109. Playing Uno at The Cat's Tail

Lisa and Albedo turned to Jean, or specifically the manga she pointed to.

It was the Tensura manga.

Jean was curious when she noticed the cover and the title. Thus, Jean unwrapped the plastic seal and read it. When the dragon called Veldora appeared in the manga, Jean thought it was a coincidence or perhaps it was the work of a young man called Veldora earlier. But then, she read at the page when the dragon Veldora gave the slime a name, as well as Albedo mentioned Eleazar, Jean immediately thought of the possibility before calling them.

But Albedo's conjecture was reasonable enough when he mentioned the possibility of Veldora afflicted by incurable disease, yet still doing fine.

Even so, she still had a thought, 'Why do I feel that Veldora is a real dragon? But, is it possible for a dragon to transform into a human form? Perhaps I'm too tired since I didn't sleep for 3 days straight.' Jean sighed while massaging her temple.

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"Even so, they wouldn't suspect you as a dragon. Rather, they would think of you as a half of Sumeru. Eleazar can't be cured. They didn't think it was possible. However, there is someone who believes it might be possible, and that person is the Chief Alchemist, Albedo. As an alchemist, he would conclude that Eleazar could be suppressed by the blood or genetics of people from other nations. I was going to tell people that Veldora is a half. But, since Albedo introduced himself, I don't think I'll explain myself. Don't underestimate the alchemist's wild knowledge!" Ryūhei stated without looking at the others.

It was a good thing that Ryūhei had a living encyclopedia, Zhongli. He asked about the other nations near Liyue as he planned to open more branches in the nearby nations. Thus, Zhongli told him that there were a lot of things, including the secrets from a disease called Eleazar in Sumeru. But, it was up to Ryūhei whether he wanted to uncover that secret or not.

However, Ryūhei had no idea why Zhongli told him about a lot of things, especially the so-called secret of the world since Ryūhei didn't really bother about it. However, Ryūhei still listened earnestly since the information might be a handful in the future.

And it was proven to be right. Normally, Veldora he created couldn't transform into a human form since there was no trait of dragon in humans. However, by adding some of the traits like horns, fangs, and scales, he could finally create Veldora with a human form transformation. And thanks to the information Zhongli provided beforehand, Ryūhei was able to reason about Veldora's appearance in his human form.

"Gee, that's kinda creepy to predict their thoughts." Rimuru responded with a low voice.

"Well, thank you."

"I'm not praising you!"

Ayaka couldn't help but chuckle at their conversation. To be honest, she enjoyed her time with Ryūhei and the others after experiencing the monotonous life in Inazuma. Moreover, both Rimuru and Veldora were so fun to talk to although she was still a little bit afraid of Veldora.

Had Yoimiya not helped her friends and neighbors hide their Visions, she would probably have followed Ayaka to Liyue and Mondstadt.

Meanwhile, when Veldora found out about other manga published by Ryūhei, he said.

"Why don't you ask Rimuru to make it? Wouldn't that be easier?"

"Do you want Rimuru to excrete a manga for each second?"

"Why not? He's free anyway." Veldora shrugged his shoulders. Rimuru was naturally annoyed by this as veins popped up on his slime body.

"Hey, don't decide anything without my consent!"

Eventually, Rimuru agreed with Ryūhei as he found making manga continuously from his body was so annoying.

They kept joking along the way and arrived at a certain restaurant called Good Hunter.

They stopped by and ate there before looking for lodging. Moreover, he also wanted to promote his manga and games. Since Ryūhei brought quite a lot of manga and games, how could he miss this opportunity?

They went to The Cat's Tail, a tavern that sells a lot of beverages next to the Good Hunter restaurant, after they found an inn. Many cats roam around the tavern, but many also play with them.

Ryūhei opened the door and heard a cute, angry voice inside.

"Nyannoying!! I really don't understand why these adults love to drink so much."

There stood a little girl behind the bar with short pink hair, teal green eyes, and a calico cat's ears and tail. She looked so cute in her annoyed expression.

But, Ryūhei was puzzled.

'That's child labor. Is it allowed? Err… Well… Even Klee can become a knight. So, it's normal perhaps.' He muttered.

And more importantly…

"Those are cat ears." Ryūhei commented with a nod.

"And a tail." Rimuru added in a low voice.

