Suddenly, a new user named BenjiYates posted:
BenjiYates:
"Haha, those people from the Celestial Empire really messed up this time. They got themselves into this mess."
Someone called GunnStokes added:
GunnStokes:
"That's right. The Celestial Empire is ridiculous. It looks like only our Highland Nation and the Round Ball Nation will make it to the end."
Logan read the arguments, his eyes narrowed. He wasn't particularly concerned about who was blaming whom. Instead, he took out the blueprint for a thatched hut and tapped the "build" option. A system prompt appeared in front of him:
[Thatched House Building Requirements]
[Grass: 129 / 300]
[Stone: 0 / 32]
[Planks: 0 / 12]
He sighed when he realized how many materials he still needed. Determined, Logan typed a new message on the district channel:
DemonSlayer:
"I got lucky today. Found a treasure chest and also salvaged some odd creature's corpse. Ended up with a big pile of meat—though it tastes pretty awful. If anyone's willing to trade, send me a private message. However, I'm not dealing with people from the Celestial Empire. Everyone else is welcome.
"I need stones, planks, and Azure Essence Beads. If you're from the Celestial Empire, please don't bother me."
This single post caused an immediate stir in the chat window. Several messages flooded in:
GunnStokes:
"Haha, just as I thought—our Highland Nation has the real lucky boss of this district on our side!"
HughShang:
"Come on! Why does the lucky boss have to be on your side? Isn't there anyone from the Celestial Empire here who can turn this situation around?"
Luck99_9:
"I'm sure our top contenders from the Celestial Empire must be in a different district. Don't you see how many people from the Celestial Empire are begging for supplies here?"
AngryOutburst:
"DemonSlayer, you trash! You dare insult our Celestial Empire while using the name of our gods? If I ever find you, I'll break your third leg!"
Logan couldn't help smirking. "They're shouting all kinds of insults at me, but they'll regret it if they come begging later," he muttered to himself.
Moments later, friend requests from GunnStokes and others appeared in his interface. He accepted them all, then sent a bulk message detailing his trading terms:
"I have unknown meat, technically edible (although the taste is horrible). My prices are listed below:
[Plank = 100g Meat]
[Stone = 100g Meat]
[Floating Stone = 1500g Meat]
[Straw = 30g Meat]
[Azure Essence Bead = 500g Meat]
[Refined Iron = 150g Meat]
[One Blueprint = 5 Pounds of Meat]
First come, first served. Important rule: you put your items up for sale first, and then I'll buy them. I only have 300 pounds of this meat, so once it's gone, that's it. Trust me, it doesn't taste good."
Logan watched as many survivors hurried to list their supplies. Some were uncertain, but most didn't see any better option. After all, food was scarce. He had called it "unknown meat," implying it might be dangerous, but people were desperate.
His eyes gleamed with satisfaction."No laws here," he thought, tapping away at the trading interface. "I can deceive them if I want. I am Logan Lane—'The Sixth,' the sixth child raised in my old orphanage, where we fought over scraps to survive. If trickery keeps me alive in this place, I'll do it."
He tapped away at the trading system, finalizing trade after trade. Eventually, he managed to exchange all 213 pounds of Fangtooth Fish meat. The system classified it as edible but only for those with a B-grade constitution or higher. Most of these buyers likely didn't meet that standard.
By the time the first group of victims realized they had been duped, they had no remaining daily messages to warn everyone else. While they sat there furious, Logan completed his final trades and then deleted every single "friend" from his list.
Soon enough, angry messages appeared on the district channel:
GunnStokes:
"DemonSlayer, you swindler! You tricked us in the Round Ball Nation out of all our Floating Stones, Refined Iron, and Wood. Give them back or I'll hunt you down!"
GoofyRut:
"Haha, looks like you guys got scammed. You were gloating before, but now you're all crying!"
GarryWood:
"I can't believe I gave away my planks for what I thought was just foul-tasting meat. Didn't realize it was basically useless. I blame my own greed!"
One message that popped up was a bit different: