Li Ban was deep in thought when he noticed Tree-Person A's narrow eyes fixed on his own.
"What's your name?"
"Li Ban."
People react differently to their own names versus others'.
Having no professional training in deception, Li Ban truthfully gave his real name.
"Slaves don't deserve surnames."
"From now on, you'll be called Ban!"
Li Ban smiled bitterly.
Thanks for the honor.
Her appearance did resemble a pitiful little deer.
Though judging by her behavior, "Snake" would've been more fitting - lurking in shadows, ready to strike unpredictably.
After registering their names, Tree-Person A left.
Li Ban remained tense for hours, but nothing happened, leaving him unsettled.
He hadn't been punished—instead, they'd almost... accepted him by asking his name.
Was some delayed retribution awaiting him?
The uncertainty gnawed at him worse than any immediate punishment would have.
With no food delivery duties for now, Li Ban watched Lu bustle between the water room and vegetable plot, feeling no urge to assist.
Restless from idleness, he decided to explore Death Prison's first level—both to familiarize himself with his workplace and observe prisoners besides the cat-woman.
These inmates would become his most frequent contacts in coming days.
This time, the cat-woman stood at her bars before Li Ban's footsteps fully approached.
"Got meat?"
Li Ban produced half a sweet potato he'd deliberately saved.
"Sweet potato. Want it?"
The cat-woman's face twisted grotesquely before she hissed,
"...Yes."
Li Ban tossed it underhand. The potato humiliatingly bounced off a bar—but the cat-woman snatched it mid-rebound with lightning reflexes.
She ate voraciously despite loud complaints, devouring skin and flesh alike in two unchewed gulps. Though she'd consumed a whole mimic rat yesterday, her hunger seemed bottomless.
Li Ban waited at a safe distance until she finished.
"So," she licked her claws, "what new questions plague you today?"
"One of three slaves who arrived with me was murdered yesterday," Li Ban said. "Yet no investigation occurred."
The cat-woman rolled her eyes. "Those tree-people wouldn't care. They actively hope you slaughter each other."
"Oh?" Li Ban straightened. "Why? Aren't slaves purchased with money?"
Her round eyes widened adorably while her words chilled his blood:
"Slaves cost nothing. Dead ones? They're the guards' favorite meat."
Li Ban recoiled, barely meeting her gaze.
He'd witnessed the tree-person jailers' cruelty since arrival—yet hadn't realized they occupied both his managerial and literal food chain.
"If they want to eat us, why spare me? They didn't even mention the incident."
"Did you anger them?" The cat-woman's whiskers twitched with amusement at Li Ban's pallor. "Tree-people nurse grudges. If they hate you, they'll find excuses to kill you despite regulations."
Li Ban's expression hardened as he denied provoking them. "What could a slave possibly do to earn their hatred?"
Paradoxically, her scare tactics clarified things.
Tree-people ate dead slaves—yet the former jailer's corpse still hung at Death Prison's entrance. This proved some rule prevented consuming that particular body.
Burning the ex-jailer hadn't harmed tree-people nor depleted their food supply (slaves). Therefore... they simply didn't care?
Li Ban's sole offense was removing fire from the water room—but they'd swiftly extinguished it with only a warning.
His sleepless night of dread might've been over nothing?
Of course, unknown retaliations could still loom. Caution remained vital—especially regarding his fire manipulation abilities.
This trump card was also a liability. A slave wielding such power would instantly arouse suspicion—possibly exposing him as an infiltrator.
The lab had emphasized: their undercover status must never be discovered.
Had someone here already noticed something?
Both the lab's world and the Witch World tangled in Li Ban's mind like knotted yarn.
His thoughts short-circuited from overload.
The cat-woman's intimidation served purposes beyond amusement.
After enjoying Li Ban's dazed expression, she purred a proposition:
"Bring me meat, and I'll teach you combat skills. Deal?"
Li Ban snapped to attention. The offer thrilled yet worried him.
"Is slave training permitted here?"
"They don't care." She waved a clawed hand. "Officials alternate between paperwork and meditation—who'd monitor slaves? Besides," she smirked, "you'd only use it against fellow slaves. Surely you don't imagine fighting Spirit Practitioners?"
Li Ban recalled Lu's fused tail.
Neither qualified as true Spirit Practitioners.
He didn't know why Lu killed the young slave, but it certainly wasn't for his sake.
Martial skills might let him survive tail-ambushes like that one.
"Deal!" Li Ban agreed. "But this requires time. Surviving here is hard enough as a newcomer."
The cat-woman retreated to her corner, chains clanking.
"Then I'll await your meat deliveries. Hopefully..." her eyes gleamed, "I've bet on the right slave."
As Li Ban walked toward the prison's depths, he parsed her meaning: she'd chosen to aid him over Lu.
Assuming she told the truth—how had Lu known about "elements"?
...
Fifteen days passed uneventfully in the tree-root prison.
Compared to the chaotic first day, peace prevailed.
Li Ban and Lu coexisted without conflict.
Tree-person jailers administered occasional beatings, but none proved fatal.
After initial anxiety, the prison's mind-numbing routine eroded Li Ban's vitality.
His duties, while hazardous, required little actual work—making him seem like an idle freeloader compared to Lu's constant labor.
He'd memorized the first level's layout:
The white path (food delivery) and black path (waste removal) diverged upfront before reuniting at the second level's entrance.
Twenty-three cells existed, yet only three held prisoners:
The cat-woman, plus two in dire states—
One lay motionless as a corpse;
The other convulsed endlessly, babbling nonsense.
Li Ban had delivered their "meals" once—
A revolting, unidentifiable mush and hair-like purple plants, both reeking with suspicious colors.
He'd nearly vomited during delivery, especially when a jailer cheerfully pointed at the trough: "Puke here."
Only tremendous willpower prevented humiliation.
Though one prisoner seemed brain-dead and the other insane, both ate ravenously.
Li Ban forced himself to watch them finish—knowing his compassionate nature required harsh self-discipline to overcome.
Today, Tree-Person A gave Li Ban another mimic rat for the cat-woman.
Despite imprisonment, she maintained good spirits and relatively decent meals—suggesting unusual status.
Still...
"Honored jailer, didn't we feed her yesterday?"
Li Ban verified carefully, ensuring no scheduling error that might earn him whiplash later.
"Correct." Tree-Person A waved a branch-like arm. "She gets another tomorrow too!"
Li Ban's grip tightened on the food cart.
Could this be... a condemned prisoner's last meals?