"What benefit can you give me?"
Liu Zheng asked without wavering.
"I have... nothing left."
The mermaid's voice was filled with despair.
More bloody tears flowed from her lifeless eyes.
Liu Zheng looked at her abdomen and indeed sensed life moving within.
"I'm sorry, I can't help you."
His heart remained as hard as iron.
"Then at least, I beg you to save its soul."
The mermaid spoke after a moment of silence."Soul?"
"I can feel it—the Heart of the Ocean is absorbing my child's soul, taking it back to the sea."
The mermaid spoke in broken fragments.
"That I can do."
Liu Zheng nodded.
This way he could activate the Heart of the Ocean's effect and it wouldn't be a wasted effort.
"Thank you, may the ocean mother bless you, kind human."
The mermaid who had become a flesh puppet suddenly revealed a terrifying smile.
Her right hand suddenly slashed open her own abdomen, and the mermaid fetus transformed into a mass of seawater that rushed toward Liu Zheng's chest.
Everything happened too suddenly; even White Feather Chicken couldn't react in time.
The seawater soaked the Heart of the Ocean and was immediately completely absorbed by it, emitting a deep blue glow.
"Name: Heart of the Ocean (Enhanced)"
"Type: Equipment"
"Quality: Fine"
"Effect 1: Movement speed increased by 50% in water, can breathe freely underwater."
"Effect 2: Recovery speed increased by 100% in water, damage taken reduced by 50% in water."
"Note: The prematurely deceased child who left its mother's embrace—can it return to the arms of another mother?"
"Can be taken out of dungeon: Yes"
Looking at the item description, Liu Zheng secretly sighed.
He most likely wouldn't go to the seaside.
Even if he had the opportunity, he might not release the mermaid fetus's soul back to the ocean.
With the current enhanced effects of the "Heart of the Ocean," Liu Zheng was practically truly immortal in water.
"Bastard, what did you do?!"
White Feather Chicken's sharp cry rang out.
"I don't know anything."
He didn't explain, just shook his head.
"Don't bother with this kid right now, if you don't finish soon, this fish will be completely dead."
Bullhorse interrupted White Feather Chicken's interrogation.
After releasing her child's soul, the mermaid's life force visibly dissipated.
"I'll deal with you later."
White Feather Chicken said bitterly.
It quickly sutured the mermaid's abdominal cavity, then continuously shaved flesh and removed bones, adjusting her size to match the Mermaid Princess's.
Then, White Feather Chicken took a deep breath and gently made an incision on the Mermaid Princess's skin with the chef's knife.
The fish skin split open, and just as seawater was about to overflow, it stuffed the mermaid into the fish skin and sutured it.
This series of actions took less than a second; Liu Zheng only saw a blur before everything was completed.
"Cluck cluck cluck~"
White Feather Chicken wiped its sweat and revealed a proud smile.
This technique of "skinning and stuffing" had been passed down since the Bloody Restaurant was established, but only the original head chef and itself could perform it.
This was also an important reason for White Feather Chicken's stable position.
However, the process wasn't finished yet.
It walked over to a safe, took out a key to open it, and retrieved a piece of linen cloth.
The cloth was about two palm-lengths long and looked like it had been cut from a larger piece.
It had irregular stains and what resembled body contour imprints.
White Feather Chicken scraped off some oily substance with Gluttony, then returned it to the safe.
It returned to the mermaid and smeared the oil from Gluttony onto the mermaid's body.
Strangely, the oil seemed to be only a tiny amount, yet it appeared endless as it kept spreading.
Soon, the mermaid's body was evenly coated.
Then, all the oily substance was absorbed by the mermaid's body, and the cut wounds completely healed without leaving any scars.
Liu Zheng stared at her in a daze.
He clearly knew this was just a patchwork creation, yet it felt exactly the same as the real Mermaid Princess.
"Done, send it to the front."
After placing several lemon slices on the mermaid, White Feather Chicken commanded.
"If a boss doesn't protect his subordinates, who would recognize him as boss? Besides, this isn't entirely this kid's fault. Don't forget, he helped you vent your anger toward your subordinate."
Hearing Bullhorse's last words, White Feather Chicken's engorged comb softened slightly.
"The death penalty may be avoided, but living punishment cannot be escaped. You must give me an explanation for this matter."
It said.
"Easy, easy. As long as you don't kill him, you can deal with him however you want."
Bullhorse stepped aside with a laugh.
"Do you accept punishment?"
White Feather Chicken asked Liu Zheng.
"I took the item, I admit to that."
He replied.
"Sharp-tongued, your tongue would make excellent marinated delicacies."
White Feather Chicken snorted.
"But one thing at a time—I'll give you what I promised first. Salmon, go pour a bowl of Golden Mead."
It called out.
"Understood, meow."
Calico Cat bounced away and soon returned carrying a bowl.
The bowl was white porcelain, filled to the brim with golden amber-like liquor.
"Name: Golden Mead (Imitation)"
"Type: Item"
"Quality: Fine"
"Effect: Restores 50% of lost sanity points, increases sanity point cap by 10 points (maximum cannot exceed 100 points after increase)."
"Note: An inferior imitation without soul—it can't even take you faster than light through the universe!"
"Can be taken out of dungeon: Yes"
Liu Zheng lifted the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
The taste wasn't bad, somewhat similar to a honey-fermented drink called "kvas" that he'd tasted before.
But what felt most comfortable to Liu Zheng was the sensation as the liquor spread throughout his body.
He felt like a dirty carpet being cleaned by a high-pressure water jet.
"Comfortable?"
White Feather Chicken asked abruptly.
"Comfortable."
Liu Zheng replied instinctively.
"The comfortable time is over. Now, it's time for you to suffer."
White Feather Chicken suddenly flew up, its two claws piercing through his collarbones like iron hooks.