Carin watched until Brannon's silhouette disappeared behind the stone hut. Only then did she let out a slow, silent breath. She turned back to the cart, sliding the shovel under the last pile of dung and heaving it onto the pile.

She gripped the handles of the heavy wooden cart. The wheels were rough-hewn, and they groaned in protest as she pushed them through the rutted mud. It took all her strength to keep the cart moving, the muscles in her arms burning with the effort.

She took the long way around, avoiding the main thoroughfare, but she couldn't avoid the central square. The path to the refuse pit ran right along its edge.

As she pushed the cart past the square, she was forced to stop. A crowd had gathered, blocking the way. In the center, Marsh Fletcher was down on one knee, his arms spread wide in a theatrical display. He was blocking Diann Fitzgerald's path.

"Beautiful Diann," Marsh declared, his voice dripping with honeyed flattery. He reached into his leather pouch and pulled out a low-grade energy crystal. It pulsed with a faint, sickly light. "I offer you this token of my admiration. Please, grant me the honor of being your first partner at the autumn ceremony."

Diann looked down at him, her nose wrinkled in distaste. She plucked the crystal from his hand with two fingers, holding it up to the twin suns as if inspecting a piece of rotten fruit.

"You call this an offering?" she sneered, but she still slipped the crystal into her pouch. "Fine. You may join the line of candidates. But don't think for a second this buys you anything."

Marsh scrambled to his feet, leaning in to kiss the back of her hand. Diann slapped him away with a look of pure disgust, wiping her hand on her pelt.

Carin stood behind the cart, watching the exchange. A wave of nausea rolled through her, and it had nothing to do with the smell of the dung. This was a transaction, a raw display of power and submission disguised as romance. It was barbaric.

Diann turned, her sharp eyes catching sight of Carin and the cart. Her lip curled. "Ugh! Take that filth away! You're polluting the air!"

Two guards stepped forward without hesitation. They swung the wooden shafts of their spears, the heavy wood cracking against Carin's back.

"Move!" one of them barked.

The blow sent a jolt of pain through Carin's already injured ribs. She bit her lip until it bled, swallowing the cry that tried to escape. She ducked her head and pushed the cart forward as fast as her legs could carry her, desperate to get away from the mocking laughter that followed her.

By the time she reached the refuse pit, her back was on fire and her lungs were burning. She dumped the cart's contents into the pit, the foul smell washing over her, and then slumped against a large, moss-covered boulder at the edge. She was gasping for air, her body trembling with exhaustion.

She checked her surroundings. The pit was at the very edge of the clan's territory, far from the bustling market and the prying eyes of the guards. She was alone.

Carin walked over to a small, stagnant puddle fed by a trickle of water from the rocks. She knelt beside it, looking down at her reflection. The mud caked on her face made her look like a monster, a creature born of the swamp.

She dipped one finger into the water and carefully rubbed a small patch of skin on her jaw. The mud smeared away, revealing a patch of skin that was startlingly white and smooth, completely unblemished by the harsh sun or the rough environment.

She stared at the patch of pale skin for a moment, a reminder of who she really was. Then, without hesitation, she grabbed a fresh handful of dark mud from the bank and smeared it back over the spot. She rubbed it in until her skin was once again indistinguishable from the dirt.

Suddenly, a sharp, electric pain lanced through her brain. Carin gasped, clutching her head as she doubled over. It felt like a needle was being driven straight through her skull.

Initiating unknown system reboot.

A cold, mechanical female voice echoed in her mind. Carin's eyes flew open. Floating in her vision, superimposed over the muddy puddle, was a semi-transparent blue holographic panel.

She blinked rapidly, thinking she was hallucinating. She slapped her own cheek, the sting sharp and real. The panel didn't disappear. Instead, a progress bar appeared on it, the bar filling up with a soft chime.

System binding complete. Host vitals stable.

Carin stared at the panel, her heart hammering against her fractured ribs. She took a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm the panic. She stared at the panel, noticing an eye-like icon blinking. She tried to concentrate, thinking the word 'scan' in her mind, but the icon remained unresponsive. Frowning, she adjusted her approach. She imagined her physical finger reaching out and pressing against it. This time, the panel vibrated slightly in her vision, and the icon lit up.

Her gaze fell on a spiky, purple weed growing near the puddle. The panel flickered, and a stream of data scrolled across the screen.

Unknown alien plant detected. No nutritional value. Trace toxicity. Codex entry failed.

