Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

But the main objective now is to deal with that Gambino family executive who hasn't been caught yet.

If the Rat King's henchmen try to forcibly take them away, they'll be dealt with together.

"But the Rat King intends to invite you to dinner."

In the underworld, saying things like "XX will treat you to dinner" is a veiled way of saying "Don't push your luck."

You don't have to come, but you'll have to bear the consequences yourself.

Upon hearing this, the Penguin Logistics staff, as well as Jie and Lappland, understood that the other party was serious.

"Oh, I can't possibly accept that, Exusiai. What time is it now?"

Tomat accepted the invitation without hesitation after the other party made the offer.

However, what he was thinking was different from what others were concerned about.

The slums are vast, making it difficult to find a target whose scent you don't remember. And since this Rat King has been looking for me for some reason, I might as well ask him to use his status as a gangster boss to help me find that guy.

I absolutely do not want to be treated to a meal, absolutely not.

"Boss, you don't... um, okay, let me see." Exusiai didn't carry a watch with her, but using the sun's position to determine location and time was second nature to a logistics worker like her. She looked up at the bright sun in the sky. "It's around twelve o'clock."

“Lead the way,” Tomat said to the Rat King’s henchmen. “Mind if my friend comes along?”

“The Rat King gave the order, ‘Come, everyone can come.’”

The man nodded, and the previously surrounding formation turned into a parallel flow of people, who dispersed and returned to their respective corners of the slums, leaving only a small group of people with rat tails to lead the way for Thomas and the others.

In a slum, there was an unlicensed restaurant with no signboard or large storefront. In this almost deserted eatery, an elderly man with a hunched back, wearing a large blue coat with a white fur collar, sat on a low stool and chatted idly with the owner.

His curved paws rested on his cane, and his white beard swayed back and forth as he spoke.

This is an old man who looks so frail he could be blown away by a gust of wind.

"What kind of trouble has he gotten me into... He even made me find people for him, and now that I've found them, he wants me to test others..."

"So you're inviting him to dinner? When did the 'Rat King of Dragon Gate's' probing become so mild?"

The shop owner put on an apron and limped into the kitchen.

"Hehehe... I don't have the same fighting spirit I had when I was young. Since that guy cares so much about a young man, I'll see what's so special about him." "Rat King" rose from his seat with some difficulty and tapped the ground with his hard cane. "Hmm... almost there. Old Dong, how long has it been since you cooked a big meal?"

"What a joke! You really think I can only make fish balls after I retire? Don't forget who was in charge of those grand banquets in the city-state back then."

The sound of a fire being lit came from the kitchen, and footsteps echoed at the front door.

Disguised as civilians, the Rat King's guards pushed open the door, clearing a path for Tomart and his companions, who had arrived at this dilapidated village with puzzled expressions, leading directly to the Rat King's figure.

"Welcome, young people. These days, it's rare to find someone willing to have dinner with an old man who's about to die."

[Main Text] Dragon Gate Chronicles: Chapter Twelve - The Rat King

"Hehehe, it was all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"

The cramped, slum-style eateries didn't stop these people from sitting at the same table waiting for their Lungmen dishes. Penguin Logistics, with its efficient operations, had some of its outposts that were even more chaotic than this. As for Lappland, who had been adrift for a long time, he couldn't remember the last time he had entered a restaurant without disguising himself.

Soon after entering, Jie was pulled into the kitchen by Uncle Dong, whom he had repeatedly mentioned—judging from their surprised expressions, neither of them seemed to have expected the other to be there.

Tomat would never complain about such a place—having spent over a year eating military rations in certain places in the wild during missions, he felt as at ease as if he were at home looking at this hole-in-the-wall restaurant.

Whether he was looking forward to the food or waiting to finish off the gangster who had fled all the way here after a hearty meal, Thomas asked the old and decrepit Rat King in front of him directly before sitting down—why did he come looking for him?

The Rat King cleverly explained his banquet: When Rhodes Island was urgently cooperating with Lungmen, it made an additional request, which was to ask Wei Yanwu to help them find the missing operators who might have come to Lungmen after disappearing in Chernobog. Thomas, who went missing halfway, was also included in this request.

Wei Yanwu naturally mobilized a lot of people to handle this matter, including the Rat King in front of Tomat. Although he was a gangster, he was still based in Longmen and had to give the former face.

