"Extra cash?"
Liu Zheng looked at him in surprise.
"I'm busy today. Take Tindalos out for some exercise."
Miniature Man said.
At the words "go out," the Hound's dim eyes lit up again.
"Uh, I'm afraid I'm not up to the task."
Liu Zheng declined tactfully.
Him walking this dog?
More like this dog walking him.
"Don't worry. Tindalos is very well-behaved."
Miniature Man gently stroked the Hound's paw.
Tindalos whimpered, then cautiously stuck out its tongue and licked his face.
"After all, I'm not its owner."
Liu Zheng still shook his head.
Every owner thought their dog was well-behaved. Even if it bit someone, there was always a reason for it.
"I can give you a thousand."
Miniature Man said.
"I'm not short on money."
Liu Zheng showed him his wallet.
"You're so rich, yet you still deliver food?"
Miniature Man was somewhat shocked.
"I'm experiencing life. No matter how rich you are, you still have to work."
He wore an expression of compassion for the world.
"My perspective was too narrow. Sorry, I shouldn't have insulted you with money."
Miniature Man felt deeply ashamed.
"It's fine. I did something wrong just now too."
Liu Zheng said generously.
"But I still need you to walk the dog for me."
Miniature Man abruptly changed tack.
You bastard, are you immune to reason or what?
He glared at the riddler.
If he wanted to feed the dog an extra meal, he could just say so. There was no need to beat around the bush.
"As long as you carry this, Tindalos and its kind won't attack you on their own initiative."
Miniature Man laboriously dragged a bone whistle out from beneath the blanket.
Name: M'sithra's Bone Whistle Type: Item Quality: Excellent Effect: When worn, prevents attacks from Tindalos Hounds. May shatter after being used for a period of time or traveling through space-time. Note: How do you protect yourself before a Tindalos Hound? A: Throw it a bone. B: Crouch down to pick up a stone. C: An obtuse angle. Can be brought out of the instance: No
"Fine."
Liu Zheng helplessly accepted the bone whistle.
It looked like walking this dog was unavoidable.
"Thank you very much."
Miniature Man glanced once more at his Honorary Homeowner Medal.
"Tindalos is very generous toward people it likes."
He reminded him.
"Then how can I make it like me?"
"Tindalos is a good dog."
Miniature Man said meaningfully, then closed the door.
Watching the Hound stare fixedly at him, Liu Zheng felt his scalp tingle.
He quickly hung the bone whistle around his neck, and only then did he feel a little better.
He did not know whether it was an illusion, but he seemed to see a trace of disdain in Tindalos's expression.
"So, shall we go?"
Liu Zheng asked tentatively.
"Awoo~"
With a wolf-like cry of delight, the Hound sprinted wildly downstairs.
"Hey, the elevator's over there."
He sighed and hurried after it.
The Hound was astonishingly fast. By the time Liu Zheng reached the entrance of the residential complex, it had already been waiting there.
The triangular-eyed security guard cowered off to one side, looking somewhat afraid of it.
"The owner of 1503 asked me to walk his dog."
Liu Zheng explained.
"Got it, got it. Then hurry along."
The triangular-eyed security guard replied repeatedly, clearly having no desire to make small talk with him.
This dog seemed even more terrifying than he had imagined.
"Tindalos, where do you want to go?"
Liu Zheng asked.
The Hound shook its head.
"If you don't know, nod. If you don't care, shake your head."
The Hound shook its head again.
"Then let's head to the Restaurant."
Liu Zheng let out a breath of relief.
Although Cow-Horse had not said he could not wander around outside, without the boost from the Legendary Disguise, he did not want to stay out for long.
"Awoo?"
The Hound howled again.
For some reason, Liu Zheng understood that it was asking him for the direction.
He pointed toward the Bloodstained Restaurant, and Tindalos suddenly lunged forward.
Its body continuously twisted and changed in midair. By the time it landed, it had become a cloud of brilliantly colored smoke, smashing into the ground and dispersing completely.
The next second, it appeared fifty meters away.
"Awoo!"
The Hound seemed to be telling him to hurry up.
"Ah, walking a dog without a leash is basically the dog walking itself."
Liu Zheng sighed deeply, feeling thoroughly ashamed.
But never mind that Miniature Man had not given him a leash—even if he had, Liu Zheng would not have dared loop it around the Hound's neck.
Fortunately, there was no one on the street. As long as nobody saw it, it did not count as uncivilized behavior.
It was obvious that Tindalos had not been walked in a long time. It was extremely excited.
It kept turning into smoke, then continuously reforming.
Sometimes it appeared ahead of Liu Zheng, and sometimes behind him.
It had none of the composed demeanor it had shown at first.
It had gone from a Saint Bernard to a Husky.
He glanced at both sides of the street. Nearly all the gazes that had been spying on him had cut off.
The effect was even better than having Cow-Horse accompany him.
"Interesting."
Liu Zheng's eyes shifted as he came up with a good idea.
"Tindalos, this way."
He called out and changed direction.
Naturally, the Hound did not care. The smoke dispersed and gathered again, and it appeared behind Liu Zheng.
Perhaps it was tired, or perhaps it was playing a prank, but it placed both paws on Liu Zheng's shoulders.
Surprisingly, Tindalos did not have the stench typical of large dogs.
On second thought, that was easy enough to understand. It was not actually a dog; it merely resembled one in its habits and appearance.
But the Hound was not entirely odorless either.
Liu Zheng sniffed, and a scent of decay entered his nostrils.
It was not the decay of plants, nor animals, nor metal. It was an extremely complex and faint scent.
Like time itself, rotting away.
More than ten minutes later, they reached their destination.
Not far away, the French Plane Tree had its eyes closed, its face sunk into its bark, seemingly dozing.
"Mr. Tree, I'm back."
Liu Zheng called out from afar.
The French Plane Tree slowly opened its eyes. First came a look of disgust, followed by utter shock.
"Y-you-you, why did you bring this thing here?"
It shouted in terror.
"The person who ordered food asked me to walk his dog."
"Are you fucking crazy? You dare walk a Hound of Tindalos? Since you're so damn tough, why don't you go blow up City Hall?"
"It's not that serious, is it? I think it's pretty friendly. Right, Tindalos?"
Liu Zheng said to the Hound.
"Awoo."
The Hound nodded.
Then it turned into smoke and pounced at the French Plane Tree.
"Don't come any closer!"
The French Plane Tree screamed.
Thick roots burst from the earth and stabbed toward the Hound like spears.
A trace of disdain flashed through Tindalos's eyes. It did not even turn into smoke again, merely nimbly shifting around to evade every attack.
A few breaths later, it had stepped onto the black soil.
"Ahhhhhh!"
The French Plane Tree felt like it was going mad.
Even more roots stabbed out in rapid succession, like a barrage of bullets.
Faced with the French Plane Tree's outburst, the Hound finally became a little more serious.
It no longer relied on its agility to dodge, instead turning into smoke.
The roots pierced through the Hound's body without causing the slightest harm.
The next second, it appeared beneath the French Plane Tree.
It raised one leg and fired a glowing stream of water.
"Awoo~"
The Hound made a delighted sound.
Before you continue