Entering the room, Chu Tian briefly inspected its decor. The room, with its white walls, a bed, a wardrobe, and a holographic projection TV, was quite luxurious compared to the hotels of his previous world. Though just a standard hotel room, it was a vast improvement over living in a cave or tenting outdoors.
After taking a hot shower and changing into clean clothes, Chu Tian stepped out of his room and noticed a woman cleaning the hallway. She wore thick black-framed glasses and had white wings on her back – the Snowy Owl sister Xiao Bai that Mengmeng had mentioned. Not a common beast species, Chu Tian didn't delve deeper as his system only detected talents and brief information for beings below S-level.
Chu Tian stepped aside to let Xiao Bai pass without making much fuss. In the elevator, he sensed the layout of the hotel: the first floor was the lobby, the second and third floors were the dining area, and floors four through eight were guest rooms.
In the elevator, Chu Tian encountered Mengmeng carrying large suitcases and a man enveloped in a heavy black robe, revealing only his black-scaled hands and emanating a cold aura. Chu Tian noticed that many of the hotel's guests were not human, and some even looked at him with hostility, suggesting that this hotel didn't typically accommodate human talent warriors.
The innkeeper, noticing Chu Tian's unease, reassured him that the Ghost Market was a neutral zone and no harm would come to him there. She explained that most of the hotel's guests were beasts, mainly because they harbored animosity towards humans, and vice versa. However, the city's lord's wife was a beast herself, though her exact species was unknown. The innkeeper, Snow Ji, also offered Chu Tian a long-term stay to attract human guests.
Chu Tian, flustered by Snow Ji's proximity and fragrance, quickly agreed to consider her offer. He returned to the hotel lobby to ask Snow Ji about places to sell materials, specifically seeking a human-run store. Snow Ji recommended Ah Yin's Material Store near the Ghost Market Trading Post.
During the conversation, Snow Ji inquired if Chu Tian had any beast cores to sell. He produced seven, including one from the S-level Octopus Shark. Snow Ji offered a fair price, which Chu Tian accepted, leaving the B+ level cores as a gift.
As they talked, Snow Ji revealed her knowledge of the Ghost Market and its residents. She mentioned rumors of extraterrestrial beings appearing in various beast territories, supposedly aiding the beasts in gaining complete control over Earth. These aliens had also visited the Ghost Market but were turned away by the neutral stance of the city's lord and his wife.
This information led Chu Tian to think of the Insectoids near Mars, indicating they were starting to infiltrate Earth. The conversation with Snow Ji provided valuable insights into the dynamics of the Ghost Market and the larger situation involving extraterrestrial beings.