Skinning and Stuffing

"Thank you for your help. Please come visit the Mermaid Kingdom when you have the chance. As long as you call my name loudly by the sea, I'll come out to see you."

"Goodbye."

The mermaid's body turned transparent for an instant before returning to normal, though its color had faded slightly.

Liu Zheng watched the scene from hiding and guessed that this was a decoy the mermaid had left behind. Her real body had probably already fled.

As expected of the Mermaid Princess. She really had a few tricks up her sleeve.

As for her invitation to visit the Mermaid Kingdom, he pretended not to have heard it.

Everyone in this world was wicked to the core. Was this fish supposed to be some innocent saint?

They could discuss business, sure, but friendship was out of the question.

Liu Zheng did not play any thief-catching-thief games. He simply kept chatting with Cow-Horse as they entered the passageway.

"Napoleon, we're back."

The moment they entered the Kitchen, Cow-Horse shouted loudly.

"I know. Why are you yelling so loudly?"

White-Feather Chicken put down the onion in his hand and spoke disdainfully.

"You have no idea how much I sacrificed to vent your anger. Look, my subordinate's heart was nearly ripped out."

Cow-Horse pointed at Liu Zheng's not-yet-healed chest.

"Your subordinate's heart was ripped out. What does that have to do with you?"

White-Feather Chicken gave it a sidelong glance.

"I treat him like my own son. He was the one injured, but I'm the one whose heart aches."

Cow-Horse said with a face full of grief.

"If you used that face of yours to make soup, you'd need to pressure-cook it for at least ten hours."

White-Feather Chicken said speechlessly.

"No way. With all this facial hair, you'd have to burn it for five hours first."

Cow-Horse said confidently.

"Idiot. Salmon, you explain."

"That's how it happened, meow."

Calico Cat recounted the entire process.

The description was orderly, detailed where it needed to be, and even included reenactments of the key parts.

Sure enough, this cat was not merely a cute mascot.

"Tindalos. Its master hasn't come to the Restaurant to eat in a long time."

White-Feather Chicken recalled.

"Whenever he came before, those people in the Service Department would get headaches. They could only settle who would serve him with rock-paper-scissors."

He spoke with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Keeping a vicious dog like that, even a rich man would be eaten into poverty."

Cow-Horse grumbled.

"Was Tindalos really that scary? Stronger than Oink?"

Liu Zheng asked curiously.

"Silence!"

White-Feather Chicken let out a loud crow.

The entire Kitchen immediately fell silent.

"Don't mention that guy's name in the Restaurant."

White-Feather Chicken shook his head.

"That's taboo too?"

Liu Zheng said helplessly.

The Fire Mage was that person, and Oink was that person too.

Was this some Hogwarts branch campus or something?

"Nonsense. Back then, it slaughtered half the Restaurant."

Cow-Horse said.

"Good thing you didn't join the Service Department, kid. Otherwise, Britannia would've skinned you and turned you into a rug by now."

"Britannia?"

"The head of the Service Department, an ox-headed man. Back then, that person killed the heads of both the Kitchen and the Delivery Department. Britannia was lucky enough to survive, but he was castrated. That's why he hates that person the most."

Cow-Horse explained.

"I see."

Liu Zheng suddenly understood.

"So it's fine if you mention it elsewhere. At most, you'll get cursed at a few times. But never bring it up in front of Service Department people. That guy really will go insane."

Cow-Horse warned.

"I probably won't run into anyone from the Service Department, right?"

"That's hard to say. Our Delivery Department was born lowly. Whenever any department is short-handed, they just call out, and we have to come running."

"Today they have you helping in the kitchen. Tomorrow they might make you a waiter."

Cow-Horse sighed.

"Got a problem with that? Then I won't call you anymore, and don't come mooching food and drinks from me either."

White-Feather Chicken said coldly.

"Triggered, triggered. You're triggered."

Cow-Horse beamed.

"Sigh."

White-Feather Chicken let out a deep sigh.

"It can't be easy working under a big shot like this. Why not come to the Kitchen? You can be in charge of receiving deliveries from now on."

He said to Liu Zheng.

"Hey, poaching my people right in front of me? You really don't take me seriously."

Cow-Horse stomped angrily.

"I'll pass. I think delivery work is pretty good."

Liu Zheng smiled.

The Legendary Deliveryman Set was almost complete. Only an idiot would transfer departments.

"Suit yourself. Where's the merchandise?"

White-Feather Chicken asked.

Cow-Horse and Liu Zheng stepped aside, revealing the box behind them.

The Mermaid Princess was still curled up, completely motionless.

"You idiots. The merchandise escaped, and you didn't even realize it."

The moment White-Feather Chicken saw it, his expression darkened.

"The merchandise escaped? Isn't it right here?"

Cow-Horse was utterly confused and reached out with a hoof to poke the mermaid.

"Look, it's still warm."

"That's the skin she shed. It's full of seawater."

White-Feather Chicken looked at it as though it were an idiot.

"Holy shit? That fish could do that too?"

Cow-Horse was shocked and moved to ram the mermaid with its horns.

"Don't touch it."

White-Feather Chicken hurriedly stopped it.

"If you puncture the skin, it really will be unusable."

"It can still be used with only a layer of skin left?"

Cow-Horse was shocked again.

"Others might have no way around it, but it's no challenge for me."

White-Feather Chicken said proudly.

"Salmon, go take out J-31 from the chilled storage."

He said to Calico Cat.

"Okay, meow."

Calico Cat skipped away.

Soon, it dragged back a frozen mermaid.

Several tiny bite marks remained on the ice coating her surface.

This mermaid was female as well. She was not as pretty as the Mermaid Princess, but her feminine features were more pronounced.

"You're planning to pass one off for the other?"

Cow-Horse asked.

"No. We'll skin her and stuff the hide."

White-Feather Chicken shook his head, then brought over a blowtorch and began spraying the frozen mermaid with flame.

Soon, the ice layer melted away completely.

The thawed mermaid's skin quickly regained its color. Her gaze was initially confused, then turned resolute.

She opened her mouth, and invisible notes were about to escape.

"Shut up."

White-Feather Chicken flapped into the air and pecked the crown of her head like lightning.

A drop of blood seeped from the mermaid's scalp, and her eyes instantly went blank.

"Give me the knife."

White-Feather Chicken extended a claw.

Liu Zheng hurriedly returned Gluttony to him.

"Three-tenths full. It'll do. I'll reward you with a few drinking snacks later."

White-Feather Chicken nodded, then casually waved a hand.

A red line appeared on the mermaid's forehead, stretching from her hairline all the way to her pelvis.

"Skin her."

He ordered.

"Okay, meow."

Calico Cat extended its claws and carefully hooked the edge of the skin, pulling it apart to both sides.

Slowly, a complete mermaid skin was peeled away.

The pain seemed to have stimulated the mermaid, and two streams of bloody tears flowed from her eyes.

For some reason.

Although the mermaid's eyes were fixed on the ceiling and she could not move at all.

Liu Zheng felt that she was looking at him.

I'm sorry. I'm powerless to help you.

Though he did not know whether the mermaid could hear him, he spoke in his mind.

It was rather ironic. He had saved the Mermaid Princess, yet one of her own kind was going to die in her place.

Still, once a mermaid entered the Kitchen, being turned into an ingredient was inevitable.

It was only a matter of time.

At least... please save my child.

A hoarse voice sounded in Liu Zheng's mind.