Upon hearing some news about the Yanhuang Association, No. 0 contemplated for a moment and then abandoned the idea of joining. It was the same reason she didn’t rashly accept any quest in the military station.
She was unfamiliar with the military station, and the Yanhuang Association was no different. According to her current time, the longest she could stay online was "80 Military Road Time." (To explain again, the time ratio of Military Road to real society is 1:10. Xia You’s real-world online time is mostly in the evening.) Excluding her normal rest time, she could be active for about 60 Military Road Time. Tasks listed in the military station’s mission column have various periods, some spanning several months. These tasks offer little military merit but have long periods, and unless it was the weekend or a public holiday, No. 0 wouldn’t meddle with them. Thus, her remaining choices were only those tasks with no time constraints.
With her mind preoccupied, No. 0 headed straight for the temple in the east of the city. As evening approached, this Greek colonnade-style temple was bathed in a thin red color of the sunset. The steps of the temple were renovated to be low and even to facilitate the entry and exit of patients. As No. 0 walked past, she saw several patients descending the steps.
Among the patients were ordinary residents of Babylon City as well as players like No. 0. As they stepped down, they all turned their heads to pay their respects to the temple.
No.0 noticed that the curtsy performed by these patients was somewhat similar to that of the half-masked young lady she met earlier. It seemed to be common to practice such a gesture of thanks in Babylon City.
She took a few steps and then stopped; the players who were walking also stopped.
At the top of the temple steps, a woman emerged. She was draped in a golden long scarf, which clung to her face in the breeze, revealing the exceedingly gentle contours of the woman’s face. She seemed to be seeing off the patients or admiring the sunset. The dense eyelashes were coated with gold by the sunset, and her body wrapped in the scarf was as perfect as a statue of a goddess.
In this world... In Military Road, there was such a woman. No. 0 heard the sound of swallowing; it came from the players beside her. They were regular patients of the temple. Every month, they would appear in the temple for a few days, yet opportunities to see the Apoli were rare. "I’m really lucky today to have seen the Apoli," one of the players said with delight. The Goddess didn’t participate in direct healing; she only accepted patients who had suffered spiritual damage. Unfortunately, having been in the "Military Road" for so long, this player still didn’t know how one could sustain spiritual damage.
No. 0 noticed that the few players who passed by were mostly Private First Class and Private types, with Physical Strength values below 200 and spiritual power generally lower than 30.
As the few players walked away, the Goddess also disappeared onto the topmost steps. No. 0 entered the temple and immediately felt a wave of fresh air hit her face.
Though Babylon City was located between two rivers, the climate was a bit erratic. This season was the dry season in Babylon, and the temperature in the city reached thirty-eight degrees Celsius during the day. Even though it was already evening, the westward sun was still fierce, making it quite scorching hot.
Once inside this unassuming temple, one would see two square-shaped pools right from the entrance. The indoor moisture steamed up under the sunlight, alleviating some of the heat. Nearby the pools, various red flowers and green trees were planted. That’s why patients felt refreshed and their moods improved significantly as soon as they entered.
If this were in the modern day, this would probably be considered a medical method. No. 0 took a few steps and then heard a scolding voice.
"How come you cannot even distinguish the simplest of medicines? By tonight’s lights out, sort out all the belladonna. If you mix them up, don’t even think about staying to serve the Goddess," on the right-hand side, an older Maid was scolding a new temple Maid.
After the older Maid finished scolding, she saw No. 0 standing aside. Thinking that No. 0 was a patient coming for a visit, she took the initiative to greet her: "Hello, welcome to the temple. Every day after the sun sets behind the city walls, the temple will no longer receive patients."
From the temple’s location in Babylon City, next only to the inner city, looking out from the temple door, one could see the sun setting over the city walls. No. 0 took a look back, and the sun was just right behind the walls of Babylon City. It seemed that in just a few seconds, the entire city had entered the night.