Carin's pulse raced. Could this really not be a hallucination? The neural link... she’d felt it go cold and dead the moment her escape pod slammed into the dirt. She’d been certain the internal datapad was fried beyond repair, a piece of dead tech buried in her skull. Was it actually working? Perhaps, just perhaps, this was her last lifeline.

She quickly willed the panel to close. The blue light vanished from her vision. She stood up, brushing the dirt from her knees. Her hands were steady now, and her eyes held a sharp, calculating light that hadn't been there before.

In the distance, the sharp blast of a bone whistle cut through the air. It was the signal for the laborers to return to the communal dormitory.

Carin grabbed the handles of the empty cart. She straightened her spine, ignoring the protest from her ribs, and began the walk back. She had a weapon now. She had a chance.

Carin slipped out of the dormitory before dawn. She moved like a shadow, her breath shallow to keep her fractured ribs from grating. Stepping carefully over the snoring bodies of the other laborers until she reached the door. The air outside was cold and damp, the mist thick enough to hide her movements.

She reached under her thin sleeping mat and pulled out a small, hard piece of dried root she had saved from her meager rations the day before. It wasn't much, but it was all she had to trade. She tucked it into her pocket and headed for the market.

The market was already chaotic. The sounds of shouting vendors and roaring beasts filled the air. Stalls made of animal skins and rough wood lined the paths, displaying slabs of meat, bones, and strange trinkets. The ground was a mess of mud and offal.

She pulled her hood low, keeping her head down as she navigated through the crowd. She was careful to avoid the larger males, their massive frames taking up most of the path. As she carefully edged past a butcher's stall, the jostling of the crowd sending sharp stabs of pain through her side, she overheard two merchants arguing loudly. "You expect me to pay full price for this?" one yelled, slamming a slab of meat down. "The beast struggled too much before it died! Its core almost detonated. The meat is halfway carbonized, it tastes like ash!" The other merchant grumbled but lowered the price. She stopped at a stall selling strange, purple-red fruits.

She focused her mind, activating the system scan. The blue panel flickered in her vision.

Highly toxic. No economic value.

She moved on. She stopped at another stall, this one run by a Cetacean merchant. His skin had a faint blue tint, and he smelled of salt and fish. The stall was piled with dried seafood and strange, shells.

The merchant looked up as Carin approached. His nose wrinkled in disgust at the sight of her mud-caked clothes and hooded face. "Get lost, trash," he snapped, waving a hand at her. "You can't afford anything here."

Carin didn't argue. She turned to leave, but her eyes caught something in the corner of the stall. A torn, dirty burlap sack was wedged under a table. A few shriveled, yellow grains had spilled from a hole in the sack, scattered in the dirt.

Carin's heart skipped a beat. She activated the scan again, her eyes locked on the grains.

Earth equivalent species detected: Primitive gene sequence of [Corn]. Match rate: 98%.

She forced her face to remain blank, suppressing the surge of excitement that threatened to break through. She pointed a dirty finger at the sack, her voice a rough, disinterested croak.

"How much for that bag of moldy bird feed?"

The merchant laughed, a harsh, barking sound. "Bird feed? You mean those hard-shelled nuts from the far north? They're worthless. You can't even crack them open with a rock."

He looked at the dried root in Carin's hand. "I'll take that root. You can have the garbage." He snatched the root from her and kicked the burlap sack toward her with his foot. "Now get out of my sight."

Carin didn't hesitate. She sank to her knees with a muffled gasp, and scooped up the sack, careful not to let it press too hard against her injured chest. She even scrabbled in the dirt to retrieve the few grains that had spilled out. A group of females buying meat nearby saw her and burst into laughter.

"Look at the crazy girl," one of them jeered. "She's eating rocks now!"

Carin ignored them. She tucked the sack under her arm and pushed her way out of the crowd. She didn't stop until she found a narrow, dark alley between two stone buildings. She ducked into the shadows, pressing her back against the cool stone.

She waited until the sounds of the market faded slightly before she opened the sack. She thrust her hand inside, her fingers brushing against the dry, rough texture of the corn kernels.

A crisp, clear chime sounded in her mind.

Successfully unlocked staple food codex: [Corn].

The holographic panel exploded with golden fireworks. A notification popped up, the text glowing brightly.

First entry reward received: 100 Energy Crystals.

Another window appeared immediately after.

Novice development material received: [Tier 1 Portable Farm Blueprint].

