Mr. Rat of the Steam World

Chapter 35 What are you saying in gibberish?

The main house, second-floor bedroom.

Afra looked at it curiously: "A divination using a mirror? I thought it was a crystal ball."

Seven beeswax candles were stacked on the desk, their bodies wrapped with faded red rope. A silver mirror inlaid with black gemstones had strange patterns outlined on its edge. Even though it was broad daylight and the sun was shining directly on it, it still looked somewhat eerie.

Tamara smiled sheepishly: "This is what I learned. Maybe it's just the different habits and techniques of different psychics."

Afra nodded thoughtfully, then turned to examine the mirror placed beside her. The mirror was foggy, like an unfinished product. Just as she was about to pick it up for a closer look, Tamara suddenly reminded her.

"Miss, would you like to draw the curtains?"

Afra was taken aback, and looking at Tamara who was lighting the candles one by one, she couldn't help but say something.

"Wouldn't it be more effective to wait until evening?"

Tamara hadn't expected Afra to ask that, and waved her hand, saying, "It's not that complicated, we can do it now."

After saying that, seeing that Afra showed no intention of doing anything for a long time, he directly pulled up the entire curtain himself, and the whole room became dark, with only seven candle flames standing swaying in front of the upright mirror.

Before Afra could say anything more, Tamara seemed to suddenly remember something and cautiously walked to the side in front of Lu Ran and the other mice.

"We need to keep it quiet enough, so you little ones need to go outside too."

Lu Ran tilted his head, his black bean eyes seemingly trying to see something in Tamara's eyes, but he only found her smiling and serious.

Although Afra was surprised, she nodded, and Lu Ran and his group were taken out and stood outside looking at each other.

"Kicked out."

Detective Mouse No. 2 stopped eating and asked worriedly, "Will Miss Afra be alright?"

"Probably not." Lu Ran looked at the closed door with some confusion. "I reminded her using Sherlock's identity; she should know what I'm talking about."

Detective Mouse No. 3 angrily waved his paws: "She killed one of our mice and dares to come back."

Detective Mouse No. 4 was equally indignant: "Give him a lesson he won't forget."

"Let's wait and see how things go; we might not even need to take action."

……

inside the house.

"Miss, now you need to put your hand on the mirror."

Afra looked up at the sound. With the doors and windows sealed, only a faint light remained in the room. She could only see a faint outline in the darkness where Tamara was. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous, but she still gently raised her hand and placed it in front of the mirror.

"and then."

"Just close your eyes and ask the question you want to ask."

In the darkness, Tamara's voice became increasingly ethereal, with a hint of murmured whispers, as if she were reciting some obscure incantation.

Afra closed her eyes tightly and slowly asked the question she wanted to divine.

"When can I meet Mr. Sherlock Holmes?"

Huhu.

The next moment, even though it was a closed room, I suddenly felt an invisible wind begin to move, and my hand, which was pressed against the mirror, suddenly felt a little cold.

"Is it ready, Tamara?"

Aphra had been asking the same question repeatedly with her eyes closed for a while, and she couldn't help but ask again. However, she didn't get any response for a long time. She could only hear Tamara muttering something in a low and soothing voice, which made her open her eyes to see what was going on.

call.

The instant she opened her eyes, a chilling wind swept by, and the previously gray mirror suddenly became clear. Most unsettlingly, her reflection looked strangely eerie. Despite looking exactly like herself, Afra had the unsettling feeling that this wasn't her. "Tamara, are you still there?"

Afra asked again, but the reflection in the mirror did not repeat her opening of her mouth. Instead, it slowly revealed a terrifying smile, and then a voice exactly like hers rang out.

"Answer your question, and you'll be able to see him right away."

Afra's eyes lit up. The tension that had just risen was interrupted by this answer. She was about to ask a few more questions when, unexpectedly, in the next moment, she saw herself in the mirror suddenly grabbing at her hand that was pressed against the mirror.

Afra reacted swiftly, pulling her hand back. Under the incredulous gaze of the person in the mirror, she grasped at nothing. Afra then took a half-step back and casually lifted the curtain open slightly.

Wow.

A flood of sunlight streamed in, completely shattering the previously gloomy atmosphere. Tamara, who had been hidden in the darkness, reappeared. She had been standing motionless in the same spot, but upon seeing the ritual fail, her expression turned unusually bewildered, and she couldn't help but ask a question.

"Miss, why did you suddenly stop the ceremony?"

Afra didn't answer, but instead curiously examined the silver-framed mirror and said with great interest.

"Was the answer just now accurate? It said I would be able to see Detective Sherlock soon."

Tamara opened her mouth, but all the words seemed to get stuck in her throat and she couldn't utter them. Looking at Afra's clueless expression, her face slowly darkened.

"Do you possess relics that can resist this kind of ritual control? Were you prepared in advance?"

Afra asked curiously, "What preparations?"

"You think it's funny? You think you've successfully outsmarted me and made yourself look smart?"

Tamara's eyes, which had just been filled with timidity, were now narrowed to slits. She slowly and deliberately took off a necklace from her neck. The necklace contained copper wires, which were now stretched taut at both ends.

"When I was thirteen, I pierced the steward's throat with a hairpin. The old man's blood sprayed onto my face, as hot as freshly boiled milk."

At fifteen, at the Manchester docks, I pushed the boat owner who owed me wages into the Thames and watched him float like a rag doll…

Tamara grinned, "If it weren't for this stupid ritual, I would have killed you eight hundred times over. And here you are, pretending to be all in control? Do you think I can't do anything to you...?"

Click.

Afra watched Tamara muttering to herself, casually wiped her velvet gloves under the desk, and as she raised her hand, the engraved revolver clicked into service. The whole process was so fast that only a silver afterimage remained. At this moment, the dark muzzle of the gun was pointed at Tamara, and she looked completely bewildered.

"I'm just asking you if this divination is accurate or not. Is it that hard to answer?"

Tamara's expression changed the moment she saw the musket, but she didn't say another word. The moment she suddenly pushed off with the ball of her foot, the muscles under her skirt taut like a fully drawn bow, but she only managed to take half a step forward.

boom!
Suddenly, a bewitching blood flower bloomed between Tamara's brows. Her body, which was sprinting with all her might, suddenly stopped, as if she had been pulled back by an invisible thread. Her strong limbs staggered forward two steps due to inertia.

"And it even dirtied my carpet."

Tamara's remaining consciousness caused her eyes to widen suddenly, the fierceness of the previous second still frozen in her pupils, but now she was overwhelmed by a more turbulent emotion—intense pain, bewilderment, and utterly absurd disbelief.

He collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Afra sighed helplessly, lifted her skirt, tiptoed carefully around the corpse to the door, opened it, and immediately saw the rats lined up at the door, trying to peek into the house.

"You can't go in, there are ugly things inside."

Just then, a group of guards who looked like soldiers ran up. Before they could say anything, they saw Afra point behind her and then carry the mice outside.

Lu Ran sat in Afra's lap, occasionally looking at the seemingly harmless noble girl in front of him with a look of horror.

Lu Ran hadn't seen any of the other mice, but he could tell what the bang sound was.

No, are you that fierce?
As Lu Ran was still sighing inwardly, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Detective Mouse No. 2 still reluctantly peeking towards Afra's bedroom.

What's this kid up to?

(End of this chapter)