Chapter 4: Other Races Channel
Lan Chi sat on the threshold, his gaze fixed on the newly completed transaction information.
[Transaction Complete: Obtained Stone x10]
The buyer's name was simple and unadorned: [Orc A'Dai].
After a moment's thought, Lan Chi sent a private message: "Hey buddy, I'm the one who sold the meat earlier. Just wanted to ask—can this meat be eaten? I've never seen this kind of creature back where I'm from."
"You can eat it," came the quick reply. "If you're not sure, just scan it with your light screen to look up the info."
Lan Chi was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected the other person's system to come with a built-in scanning function. It seemed his own "defective product" was indeed missing quite a bit of crucial information.
"...Thanks," Lan Chi replied. The other person didn't respond further.
Lan Chi turned his attention back to the trading channel. Dense rows of orders scrolled across the interface, and he quickly noticed a pattern: most sellers here didn't hide their identities. Their names typically followed the format of "Name" plus "Race" or "Religious Faction," with anonymous listings appearing only occasionally.
[Elf Ash - Selling Moonlight Berries, exchange for Stone Materials]
[Dali, Follower of the Blood Filth - Buying Live Prey, price negotiable]
[Gror, of the Stonehide Clan - Providing Shelter Reinforcement Services, payment required in Phosphor Crystals]
Flipping through three full pages, Lan Chi didn't see a single "Human," nor did he see the system-marked "Aberration."
"Not a single one?" he murmured to himself, a strange chill rising in his heart.
Just as he was pondering this, the one-meter-tall axe monster dragged another bundle of freshly cut wood over to the door, clumsily piling the logs in front of Lan Chi.
[Current Resources: Wood 50/200, Stone 10/50]
Lan Chi counted them, set aside ten units of wood, and listed them on the trading channel at the average price he'd seen while browsing: "Ten Wood for Two Phosphor Crystals."
Less than five seconds after posting the order, the panel indicated a successful sale. The buyer information showed: [Dwarf Barron Ironhelm].
Almost simultaneously with the transaction, a private message popped up: "Hey buddy, got any more wood? I'll take it all."
Lan Chi raised an eyebrow. This dwarf seemed like a big spender who didn't worry about money. He replied, "I do have another batch here, about twenty units. I'll list them for you right now."
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"List them! I want them now!" Barron Ironhelm's message came back rapidly. "I'm seriously short on building materials here. Damn those elves, guarding the forest like it's their own lifeblood. If anyone dares touch a tree, they'll fight to the death."
As he operated the listing, Lan Chi used the opening to tentatively type out a line: "Hey there, let me ask you something... Are there any humans in this Trial Ground?"
The chat window fell silent.
Then, the other party sent a string of laughing emojis: "Hahahahaha, buddy, are you kidding me? How could there possibly be humans in the Trial Ground? Trial slots are so precious, what fool would bring such a weak, inferior race in here to die?"
Lan Chi's fingers froze in mid-air, his heartbeat quickening.
"I was just curious..." he managed to reply.
"Ah, got it, got it. The noble lords you serve are asking, right?" Barron's tone suddenly became knowing. "Those guys want their comforts no matter where they go. Are they looking for some human servants to show off? Let me tell you, finding a normal human these days isn't easy. The last auction I attended, they were selling ones bred by the Blood Filth cult, and the price was sky-high..."
"It's not me, I don't..." Lan Chi's eye twitched as he quickly interrupted. "Really, just curious."
Barron sent an "I understand" emoji, then abruptly changed the subject: "Oh yeah, buddy, we've been chatting for a while, but I still don't know what race you are? Which area is your team in? Being able to supply wood steadily, your strength must be pretty decent, right? Let's cooperate more in the future. If I get a chance, maybe I'll come over for a visit?"
A visit?
Lan Chi's spine instantly stiffened. He could feel the other person trying to probe his background through the screen—race, location, team size, all potentially fatal information.
"Let's talk about visiting some other time. Something's come up on my end, gotta go." Lan Chi quickly ended the conversation and decisively closed the private message window.
He sat quietly on the threshold, the previous dialogue replaying in his mind: "weak, inferior race," "auction," "precious slots." These words weighed on him like heavy stones, making it hard to breathe.
He wasn't just alone in this world; he was an undocumented "stowaway" who couldn't afford to be seen.
Lan Chi's gaze fell back on the faintly shimmering icon. It was the World Channel indicator. The last time he'd clicked on it, it was filled with distorted, writhing lines, completely incomprehensible.
But now, the icon pulsed with unusual intensity.
With a thought, Lan Chi opened it.
The previously chaotic symbols had reorganized themselves into characters he could read:
"Elf Clara: You scum of the Blood Filth! I [expletive] your ancestors! Daring to ambush our camp—are you tired of living?!"
"Orc Max: Ooh ooh ooh! Fight! Fight! Grab some popcorn and watch the show!"
"Flower Fairy Lily: Tsk, having the Blood Filth cult as neighbors is the worst luck. Those things are a nest of maggots, crawling wherever it's clean."
"Rotten Heart Follower: The Divine teaches us to be loving. I believe our brothers and sisters of the Blood Filth meant no offense. They merely... wished to pay you all a visit. You are overreacting."
"Elf Clara: I'll visit your [expletive]! You mutated short-lifers, if it weren't for latching onto the big cults' coattails, you wouldn't even dream of touching the edge of the Trial Ground! Want to start an early faction war? Bring it on! Since when were the Elves afraid of anyone?!"
"Light Follower - Saint Vanze of the Light Tribe: Evil shall ultimately be purified. Elven friends, if you require aid in punishing the wicked, the Light Tribe is willing to stand with you."
"Elf Clara: Get lost! I'd rather die than join forces with you lowly creatures! Blood Filth cult, just wait. This isn't over!"
Lan Chi stared dumbfounded at this exchange, thick with hostility, momentarily forgetting to breathe.
Faction war, ambush, camps, cults, racial discrimination... What kind of Trial Ground was this? It was clearly a miniature battlefield of factions tearing into each other.
And here he was, utterly alone, burdened with the identity of an "Aberration" whose race he couldn't even reveal, not even qualified to be a spectator in this place.
Lan Chi closed the World Channel. The amount of information was overwhelming; he needed to process it.
Each piece of information felt like a cold nail, hammering his remaining shreds of hope into the ground of reality. What was he? A mistake? A glitch? Or some kind of anomaly that shouldn't exist?
"Seems..." Lan Chi murmured to himself, "I can only rely on myself."
The noise, the hatred, the conspiracies in that channel—did any of it have anything to do with him? He just wanted to survive.
