Since sleep eluded her, she might as well check out the origin of the whistle sound. Unaware of the old saying that curiosity killed the cat, Player Zero rolled off the tree.
The whistling had come from outside the city. By now, the city gates had long been closed.
Not a few who heard the whistle grew curious, and Player Zero jogged along the road, encountering several players along the way who had also come in response to the sound.
The ten-plus-meter-high city walls blocked their path. After a few players tried unsuccessfully to leave the city, they could only return begrudgingly.
"I heard this damn whistle sound a month or so ago, high-pitched and piercing; it scratches at your heart uncomfortably." Listening to a few players, Player Zero realized that this whistle sound seemed to occur once every month or so.
The players dispersed, and those like Player Zero who ended up sleeping on the streets were not few in number.
Player Zero continued along the city wall until she found a spot where people were scarce and the wall was relatively low. It was then, that she began to climb.
The moment her hands touched the smooth stones of the wall, her fingers and palms developed a powerful sticking force. Under the bright moonlight, Player Zero’s fingers appeared flattened, covered with a viscous liquid around her hands and feet.
(You really look like a spineless leech now.) Little Eight’s voice shook with tremors.
Leech. Player Zero looked at her fingers, resembling small suckers of a leech; she didn’t understand the reason for the change in her body, which ultimately might have been related to that leech spa she had once experienced. From the last military training when she was climbing the rock wall, she had noticed the particularly obvious changes in her body.
Her bones had become softer than before, and she could cling completely close to the wall without fear of falling during climbing—just like an actual soft-bodied leech.
"As long as I can get out, that whistling sound is getting louder and sounds oddly like the national anthem of Hua Country, ’March of the Volunteers,’" Player Zero joked, exerting force with both hands and feet.
Atop the unscalable city walls of Ancient Babylon, under the moonlight, Player Zero had already climbed over the wall. When she jumped down, she checked her fingers, which had returned to their original state.
Across the broad moat, there was a majestic stone bridge, deserted in the middle of the night. Underneath the bridge, the river churned.
Being cautious, Player Zero used her Reconnaissance Skill. Just like in Prehistoric Society, the names of nearby creatures and the status and attributes of nocturnal animals lurking in the Dark Night were displayed.
Every creature within Military Road had both offensive and defensive power. Especially near the city, they usually wouldn’t attack humans without provocation. However, this couldn’t be guaranteed in the outskirts.
The whistle sound gradually faded, and after Player Zero crossed the stone bridge, it had almost stopped.
"The source of the sound should be the forest about 2000 meters ahead," Player Zero quickened her pace, her feet moving across grass that had been trampled numerous times. The forest had been developed, with underbrush cut down, leaving only stumps half a meter tall.
A few more steps and torches were lit on both sides of the forest path; the sound of burning resin crackled loudly. The moonlight lost its color under the glow of the fire.
What appeared to be a dense forest revealed an open and flat clearing at its depths. A temporary auction platform was set up right in the center.
Below the auction platform were some people. Judging by their attire, a good number of them were players. Unlike the players trapped within the city walls, some of them were returning from missions outside, having passed by here at night, and others had deliberately waited outside having noticed the pattern of the whistles.
"Welcome to the Dark Night Market," not everyone had night vision as good as Player Zero. To them, this figure seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Player Zero could see clearly; she noticed that this figure had crawled out from under the set-up auction platform. When the auctioneer appeared on the platform, he resembled a bat, lurking under the temporary structure.
The Dark Night Market, Player Zero repeated in her mind. It seemed her luck had been quite good recently; she had visited two places in one day that she probably shouldn’t have.
The auctioneer, dressed as a Jewish merchant, gave a light clap, and a few Black slaves carried tables, piecing them together, followed by several chests.
With merely a few chests and tables, a Dark Night Market was formed.
"Looking down at you all, some faces are quite familiar. I need to iterate a few points for my old friends: you could find bigger surprises than last time. As for the newcomers, I’m even more enthusiastic; you’ll witness countless surprises," the Jewish merchant Batou swept his gaze over the crowd, visibly pleased to see several new faces.
"The Dark Night Market has existed for many years, and as a member of this big family, it is my honor to meet all of you in Babylon. Tonight, you can still follow the rules, pay an equivalent value for equivalent goods. Whether it’s a school-level military rank, a mansion in Babylon City, or even a pivotal human life. But before that, please remember that all transactions must be based under the premise of voluntary equivalence. Of course, before we satisfy your demands, let’s begin with the pre-auction entertainment—the Dark Night auction." Batou explained the function of the Dark Night Market in a few sentences. After finishing, the Black slaves behind him had already opened those large chests.
Player Zero and Little Eight roughly understood the purpose of the Dark Night Market; aside from auctioning goods, the Dark Night Market also acted as an alternative "military station." (To be continued. If you like this work, please go to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)