Mr. Rat of the Steam World

Chapter 73 Knowledge Gathering
The rats have been infiltrating the black gold factory for two days now.

At the gate of the Heijin Transportation Equipment Machinery Manufacturing Plant, the notice announcing the suspension of operations for rectification fluttered in the wind. Occasionally, a few anxious workers would hurry by, glance at the tightly closed gate and the notice, and spit angrily.

"Damn it! The factory just shuts down like that, and all the people in the higher-ups are dead?"

"This is endless, when will this cleanup finally end?"

"It was so good to get those injections; I had so much energy for work. I don't blame the factory manager at all; they just had to make trouble. Now the factory's shut down, and I can't get the injections anymore. In a little while, I won't even have money to buy bread..."

"Exactly, they even said they'd release news about the test results, that those injections were just for pain relief, that they were just overdrawing some kind of thing... These people are just talking nonsense."

……

Several veteran technicians squatted at the door and cursed for a while before leaving indignantly.

After confirming that the workers had no intention of climbing over the wall and forcibly breaking in, the sentry rats guarding the shadows finally looked away.

Then, after climbing over the tightly closed iron gate, the scene was completely transformed.

In the silent, enormous workshop, beneath the overhead beams and cobweb-covered steel frames, hundreds of small gray figures were busy at work. Some were cleaning, while others were learning about the machinery's structure. However, due to the lack of systematic self-study, they found the process of understanding somewhat difficult.

Upon reaching the open space behind the factory, the surface appeared to contain only a few newly dug burrow entrances. However, the soil around the burrow entrances was moist, and fresh soil was constantly being dragged out by the internal transport links. This time, with thousands of rats working simultaneously, the digging efficiency was greatly improved.

As for the original infirmary, it was temporarily requisitioned as a biological research institute. A group of mice interested in magical creatures spontaneously gathered around, chattering and exchanging information while staring at the documents and data inside. Lu Ran didn't know if these guys could understand them.

Hearing the Sentinel Rat's report, Lu Ran felt somewhat helpless.

The working class of this era was indeed terrifyingly ignorant; to think that they were grateful to Dane at a time like this, one can only imagine how corrupt the other capitalists must be.

However, to some extent, unemployment is like a slow death, and Lu Ran can only try to restore factory operations and settle some workers as soon as possible by moving the rats.

The most suitable work arrangement at present is day and night shifts. Workers work during the day and mice work at night, so that the huge factory won't be filled with coal smoke every day and there won't be a single person.

As for benefits, in an era where working hours average fourteen or fifteen hours a day, with no rest, and even young children have to work, his idea of ​​implementing an eight-hour workday and weekends off is pure idealism. Taking too big a step is bound to backfire.

Lu Ran could only guarantee that the working environment was better than before, and that enough gauze would be distributed to prevent dust. Even if the working hours were short, they would still be around ten hours a day. Although there were no rest days, these were already far better than any factory in this era, and the workers were grateful enough.

……

After completing his tour, Lu Ran suddenly sighed with emotion.

"I wonder how things are going with the foodies."

It's currently obvious that the rats in the Black Gold Factory area primarily focus on developing biology and machinery, while those in the main territory focus on culture and magic.

The two territories have developed differently. Lu Ran hasn't gone back and doesn't know how popular magic is in Territory Number One. If more mice could learn the Deception spell, his life would be much easier.

The only problem is that normal mice have too low mental strength. Lu Ran was able to maintain the illusion for a period of time because he had a human soul.

Even with system buffs, the other mice could only barely perform their magic. Detective Mouse No. 2 only used magic briefly before collapsing from exhaustion.

These racial flaws can only be addressed gradually.

Having confirmed that there was nothing for him to worry about at the Black Gold Factory for the time being, Lu Ran found Bella, who was playing and digging in the ground with the mice behind the factory.

"Let's go. We should go back to the manor. If we don't go back soon, we'll really get scolded."

After playing outside for a few days, Bella's white fur had been completely stained black by the oil and coal ash from the factory, but she didn't care at all and didn't miss the Biden Estate at all.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. This guy liked to go out and have fun on his own even before he met Lu Ran, and he even made the news for it. The way he was jumping around and running wild in his territory didn't seem like a well-behaved person.