And then, Ayaka glanced at Ryūhei.

"Do you like cat ears so much?"

Ryūhei turned to her while imagining Ayaka wearing a cat ears bandana.

"Yep. I want you to have cat ears as well. It will be nice."

Hearing that, Ayaka twitched her cheek after hearing Ryūhei's straightforward reply.

At that moment, they heard a woman replying to the cat girl's remark.

"Because all the drinks you make are so delicious! All it takes is just one sip and they're hooked."

It was the woman who was none other than the owner of The Cat's Tail.

The little girl snorted.

"Hmph, and I thought self-control was the most important quality of being an adult."

"Well, it just so happens that self-control often falls by the wayside when someone's enjoying one of your delicious specialty drinks!"

"All that means is that they're nothin' but a bunch of drunkards that don't know when to stop…"

Just then, Ryūhei called out to the little cat girl while waving his hand.

"Hi kitty!"

"Who are you calling "kitty"!? Haven't you seen anyone of the Kätzlein bloodline before?"

"Oh, hello there. Your first time at The Cat's Tail? And I'm sorry for this girl's rude remark."

Ryūhei shook his head as he didn't mind her attitude.

"No worries. I'm here to relax for a bit. I'm a little bit tired."

"Well, leaving home this morning to get here was really tiring." Ayaka followed suit.

But then,

"You two are so weak. Weakness disgusts me. Gya ha ha ha ha." Veldora responded with a stern voice before laughing.

Ryūhei knitted his brow as he seemed to hear that reference somewhere.

Meanwhile.

'Geh… Why did you imitate Madara?' Rimuru commented inwardly.

After a little introduction, Ryūhei came to know that the little cat girl was Diona, while the woman beside her was Margaret. Of course, Ryūhei also told them that Rimuru was docile.

Then, Diona spoke, "You're here for the drinks? But, you don't look like you're even old enough to drink yet! Unless you just want to try a drink because you think it's the romantic thing that adults do. Hmph, those sleazy old men over there once thought the same thing, you know! *sigh* I just don't get why everyone is so obsessed with alcohol. What's so good about it anyway?"

"Does this tavern only sell liquor?" Ryūhei asked as he put his hands on his hips.

"No!"

"Then, why did you think I wanted to drink one? I emphasize not to drink alcohol to keep my body healthy."

"I-it's not like I'm suspecting you. I don't want any more people to become another one of those annoying and smelly old drunks."

Somehow, Diona's acting gave the same vibe as Veldora. A tsundere. But, he refrained from talking about it. And eventually, Diona served the beverages to Ryūhei and the group, even Rimuru. At first, Diona was puzzled. But, her hair stood up the moment she saw the slime drink it through the straw.

Yet, the other customers seemed interested in Rimuru and began to circle Ryūhei's seat. They didn't seem to be afraid of Rimuru as a monster. Perhaps, they believed the Knights of Favonius since they allowed a slime to enter the city. As if, they already confirmed that Rimuru wasn't a dangerous monster.

With that opportunity, Ryūhei naturally took out some games and played one of them first.

—————

"Cheat! You're cheating. Your eyes are a cheating existence! How do you always know the cards I don't have?" Veldora whined as he slapped around more than 20 cards from his hands to the table. This made the people in the surroundings chuckle as well.

Somehow, Ryūhei could see what cards Veldora had after calculating them from the shuffle. And most of the time, it caused Veldora to draw some cards from the deck.

The others also play Uno, Domino, and Othello after they ask Ryūhei and find out that Ryūhei sells several types of games. Ryūhei introduced the Yu★Gi★Oh TCG and Let's Get Rich as well. But, it seemed only some of them were interested in those games. Well, most of them were old men and in a place where people could order alcohol. So, a simple game would be enough for them. Or perhaps, he came at the wrong time.

In response to Veldora's words, Ryūhei said, "Hey, don't accuse me! This is the real trick used by magicians. This is my innate skill."

"Then, one more time! I'll get serious this time!"

"And? What are you waiting for? Just shuffle the cards already!"

"Yosh. It's time to use my ultimate skill, Nyarlathotep, Lord of Chaos!"

"Wait, wait! Using your skillset is cheating!!"

"Gya ha ha ha ha. It's not cheating if you don't know!"

"That's the same as saying that you're going to cheat!"

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