Chapter 24

Chapter 24 - Tom is Floating

Tom's upright walking didn't attract much attention, but Artoria's appearance and demeanor were quite striking, drawing many curious glances. Adrian's somewhat recognized on Island 59, and with his decent looks, he wasn't mistaken for a noblewoman's servant.

"Morning, Adrian bro. This lady is a new face," a young girl with an empty bucket greeted Adrian.

"Hello, Mika. This is Artoria. She arrived here recently and will be staying with me," Adrian introduced briefly.

Mika, thirteen years old, was a spirited girl who helped deliver milk to the town's residents every morning. Adrian had met her during his daily runs.

"Oh~" Mika looked at Adrian and the lady, Artoria, with an inquisitive expression. "Hello, Artoria sister. I feel like you're even more beautiful than that Pirate Empress!"

Artoria's appearance was frozen at the age of fifteen, and her looks weren't very mature.

But perhaps due to her leadership aura, Mika couldn't help but want to address her as "sister."

"Hello," Artoria replied politely.

After a brief chat, Mika had to leave for work.

"By the way, Mika, change the milk delivery to three portions each morning," Adrian called after her.

"Got it~" Mika waved energetically, drawing out the last syllable.

"By the way, Artoria, how did you learn the language of this world?" Adrian asked.

In the Holy Grail War, when Masters summoned Servants, they gained basic knowledge of the era, including language. But there was no Holy Grail War here.

Artoria explained, "It's the power of the contract. When I was summoned, I saw the text 'Consuming 10% energy, loading language package.'"

"So, that's what the extra 10% energy consumption is for when summoning individuals. I thought it was because characters required more energy than objects. But Tom didn't mention this... Well, analyzing Tom's actions with common sense isn't always productive. Maybe he knows too many things to notice this detail," Adrian mused.

"Anyway, we've seen enough here. Let's head to other islands," Adrian had been hesitating on one island, but now he was eager to explore others.

Artoria had no objections, as she wanted to learn more about this world.

"Then let's go to Island 30's shopping street. It's a bit far, but we can rent bubble bikes and take a scenic route."

Adrian realized that Artoria would be fine, even with her dress, considering her attire was similar when riding horses.

Bubble bikes were unique to the Sabaody Archipelago. Renting one cost 500 berries per day, or you could buy one for 10,000 berries. Adrian decided to rent two for now and buy them later if needed.

"Here, Artoria, you go in first."

"Go in?"

Adrian helped Artoria lie diagonally in a large bubble, holding onto the bike's handlebars.

A spiral-like device extended outside the bubble, suspending the bike and rider in mid-air. By pedaling the bike's pedals like a regular bicycle, they generated propulsion to move forward.

Artoria, with her A-ranked riding skill, quickly mastered the bubble bike's use. She excitedly circled around Adrian a few times.

"It's quite easy. Feels just like riding a horse."

"Mastered it instantly. You're a smart young lady," the bike rental shop owner complimented casually.

Adrian squeezed into a bubble as well and got used to this unique bike. In terms of feel, he preferred a conventional bicycle, so he wanted to ask where Zoro's bike came from if he ever got the chance.

Tom huddled in Adrian's embrace. Ever since his pancake experience, he was afraid to get into the bubble himself, poor thing.

Since the owner knew Adrian, no deposit was necessary. Thinking back, though, when Luffy and his crew arrived in Sabaody Archipelago, they rented bubble bikes and then encountered the incident with the kidnapped mermaid Camie.

Afterward, they clashed with the Celestial Dragons and scattered. Did they return the bubble bikes? If they didn't put down a deposit, the owner must've incurred losses.

Adrian and Artoria rode bikes side by side. They headed north until Island 40, then westward.

It would take an hour or two, even on bikes, but they were in no hurry since it was a sightseeing trip.

Islands 50 to 59 were quite similar, with a dock and a residential area. Islands 40 to 49 had more tourist areas and specialty shops.

Some islands had peculiar terrain due to their ground formed by tree roots. Many places were elevated due to upturned roots, yet people still built houses on them, reminding Adrian of a certain city where one might open a window on the fifth floor and face a busy road.

After a while, Tom seemed to sense there was no danger and started to adapt to being in the bubble. He even developed an interest in the bubble bike.

Seeing Tom tugging at his clothes pleadingly, Adrian couldn't resist. He gave up his spot to Tom, allowing him to play.

Tom gleefully stepped on the pedals. With his height, he couldn't sit or half-lie while holding the handlebars. However, he didn't mind and was captivated by the sensation of riding a bike that floated in the air.

He swayed left and right, adjusting the floating height. Once Tom got used to the bike, he rubbed his hands together, overtook Artoria, then shot her a mischievous grin before speeding away.

Artoria was momentarily stunned, then smiled. "Is this a race? Interesting. Well..."

Suddenly accelerating, her A-ranked Riding skill allowed her to maximize the bubble bike's potential. She quickly caught up with Tom.

Originally, Tom had been happily opening his mouth, his tongue fluttering like a ribbon beside his face.

Adrian worried about getting splashed by his drool.

However, upon seeing Artoria catching up so quickly, Tom's expression changed from joy to surprise. He frantically pedaled his short legs, and the bike's speed skyrocketed, allowing him to overtake Artoria by a margin.

But it was clear he was struggling, beads of sweat the size of beans dripping from his forehead.

Wait, do cats have sweat glands on their foreheads?

Oh, right, it's Tom.

"Tom, don't push yourself if you're uncomfortable," Adrian advised. It wasn't an important race.

Tom didn't respond, but Artoria did. She said seriously, "No, we can't give up until we've determined the winner! I absolutely must win this race!"

"Wind King Barrier!"

Adrian: ...

Is this really necessary?

Do any of you... like, know that thing... called 'common sense'...