"Since I've visited the top floor, I might as well check out the bottom floor too."
Thinking it over, Chen Yu selected the -150th floor and entered the transport elevator.
Upon arriving at the bottom floor, Chen Yu immediately felt a different atmosphere from the other levels.
Then, he saw a vast platform without any goods on display, only various aliens.
Some of these aliens looked just like humans, while others differed slightly, and many had bizarre appearances.
Chen Yu was puzzled to see some aliens bound by light ropes, kneeling on the ground with haggard faces, displayed like merchandise.
"Could it be that the bottom floor is for trading slaves..."
Frowning slightly, Chen Yu felt an instant aversion to this place.
Having grown accustomed to a peaceful world, seeing this in the replica world was somewhat off-putting.
However, since he was already there, Chen Yu didn't mind enriching his knowledge of the cultures of these aliens, anticipating encountering more strange civilizations in his future travels.
The idea of directly freeing these slaves crossed Chen Yu's mind but was quickly dismissed.
This wasn't the real world but someone else's territory.
Since slave trading was allowed on this level, it indicated the intergalactic exchange convention permitted such transactions.
Chen Yu couldn't possibly stir up trouble by intervening.
As for buying all the slaves... that was even less feasible for Chen Yu, not wanting to play the fool.
If these traders knew, they would surely bring more slaves, knowing they could sell them all at once—who doesn't love money?
Walking through the square, Chen Yu learned that most of the slaves for sale were war prisoners from various planets or nobles implicated in their families' crimes.
Hearing this, Chen Yu thought the slave trade, while unjust, at least wasn't about forcibly capturing people from other planets, which was somewhat humane.
However, as he continued, Chen Yu noticed something off about a shop.
The slaves in this shop looked similar to Earthlings, with clothing styles very much like his own.
Though the shop's trader also looked human and wore similar clothes, Chen Yu sensed something was amiss.
Approaching the shop, the trader was startled upon seeing Chen Yu but then tried to appear calm, saying, "Customer, pick any slave you like. My slaves can live for seventy to eighty years, are hardworking, and can endure hardship."
"What's the price?"
Chen Yu closely observed the slaves, noting their mouths were sealed with tape, preventing them from speaking.
"The price is reasonable; a good quality slave is only one million five hundred thousand tokens. If you buy in bulk, I can offer an even better price," the trader quickly said upon Chen Yu's inquiry.
"Are these slaves from your planet?"
Chen Yu asked in a neutral tone.
From what Chen Yu had gathered, if the origins of the slaves were unclear or if they were captured from other species, although not explicitly prohibited, most people wouldn't purchase them.
Buying such slaves risked confrontation, as spending money could lead to a host of troubles.
"Of course! Where else would they be from?" the trader hurriedly claimed, "These slaves are nobles convicted of collective punishment crimes on our planet; their origins are completely legitimate!"
Chen Yu ignored the trader and approached one of the slaves, asking, "Where are you from?"
Hearing Chen Yu's question, the slave's eyes widened, as if clinging to a last hope, beginning to struggle.
Muffled sounds came from their sealed mouths, as if trying to communicate.
Chen Yu had spoken not in the universal interstellar language included in language capsules but in Earth's Daxia language.
Seeing the slave's excited reaction, Chen Yu realized he had guessed correctly by speaking Daxia language.
The surrounding slaves also looked at Chen Yu in surprise and started struggling frantically.
For them, kidnapped to the vast universe, this might be their only chance to return to Earth!
"Keep it down, you lot!" Seeing this, the trader shouted threateningly, then turned to Chen Yu, "Buy or leave, don't disrupt my business!"
Chen Yu ignored the trader and tore off the tape sealing the slave's mouth.
The moment the tape was removed, the slave shouted, "Please save us! Save me! We were kidnapped by this alien! Don't believe his lies!"
The person's cries were in Earth's Daxia language!
Eyes pleading, the person continuously begged for help, clearly terrified by being kidnapped by an alien and sold in the universe.
"Don't worry, I'll take you back."
Chen Yu nodded, offering the most comforting words those kidnapped from Earth had heard in a long time.
Several strong men immediately burst into tears. In such a situation, not just strong men, but even the toughest would be moved to tears.
Unaware of Chen Yu's communication with these people, the trader sensed it wasn't anything good.
Now that the truth was revealed, the trader dropped his human disguise, reverting to his original form.
Chen Yu coldly observed, discovering the trader's true form was that of a Crow Person!
"Capturing Earthlings, truly a hobby of this creature."
The thought flashed through Chen Yu's mind, though he was still puzzled.
Crow People, also known as Rebik star people, should exist in the Ultraman Tiga's dimensional universe. The appearance of a Crow Person here suggested the existence of Rebik star in this universe as well.
Regardless, Chen Yu was determined to rescue these Earthlings.
Pulling out a laser sword from his storage space, Chen Yu activated it and cut through the light ropes binding the man, freeing him.
The Crow Person, furious, charged at Chen Yu.
Chen Yu, unfazed, employed the Snake Heart Sword Technique he had been learning, slashing at the Crow Person.
The Crow Person spewed beams of light from its mouth, which Chen Yu precisely sliced through with his laser sword.
Explosions sounded, startling the many aliens on the bottom floor.