Carin stared at the virtual rewards, her eyes stinging. She bit her lip hard, fighting the urge to scream with joy. She quickly navigated to the extraction command.

A small handful of crystals materialized in her palm. They were rough and unpolished, but they glowed with a warm, pure white light. She could feel the energy radiating from them, a hum of power against her skin. In this world, these were wealth. These were life.

She shoved the crystals deep into her inner pocket, pressing them against her skin where they wouldn't be seen. The glow was too conspicuous; she couldn't risk anyone seeing it.

Heavy footsteps echoed at the mouth of the alley. A patrol squad was marching past, their armored boots thudding on the stone.

Carin instantly closed the system panel. She hoisted the burlap sack cautiously over her uninjured shoulder, letting it hang like a piece of discarded padding. The weight pulled at her torso, making her vision swim for a second. She hunched her shoulders, lowered her head, and walked out of the alley.

A squad of leopard warriors marched toward her. Carin pressed herself flat against the wall, giving them plenty of room. But as she watched them pass, the fear in her eyes was gone, replaced by a quiet, unshakeable confidence that burned brighter than the persistent ache in her side.

Carin made it back to the dormitory without incident. The large, damp room was empty, the other laborers already out for their morning assignments. The air was thick with the smell of moldy straw and stale sweat.

She walked to her corner, the most isolated spot in the room, and carefully hid the burlap sack deep under her pile of straw. She sat down on the thin mat, her back against the cold stone wall.

She took a deep breath and gave the mental command, using the temporary name she had given it. "Open datapad panel."

The blue holographic screen expanded in her vision. The interface was more detailed now, with several new modules lit up. She tapped the glowing icon for the [Portable Farm Blueprint].

A detailed description scrolled across the screen.

This blueprint can bind to any 2x2 meter plot of land, transforming it into climate-independent, constant-temperature black soil.

Carin's eyes widened. Constant-temperature black soil. That meant she could grow food even in the deadly winter that was coming. She wouldn't have to rely on the clan's scraps.

But below the description, a red warning flashed.

Deployment requires 95 Energy Crystals as an initial power source.

She touched the crystals hidden in her inner pocket. It was a steep price, almost everything she had, but it was an investment she had to make. She tapped the "Confirm Activation Prep" button.

The blueprint dissolved into a beam of light that only she could see, shrinking into a virtual scroll that hovered in the top right corner of her interface, ready to be deployed.

Next, she turned her attention to the [Data Point Store] icon in the center of the screen. She tapped it, and a waterfall of merchandise cascaded down the screen. Her eyes scanned the list: "High-Yield Soybean Seeds," "Cold-Resistant Wheat Gene Fragments," "Primary Water Purifier."

Then she saw the prices. The cheapest seeds cost 500 Data Points. She checked her balance. In addition to the crystals, the corn entry had granted her exactly 100 Data Points.

Carin frowned. She opened the help file and quickly read through the ways to earn Data Points. Besides discovering new species, successfully planting and harvesting crops, or improving the survival status of the natives, would yield significant points.

The logic was clear. Plant the corn, harvest it, trade the harvest for Data Points, buy more supplies. It was a perfect closed loop.

She was so engrossed in her planning that she almost missed the sound of voices outside the door. The other laborers were back early.

Carin's reaction was a desperate, pained lurch. She willed the system panel to shut down, the blue light vanishing just as the wooden door was shoved open. She collapsed onto the mat, her fractured ribs screaming in protest. She pulled a ragged piece of animal hide over her face, stifling a real groan of agony.

A group of sweaty, grumpy females stomped into the room. One of them was complaining loudly about the small food ration she had received.

"Useless clan!" she snarled, kicking a wooden bucket out of her way.

The bucket rolled across the floor, bumping into Carin's mat with a dull thud.

Carin let out a small, terrified whimper, her body flinching under the hide. She played the part perfectly, the scared, weak laborer who couldn't even handle a loud noise.

The female who kicked the bucket looked down at her with contempt. "Waste of space," she muttered, then turned away to fight with the others over the water jug.

Under the hide, Carin opened one eye just a slit. She watched the chaotic, violent scene with a cold, detached gaze. Her fingers tapped silently against her thigh.

She couldn't deploy the farm here. There was no privacy, no security. Someone would see the glowing soil, or steal her crops. She had to move out.

And the only legal way for a female to move out of the dormitory was to bind herself to a male during the mating ceremony. She had to get that isolated, broken male with the stone hut.

She had to get Brannon.