Black Market

"I'm not interested in men, and you're not even human."

Cow-Horse gave him a sidelong glance.

"Got it. You're into females."

"If you dare say it, I'll beat you until you're as big as those things."

Cow-Horse pointed at the ratman heads in the pot.

Liu Zheng wisely shut his mouth.

"Hmph, this pot of soup is for tonight's Black Market."

Cow-Horse said.

"The Black Market?"

"That's right. As long as you have money, you can buy anything at the Black Market."

Cow-Horse explained.

"This wouldn't be the opportunity for extra cash you mentioned, would it?"

Liu Zheng recalled their earlier conversation.

"That's right. How much can you make trading with that tree? In one night at the Black Market, you can earn ten times its entire fortune."

Cow-Horse tempted him.

"Then why are you still so poor?"

he asked sincerely.

"Bullshit! How am I poor?"

Cow-Horse snapped.

"You can't even afford a new vest, you got beaten half to death over a bottle of red wine, and you even mooch employee meals off me."

Liu Zheng listed them one by one.

"That was a compliance test, understand? You country-bumpkin human."

Cow-Horse argued righteously.

"I can even afford Maotai. Why would I care about a few employee meals from you?"

he muttered.

"Mm-hmm."

Liu Zheng responded perfunctorily.

"You brat, you're looking down on Cow-Horse with those dog eyes of yours. I won't stoop to your level. Just tell me, do you dare go or not?"

Cow-Horse rolled his eyes at him.

"Is it dangerous?"

"You have a 99.9 percent chance of dying."

Cow-Horse said.

"Then I have no choice but to go."

Liu Zheng smiled.

"Sometimes, I really can't understand you humans."

Cow-Horse scratched his head.

Call them timid, and they dared go to places that dangerous.

Call them bold, and they surrendered every single time at lightning speed.

"High risk, high reward."

Liu Zheng looked completely calm.

There was no way he could clear this instance by playing it safe.

If he hadn't risked his life several times, would he have his current attributes?

Besides, the sword of Damocles known as the betting agreement was still hanging over him.

"Hmph, it won't be that easy even if you want to go. The Black Market only opens after midnight, and there won't be any orders by then."

Cow-Horse said.

Delivery Rider Rule Two: Do not leave the break room without receiving an order.

"But?"

"But as an Outstanding Employee, not only can I go out, I can bring you along too."

Cow-Horse continued.

"But but?"

"But, but no matter how much you earn at the Black Market, I get half."

Cow-Horse glared at him before speaking.

"Perfectly reasonable."

Liu Zheng nodded.

"Don't think I'm asking for too much."

Cow-Horse saw through his thoughts.

"When there are no orders, you don't count as a restaurant employee. Anyone can come after you."

"Especially at night. Filthy things run wild through the streets. Without me protecting you, you're just a big fat piece of meat."

he said.

"Boss, you just said there are no delivery orders at night. Is it because people can't place them, or because nobody does?"

Liu Zheng asked another question.

"Nobody does. At night, there's only one cook on duty in the kitchen. Even I think that guy's food tastes awful."

Cow-Horse replied.

"I see."

Liu Zheng thought for a moment, took out his phone, and dialed a string of numbers.

Cow-Horse watched him impassively, wondering what mischief he was up to.

"Who is this?"

The sound of typing came from the other end of the call.

"It's me, the delivery guy."

Liu Zheng said.

"Ah, Senior."

The typing abruptly stopped.

"What can I do for you, Senior?"

Novelist put on a slightly coquettish tone.

"Well, could I trouble you to order a delivery at midnight tonight?"

Liu Zheng said.

"The longer the delivery time, the better."

he added.

"Sure."

Novelist readily agreed.

"But if I do, Senior won't be allowed to look at my body anymore."

"What a shame."

Liu Zheng hung up and turned to find Cow-Horse staring at him as if he had seen a ghost.

"What's wrong?"

he asked in confusion.

"You've only been here for two days, and you've already hooked up with a customer?"

Cow-Horse said in shock.

"Hooked up sounds a little harsh. We merely have a straightforward business relationship."

Liu Zheng corrected him.

"Are tentacled men popular now?"

Cow-Horse looked at his hooves and began to doubt his life as Cow-Horse.

"It's mainly personal charm. So, can I go to the Black Market now?"

he asked.

"Hmph, you're something else, kid."

Cow-Horse said unhappily.

"Don't be upset. The terms stay the same. I'll still split the profits with you."

Liu Zheng smiled.

"What bad idea are you brewing now?"

Cow-Horse watched him warily.

Cow-Horse didn't believe this human would suddenly become so generous.

"You said Paradise Island has scalped tickets, right?"

"That's right."

Cow-Horse nodded.

"How much is a single-person Vacation Voucher?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"Five hundred thousand, I think."

Cow-Horse thought for a moment before speaking.

Five hundred thousand.

His monthly salary was one thousand. That meant he would have to work for over forty years without eating or drinking.

"Then why did you say you could save enough in just over ten years?"

A single-person Vacation Voucher cost five hundred thousand. A two-person Vacation Voucher would have to start at a million.

"I'm an Outstanding Employee. Can you compare yourself to me?"

Cow-Horse looked at him disdainfully.

If the pay weren't so good, who the hell would work here?

"Oh. Can you buy scalped tickets at the Black Market?"

Liu Zheng asked again.

"You can, but goods of that level require someone to vouch for you."

Cow-Horse replied.

"Then let's do this. If we earn enough to buy a single-person Vacation Voucher, you help me get one, and you can keep all the remaining money."

he said.

"What if it isn't enough?"

"If it isn't enough, I'll give you half."

Liu Zheng said.

"What makes you think you can earn that much?"

Cow-Horse asked.

"Either way, you have nothing to lose."

Liu Zheng shrugged his tentacles.

"Besides, you probably have a way to help me make money too, right, Boss?"

Liu Zheng smiled.

Otherwise, Cow-Horse wouldn't have brought it up.

"Hmph."

Cow-Horse rolled his eyes and went back to eating stewed ratman.

Watching him devour it with loud snorts, Liu Zheng could not help licking his teeth.

"Got anything to eat, Boss?"

He had used up quite a lot this time. Employee meals alone probably would not be enough to replenish him.

"No. You were the one who refused it just now."

Cow-Horse used his massive body to block the pot.

"I'm not trying to steal yours. Is there anything else?"

Liu Zheng said helplessly.

"No. If I had anything else, would I need to steal your food?"

Cow-Horse replied without hesitation.

"That canned food from last time—"

"It's gone, every last can. If you're hungry, chew on yourself."

Before he could finish, Cow-Horse shouted.

"If there's no food, then at least give me something to drink. I haven't had any water all morning."

Liu Zheng said unwillingly.

"Who told you to trade it all to that tree for things?"

Cow-Horse had no sympathy for him whatsoever.

"Then there must be something to play with, right? You don't want me staring at you while you eat the whole time, do you?"

he persisted.

"Why are you so obsessed with bothering Cow-Horse, kid?"

Cow-Horse couldn't take his pestering anymore, so they got up, opened a cabinet, and took out a book.

"Here, here, here. Keep bothering me and I'll boil you alive."

They tossed the book to Liu Zheng and went back to eating.

Liu Zheng picked it up and saw that it was a Sudoku magazine.

"That'll do."

He pulled out a pen from his pocket and returned to his little stool.

Though it wasn't an item, doing Sudoku really could restore his Sanity.

And once he started, he kept at it for the entire day.