"Want to try a taste?"

An elderly homeless man, cooking a pot of meat soup, noticed Yun You staring at the large pot and happily picked up a big ladle from beside him, scooping up a ladle and offering it to the young girl.

"Today's soup is quite well-stewed, and there's something different in it."

"Just now, over ten people have tasted the soup and drank till they're full. It makes me happy to see it."

The old man sounded as though he was promoting his soup, no different from the merchants on the stalls.

But Yun You knew these soups were entirely free.

They were the only free item in this black market and, in a certain sense, could even be seen as a form of 'charity.'

"Gurgle~"

The soup in the ladle was still boiling hot, glistening with oil, seemingly with a few pieces of tender meat added, looking... quite appetizing.

"No need, sir, let those in need have it."

Yet Yun You smiled and declined.

[Why not take a sip, Yuneren?]

Master Zero asked with confusion.

[I think it's pretty good, there's meat and oil, nothing lacking in fats and proteins...]

"..."

Yun You didn't respond directly, just lightly shook her head. When the soup-cooking elder refocused on the large pot, she slowly began, "Let me introduce you, Master Zero. This is the most common 'delicacy' in our slum—the Closed Eye Soup."

[Closed Eye Soup? Why is it named that way...]

"Because it hopes that when you drink it, you'll close your eyes so you won't see the 'things' in the soup and feel nauseous."

"Closed Eye Soup is made by the homeless in Nest City, after gathering all sorts of bizarre ingredients and condiments, thrown together into a stew."

"In it, you might see the teeth of rats, see insects and cockroaches with barbed legs, see the mutated frogs from the sewer... see grass roots and rotten potatoes with their sprouts pinched off."

Yun You closed her eyes, reminiscing, "When I used to lack money, I also drank Closed Eye Soup, paying no mind to what's in my mouth, just chewed and swallowed whatever."

"But one time, when I was drinking the soup, my lips suddenly touched something hard, and I couldn't help but open my eyes to look..."

"Then, I saw a peace-lock pendant, to be exact, one worn on a segment of wrist bone."

"That bone was very small, the owner probably was only a few years old..."

"So afterward, I didn't drink anymore, even if hungry, unwilling to accept it psychologically."

Speaking, Yun You sighed.

"Closed Eye Soup accepts everything, quite literally. I saw with my own eyes once, a person, driven mad with hunger, falling into the soup and the one cooking it remaining indifferent, only muttering 'don't waste it,' scooping out the clothes with a ladle, then..."

"Produced a pot of extremely foul-smelling meat soup, which, in the end, got snatched away by those crazed with hunger."

"Master Zero, you've surely never seen anything like this before?"

"There's nothing glamorous here, no pomp and splendor, only filth, stench, and blood. Even if there's a bit of warmth, it's soaked in grease, appearing filthy and deranged."

"And this was my life... and the everyday life of all the lower-class slum dwellers."

For once, Master Zero didn't reply, just remained silent, unsure how to respond.

"But anyway, these uncles and aunts have good intentions."

Yun You pointed to the soup-cooking elderly, smiling, "Impoverished people can freely share all they have, while those high above wouldn't give a penny."

"So no matter what, I still feel, even if they're dirty, even if insane, they're much cuter than the ostentatious upper-class people."

"You see, even in this black market focusing solely on profit, those controlling it dare not lay hands on these people or ruin their soup..."

...

Bang—!

Just as Yun You finished speaking, she saw a gang youth covered in dust being kicked out from the crowd, stumbling and tumbling to the side of the large pot.

He reached around and, finding no handy weapon, simply gritted his teeth and lifted the pot, carelessly spilling the elder's meticulously boiled soup by the roadside, grabbing the pot and running into the crowd!

Seeing this, Yun You's face froze, only then realizing that the large crowd wasn't rushing for promissory sales but watching a fight!

The gang youth was one among them.

Along with two other equally fierce-looking gang youths, they cleared a space in the street's center, jointly beating a man surrounded by them.

This man stood about 1.85 meters tall, in his early thirties, with a robust build, sporting a head of short black Mohawk hair, features quite decent, appearing the type rather outgoing, adorned with a neon-embedded red motorcycle jacket, giving off an impressive aura.

However, judging by his somewhat awkward accent and occasional foreign phrases, he likely hailed from the Western Hemisphere.

The burly man seemed rather popular among the black market's people, with the majority cheering for his punches, some even taking up the role of commentator, explaining the moves in the fight, truly reveling in the spectacle...

The people's focus was on the conflict itself, though no one showed concern for the elder whose soup was overturned.

The latter helplessly knelt on the ground, with trembling hands stroking the pieces of meat and soup, attempting to gather them back together.

But everything was ultimately futile.

"Soup... my soup..."

The elder tenderly held the soup, yet the damned broth still slipped through his fingers, flowing down the drain and into the sewer.

Large tears emerged prominently from the eye sockets of this mentally unstable elder.

Not only was he weeping over his day's labor being wasted, but also because he could not feed those like him with a muddled fullness today...

This peculiar yet manic compassion, in the cold Nest City, nonetheless appeared so precious.

"..."

Yun You remained silent for a long time, pulled out a bag of biscuits from her pocket, and handed it to the elder.

"Try something different today, sir."

Leaving the words behind, Yun You turned her gaze to the four fighting, instinctively balling the little fist hidden in her sleeve.

She was angry, yet not because her words were contradicted, but because she thought of her similarly laborious parents.

Working hard all day, yet at the end, treated and scattered like garbage, trodden upon.

Those who casually trampled on the laborers' achievements were, to her, aside from Apprentice Death God, the ones she despised most.

"If brother doesn't hold up and ends up losing here, then let me be the one to teach that gang brute a lesson."

Watching the jacketed burly man throwing punches, Yun You silently resolved.

Meanwhile, the street-centered brawl had reached its crucial stage amidst the fervent commentary of enthusiastic observers.

"Whoa! Our brother [Jack] once again knocked down Challenger No. 1 with a heavy punch, but now No. 2 and No. 3 have drawn samurai swords! Things aren't looking good now..."

"Blood will be shed!"

"What will Brother Jack do against two long sabers and a short sword? Let's all watch closely!"

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