Mr. Rat of the Steam World

Chapter 24 Bella is emo

"call……"

The moment Lu Ran left the butler's sight, he fell directly into Afra's soft, fragrant hands.

Although the trip was quick in and quick out, it wasn't entirely fruitless. At least it made him put aside his initial contempt and also gave him some new questions.

First, is the mechanical noise from the third-floor room related to the steel plant we learned about before? It's present in every room, so it doesn't seem like decorative mechanical equipment.

The Earl Biden’s butler also doesn’t seem like an ordinary person, but this can be explained by the Earl Biden’s previous military achievements. However, it seems that the investigation is having some difficulty progressing.

Lu Ran was still thinking when he was suddenly lifted up and placed on the table. Then Afra quickly approached his angry face.

“I told you you definitely knew where Mr. Sherlock was, but you wouldn’t admit it.”

Lu Ran looked completely bewildered.

"Quickly, take me to see him. He said in his letter that I can contact you after I've settled things."

Lu Ran tilted her head, "How come I don't know I said that?"

Afra, however, became somewhat anxious when she saw Lu Ran's blank expression.

"How could you do this? I even made you desserts."

Afra turned her head away, feigning anger, but seeing that Lu Ran still didn't react, she reluctantly pulled out a pen and paper from the table and began to write a reply.

"Sometimes I can't tell if you really don't understand or if you're pretending not to understand."

The window was open, a gentle breeze was blowing, and a ray of light from outside fell precisely on the open letter.

Afra gripped the quill pen with a slight pressure, the tip gliding across the off-white paper, leaving behind lines of delicate handwriting. The ink gradually spread with the rise and fall of her wrist, displaying just the right shades of darkness.

"If you're not going to take me, then send the letter again, otherwise I won't know how to contact him."

Afra paused in her writing and sighed softly.

"I never imagined that the fire was related to me. I don't know if he knows about it, or if he'll blame me. I wish I could meet him and apologize, but you won't take me with you..."

Afra rested her chin on her hand and poked Lu Ran, who was lying on the table with his eyes closed, as if he were resting.

"So, is this also Mr. Sherlock's intention to avoid meeting?"

Lu Ran casually brushed aside the guy's poking motion with his hand, then lazily rolled over.

Seeing that Lu Ran was ignoring her, Afra continued to carefully consider her reply, feeling frustrated.

From whether to inform the arsonist, to how to apologize, and then how to ask for a meeting.

Afra's desk gradually accumulated crumpled pieces of paper with scribbled errors. She waited until the sun began to set and the light spots cast by the windowpanes slowly lengthened before she suddenly stretched her body and let out a long sigh.

"Finally finished writing."

Halfway through the stretching exercise, he suddenly caught sight of Lu Ran, who was fast asleep. A wicked thought arose in his mind, and he bent his middle finger and tapped it in front of Lu Ran as if to flick his head, then slowly gathered his strength.

pat.

"C...Squeak!"

Lu Ran was startled awake, and the words of cursing almost slipped out of his mouth. But when he saw it was Afra, he managed to turn the word that was about to come out into a squeak!

"I'm done writing, it's too late today. If you know how to deliver mail, you and Bella can deliver it again tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ran tilted his head, not seeming too anxious about the matter.

The letter is for him alone; whether it's delivered or not is just a formality. The rest of the rats probably won't arrive until tomorrow. It's already dark today... Did he forget something?

Oh right, I also need to get some canned food for Boss Sang Biao and send it in.

Lu Ran realized what was happening, suddenly sat up, used a few pushes to jump from the table onto Afra, and then slid down her dress and landed quickly.

After going outside and searching for a while, I finally spotted a white dog gazing at the sunset near a blue stone not far away. The evening glow spread over the distant fence, casting a long shadow over it.

Noticing Lu Ran approaching, Bella simply turned her head slightly, her tail drooping, her eyes seemingly filled with an unyielding sorrow.

"Second brother, what do you think I should do next?"

Lu Ran rested his chin on his hand: "I'll probably go and steal some canned meat for Boss Sang Biao."

Bella was taken aback and quickly said, "You misunderstood me. I meant that this dog's life seems meaningless. I feel like I'm not happy at all. Look at my current state, it's like I'm about to do something."

Lu Ran scratched his head: "There doesn't seem to be much food outside the manor. What if Boss Sang Biao is starving and rushes in to bite us?"

Bella jolted awake, snapping out of her emo state.

"Let's go, let's go. I know this place well, I'll lead the way."

Lu Ran chuckled, but he realized that he had indeed tricked the silly dog ​​this time, which was a bit unethical. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Afra just wrote a letter. Why don't you come with me to deliver it again tomorrow? Afra values ​​this letter very much. If you complete this task, she will definitely be happy and give you a grooming massage."

Bella looked wary: "I'm not going. Are you trying to trick me again? Go by yourself if you want."

"Bullshit, I only thought of you this time because something good happened. I didn't need to go far at all. You wouldn't even let me pretend to go for a stroll and go through some formalities?"

Bella tilted her head back: "No, I'd rather stay home and sleep."

Lu Ran scratched his head: "Never mind then, I'll go by myself tomorrow."

Bella gave a smug snort and led Lu Ran around to the basement where food was stored in the manor. There were people in charge of registering and guarding the food, but they still greeted Bella with a smile when they saw her.

"Bella's here! What do you want to eat this time?"

After speaking, he gently opened the door embedded in the stone wall, and a fragrant aroma of various foods wafted out.

Three rows of pine wood shelves lined the wall. The top shelf was filled with glass jars of jam and pickles, while the middle shelf held tin cans—beef cans with dark red labels and pork cans wrapped in light brown oil paper. They were all neatly arranged by date, the cans polished to a shine, and even the creases on the edges were clearly visible.

Lu Ran watched as Bella walked straight in, rushed to the meat can area, quickly grabbed two cans, and was about to leave when she remembered the gray rat on her head. She then lowered her head so that Lu Ran could also grab one.

"Did Bella eat so much today?"

The guard chuckled as he recorded the quantity on the paper, and Bella, head held high, trotted out.

After walking some distance, Lu Ran exclaimed in surprise, "You said you'd steal it, but you just openly took it?"

"Humph."

Lu Ran looked at Bella with something in her mouth and couldn't say anything, but he could guess that she was bragging. After thinking for a moment, he still sneakily said...

"But you got scammed. You only took three, while the guard registered four. He pocketed one for himself and made you take the blame."

Bella's eyes widened suddenly, and she almost dropped the can of food in her mouth, which startled Lu Ran, who quickly stopped the agitated Bella.

"Don't be impulsive, don't be impulsive. We'll settle the score with him next time. Let's deliver the goods today."

　Thank you to Half a Floating Ice for the donation~ Thank you to Ink Moon Azure Feather for the donation of 2000 points, thank you so much!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)