Carl goes to the prize counter and speaks first with Zabit, a level 66 hunter whose night weasels had attacked Carl earlier on the floor. Angry over the twenty-five crawler scalps Zabit has earned, Carl asks why hunters choose to prey on frightened, weaker people. Zabit answers that he hunts to keep his oppressed people alive, explaining that the money supports their habitat and helps them avoid indenture. The exchange does not excuse the killings, but it shows Carl that the wider system exploits more than just crawlers. Carl also learns that when the floor collapses, hunters keep only what is in their inventories and receive almost nothing for unsold goods.

Carl then confronts Chaco the Bard about why Mordecai hates him. Chaco refuses to give the full story, but says he regrets what happened and insists that if his group had not acted, everyone would have died. Chaco warns Carl that the crawl eventually forces people to betray their own parties, leaving survivors isolated and broken. Shaken by the warning, Carl starts examining the prize case while sending item details to Mordecai for advice.

As the pet show begins in the background, Carl reviews the available prizes by cost tier. Mordecai helps evaluate potions, stat boosts, random spell books, scrolls, and other rewards, especially with Donut's needs in mind. A Brazilian crawler awkwardly presents his stone hawk, Gimli, which kills a hunter by petrifying him, and Donut confidently messages Carl that she can easily outperform him. Elsewhere in the room, Elle angrily pulls aside a nervous human hunter for a private conversation, and Vrah continues arguing with other hunters.

Carl and Mordecai focus on bard options when Carl spots sheet music. Chaco recommends Song of Skedaddle as a useful escape song for Donut and shows surprise when Carl describes how quickly Donut has been improving as a bard. Carl then notices the higher-end prizes, including future floor boons and a rare memorial crystal. Chaco reveals that Prepotente already bought the seventh-floor boon, and Mordecai urgently explains that the memorial crystal is an extremely valuable god-made repository of spells and knowledge. Carl wants it, especially after learning it is the elf queen's prized item, but at one hundred hands it is far beyond his reach.

Forced to choose practical rewards instead, Carl buys a shrink wand, the eighth-floor lore boon, the Song of Skedaddle sheet music, a case of Feather Fall potions, and a case of healing potions, partly because Katia has already counted a shortage in their fall-protection supplies. After the purchases, Carl returns to the stage area. Signet is still distracting the judges, guards still are not intervening, and Elle finishes her tense exchange with the human hunter. Carl remembers telling Donut to keep Mongo's pet-show appearance understated, but the ballroom lights suddenly dim, red light and smoke fill the stage, and Louis begins a dramatic introduction, signaling that Donut's idea of "low key" is about to fail completely.