It's clear that despite his cowardice, this guy still found the adventures of the past few days incredibly exciting.

Whoosh.

A gray shadow swept across the field.

As April draws to a close, unlike the increasingly oppressive atmosphere in the city, new seedlings are sprouting here, and the entire field exudes an inspiring and vibrant vitality.

"The air here is so fresh."

……

The midday sun was shining brightly.

Inside Biden's estate.

A large, dark dog suddenly stopped in front of the main house. The first to spot them was the manor's maid, who was initially startled by the strange dog, but then noticed a gray squirrel jumping off its back.

After recognizing the familiar pair, the maid gasped in surprise, covering her mouth as she exclaimed, "Bella?!"

After a while.

"Miss!"

Soon, the dog and the rat sat obediently in place, looking at Afra, who was running over aggressively, with smirks.

"You two!" Afra's voice suddenly rose when she saw the two traitors. She raised her hand as if to give them a beating, but then felt that she would get her hands dirty, so she could only grit her teeth and say.

"Hela, boil some water! Give them a bath!"

……

boom.

The bathroom door was pushed open forcefully, and two large basins of steaming hot water with a faint fragrance were placed on the shiny floor tiles.

As soon as Bella saw the water bowl, her earlier nervousness vanished, and she excitedly tried to jump in. The maids who were waiting nearby reacted quickly, grabbing the dog and hurriedly wetting her fur with warm water. Black, dirty water immediately flowed onto the floor.

"Hold it down! Don't let it move!" Afra personally directed, her voice still tinged with anger. "Paws! Paws are the dirtiest! Soap! Scrub them a few more times!"

Bella was being served by several maids, and at first she enjoyed being scrubbed and moaned comfortably. But when one of the maids picked up a large brush and began to scrub the thick grime on her back, she couldn't help but bare her teeth.

As for Lu Ran, because of his small size, he was taken care of by Afra alone.

"You ran pretty fast last time, you traitorous rat?"

Seeing Afra's malicious expression, Lu Ran shrank back, but unexpectedly, the other party changed the subject.

"However, since you're going to help Mr. Sherlock, I won't hold it against you. Although I don't know what kind of help you two can provide, are you perhaps the detective and his dog, using scent tracking?"

Afra's eyes lit up, but then she thought that this seemed to be her dog, and her face fell again.

"But he didn't even send me a letter to tell me what happened in such a dangerous place as the black gold factory. I did help him check the accounts, so I deserve some credit. He won't even tell me my right to know."

"But now that we have a factory, we probably won't come here anymore."

Listening to Afra's aggrieved ramblings, Lu Ran submerged half of his head underwater.

Since you've said that, what else can I do? I'll write to you about it later.

The water in the basin got dirty, so they changed it. After Lu Ran was washed clean, he was wrapped in a towel and brought out. He sat comfortably on the windowsill, letting the wind dry his fluffy fur, and saw Bella outside the window, who was all tidyed up and chasing butterflies with silly joy.

He was just about to rest and play a little longer before sneaking back to the stone house in his territory to check on the mice's progress in learning magic when his gaze inadvertently swept over the clean walnut table next to Afra.

An elegant white invitation with silver trim lies quietly on the table.

"what is this?"

Lu Ran curiously went closer and saw a family seal bearing the name Perez printed in the center of the invitation.

"A salon gathering for knowledge sharing...Professor Al?"

Before he could even see the contents clearly, he was interrupted by hurried, labored footsteps at the door. Afra appeared in the doorway, her chin resting on a pile of books in her arms, repeatedly saying "Be careful, be careful," before slamming them down on the table.

Rise of Kingdoms: Britain

From Savagery to Civilization

Unexplainable History

……

"Phew, finally got everything." Afra breathed a sigh of relief, her chest rising and falling slightly. Ignoring her wrinkled dress and messy hair, she shook her aching arms and, as if she had something to say but couldn't find anyone to share it with, fixed her gaze on Lu Ran and said excitedly.

"Traitor Rat, do you know how hard it is to buy Professor El's books? Many of them are banned books. It took me more than a month to get them through connections."

"These must all be reviewed before the party starts next month!"

(End of this chapter)