Friends Taste Good

"Eh?"

Liu Zheng stopped walking.

"What is it?"

Cow-Horse asked.

"I think someone's singing."

he said.

The singing drifted in and out. If not for the vest's bonus, he probably wouldn't have heard it.

"How come I can't hear anything?"

Cow-Horse perked up its ears.

"Je vois la vie en rose, il me dit des mots d'amour."

Liu Zheng softly hummed the lyrics he had heard, a smile gradually appearing on his face.

"So it's Mr. Tree."

"That tree? Makes sense. At this hour, who else would be singing in the street?"

Cow-Horse said with a curl of its lip.

"Is it far from here?"

he asked.

"A little over a kilometer."

Cow-Horse thought for a moment before answering.

"That's not too bad. Boss, should I go say hello?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"What, you want to dance along for it?"

Cow-Horse mocked.

"It's only polite."

He smiled.

"You humans sure have a lot of pointless fuss. Go if you want. I don't want to see it."

Cow-Horse said unhappily.

"Alright."

Liu Zheng headed in the direction it indicated, while Cow-Horse followed far behind him.

Before long, Liu Zheng saw Dai Lego.

He did not need anyone to dance along with him. The French Plane Tree was already having the time of its life.

Hundreds upon hundreds of roots burst from the black soil, wildly dancing alongside his branches and leaves.

Countless bones and collectibles clattered against one another, tinkling and banging like a percussion ensemble.

Though it was an extremely gentle ballad, the French Plane Tree sang it with the intensity of heavy metal.

"Mr. Tree!"

Liu Zheng shouted several times before Dai Lego finally turned his face in his direction.

"It's you, you annoying fellow. Coming to see me this late... what good stuff did you get your hands on this time?"

He looked disgusted at first, then grew excited.

"Not this time. I was just passing by. I heard you singing, so I came over to say hello."

Liu Zheng said.

"Tch."

The French Plane Tree turned his face away, preparing to continue singing.

"But I did bring you something."

He took out the sake and placed it on the ground.

"Have a couple of sips to wet your throat when you get tired of singing. I'm off."

Liu Zheng waved a tentacle and turned around.

"Hey, wait."

The French Plane Tree called out to him.

"What can the city's most talented rock singer, the esteemed French noble Lord Dai Lego, do for you?"

Liu Zheng turned back with a smile.

"This gentleman never eats or drinks for free. Tell me, what do you want in exchange?"

Dai Lego tried to remain calm, but his grin was so wide that his bark was practically showing.

"It's just a gift between friends. If you insist on returning the favor, give me some information."

he said helplessly.

That bottle of sake was only ordinary quality. It could not be traded for anything particularly good.

This tree was generous, but he was not stupid.

"What information?"

"Cow-Horse plans to take me to the Black Market to make some money. Do you have any advice for me?"

he asked.

"It came too?"

The French Plane Tree looked around and quickly spotted Cow-Horse hiding in the corner by the wall.

"Ptooey!"

He spat tree sap onto the ground.

At nearly the same time, Liu Zheng heard a hiss from the corner.

"You two have a grudge?"

he asked curiously.

"That bastard tried to trade fake liquor to me. When I caught it, I beat the living daylights out of it."

the French Plane Tree said with a snort.

Liu Zheng was filled with respect.

Able to beat up Cow-Horse, a three-time Outstanding Employee—no wonder he was the tyrant of this street.

"You already fought. Can't you just let it go?"

he advised.

"Let it go my ass. That bastard mixed herbicide into the liquor. It made me miserable for days."

the French Plane Tree said viciously.

"You knew it was fake liquor and still drank it?"

Liu Zheng was speechless.

"How else would I know just how fake it was if I didn't drink it?"

the French Plane Tree said righteously.

"You're right."

He conceded.

"I've never been to the Black Market, so I don't have any information for you."

the French Plane Tree said.

"Then forget it. Good night."

"Wait."

The French Plane Tree called after him again.

"What?"

"Take this. I don't like owing favors."

A root dangled down, with a wriggling chunk of Flesh hanging from it.

Name: Emergency Rations

Type: Item

Quality: Outstanding

Effect: Automatically used after becoming an "Empty Shell," restoring a small portion of the missing parts.

Note: Having more friends is always beneficial, especially when you're hungry.

Can be taken out of the instance: No

A life-saving item. Good stuff.

Liu Zheng was about to step forward and take it when he suddenly stopped.

He lowered his head to look at the ground. The moonlight was blocked by the French Plane Tree's dense branches, leaving everything beneath the tree pitch-black.

Liu Zheng bent down, nearly folding himself in half.

Then he caught the fishy stench of the soil.

"Impossible to guard against."

Liu Zheng sighed.

"It's so hard just to get a bite of Flesh."

The French Plane Tree sighed even more heavily.

"Let's go through the routine again."

he suggested.

"Fine. I truly want to trade with you, human. If what you have isn't enough, you can make up the difference next time."

the French Plane Tree said resignedly.

"Sure, sure. Move a little closer."

Liu Zheng extended a tentacle and took down the chunk of Flesh.

At some point, moonlight streamed down again, illuminating the twisted human face on the chunk of Flesh.

"You carry on. I'm leaving."

He turned and left, leaving the French Plane Tree standing there in low spirits.

"What did you trade for this time?"

Cow-Horse asked.

"This."

Liu Zheng took out the Emergency Rations.

"Oh, that's good stuff."

Cow-Horse's eyes lit up.

"With this thing, we might be able to make a big score."

it whispered.

"What did you say, Boss?"

"Nothing. Let's go. If we're any later, the Black Market will close."

it urged.

Half an hour later, they finally reached their destination.

It was a deep alley, its entrance shrouded in a smooth black mist that constantly twisted and churned.

"Put your hand inside."

Cow-Horse said to Liu Zheng.

"Why?"

"It's a Black Market rule. They check visitors' identities to stop other things from sneaking in."

Cow-Horse explained.

"What other things?"

"Why do you have so many questions? Are you here to make money or do research? Hurry up."

Cow-Horse said impatiently.

Liu Zheng rolled his eyes and stuck his hand into the black mist.

The sensation was strange, like passing through a layer of cooled lard.

"Hiss!"

He suddenly bared his teeth.

Something inside had bitten him. It was not a hard bite, but it hurt.

On the other side, Cow-Horse also stuck a hoof inside.

Soon, it let out the same cry.

"I thought you'd gotten used to it."

Liu Zheng teased.

"Are you insane? I'm not some masochist."

Cow-Horse rolled its eyes and rubbed its hoof tenderly.

"Besides, my hoof is so delicate."

"Heh."

A few seconds later, the black mist turned red.

"Alright, let's go in."

Cow-Horse took the lead and walked inside.

The moment it entered, Liu Zheng felt that sense of being watched intensify.

"It really does pick on the weak and fear the strong."

He curled his lip and stepped into the red mist.

In an instant, a suffocating feeling engulfed him.

Liu Zheng felt as though he had fallen into an enormous lump of butter, one that was constantly churning and squeezing him.

He held his breath and swam forward, waving all four tentacles.