them a double blow, both economically and mentally."

"Boss is brilliant!" Bella excitedly spun around on the spot.

……

Not far away, Lu Ran suddenly fell into a long silence.

These two idiots... they probably can't be time travelers.

In that moment of distraction, the fierce calico cat suddenly turned its gaze over.

"who!"

(End of this chapter)