Mr. Rat of the Steam World

Chapter 23 You Came from Dandong...

A nearly invisible gray line snaked across the endless farmland. The advance force of the rat horde within the territory did not immediately bring everything, but instead chose to move quickly to scout out the road conditions first, so that the lord could have some usable rats as soon as possible.

One-Ear, returning from his rounds, was taken aback when he saw the foodie writing furiously.

"what are you writing?"

The foodie said shyly, "Didn't the lord set up a rat culture anniversary? I thought we shouldn't just have a dull anniversary, so I thought I'd write a song to celebrate. Maybe we can use it next year."

One-Ear craned its neck to scan the area and happened to see the first sentence, which it instinctively read aloud: "Our lord is our sun..."

The foodie hurriedly put away his notebook: "Why are you still peeking?"

One-Ear looked at the foodie with a shocked expression, his limited vocabulary failing him to find a way to describe it. His face flushed red, and after stammering for a long time, he finally managed to say, "Thank you for your hard work."

The foodie, feeling a little embarrassed at being caught, changed the subject.

"Approximately when will it arrive?"

One-Ear thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow, when we get there, you guys stay nearby while I go in and check the situation first."

The foodie said with some concern, "Why don't I go with you? If we encounter cats, I can talk to them."

Among the three most trusted advisors in the territory, the foodie is the most clever and perceptive.

Money-grubbers have a sense of planning, coordination, and overall perspective.

The strongest of the rats is One-Ear, but he always seems a bit clumsy with words, and even the foodies worry that he might say the wrong thing.

After all, the strength here is only relative to the mice. If one ear were to face a group of cats, the foodie thinks it would be a 30/70 chance.

It was divided into seven pieces in three seconds.

"Alright, just wait for me when the time comes." One ear pressed down on the foodie who was about to speak: "You have to trust the boss's arrangements."

After saying that, he once again broke away from the group to scout the outer circle.

With so many mice, they not only have to worry about the stray cats, but also about not being discovered by humans. So some sentinel mice will constantly roam around the perimeter of the group. If they see humans passing by in advance, the entire group of mice will immediately hide nearby.

The foodie watched One-Ear leave, smiled helplessly, and then took out his notebook again, gently humming along to the tune he had composed.

"Lord, you are our sun. May your name resound forever with the morning bell... But wouldn't it be better to add some gestures while singing this?"

……

"Woof~ Awoof~"

"Awoooooo!"

After finishing his work, Lu Ran leisurely returned to the main residential area, and from afar he could hear the silly dog ​​howling like a banshee.

"Why is this stupid dog singing in broad daylight?"

The singing was just too awful; someone who didn't know better would think it sounded like someone had been beaten up.

Lu Ran rubbed his ears and quickly slipped into Afra's room. He hadn't read the newspaper for several days and didn't know about the recent news. After searching around, he found that Afra didn't have the habit of reading newspapers at all. However, he found a book lying open on the desk. He picked up the cover and saw that it was about war studies.

"They actually have this kind of hobby?"

Lu Ran was somewhat surprised. Was it something Earl Biden required her to learn, or something she had picked up from a young age and liked?

However, he wasn't interested in the books on Afra's bookshelf. He quickly jumped down from the desk, gazing at the staircase leading upwards around the corner, a restless thought stirring within him. "Earl Biden must read the newspapers to stay informed about current events, right?"

Since he had nothing better to do, Lu Ran decided to go up to the third floor to check out the situation and scout out the location.

Although I was commissioned to investigate Earl Biden, I haven't actually met the target even once yet.

Lu Ran climbed the stairs one floor at a time until he reached the last step, revealing the view of the third floor. A look of surprise appeared on Lu Ran's face.

Unlike the first and second floors where servants are constantly moving around cleaning, this place has an unexpected sense of emptiness.

"Aren't people allowed to come up to the third floor?"

Lu Ran looked around and sniffed lightly. The air seemed to carry a faint scent of beeswax and cedar. There were no candles lit in the corridor. Sunlight poured down from the high windows, casting long, narrow patches of light on the rosewood floor. He jogged along the corridor. The rooms on the side seemed to be locked. He leaned in to listen, but there was no sound of strangers. He could only vaguely hear some rhythmic mechanical sounds.

Lu Ran continued to pass through room by room until he reached the oak door at the deepest part of the room. There was a dark red velvet mat on the floor, with silver thread sewn around the edges. It was very exquisite and the only room where Lu Ran heard voices talking.

"It seems like there are two people."

Lu Ran blinked and put her ear close to try and hear what they were talking about inside, but the room suddenly fell silent.

Just as Lu Ran was wondering what was going on, the door suddenly clicked open without warning, and a man dressed in a tuxedo, who looked like a kind-faced butler, looked at Lu Ran.

"Little one, you've gone to the wrong place."

The butler, Philip, smiled, bent down, gently pinched the back of Lu Ran's neck, lifted him up in his hands, then bowed slightly to the door to say goodbye and closed the door behind him.

"I happen to have some business with you, Miss. Let me take you downstairs."

Lu Ran tilted his head, not struggling, and sat obediently on Philip's hand. This guy was very steady whether walking or lifting with his hands. His leather shoes stepped on the stair carpet silently, like a falling leaf, and his pace was always even, neither fast nor slow.

Lu Ran showed no reaction on the surface, but in his heart he felt that every minute and every second was torture.

Whether the earlier incident was due to him just about to leave or because he noticed the mouse approaching and opened the door, and even approaching the door without making a sound, this person gave Lu Ran a very dangerous feeling, especially that smile. How could he be a smiling tiger like Anthony?

Lu Ran inwardly complained as he was led to the living room on the second floor, where he bumped into Afra. She seemed to have just finished exercising and was a little out of breath. Upon seeing Philip, she casually tucked a stray hair behind her ear and exclaimed in surprise.

"Is Uncle Philip finished with his work?"

"Your little pet." Butler Philip's face already showed a just-right smile, and he did not immediately answer Afra's question. "It just ran upstairs by itself, so I brought it down with me."

Afra was taken aback when she heard this, then quickly took Lu Ran and poked him on the head: "You just wait, I almost forgot to teach you a lesson."

Butler Philip did not interrupt Afra, and waited quietly for her to finish before slowly saying, "The required empty rooms have been found. They are located on the outer side of the manor, near the main road. Any room there is available. You can make the arrangements yourself."

After speaking, he paused, looked at the excited expression on Afra's face, and pulled a piece of paper from the documents and bills he was holding.

"As for the information related to the arson case that day, it's here. You can take it back and look at it at your leisure."

Upon hearing this, Afra was taken aback, but quickly realized: "You had already investigated this matter before?"

How long has it been since she inquired and received the result?

Philip smiled and explained, "Mr. Biden is very concerned about you and did some research beforehand."

Afra took the papers handed to her, glanced at them casually, and then put them away. She then affectionately hugged Philip's arm and shook it.

"Thank you, Uncle Philip, you're the best to me."

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(End of this chapter)