Then, based on the reports from his men, they discovered that Tomat had appeared in the slums. Thinking that Tomat might have been wandering around for some time, the Rat King decided to entertain him first and then tell Wei Yanwu that he had been found.

He simply didn't know that Tomat had already rejoined the group when the uprising was being consolidated, which led to today's misunderstanding.

"I was really confused. I'm just an old man with no great abilities. All I could do was instruct my young men to find someone to help Commander Wei with some tasks. I never expected that you, young man, had already confirmed that you were safe."

With a seemingly harmless excuse, the Rat King pulled Wei Yanwu, who had been running around for so long, directly to the table—even though he wouldn't be attending this shabby restaurant.

"Is that so?" Exusiai asked, while shielding the halo above her head, which was almost more dazzling than the dim light bulb in the room, which had been scorched by some kind of smoke and fire.

"It seems so?" Thomas recalled for a moment, as if Dobermann had indeed mentioned something similar when he returned to Rhodes Island and met him on the battlefield. Then he smiled at the Rat King and said, "That really is trouble for you, old man, and now you have to be entertained."

"No, no, I've said it before, there aren't many young people willing to eat and chat with me these days. Don't let the shabby appearance of this restaurant fool you, it used to be a famous restaurant with a renowned chef, but now it's just like my old bones, a dilapidated building that no one cares about."

The Rat King responded to Tomat's words with the kind smile that one would expect from an elder.

—Who are you kidding!

Whether it's Penguin Logistics or Lappland, they all know exactly what kind of existence the Rat King, the old man who controls the underworld in Lungmen, is.

The phrase "a dragon that appears but never its tail" from the Yan Kingdom is perhaps more fitting for the Rat King than Wei Yanwu, who is active in the surface world.

Many people in Lungmen know Lin Kerui, the old man who runs a candy store in an inconspicuous corner of the city. But how many people know that he is also the Rat King who leads a special operations team called "Grey Tail" and has an absolute power in the Lungmen underworld?

I made a mistake, didn't receive the message, and just wanted to have a welcome dinner.

Who can these reasons fool?

“I think the boss really believed it,” Texas said.

Of course, she wouldn't directly state her judgment in such a situation. Instead, she would use her unique "Pocky code" to encrypt information by arranging the first and last chocolate cookies in her hand in a specific order.

However, apart from one other Penguin Logistics staff member who was not present, almost no one else could understand this information.

"Young lady, you shouldn't eat too many snacks before the main meal, or you won't be able to finish the rest of the food, which would be a loss, since the chef in charge of cooking here hasn't been making main dishes for a long time..."

While Exusiai and Croissant were still staring at Texas's Pocky password, the Rat King tapped the table with a smile, reminding Texas of a set of old sayings.

"Of course, if you like desserts, you can visit my shop later. After all, Miss Sakta over there has always been a regular customer of mine, and Miss Fengti also wrote my shop into her recommendations. Thanks to you all, business at the shop has always been good."

His kind words, however, brought up the same points made up of most of the people present.

Those whose names were called showed an unusually flustered expression, like children caught red-handed by their parents.

The words, though spoken without any malice, sent a chill down their spines.

"Grandpa still runs a dessert shop? I'll have to check it out next time."

Lappland remained silent, carefully observing everyone's expressions. The only one who responded to the Rat King's words was Tomat, whom Texas believed to be taking the Rat King's words, which she considered to be extremely cunning.

"Sure, sure, we'll give you a special discount as a new customer."

The Rat King's smile, like that of an elder seeing a cute younger generation, never stopped.

Because he was also judging what kind of person Tomat was.

The first thing to look at is his attitude towards lies.

In the Rat King's view, it was clear that the young men under the Emperor's command, as well as the white-haired Lupo who had recently come to Lungmen to hunt down any gangsters who had fled from Syracuse, had realized that what he had said earlier was a complete lie. The former chose to use a specific code to communicate, while the latter maintained an observational stance.

But the boy, whom Wei Yanwu had instructed to test carefully, did not react in any particular way to this easily exposed lie.

Didn't he notice?

