Zhang Da Ye, who had been waiting foolishly for quite a while, was annoyed. Now that the tavern's defenses were secured, he wasn't afraid of enemies—just of not knowing who they were.
He thought he could catch the person coming for the meeting, ask about the mastermind behind it, and deal with them directly. But now, the person still hadn't shown up? Can a villain not even keep their word?
After discussing with Artoria, they could only conclude that the person probably never intended to come.
Otherwise, even from a distance using binoculars, Artoria would have noticed something.
Earlier, when Peterman called, they observed the entire call and saw nothing suspicious. That person, trying not to become a slave, carefully controlled their emotions while speaking, showing no courage to cause mischief.
So what was going on?
"Everyone who questioned Tom or caused trouble in the past few days could be a suspect. Do we have to confront each one?" Zhang Da Ye felt overwhelmed.
"Do you remember who all those people are?" Artoria asked the key question.
"Only a few left an impression. Some I don't even know their names," Zhang Da Ye said, frustrated. Not everyone who came to ask prices would honestly give their name. The mastermind likely hid among the unknowns, or maybe there was no contact at all.
Artoria said, "Then let's start investigating those whose names we do know. We might get an unexpected lead."
Zhang Da Ye nodded. "That's all we can do."
Tom freed himself from the cloth bag, put his hands on his hips, and asked, "So which pot do we start checking first?"
Tom was very concerned about those trying to kidnap him, so he even used a fake experienced voice pack to speak.
Zhang Da Ye thought for a moment. "The memorable ones: the fat man I hit with the folding chair was just a hired thug. Then there's the one I hit in the face with a pan—don't know his name. Then the three freeloading brothers were strange, and finally the uncle Tom hit with a tomato seems least likely to do this…"
But according to his Conan-inspired reasoning, the least likely person is often the culprit, so they had to investigate the uncle too.
"He said he's an old customer at the tavern. Tomorrow, we'll go to see Old Bob to repay him and gather some information as well."
After deciding, the three returned to the tavern. They couldn't close just for this. As Old Bob said, why stop farming just because of a few cicadas?
The patrons were still noisy as usual, but Tom had no mood to play music.
He sulked on the bar all night, resting his chin on his hands, eyes wide, tail flicking behind him, seeing threats everywhere.
Zhang Da Ye reflected on today's battle whenever he had a moment. Although it was an overwhelming victory, he gained some experience: when he missed opportunities, when he became overconfident and attacked recklessly...
Artoria, reading the newspaper, also paid some attention to the patrons. Sometimes, brute force can't solve everything. Maybe she should understand the thoughts of others more.
"Boss, two more bottles of wine!"
"Coming!"
By the time the first morning light shone into the room, Zhang Da Ye had already woken up. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, then reached out to turn off the alarm and got up.
The alarm was less to wake him and more to remind him it was time.
Tom rubbed his eyes, climbed out of his cozy cat bed, stretched, and greeted Zhang Da Ye.
When they stepped out, Artoria appeared in pajamas. The three went to the bathroom together.
The pajamas were custom-made, matching, with their names printed as patterns. Wearing them together, they looked like a family of three.
Tom, however, didn't like pajamas, only a nightcap with a white pompom.
The bathroom had been remodeled, changing the single sink into a longer basin with more faucets.
On the shelf above, their toothbrushes and cups had their chibi portraits printed on them.
Although custom items seemed incredible, the island provided such services.
Zhang Da Ye and Artoria brushed their teeth at the same time. The knight king's cheeks puffed like anyone else.
Tom's teeth were the most convenient—open his mouth, and all the little white teeth were visible, no blind spots.
His teeth were funny—sometimes square and neat, other times sharp and cat-like, shaped perfectly for him.
Perhaps that's why Tom finished fastest, hopping downstairs to get milk and newspapers.
Even with that cat face, a towel easily dried him, unlike bath time when his fur needed a blow dryer.
After Zhang Da Ye and Artoria finished, they changed into sportswear for a morning run. By the time they returned, Tom had prepared breakfast.
Recently, fearing someone might steal Tom, they hadn't gone far or took him along.
Although Tom was strong, Zhang Da Ye worried about his mentality. He flinched even at humans, dogs, or old hens.
After breakfast and cleaning, Zhang Da Ye took a rice cooker, opened it, removed two stacks of cash, tucked them in his pocket, and returned the cooker to the inventory.
The strange setup was because of a bug—inventory could only hold lottery items, but putting something in the rice cooker allowed it to be stored.
Not as convenient as a storage space, but at least usable.
In a few days, he planned to buy a refrigerator, fill it with Tom's giant fridge items, and use the inventory for food storage since items don't spoil there.
Future items like wardrobes, microwaves, or ovens could be used similarly, but placement had to be careful to avoid accidentally throwing a box of money in a fight.
Ready, the three headed to 58GR, Old Bob's retirement home. Zhang Da Ye, of course, knew the creditor's address.
At this hour, he was probably fishing with friends. You never know how early a fishing-loving old man wakes up.