"I'm not interested in men, let alone something that's not even human."
Niu Ma gave him a sideways glance.
"I get it, you're into male..."
"If you dare say it, I'll beat you as flat as those heads."
Niu Ma pointed at the ratmen heads in the pot.
Liu Zheng wisely shut his mouth.
"Hmph, I'm making this soup for the black market tonight."
Niu Ma said.
"Black market?"
"That's right, as long as you have money, you can buy anything at the black market."
Niu Ma explained.
"Isn't this the chance to make extra cash you were talking about?"
Liu Zheng remembered their earlier conversation.
"Exactly. You trade with that tree to make a few bucks; in one night at the black market, you could make ten times that amount."
Niu Ma tempted.
"Then why are you still so poor?"
He sincerely asked.
"Nonsense, where am I poor?"
Niu Ma retorted angrily.
"You can't even afford to change your vest, you got half-killed over a bottle of wine, and you're always mooching off my staff meals."
Liu Zheng recited offhand.
"That's called the compliance test, got it? Dumb human."
Niu Ma stated confidently.
"I can afford Mao Tai; what do I need your staff meals for?"
It grumbled.
"Uh-huh."
He replied noncommittally.
"You underestimate Niu Ma, kid. I won't stoop to your level. Just tell me if you dare to go or not?"
Niu Ma gave him a look.
"Is it dangerous?"
"There's a ninety-nine percent chance you'll die."
Niu Ma said.
"Well, now I really have to go."
Liu Zheng laughed.
"Sometimes I really don't get you humans."
Niu Ma scratched its head.
Cowards? Yet they dare to go to such dangerous places.
Brave? Yet they admit defeat so quickly every time.
"High risk, high reward."
Liu Zheng was utterly nonchalant.
This instance's difficulty level is too high to just scrape by.
Would he have gotten these attributes without risking his life multiple times?
Besides, there was the dangling sword of Damocles of the betting agreement.
"Hmph, you think it's easy to just go there? The black market only starts after midnight, and by then all the shifts will be gone."
Niu Ma said.
Delivery personnel rule number two: Do not leave the break room unless you've grabbed a shift.
"But?"
"But as an exceptional employee, not only can I leave, but I can also take you with me."
Niu Ma continued.
"And but?"
"And but, no matter how much you make at the black market, I want half."
Niu Ma glared at him, then said.
"Very reasonable."
Liu Zheng nodded.
"Don't think I'm being unreasonable."
Niu Ma saw through his thoughts.
"When you don't have a shift, you're not considered a restaurant employee, and anyone can mess with you."
"Especially at night, when the streets are crawling with filth. Without my protection, you're just a piece of fat meat."
It said.
"Boss, you just said there are no delivery orders at night. Is it because they can't be placed, or no one places them?"
Liu Zheng asked another question.
"No one places them. There's only one guy on duty in the kitchen at night, and even I think his cooking is awful."
Niu Ma replied.
"I see."
Liu Zheng pondered for a moment and then dialed a series of numbers on his phone.
Niu Ma watched him without changing its expression, curious about what trick he was up to.
"Who is it?"
Keyboard typing sounds came from the other end of the phone.
"It's me, the delivery guy."
Liu Zheng said.
"Ah, senior."
The keyboard typing suddenly paused.
"Do you need something, senior?"
The novelist spoke, slightly holding back.
"Yes, could you place an order for a delivery at midnight?"
Liu Zheng said.
"The longer the delivery time, the better."
He added.
"Sure."
The novelist readily agreed.
"But if I do it, senior won't be able to look at my body anymore."
"That's truly a pity."
Liu Zheng hung up the phone and turned to see Niu Ma looking at him as if he'd seen a ghost.
"What's wrong?"
He asked, puzzled.
"You've only been here for two days, and you've already hooked up with a customer?"
Niu Ma said in shock.
"Hooked up sounds so harsh, we're just in a pure business relationship,"
Liu Zheng corrected.
"Has it become trendy to be a tentacle man?"
Niu Ma looked at his own hoofs, a bit doubtful of his bovine life.
"It's mainly about personal charm. Can I go to the black market now?"
He asked.
"Hmph, guess you little guy are impressive,"
Niu Ma said, disgruntled.
"Don't be upset, the terms stay the same, and your share of the profits remains,"
Liu Zheng smiled.
"What kind of mischief are you up to now?"
Niu Ma eyed him warily.
It didn't believe this human would suddenly become generous.
"You said there are Scalped Tickets on Heaven Island, right?"
"That's right."
Niu Ma nodded.
"How much is a single holiday voucher?"
Liu Zheng asked.
"I think it's about 500,000,"
Niu Ma thought aloud.
500,000.
His monthly salary was 1,000, which meant he would have to work over forty years without eating or drinking anything.
"Then you're saying you can save enough in just over a decade?"
A single holiday voucher costs 500,000, a double would obviously start at a million.
"I'm an outstanding employee, can you compare with me?"
Niu Ma looked at him with contempt.
It would not be here if it weren't for the money.
"Oh. Can you buy a Scalped Ticket in the black market?"
Liu Zheng asked again.
"It's possible, but you'd need someone to vouch for such high-level goods,"
Niu Ma replied.
"Let's do this. If the money I make is enough to buy a single holiday voucher, help me secure one, and you can have the rest,"
He said.
"And if it's not enough?"
"If it's not, I'll split half with you,"
Liu Zheng said.
"What makes you think you can make that much money?"
Niu Ma asked.
"Well, you're not losing anything,"
He shrugged his tentacles.
"Besides, you probably have a way to help me make that money, right, boss?"
Liu Zheng smiled.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought it up.
"Hmph."
Niu Ma rolled its eyes and went back to eating stewed ratfolk on its own.
Watching it eat ravenously, Liu Zheng couldn't help but lick his teeth.
"Got anything to eat, boss?"
This time, the energy expenditure was big, and the employee meal probably wouldn't be enough to replenish it.
"No, you just rejected your share."
Niu Ma blocked him with its massive body from the pot.
"I'm not fighting over it, got anything else?"
Liu Zheng said exasperated.
"No, if there were, would I still need to fight you for food?"
Niu Ma retorted without hesitation.
"What about the canned food from last time..."
"It's gone, not a single can left. If you're hungry, chew on yourself."
Before he could finish, Niu Ma snapped.
"If there's nothing to eat, how about something to drink? I haven't had water all morning."
Liu Zheng said reluctantly.
"That's because you traded it all away for that tree stuff."
Niu Ma showed no sympathy.
"There's got to be something to do at least, you wouldn't want me just staring at you eat, right?"
He persisted.
"Why are you so annoying, Niu Ma?"
Niu Ma, unable to deal with his nagging, finally got up and opened a cabinet, pulling out a book.
"Here you go, annoy me again and I might just cook you,"
It tossed the book to Liu Zheng and went back to focusing on its meal.
Liu Zheng picked it up, and it turned out to be a Sudoku magazine.
"This works."
He took a pen from his pocket and settled back on his stool.
Though not an instrument, solving Sudoku could indeed restore Rationality Points.
And he ended up doing so for the whole day.