“Where... am I?”

Ethan Brooks stood still, eyes scanning the all-white room around him.

It took him a while to register what just happened. Then, the memory hit him and he muttered under his breath, “No way... that ‘Transdimensional Trading Platform’ thing is real?”

Just half an hour ago, he had been enjoying a day off when the company suddenly called to lay him off. The official reason? Downsizing. The real reason? Someone in his eight-person team had to go, and he was the only one with zero connections.

Honestly, Ethan wasn’t that surprised—it had been coming. The moment he started his vacation, he’d more or less guessed it was over for him.

So when he got the boot, he jumped online to look for a new job. While scrolling mindlessly, he spotted a weird listing:

"Looking for Blue Planet Agents – Starting salary: 100K."

Obviously fake—sounded like the plot of a webnovel. Still, he had time to kill, so he clicked it.

And the next thing he knew—bam, here he was.

Now understanding he might be stuck in some novel-like situation, Ethan oddly felt calm. He stepped toward a wall glowing faintly and knocked.

“Is anyone here?”

As soon as he spoke, words lit up on the wall in front of him:

[Welcome to the Transdimensional Trading Platform]

[You are currently in the exclusive space for Blue Planet agents. Sign the contract to claim this space and unlock trading permissions.]

[This platform exists to facilitate trade between worlds, allowing mutual exchange of resources.]

[Would you like to sign the Blue Planet Agent Contract now?]

Ethan stared at the floating text, thinking the system might be voice-activated.

So he asked, “Can I take a look at the contract details first?”

Immediately, line after line lit up in front of him.

He read through it carefully. It wasn’t that complicated. The gist was:

Once he became an agent for Blue Planet, he could trade freely with agents from other worlds.

No item or price restrictions—both sides could negotiate however they liked.

As a beginner agent, he’d be matched with one new trading partner per week. Complete ten successful trades to get promoted to intermediate level, which unlocked more matches and better tools.

The platform had its own currency: Trade Points. Every time he completed a deal, he’d earn some. These could be used to buy stuff directly through the platform without face-to-face trade.

Basically, he’d be using his own world’s resources to trade with others. The more he traded, the higher his level and the more benefits he got.

Only one hard rule: no fake goods.

The platform would check all items. If caught cheating, you’d lose your agent status instantly.

After reading it all and seeing nothing sketchy, Ethan didn’t hesitate—he signed.

Who wouldn’t? Just think about it. A bottle of water from his world might be worth a gold bar in another. Sell the gold back home and... jackpot.

Worst case? Even if the otherworld loot turned out useless, what did he really have to lose?As long as Ethan Brooks completes at least one trade a month, he gets a minimum guaranteed salary of 100,000 credits from the platform.

Isn’t that way better than slaving away at some 9-to-5?

【Contract Signed Successfully】

【Name: Ethan Brooks】

【Identity: Agent of the Interdimensional Trading Platform – Blue Star Region】

【Level: Beginner】

【Trade Points: 0】

【Available Trades: 1】

"Available trades: one... So that means I can match with a partner now, right?" Ethan asked after a moment’s thought.

The contract spelled it out clearly—this wasn't just about personal trades. It was a system allowing two totally different worlds to exchange resources.

So having goods ready beforehand didn't matter much. The proper way to go about it was to find a trading partner, figure out what they both needed, and then go back to prep for the real deal.

【Yes. Begin matching now?】

Seeing the glowing text on the wall, Ethan answered without hesitation, “Start matching.”

【Matching in progress... Match successful!】

A blink later, the white room disappeared, and the next thing he saw was an ornately designed meeting room, like something out of ancient history. A long wooden table stretched across the center—Ethan was seated at one end.

At the other end sat a woman clad in sleek silver-white armor, looking like she’d stepped out of a sci-fi movie. Her face was delicate, framed by a fall of silver hair.

She glanced at Ethan, who was scanning the room, and raised an eyebrow.

“New to the trading game?” she asked, her voice crisp and clear like running water.

Ethan couldn’t understand her language, not even a syllable—but the platform’s auto-translate function kicked in, so he got the meaning perfectly.

He nodded calmly. “Yeah, first time. Sorry if I seem out of place.”

Then he straightened up, ready to dive into the conversation. The whole interdimensional vibe still felt surreal, but business talk? That, he could handle.

His previous job had been in international trading, and back then, he was top of the team. Negotiating multimillion-dollar deals was his bread and butter. Alien or not, he wasn’t about to get cold feet now.

“Aurora Silver, Interdimensional Trading Platform—Falling Dusk Region,” the woman said. She stood, placed her right hand over her chest, and introduced herself with a formal nod.

Ethan got to his feet as well. Realizing the table was too long for a handshake, he simply clasped his hands and gave a polite bow.

“Ethan Brooks, Blue Star Region agent.”

“Your customs are quite... interesting,” Aurora remarked, eyeing his hand gesture.

“Glad you think so,” Ethan replied with a smile. Then he got down to business. “So, what exactly are you looking to trade today?”

“Natural food with high starch and fiber content, uncontaminated water, clean soil... everything on this list,” she answered, pulling up a glowing interface with a swipe of her hand.

Seconds later, a matching panel opened in front of Ethan, listing the goods: meat, eggs, dairy, grains, vegetables, purified water, soil... all labeled as radiation-free and uncontaminated.

It felt like he was browsing a grocery store app, just with fancier visuals.

Clearly, she came from a world where safe food and water were luxuries. Judging by her high-tech armor, their tech level was up there. But needing radiation-free food? Probably a wasteland-type setting—advanced tech, but environmental collapse.

The thought crossed his mind, but his face stayed calm.

“I can get all that,” he said evenly. “So, what do you offer in exchange?”

...