Chapter 46: Being a Corporate Slave or a Saint

"No time."

Liu Zheng gave a decisive refusal.

What kind of proper god could be worshipped by a cult that relied on smuggling to amass wealth?

Or rather, are there any proper gods to be found anywhere in the universe?

Though he was not a materialist, he had no fondness for these fellows who issued empty checks to their followers day in and day out.

"Your Excellency..."

Garcia was about to continue persuading him, but was cut off by Niu Ma.

"Hey, are you going to do business or not? If not, get lost right now,"

Niu Ma said with a harsh tone.

"Once the transaction is complete, I hope to have a detailed discussion with Your Excellency."

Garcia gave Liu Zheng a deep look before stepping aside.

"What's wrong with this guy?"

Niu Ma spat another thick glob of phlegm onto the ground.

It was clear that it felt a heartfelt disgust for these iron-masked men.

No wonder the White Feathered Chicken had asked Niu Ma to help vent its anger.

Liu Zheng unfolded the manifest and looked over its contents.

"One live female mermaid, complete body parts, no obvious internal or external injuries."

"Identity: Mermaid priest and of royal bloodline, still a virgin."

A priest, and of royal bloodline at that—she had quite a significant background.

He nodded to indicate that he had finished reading.

"Open the crate,"

Garcia commanded.

Two of the iron-masked men produced crowbars and pried open the wooden lid, revealing a massive block of ice right in front of Liu Zheng.

The texture of the ice appeared impeccably pure, catching the light of the setting sun and reflecting multicolored radiances, resembling a polished diamond.

And right in the center of the ice block curled a little mermaid.

She possessed a head of grey-blue, seaweed-like long hair, and her skin was as pale and delicate as ivory.

Tears slid down from her tightly closed eyes, her long eyelashes completely dampened by the moisture.

It was not difficult to imagine the kind of terror she had experienced.

For some inexplicable reason, Liu Zheng felt her facial features bore a certain resemblance to Natasha, the one he had buried.

"You guys really dare to pull this off. The mermaid race is going to protest at the City Hall once again."

Niu Ma remarked.

"With so many races already protesting, I doubt the City Hall would care about adding one more."

Garcia said calmly.

"Besides, she was meant to be enjoyed by those councilors anyway, wasn't she?"

"I didn't say anything, and I know nothing."

Niu Ma immediately drew a clear line.

"Why bother with such a clumsy performance? You know very well that no one can hear our conversation."

Garcia sighed.

As his words fell, one black circle after another emerged from the air, enveloping them entirely.

Looking outward through the circles, every scene was distorted into discontinuous fragments.

Before any system prompt could appear, Liu Zheng immediately averted his gaze.

No wonder he thought smuggling right on the main street was too wild—it turned out they had this trick up their sleeves.

"Hah, do you really think these little tricks can block the eyes and ears of the City Hall?"

"A decrepit little cult, that's all. The City Hall simply couldn't be bothered to deal with you. If they genuinely wanted to act, all your crimes would be played on an endless loop upon the Scales of Law."

Niu Ma said with utter disdain.

"Only my Lord can judge the sins of us all. Furthermore, what we do is precisely what the City Hall requires. As for what we require, it is merely to be of use."

Garcia stated placidly.

"Your pretentious attitude is as irritating as ever. Salmon, go inspect the goods properly and see what kind of tricks they're pulling this time."

Niu Ma barked.

"I can't inspect them through the block of ice, meow."

The calico cat spread its paws helplessly.

"This is the Mermaid's Tear, her self-protection mechanism. Once lifted, she will commit suicide immediately."

"To lift the Mermaid's Tear, the restaurant must take delivery first."

Garcia said.

"Damn it, waiting for me right here, are you?"

Niu Ma's bovine eyes widened.

"Then I won't accept them after all. Sell them to whoever you please."

"That is also acceptable."

Garcia actually nodded.

"As it happens, the black market has previously sought this item, though their offer was slightly lower. But if you refuse to take it, I shall simply have to sell it to them."

With that, he made a gesture as if to order the cultists to repack the goods.

"You can't let them leave, meow. This was ordered by an important figure in the Council; if the dishes aren't served, the head chef will be in big trouble, meow."

The calico cat tugged at the hem of Liu Zheng's trousers.

"Wait a moment."

He nodded and spoke up to stop them.

Garcia signaled a pause and looked at him with deep-set eyes.

"I don't believe the people in the black market don't inspect the goods. You must have a solution."

Liu Zheng said.

"We naturally have a way, but why should we tell the likes of you? Besides, you lacked sincerity to begin with. Niu Ma's words and actions have been provoking us at every turn. Business like this is better left undone."

Garcia admitted directly.

"That's because you tried to cheat us first."

"Business of this sort is a cash-and-carry transaction. If you failed to spot any issues during your inspection, you can only blame your own lack of discernment."

Garcia replied without even lifting his eyelids.

"Heh, you little—"

Niu Ma lowered its head, preparing to use its horns.

Having recuperated for two days, its broken horn had grown back almost completely.

The single horn actually made it look even more imposing.

"Boss, wait a second. Let me handle the talks with him."

Liu Zheng stopped it.

"What's the use of talking to a retard like this? Smash him to death and be done with it."

Though cursing under its breath, Niu Ma halted its steps.

"Right now, your transport methods are inadequate, which prevents us from inspecting the goods. Even if you don't care about the business of a single restaurant, surely you care about your business reputation?"

"You mentioned that people from the black market want to buy it—well, we happen to have quite a few connections in the black market ourselves."

"Oinc from the slaughterhouse is an old acquaintance of ours, and we frequently play cards with the demons from the casino. If I ask them to spread the word about this affair, how many people will dare do business with you anymore?"

He stared directly at Garcia as he spoke.

Beneath the iron mask, Garcia seemed to furrow his brows.

He was aware that Niu Ma and Oinc knew each other, but he had no idea it had also established ties with demons.

The slaughterhouse and the casino were the two major strongholds of the black market; if they stirred up trouble, the cult's business would indeed suffer.

"I can lift the Mermaid's Tear, but you must agree to my condition."

He spoke after a moment of reflection.

"What condition?"

"You must listen to the gospel of my Lord."

Garcia looked at Liu Zheng as he spoke.

"Why are you so obsessed with proselytizing to me?"

Liu Zheng asked helplessly.

"You have already listened to the gospel of an evil god; if you were to convert to my Lord, my Lord would surely be gladdened."

Garcia replied.

"But I wouldn't be gladdened."

He shook his head.

The gospel of one evil god had already messed him up this badly; if another one joined in, heaven knows what would happen.

If one god won, fine, but if they fell into a stalemate, he probably wouldn't even be able to remain a tentacle monster anymore.

"If you convert to my Lord, you will no longer need to work; you need only chant the name of my Lord toward the starry sky. Your three meals a day, food, clothing, shelter, and personal safety will all be guaranteed."

"In the restaurant, you are merely consumable material. Especially once your essence is transformed, you become prime ingredient material. By then, the restaurant will pull out all the stops to make you commit a fault, reducing you to a mere beast for slaughter."

"If you don't believe me, ask Niu Ma."

Garcia persuaded earnestly.

"What he said is true; the restaurant is just like that."

Niu Ma admitted without a moment's hesitation.

"Kid, the choice is yours now."

"Are you going to continue being a corporate drone at the restaurant, or become a holy son for this bird-brained cult?"