Mr. Rat of the Steam World

Chapter 53 It's time for dinner again, brothers!
Thud! Thud!
Sheriff Edwin stood in the doorway, vigorously shaking his coal-dust-covered coat. The gray dust exploded in the light. He quickly closed the door, then hung the coat on the hook behind it. The brass buttons struck the wooden post with a soft thud.

Mrs. Hawkshaw, who was inside, brought over a glass of water: "How's it going? Any progress?"

"I can't see anything wrong with them, and I have absolutely no idea how many of them there are or who they are."

Edwin picked up a glass of cold water and drank it all in one gulp, finally relieving the dryness in his throat that had been running all morning.

"Is there any food? I need to go check this afternoon."

Edwin had just unfastened the brass badge from his waist and loosened his belt when there was a loud thud at the door. The force was somewhat dull, unlike the sound of a normal person knocking on the door.

Of course, while it was a bit strange, it wasn't enough to suspect that someone would come to the sheriff's house in broad daylight and knock on the door to attack him, but the rudeness still made him frown slightly.

"Who is it? They're here."

Edwin's large belly swayed under his shirt, his heels scraping against the stone floor of the foyer. As the door bolt was pulled open, the glaring midday light suddenly flooded in, causing him to squint instinctively.

On the steps by the entrance, a white dog with a name tag sat upright, grinning and sticking out its tongue.

Beside the dog's paws crouched a drab gray mouse, obediently holding a letter.

Well-behaved x2.

“This is…” Sheriff Edwin’s hand was still on the doorknob as he stared in astonishment at the dog and rat in front of him.

He certainly recognized the dog; after all, it was the first sled dog from the Earl's household to make the newspapers because it got lost.

As for the gray squirrel standing primly next to the dog, so polite it was practically begging to be dressed in a tuxedo...

"Did Detective Sherlock send you?"

Nods 2 times.

Sheriff Edwin tried his best to distract himself from the drool that was about to drip from Bella's mouth onto the ground, and first bent down slightly to pinch the letter that Gray Mouse was holding up.

"Thank you for your hard work,"

After a moment's hesitation, he said with some uncertainty.

"So, would you like to eat something first? I just finished making something..."

whoosh-

Sheriff Edwin felt as if he hadn't even finished speaking when two gusts of wind swept past his trousers. When he looked up again, the doorway was empty. He turned back to look—

The famous Earl's sled dog was sitting properly next to his dining chair, its wide-open mouth extending all the way to its ears. In a short while, drool had gathered into a small, glistening puddle on the floor, and its tail swept across the floor with an excited "plop" sound.

The gray rat, on the other hand, was tiptoeing with a look of disgust, trying to avoid the drool on the ground.

Wait, you're disgusted?
Sheriff Edwin rubbed his eyes and looked again; the gray rat was now sitting upright.

Click.

The door was closed.

Just then, Mrs. Edwin came out of the kitchen carrying a large earthenware bowl full of steaming stew. When she saw the two new guests in the dining room, she paused slightly, her face full of surprise.

Her gaze swept quickly over Bella's enormous size and the rapidly spreading drool on the floor, then glanced at the tiny hamster on the chair, before finally looking at her husband with a slightly bewildered and questioning expression.

"This is……"

Sheriff Edwin rubbed his temples helplessly, explaining with a wry smile, "These two are Earl Biden's pet dog and Detective Sherlock's pet rat. They look... a little hungry."

The lady choked for a moment, then awkwardly placed the rather large bowl of stew in the middle of the table before immediately turning away.

"I'll go to the kitchen right away to prepare some more, but... it will take a little longer."

She emphasized "a lot," and glanced at Bella, who looked like she was starving.

Bella, of course, didn't notice the look in his eyes. She couldn't understand eye contact between humans. Smelling the increasingly rich aroma of food in the air, her mouth watered so much that she almost drowned Lu Ran. Lu Ran, annoyed, secretly poked the flesh on Bella's leg with his paw.

Hey you stupid dog, stop drooling!

... "Ahem."

Sheriff Edwin felt a little embarrassed as he watched his wife return to the kitchen to get busy again. He went into the kitchen, whispered a few words to her, and then came out again.

Since a stew had already been served on the table, and Chief Edwin, who was already busy all morning and starving, didn't necessarily have to wait for his two pets to eat together. He first used a wooden spoon to serve himself a spoonful of stew, and then tore open a piece of bread to dip in the stew broth to fill his stomach.

Then he opened the letter and read it while eating.

He initially thought it was just a casual chat, but when he saw the details, his eyes suddenly sharpened.

Excuse me, could you please help?
What a coincidence that they arrived at this time?

Sheriff Edwin's expression was somewhat complicated. After all, no sheriff would feel happy about being monitored, even if the other party was being kind.

After a brief moment of furrowing and then relaxing his brows, one has to admit that this detective has once again shown off his skills.

Especially before the Copper Wire Street incident fully erupted, I really needed the help of an excellent detective.

"What a mysterious guy."

Sheriff Edwin shook his head helplessly and silently noted down a special number from the address above.

This is the unique code that comes with each pneumatic mail delivery machine. It makes it easy to contact the sender when mailing mail. Apparently, the detective has a new office address, but there doesn't seem to be any related advertisement in the newspaper.

Then he was about to finish the last bite of bread in his hand.

Thud! Thud! Thud!
Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw a large white dog next to me drooling, its tail practically spinning like an engine.

Sheriff Edwin looked at the food in his hand, unsure whether to eat it or not.

After hesitating for a moment, he said helplessly, "Alright, it seems you're getting a little impatient too."

Sheriff Edwin carefully dipped the bread into the stew, then, holding it in his hand to avoid dripping, quickly brought it to Bella's mouth.

Swish.

Bella's tongue rolled up quickly, and she swallowed. You couldn't even see her chewing; you could only hear a rolling gurgling sound coming from her throat. The piece of bread was gone in an instant.

Edwin paused for a moment, then subtly wiped the drool off his hand while stroking the dog's head.

"Don't worry, the food will be ready soon."

……

Lu Ran, who was sitting upright to the side, was also observing Sheriff Edwin's expression. He watched the guy's every change in expression, from surprise to seriousness, and then to hesitation, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Lu Ran knew that things had been done, and all he had to do was return to the stone house and wait for the new letter of entrustment.

Soon the food for the dog and the rat was served. It was clear that they were pressed for time, so they used some canned food and cooked it simply. The taste was not bad.

Huffing and puffing... a sound came from beside me.

Lu Ran didn't pay much attention, just slowly eating what was in his bowl while thinking about things.

He had just finished his first bite of meat when a dog's mouth suddenly squeezed in from the side and buried its head in his bowl.

Lu Ran's eyes widened, and he suddenly raised his paw to press down on the dog's mouth.

Shut up!
……

……

The food was delicious, especially Bella, who happily ate two large bowls.

After saying goodbye, Lu Ran walked out of Edwin's house with a dark face, intending to take advantage of the afternoon to make a final inspection of his factory to get a preliminary understanding of its operations.

After all, it seems that there are still some troubles to deal with if this machinery factory wants to operate smoothly.

(End of this chapter)