That man finally picked up his severed hand and fled in panic.
Chloe watched his fleeing back with interest for a moment, but quickly lost interest and turned her gaze away.
Meanwhile, some people nearby cast furtive glances at them, but it didn't take long for Chloe to notice.
She bared her fangs at these powerless novices and threatened, "What are you looking at? Be careful or I'll pull out your teeth!"
The scene of the young one cleanly severing the man's hand with a single slash was still vivid in their minds. These denizens of the Barren Planet vaguely understood that this group of younglings was not to be trifled with, and quickly averted their gazes, keeping their distance.
Seeing this, Chloe sheathed her large blade and muttered, "Such cowards."
Qin Huaibei glanced at the terminal and asked, "Where to next?"
The younglings looked at each other but remained silent.
None of them knew much about the Barren Planet, and what was there worth seeing in this hellish place?
Daniel squatted on the ground, bored like a monkey. "If we really don't know, we might as well go to the garbage dump. I think the stench there is quite distinctive. Maybe that's the local customs and culture that the instructor wanted us to experience?"
Everyone: "..."
Chloe turned and walked away, saying, "You can go sleep in the garbage dump yourself."
"Yeah, don't bring us along," Qin Huaibei cursed as he walked. "We're not as simple-minded as you."
Daniel scratched the back of his head dejectedly. "Then where should we go?"
Silence fell again.
At that moment, Anderson, who had been engrossed in the terminal, spoke up.
"There's a black market ahead."
As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone looked over.
Daniel excitedly leaped up from the floor. "What black market? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Anderson lowered his gaze, his slender fingers manipulating the light screen projected from the terminal as he spoke softly, "The signal on the Barren Planet is poor. It took me a while to load the navigation map, and the route has only just shown up."
He raised his head. "The black market on the Barren Planet has no rules. You can find anything there, far more dangerous than the auction houses. Shall we go?"
"Let's go, let's go! How can we not go?"
Everyone agreed without hesitation and followed Anderson towards the black market.
The black market wasn't too far away. The younglings hadn't walked for long when they saw a conspicuous alleyway ahead.
Why conspicuous? Because a signboard was deliberately hung outside the alley, with the words "Black Market" written in large, bold letters.
Daniel exclaimed, "Truly befitting of the simple folks of the Barren Planet."
Chloe nodded. "They don't seem to bother hiding anything."
After marveling for a moment, the group strode towards the alley.
Surprisingly, although most areas of the Barren Planet were chaotic, with murder and arson happening openly, the black market had its own set of rules.
When these younglings appeared at the alley entrance, the workers selling cloaks and masks there were stunned for a moment. After a brief hesitation, they allowed them to enter.
Before Chloe and the others went in, the workers stopped them and waved the masks in their hands, indicating that the younglings should put them on.
After seeing what the masks looked like, Chloe was reluctant. "This mask is so ugly. I don't want to wear it."
Hearing this, the worker shook his head disapprovingly at Chloe and forcefully stuffed the mask into her arms.
Chloe looked down and saw that it was an incredibly ugly pig mask.
"..."
She scowled and put on the pig mask, feeling the protruding tusks with her hand.
The younglings each took a mask from the workers. Chloe turned her head and looked at Anderson beside her through the holes in her mask.
Chloe: "?"
She protested, "Why is your mask better-looking than mine?"
Anderson was wearing a fox mask, with an antique and elegant appearance.
He lowered his head slightly, pondering. "I can exchange with the young lady."
After considering for a moment, Chloe shook her head. "Never mind, I don't need it."
At least with this mask on herself, she didn't have to look at its ugliness directly. If Anderson wore it, she would have to lay eyes on it every time she looked up.
That would definitely be an eyesore.
Chloe was determined not to subject her eyes to such torture!
In the group of five younglings, only Chloe's mask was particularly ugly and unsightly.
What's more, she walked at the very front, looking exceptionally arrogant and conspicuous.
Most importantly, these younglings were all so short, like a row of little radishes.
The black market was usually noisy, but even so, when people saw these little radishes constantly scurrying about, they couldn't help but turn their gazes towards them.
How adorable.
Not far away, a pot-bellied middle-aged man eyed the younglings greedily, with similar thoughts.
He was excessively obese, with sparse hair on his bald head, looking utterly pitiful.
The balding man said to the man beside him, "How did such little brats end up in the black market? They look so tender and delicate. Even if they're not sent to the slaughterhouse, they'd make fine pets raised in the manor of that prominent figure."
Drool almost dripped from his mouth as his green eyes followed the younglings, yearning to take a step forward.
"I advise you to dismiss that thought."
The balding man paused and turned, asking unwillingly, "Why?"
Standing beside him was a tall, thin figure wrapped entirely in a black cloak, with a deep voice.
"There's been some commotion lately at the arena of that prominent figure you mentioned."
The balding man didn't understand. "What does the arena have to do with these little brats in the black market?"
The thin figure bent down slightly. "In the arena, a few underage younglings killed the tigers one by one with steel spears, splattering their brains out. You know why?"
As the words fell, cold sweat broke out on the balding man's back.
"You mean those younglings are the ones up ahead..."
The thin figure didn't respond, only letting out a mocking, short breath.
After a long silence, he said slowly, "If you want to die, I won't stop you."
With that, he turned and walked in another direction.
The balding man couldn't help but glance at the group of younglings, but eventually left as well.
Forget it. Younglings who could survive the arena were no ordinary kids. It was better to leave this place.
On the other side, Chloe leisurely retracted her perception.
— Still knows how to be sensible.
She held a bottle of translucent White Parrot Potion, carefully examining it.
The potion looked beautiful, with a lovely pinkish color and dainty bottle — it didn't seem like a potion at all, but rather an elegant perfume.
The hooded vendor, their face obscured, said:
"White Parrot Potion, prolongs life and nourishes the body. A hundred benefits and not a single harm. Would you care to try it, dear customer?"