How could that be? He's someone even Lao Wei cares about. Judging from the information Lao Wei gave him, the young man in front of him is an outstanding warrior, a powerful user of Originium Arts, and a visionary battlefield commander. He played a crucial role in the swift end of the Lungmen battle, and even carefully considered the aftermath of the infected. And he himself is not an infected.

Perhaps it was his magnanimity beyond his years that made him unwilling to ruin the atmosphere with a small lie.

They are not prejudiced because of differences in status, nor are they annoyed by others' probing; they focus on a more distant future.

At the same time, he pretended that he was really just there to accept an old man's invitation to dinner and focused on the dishes.

If my daughter had the same mindset and foresight, her retirement wouldn't be far off.

This young man is really good.

That's the spirit I had back then!

[Main Text] Dragon Gate Chronicles: Chapter Thirteen "Making a Fool of Myself"

Dinner parties are the best setting for discussing business and getting to know others.

The Rat King did indeed, through simple observation, determine roughly what kind of person Thomas was.

But what Wei Yanwu wanted to know, and what the Rat King himself cared about as much, was "hard power," had not yet been tested.

Although the Rat King did not see the giant ape directly, when the huge beam of light that illuminated the night sky swept past the Dragon Gate, no one would doubt its power.

A race that claims to be fighting against them must also have sufficient strength; if it cannot prove this, its words will be equally unconvincing.

However, the test was not about the Rat King personally demonstrating his strength; there was another plan.

All he has to do now is wait patiently at the dinner party for those guys who will come to his door sooner or later.

"Young people are all growing, come on, eat more, don't be shy."

The steaming hot dishes of Yan Guo—mostly stir-fries and stews—not only look appetizing, but their aroma is also incomparable to the food found in the old streets.

The distinct layers of meat, adorned with a rich sauce, take on a jewel-like hue, while meticulously crafted ingredients swirl in the crystal-clear broth.

The slight concerns they had about the messiness of the hole-in-the-wall restaurant and the chef's difficulty walking were completely dispelled by the extremely well-prepared dishes.

Although none of the people present could be considered gourmet connoisseurs, and Tomat was an absolute culinary idiot who would accept any dish, the difference in their culinary expertise made everyone realize that this was a rare opportunity to taste this culinary delight.

"...My God, these are banquet dishes from the capital of Yan Kingdom, techniques only state banquet chefs can master! And many of these ingredients... are things even Longmen can't get their hands on!" Croissant, who had once written a food guide for Longmen, was naturally the diner present with the deepest knowledge of Yan Kingdom cuisine. She looked at these dishes, which she rarely had the chance to enjoy due to her excessive shopping, and exclaimed in amazement, "Even the chef at the high-end restaurant 'Zhuxialou' in Dagu Plaza couldn't serve dishes like these!"

But Uncle Dong, who was still serving the dishes, chuckled rather smugly: "Of course, if I didn't want to go there, would they even be the head chef?"

Although he had only known Jie for less than half a day, the "Uncle Dong" he repeatedly mentioned was indeed a chef whose culinary skills surpassed Jie's in both breadth and depth.

Jie learned during this trip that his adoptive father and cooking teacher was actually an old friend of the Rat King of the Longmen underworld. This probably explains why Uncle Dong, a retired chef, was able to arrange a stall for him in the underworld's territory.

However, whenever Jie tried to ask more questions, he would always be scolded by Uncle Dong, who would tell him to focus on the dishes that were being cooked.

"Although I've seen it before, boss, your appetite is really... impressive."

"So, for him, that bowl of noodles was indeed 'breakfast'?"

The banquets in Yan, whether family or state, are different from those in Colombia or Syracuse. They are not served in a strict order, one dish after another, with each dish served after the previous one must be finished before the next dish can be served. Instead, as many dishes as possible for everyone are served at once and placed on large plates for everyone to take with spoons and chopsticks.

There are no excessive dining rules or taboos, and anyone can enjoy the food freely, unless someone can't stand sharing food from the same container as others.

Exusiai and Texas ate the dishes with abandon and restraint respectively, while Croissant took photos of the dishes one after another as soon as they were served and before anyone else touched them.

However, before she could press the shutter button on the LCD communicator, an extremely fast guy scanned the dishes in advance—and then the corresponding dishes would decrease at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Needless to say, it was Tomat who made it, but everyone at the table was curious about how he managed to scoop up the clear soup from the bowl with just a flick of his chopsticks.