Mr. Rat of the Steam World

Chapter 36 Magic... was born
For dinner, we ate ham. The moment the silver knife cut into the ham, the fat layer burst open with fine oil, making the rats and Bella the dog on the ground drool.

"Wang Wang!"

"squeak!"

Afra rested her elbows on the edge of the engraved silver plate, and the pearl bracelet on her wrist swayed gently with each cutting motion. Each cut stopped precisely at the pre-drawn gold line.

"Don't worry."

Afra used her silver fork to pick up half a slice of ham, and with a slight force from her fingertips, she tore it into even, thin strips.

"Yours, yours, and yours too."

Lu Ran excitedly accepted it and ate it with relish.

Feeding a pet this quality ham is a luxury that few can afford to indulge in every day. This is the first time Lu Ran has ever tasted it since he arrived here. With his mouth stuffed full, he still glanced at Afra, who was happily playing with the dog, and thought to himself that she truly deserved to be the daughter of a general whose bookshelf contained books on swordsmanship and war.

I thought he was just observing, but now it seems he's actually quite skilled. He even showed no fear whatsoever after killing someone.

Lu Ran quickly finished the shredded ham, let out a satisfied burp, licked his paws contentedly, and jumped to the ground. Just as he was about to run upstairs to rest, Afra, who had been on guard, suddenly stood up and grabbed him by the back of the neck.

"Don't leave yet. Tell me how you contacted Sherlock."

Afra looked her up and down with a suspicious expression.

"He wanted to send me a letter, and you just happened to go to him to pick it up. What a coincidence! Are you two secretly meeting every day behind my back?"

Lu Ran blinked, knowing that the other person was asking about a reminder letter he had hastily written that afternoon, informing Tamara that there was a problem. This did expose some loopholes, but of course, he still pretended to be clueless when questioned.

"Still pretending to be stupid."

Afra was eagerly awaiting the divination results, which promised to be available soon, but it was already evening and there was still no sign of it.

"Just tell me directly whether he is disguised as one of the people in the manor."

It seems that only this explanation can explain why Sherlock's letter arrived so coincidentally, as if he had been watching her every move and could notify the mouse to deliver the letter at any time.

Even the divination results can be interpreted as something that has actually been seen right beside you.

Lu Ran covered her head, thinking, "Stop thinking about it, or I'll be discovered."

Afra grabbed Lu Ran by the back of the neck and shook him, but when she saw that he still didn't react at all, she got furious.

"I've fed you so many delicious things, why are you still treating me like a thief? Give me a response."

Lu Ran responded with two soft sounds.

"Stop making a sound and just lead the way. Let me see which person this Sherlock detective is disguised as in the manor."

Lu Ran was placed on the ground, and after being gently pushed twice, there was still no reaction. Only then did Afra helplessly take out a letter.

"Then please write me a thank-you note, okay?"

Lu Ran tilted his head, then raised his paw to catch it, and then quickly ran upstairs as if fleeing.

If we're going to "deliver" anything, we'll do it tomorrow. We've eaten and drunk our fill today, so it's time to rest.

The bedroom on the second floor had been cleaned. Lu Ran lay down on the new carpet with the letter under him, feeling quite content. Not long after, he felt a big mouth licking his body. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see Bella sneaking around.

"What's the matter."

Bella lowered her head and cautiously looked at the doorway behind her: "Be careful, that two-legged beast made me remember the scent of the letter, saying it'll be on someone tomorrow."

Lu Ran was taken aback, then suddenly realized.

This guy actually believed Sherlock was disguised inside the manor, so he wanted to see who he had given the letter to satisfy his curiosity.

They even use mice; how cunning!

Lu Ran thought for a moment and said, "Then tomorrow you should take her around a few more times, and then circle back to the starting point."

Bella chuckled: "You're so naughty."

Lu Ran, looking like he was thinking of you, said, "It's her fault for not giving you massages these past two days; she has to be taught a lesson." The rat and the dog looked at each other, then laughed even harder.

