Mr. Rat of the Steam World

Chapter 29 Secret Search for the Rat

"right here?"

Lu Ran looked at the street-facing mansion with its own small garden in surprise. This was the Mayfair district of Baker City, a wealthy villa area, which was slightly different from the place of imprisonment he had imagined.

He even wondered if this was the original location of that old man Conrad's house, since he hadn't moved the location at all.

Since they had entered a wealthy area, and assuming that the presence of gray rats would not be tolerated, Lu Ran had to be careful to avoid encountering humans, which slowed down his movements.

Using the various decorations, shrubs, and hedges for cover, Lu Ran followed the mouse that was leading the way, walking straight and turning until they finally arrived at the place the mouse had mentioned the middle-aged man had entered.

It was an ordinary detached villa with a garden that was free of weeds and fallen leaves, indicating that it was regularly cleaned. There were no extra guards at the entrance for security purposes.

"You stay here, I'll go in and take a look."

Lu Ran always felt more at ease when he went to see things in person to confirm them. Moreover, he had seen a picture of steel tycoon Conrad in the newspaper, and Lu Ran believed that he could recognize him at a glance with his distinctive two small mustaches.

As for the possibility of bumping into church members here, Lu Ran felt it was unlikely. From the small notebook recording surveillance footage, one could see Zell's humility. Given the church's status, it was unlikely they would personally go to the trouble of watching over people here.

He continued his skilled infiltration, but this time there were no old, dilapidated grilles to pry open. After circling around several times without seeing a single outward-opening window, Lu Ran simply used his claws to grip the rough, grainy wall and slowly climbed up to the roof of the villa.

Once up there, Lu Ran peered into the chimney and briefly checked the temperature of the rising air to confirm that the fireplace below was not lit. Only then did he slide down the chimney, supported by a corner of the pipe.

Snapped.

Lu Ran landed lightly, splashing up a circle of charcoal ash. He quickly looked around and, seeing that there seemed to be no one in the hall, he withdrew his foot, dusted off the ash, and was about to step out when he suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Sir, I've made your favorite roasted grouse."

The middle-aged man from that day now looked every bit the competent butler, his bow tie was tied more neatly than usual, he had specially changed to a new pair of white gloves on his cuffs, and even the silver hair at his temples was combed meticulously.

He carefully poked at the wild mushrooms inside the chicken cavity with a silver fork, waiting until the caps were soaked with the meat juices and the chicken skin was roasted to a perfect crisp before gently placing the silver lid on the oval tray.

Then, the food cart was pushed across the carpet in the living room hallway and finally stopped at the door of a room.

As Lu Ran wiped the dust off his feet, he guessed that this was either a bedroom or a study.

Feeling that it was about time, Lu Ran carefully emerged from the fireplace. He wanted to see if the gentleman in the room was indeed steel tycoon Conrad Birmingham.

The middle-aged man opened the door without asking any questions.

Inside, an old man was slumped in a velvet armchair with a cashmere blanket draped over his knees. He didn't even lift his eyelids when he heard the noise behind him. The cigar between his fingers had burned to the end, and the ashes fell onto his dark riding breeches, piling up into a small white heap.

"gentlemen."

The middle-aged man parked the food cart next to the desk, his voice softer than usual, as he gently cleaned the accumulated cigarette ash from the old man's pants.

"The people at the hunting grounds said this is the last batch of wild grouse this year. We're cooking it the same way we always do, using your favorite aged brandy."

He gently lifted the lid of the dish, and the aroma of meat mixed with the sweetness of chestnuts immediately filled the air, tearing a warm opening through the room filled with the smell of tobacco. "Let's forget about it."

The old man's gaze remained fixed on the windowpane, where his own reflection was mirrored—his hair was disheveled and sticking up, his eye sockets were deep, his once crisp suit was wrinkled like a crumpled piece of paper, and his voice was hoarse with a hint of desolate death.

"Since things have come to this, why waste your time on me?"

The middle-aged man bent over and said, "Sir, you know perfectly well that young master Zell actually hopes that you and he can both obtain the potion from the Sanctuary of Abundance, so that your illness can be cured immediately and young master Zell can also obtain the power he desires. Why are you so resistant to this?"

Following the direction the middle-aged man pointed, a look of astonishment flashed across Lu Ran's face.

Not far from Conrad, there was a familiar bottle of potion neatly placed, only this time the potion was predominantly green and was bubbling.

They've already obtained one potion, implying that Zell's current actions are aimed at getting a second one?

"Ha." Conrad listened to this advice that had been repeated in his ears countless times, and just sighed wearily.

"Because I don't want to get involved with potions, and I don't want him to get involved with potions either. Not to mention that the price of getting potions is closing down the factory. Do you know how many people will lose their jobs because of the ridiculous pollution that those lunatics preach?"

Conrad shook his head as he spoke.

"They really dare to think that one potion can shut down my factory, and another potion can shut down Earl Biden's factory. They think everyone is a fool."

Conrad glanced at the middle-aged man and said, "I don't know what's going on outside, but if my factory has already been destroyed, you should take this potion back to Zell. I don't need it, and he can't possibly fulfill the other condition."

The middle-aged man asked, puzzled, "Why is it impossible?"

“Biden has his own ideals, and it’s impossible, it’s impossible…” Conrad closed his eyes, his voice gradually fading.

The middle-aged man looked anxious and quickly cut off a piece of meat and held it to Conrad's mouth. Seeing that Conrad had no intention of eating it, he gritted his teeth and said, "Sir, I can understand that you are not satisfied with young master Zell's behavior, but if you leave too, no one will be able to persuade him."

His hand remained raised, as if everything had come to a standstill. Conrad's eyelids trembled slightly. After a while, he finally opened his mouth slightly and began to chew the meat that was offered to him.

"If you can, please call that good-for-nothing son back for me. I need to talk to him."

The middle-aged man looked troubled: "Young Master Zell said that he would hear nothing but advice from you when he met you, so he doesn't want to see you or hear anything from you unless you drink that bottle of Bounty Potion according to the ritual."

"I'll agree to drink it when he comes."

The middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment, then said with delight, "Okay, sir, I'll go and tell them."

Hearing the hurried footsteps, Lu Ran shrank back, his face filled with shock at the sudden influx of information.

The people trading with Zell were actually from the Sanctuary of Abundance?

However, judging from Conrad's words, it turns out that he wasn't the only one who found it strange; even the local human elites of this world were resisting the magical potion power bestowed by the church.

(End of this chapter)