Chapter 1406: Chapter 1244: The Smoker and Ring Time Mountain
Capital, Old City, Bridge Street, Happiness Apartments, rooftop terrace.
"Moo moo moo! (Hiss! This stuff is impressive! Smoking it is really something else!)"
"Of course it is!"
Watching the old yellow bull’s eyes light up after taking a puff of "Gotth" cigarettes, the black goat person, standing on two legs, smiled proudly. With its hoof, it held a rolled paper to its mouth, lit it with a flick of a lighter’s wheel, and hummed with a smirk:
"Don’t let the cheap leaves and bits fool you. This stuff is top-notch, made from the scraps of the best tobacco, no artificial flavoring or harsh leaves. It might be strong for humans, but for us, it’s just right... Here, take it, it’s yours!"
After handing over the remaining half-pack of "Gotth," the black goat moved its hind legs to the edge of the terrace, raised its hooves against the rusty railing, and looked down at the busy Bridge Street below, nostalgically saying:
"Truth is, it’s not that this cigarette is particularly great. With our status, what good cigarette can’t we get?
As soon as I open my mouth, there are people lining up to bring me cigarettes ten times better than this. So the reason I still stick to this brand is mostly for nostalgia... After all, it was because of this stuff that I met that kid Leon."
After exhaling a heavy tar-filled smoke ring, the black goat, standing by the terrace railing, smoking with an air of dignity, reminisced with a sigh:
"Back then, after being betrayed and ending up in the real world, I was caught by that red-haired woman from the Virgin District and placed on her desk as a decoration... Guarding other unusual items, that kid Leon was just a rookie, didn’t even know what unusual items were, running around at night for help.
I found him likable, didn’t want to see him in such a panic, so I accepted his weekly offering of a pack of cigarettes, generously helping him out. Later, I saved him multiple times from desperate situations, which is how today’s Food God, famous across Old Soil, came to be...
Sigh, I normally don’t like telling people this, it’s quite boring, but since we get along well, you... uh... don’t spread this around, okay? Especially not to that kid Leon. I’m afraid if he hears it, he’ll feel guilty and insist on making me the Great Demon God or something, and I don’t like that."
"Moo (Oh)"
Looking at the black goat standing alone by the terrace edge against the world, smoking alone with an imposing air that reached the heavens before the smoke did, the old yellow bull blinked, its purple-red tongue flicked out, prodding the places on the black goat where it could hide something, but found nothing. Then, out of curiosity, he asked:
"Moo moo moo? (With such a strong smell of smoke on you, you must have more, right? Where did you hide the rest of the cigarettes?)"
"..."
Really... is this the time to be asking about cigarettes?
Seeing the old yellow bull not bowing in reverence and calling him boss after his story, but rather focusing on finding more cigarettes, the black goat’s face darkened, a sense of helplessness towards a bull... smoking swept over him.
As Leon’s first unusual item, protecting the timid Food God, trampling through The Twelve Kingdoms, descending into the abyss then ascending to heaven, making the gods of Source God Platform tremble with fear, all while being the only livestock of the Ryan Family, the black goat’s position as the chief livestock was always secure.
But alas, that kid Leon was ungrateful. After leaving me in the real world, he went to Old Soil through a dream, and when he came back, he was unfaithful, bringing back a chicken and a cow from who knows where. It was a bit unappreciative.
If it were just that silly old hen, it wouldn’t matter much. It only deserved to be in Anna’s kitchen, a patsy bound to end up in the pot if anyone in the Ryan Family had a cold or fever. It was no threat.
But this old yellow bull was different. It not only worked hard, carried Leon in and out of Old Soil seven times, so it had the privilege to be raised on the Happiness Apartments’ rooftop just like me. It even shared the same hobby as me, both veteran smokers raised by Leon himself... How could this be?
"Cough cough cough... Ptooey!"
After a vigorous clearing of the throat, spitting out a glob of old smoke phlegm rather ungracefully off the terrace, the black goat, now feeling his position as chief livestock challenged, turned back, looking displeased:
"Is this really the time for that? I was talking to you... What the heck is that thing?!"
"Moo? (What?)"
"I mean the thing in your mouth!"
Seeing the old yellow bull with a massive cigarette as thick as a baby’s fist, puffing out clouds of smoke on the terrace, the black goat inhaled sharply, hastily asking:
"What kind of cigarette is that thick? Where did you get this thing?!"
"Moo moo (Using that half-pack of yours as a template, I mixed in some dream realm essence to roll it)"
Dream realm essence... Dream realm essence? Damn! There’s something this high-level!!!
Looking at the magnificent dreamy colors glazing the cigarette in the old yellow bull’s mouth, each puff seemed to alternate countless dream realms. The black goat was stunned, stammering incoherently:
"You... you this... you this..."
"Moo? (Do you also want one?)"
"..."
Though taking the next cigarette might undermine my status as the Ryan Family’s chief livestock, it’s offering it so eagerly, clearly intimidated into becoming a subordinate. As the big brother, smoking a cigarette from a little brother isn’t losing face; it’s giving face!