Lu Ran yawned and prepared to sleep. After slowly falling asleep, he woke up in the middle of the night, groggily turning over and subconsciously touching the person next to him.

one two Three……

Lu Ran's eyes widened suddenly.

What about four?

In the dim light, Lu Ran couldn't tell which of the mice sleeping beside him were who, but after searching around, he found that one mouse was indeed missing. He quickly squeezed out through a small crack in the window.

"There's nothing unusual about mice number three, four, and five. Could it be mouse number two?"

As Lu Ran recalled the events, he searched outside, his claws gripping the wall and slowly sliding down to the ground. He then went to the spot where several sentinel rats were crouching and asked them questions.

"Have you seen Detective Mouse Number Two?"

The sentry rat in front of me scratched its head: "Someone came up ahead and asked me where I dragged that mirror from earlier in the day, and after I pointed it out, it ran in that direction."

"Depend on."

Lu Ran cursed under his breath and quickly ran in the same direction. He soon arrived at the next hiding place of the Sentinel Rat and continued to ask questions.

Following the directions of one mouse after another, Lu Ran unknowingly arrived at the area behind the main house leading to the woods. Since there was no special instruction to keep a close watch, the sentinel mice only knew that it was roughly in this direction and did not pay special attention. The trail went completely cold here.

call.

The wind was still a bit chilly at night.

Looking at the dark forest ahead, Lu Ran couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

"That mirror looks like it was buried somewhere along with the corpse. It's all so dark... How is that kid Number Two going to find it in the middle of the night?"

Lu Ran looked around, feeling that he might need to ask Bella, that silly dog, for help with this.

The only way to find a trace of dirt or blood is through evidence, but this place is pitch black and covers such a large area...

As Lu Ran ran, he looked around and suddenly caught a glimpse of a reflection in the woods. Startled, he quickly turned to look. When he got closer, he saw a No. 2 mouse sitting in front of a mirror, with a shallow pit next to it and half an arm peeking out.

Why did you dig this thing out?

Just as Lu Ran was about to unleash a torrent of curses, Detective Rat Number Two calmly beckoned, then, using the faint moonlight, pointed to several patterns and symbols attached to the mirror—

One end is hooked into a twisted S, and the other end branches out into three sharp branches. The strangest thing is that at the intersection of the patterns, there is an eye-shaped symbol that is faintly visible in the dim light, with water vapor-like ripples on the edge.

"This bend has barbs, like the way you sneak up behind someone and stab them in the back. It's a bit like a deception or a backstab. And look at this eye symbol. When I stared at it just now, the back of my head felt a little unsteady, like I was standing on the edge of a cliff. It's probably a bit of an illusion."

Lu Ran looked at the inexplicable Detective No. 2 Mouse, somewhat puzzled.

"So, boss, you see, after repeatedly trying different combinations..."

Detective Mouse No. 2 raised his hand and casually made a few strokes in the air. The places where his fingertips dragged actually showed a slightly distorted visual effect. The trajectory of his movements echoed the symbols on the mirror, but was also different.

Under Lu Ran's incredulous gaze, Detective No. 2's loose skin peeled off his back, revealing the bulging veins underneath, like the gnarled roots of an old tree wriggling beneath the skin. His gray fur became coarse and hard as steel needles, standing upright, and then growing larger and larger until fangs protruded from his lips, transforming him into a ferocious and terrifying rat-man.

"Crap!"

Lu Ran's expression changed drastically, and he took a half step back in fright. But when he saw that the rat-man in front of him was just smiling and looking him over without making any further moves, he vaguely realized something.

Lu Ran rubbed his eyes and looked up again. Everything in front of him returned to normal. Detective No. 2 Mouse stood motionless, as if everything before was an illusion. Only his black bean-like eyes shone even brighter.

"So, boss, is this the magic you've been longing for?"

"My heart's desire...magic."

Lu Ran's Adam's apple bobbed as he trembled as he reached for the system panel. He stared intently at the Magic Enlightenment section, unaware that the progress had already been more than halfway used up.

"So, magic... has already been born!?"

(End of this chapter)