Alright, he is yours now," the old man said as he counted the coins placed in his hand.
The hooded man let out a mocking laugh, grabbed a child by the arm, and threw him onto a wagon along with a group of other children who were crying with muffled sobs. He glanced at them coldly and said,
"We leave in one hour."
Then_
Everything blurred.
I was transported to another world, and on my very first day, I was sold.
Su Chi looked at the group of crying children and scratched his head helplessly.
What should I do now? A system?
"System? Are you here?" Su Chi whispered softly, but there was no response.
His face turned pale.
Stay calm, Su Chi. It's true that there is no system… but there's also a chance that you possess a terrifying talent, right?
He tried to comfort himself.
Suddenly, Su Chi felt an intense itching in his eye. It grew stronger and stronger until tears flowed out uncontrollably. He rubbed it rapidly, and his eye turned blood-red.
The children stared at him in confusion.
A six-year-old girl approached him timidly and asked in a frightened voice,
"Are you okay?"
Su Chi looked at her—and froze.
He saw five white threads extending from her body.
When he focused harder, he saw visions: in one thread, the same little girl was killed by a strange person; in another, she died from illness.
A wave of dizziness struck Su Chi, and his consciousness faded.
"Wake up!" the hooded man shouted as he opened the wagon door. "We've arrived. Get out quickly!"
Su Chi woke up with a pounding headache.
What happened? he thought. I remember rubbing my eye… and seeing threads coming out of a girl.
Is this some kind of divination-related ability?
At least I have something—even if it's weak.
He then saw many wagons, different from the one he had arrived in. The children were lined up, and he followed suit.
After waiting for a full hour, a fat man who looked like a bear arrived, smiling broadly and clapping his hands.
"Welcome, children! Half of you here were bought as slaves, and the other half chose to come willingly. But you are all here for the same reason."
Su Chi listened and thought to himself,
So this body belonged to a slave… Why don't I remember anything from before? It's like an empty shell.
The fat man continued enthusiastically,
"Every ten years, the martial sects recruit disciples across the Shin Empire. But this is difficult—especially for those sects that choose isolation and do not search for talents themselves. And that's where we come in. We are human traders."
He spoke with excitement, despite the nature of his work.
"Although our work faces criticism from all walks of life in the Shin Empire, we are merchants. Who cares about the opinions of ignorant people? We supply the empire and the sects with strong young people like you."
Su Chi listened quietly, his thoughts racing.
The Shin Empire? Martial sects? Human traders?
This was truly a strange world.
He frowned.
But how will they determine who is trash and who is talented among so many people?
The fat man continued,
"My name is Yong Bon. You may call me Master Bon."
A well-dressed youth with sharp eyes raised his hand.
"Master Bon, when will the sects come to choose people?"
"Tomorrow," Master Bon replied. "Prepare yourselves as best as you can."
Some children raised their hands to ask questions, but Master Bon ignored them.
"For now, dinner will be distributed. You must be hungry."
He then turned and entered his tent.
Hooded men arrived, set up food stations, and lined the children up. Each child received a bowl of porridge.
Su Chi took his portion and went to sit beside a tree.