Roger quickly took off the collar from Bandit’s neck and put it into his pocket.
Bandit seemed completely unaware of Roger’s actions, not even looking up at Roger when the collar was removed, as if he didn’t care what Roger was doing.
“Could this cat be…”
Roger tried to pinch Bandit’s paw, but the latter remained completely still.
However, it also stopped staring at the newspaper, just maintaining its previous posture and lying there quietly, lost in thought.
Roger frowned, then, with a thought, tried to gently scratch Bandit’s right thigh.
This time, the tabby cat did react somewhat, reflexively retracting its right leg.
“This is a bit troublesome.”
As a good young man who grew up in the information age, Roger was very clear about how dangerous tactile dysfunction could be.
This was because touch, especially pain, was actually a self-protective mechanism of the body; for example, being scalded by hot water or pricked by a needle would cause one to reflexively pull back their hand, avoiding further injury.
What’s more, tactile feedback also helps living beings maintain postural stability; whether it’s normal walking or maintaining balance, a lack of touch can lead to extremely serious consequences.
According to the description, the side effect of wearing the scholars ring for too long was “the inability to normally produce emotions and tactile sensations within 12 to 24 hours,” but Roger was not clear about what emotions or types of tactile sensations Bandit was missing, nor did he know if these missing items would change over time.
This uncertainty was more harmful than the tactile loss itself.
Fortunately, this adverse reaction would only last for 12 to 24 hours.
Before Bandit regained its senses, Roger had to constantly watch over it and protect it.
“It seems I underestimated this thing before.
I still need to be more careful when buying mystical items in the future.
Considering that he had an appointment with Klein, Roger could only try to take Bandit to his house for observation, but in that case, he would need to ask for his opinion first to avoid being impolite.
He put on his clothes, carefully picked up Bandit, and went to 2 Daffodil Street, freeing one hand to knock on the door.
Melissa opened the door.
She first greeted Roger politely, then looked at the kitten in his arms.
“Oh, what happened to Bandit?”
The girl immediately asked with concern.
“It accidentally ate some medicine it shouldn’t have at noon, and it seems to have problems with its sense of touch.
“I took it to the doctor, and the doctor said it was temporary, but it needs observation, and the owner cannot leave.”
Hearing Melissa’s exclamation, Benson and Klein, who was wiping his hands on his apron, also rushed over.
Roger frowned and explained Bandit’s situation to the two of them again.
However, Klein seemed very willing; he waved his hand:
I can pack some food for Bandit too.”
Benson and Melissa also had no objections, which deeply moved Roger.
“What a warm family…”
He apologized and carried the kitten into the Moretti family’s home.
In the two days after the two families had just moved to Daffodil Street, Roger had also visited the Moretti family to call on his neighbors.
But compared to then, the living room now had a few more decorations and many items full of life, while the dining table was set with some marinating meat and chopped vegetables.
“Sorry, dinner will be a while.”
Benson glanced at Klein’s busy back.
He smiled apologetically and poured Roger a glass of sweet iced tea that Klein had prepared in advance, placing it on the table.
“Don’t be polite, I came early anyway.”
Roger took off his overcoat, placed it on the floor in the corner of the Moretti home, forming a stable ring, then took off his wide-brimmed fedora and placed the kitten inside.
After doing all this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, returned to the sofa to sit down, and chatted with Benson.
During this time, Melissa sat next to Bandit, watching it while gently flipping through some mechanical design sketches in her hand.
“Benson, I see your sister seems to like mechanical things very much.”
Roger took a sip of the sweet and sour black tea, which had a faint lemon scent, and said with a smile.
“Yes, Melissa has been good at these things since she was a child, and she even independently repaired the broken pocket watch left by our father.”
Benson said with some emotion:
“Her dream is to become a Steam Mechanic, and she has been working hard for it.”
Roger nodded.
According to his understanding, Melissa was indeed very interested in mechanical devices such as gears and springs.
Through her own efforts, she was admitted to the Steam and Machinery Department of Tingen Technical School and even became a Sequence 9 Savant.
“Dinner is ready.”
At this time, Klein had already prepared a table full of dishes and motioned for everyone to sit down.
Roger looked over, feeling it was quite abundant.
Salted cod, Desi pie, stewed fresh vegetables, lamb stew with peas, apple pie, mashed potatoes…
In addition, there was a Chinese-style beef brisket stew with tomatoes and a plate of egg fried rice; these two seemed to be specially made to entertain Roger.
He nodded with some relief, it seemed that the Moretti family’s life had greatly improved in recent days.
“You went to a lot of trouble,” Roger said softly.
“Draft beer or sweet iced tea?” Klein untied his apron and asked with a smile.
Klein nodded and poured a glass of draft beer for him, Benson, and himself, and a glass of sweet iced tea for Melissa.
The four of them prayed devoutly to the Evernight Goddess simultaneously, then clinked glasses and began to eat.
Klein had clearly put a lot of thought into this meal; the taste was excellent, and everyone praised it endlessly.
Especially the egg fried rice and beef brisket stew with tomatoes, which made Roger quite emotional.
In this current world, it was truly not easy to still be able to eat these dishes from his hometown.
After three rounds of drinks, the men were all a bit tipsy and began to discuss recent international affairs.
“…Have you heard?
The Feysac Empire has been very hostile towards Loen recently, but due to our latest ironclads being commissioned and our navy’s strength greatly increasing, they have been hesitant to act.
“To be honest, I really don’t want a war.
Fusak and Loen are both regional powers, and once a war breaks out, it’s not ruled out that it could escalate into a world war…
Life has just gotten a little better recently, I hope those curly-haired baboons at the top with questionable intelligence don’t act on impulse…”
Benson belched halfway through his complaint.
Klein nodded in agreement: “But Benson, you know, those guys don’t care about the lives of the common people.
With the rapid industrial development in recent years, many workers and even child laborers in Backlund lack rest, and some have contracted unclear diseases…
I also heard that people go missing almost every day among the populace, and many report it to the police, but most cases sink like stones into the sea.”
Following Benson’s words, Klein casually steered the conversation towards the unfinished topic from the Tarot Club meeting, then glanced at Roger, seemingly expecting him to speak.
“Yes, that’s why I’ve been studying hard…
Because now is also an opportunity for us, an opportunity to change the future and destiny of the entire society.”
Benson did not notice his younger brother’s actions.
What he referred to in his words was naturally the upcoming civil service examination.
Although not many people knew about this matter yet, he did not avoid Roger because of it.
“Actually…
behind these abnormal phenomena lie huge conspiracies, and what we see is just the tip of the iceberg.
“What people think is only what certain individuals want us to think.
Before the problem truly erupts, very few people will realize the seriousness of the matter.”
Roger pondered for a moment, then suddenly said.
“Meters, then in your opinion, what is the truth of the matter?”
Klein leaned forward, looking at Roger expectantly.