Chapter 668: Chapter 668: Night Market
The evening slowly fell, and the once clamorous gathering place grew quiet as the day’s light faded. On the various world stages that had been lively throughout the day, save for a few programs scheduled for later or as grand finales, most were cleaned up and ready for the next day’s battles.
The first daylight hours of the carnival had ended—an incredibly joyful and thrilling day—but the day’s festivities had only just begun.
What would such a festival be without equally bustling nightti activities for embellishnt? Wouldn’t that be too nominal?
After the dayti events, there were a few hours of rest, and then the activities would move to Shadow City in the evening. However, instead of calling it a celebration, it was more appropriate to say it was a trade fair. This was a suggestion from Bingdisi, based on similar events she had organized before: performances and celebrations during the day, and a massive night market in the evening to facilitate interworld exchanges for as efficient cultural exchange as possible. At nine o’clock that night, all the streets of Shadow City would open, and the Builders had made ample preparations in advance, providing plenty of stalls both within the city and near the suburbs, attracting many adventurers from various worlds who were interested in these business opportunities: for so opportunistic and adventurous transmigrators, the appeal of artistic performances paled in comparison to the chance to acquire rare treasures.
Similar activities were also taking place in the two other branch venues. The Mars Sanctuary, which was entirely managed by the Empire’s Builders, went without saying. And it was rumored that the Azeroth super market had been contracted out to the Goblins—hopefully, those green little dwarfs would live up to their reputation as a nation founded on comrce, and not ss things up.
Less than two hours after returning ho and having dinner with my family, the ever-energetic Qianqian couldn’t sit still and dragged us all back to Shadow City. She was like a little girl on New Year’s Eve, pulling to the street corner before midnight to wait for the fireworks; such a charming and cute little girl’s deanor was infectious, and my mood was lifted. So, when I saw so Commanders from the Third Planet’s landing assault team disguising themselves as Maoshan Daoists on the street corner, peddling blessed Holy Stone Seeds, I simply turned a blind eye.
Compared to the Captain who was selling Soul Cutting Blades to the Jedi Knights from the Third Legion, you’re already considered to have morals.
Under the cover of night, Shadow City was bustling for the first ti, with people everywhere and a constant stream of visitors. The streets, usually under strict lighting control, were experiencing their first night of brilliance. Under the bright artificial lights, one could see vendors selling all kinds of peculiar goods and transmigrator visitors roving around with faces full of surprise, and even the vendors themselves occasionally stealing chances to pick sothing unusual from the neighboring stalls: This was not a strictly regulated market but rather a place of exchange created for the people of different worlds to understand each other. Here, the roles of custors and sellers could be very blurred—as long as you had sothing others coveted, you could register at any ti with the patrolling Imperial Soldiers to sell it. And correspondingly, if you had already applied for a shop but found sothing you wanted to buy, you could leave at any ti to make a purchase—no custor would complain because everyone was busy doing the sa thing.
Ironforge craftsn selling Krypton Gold Glasses, Vedis Alchemists hawking Ao Tie Talismans, Otherworldly Mages dealing in various Magic Crystals, C.C., who was making a fortune by selling Cherry Stones as exotic gems from another world, Mao Mountain’s eighty-eighth generation lay disciple offering toy children’s Flying Swords at three for five Imperial Coins, Protos rchants providing bulk discounts on Spiritual Crystals including interstellar shipping, and Imperial ticket scalpers reselling the first express tickets to the Azeroth Gathering Place for the next day… The bustling crowd of rchants and visitors transford this Capital of All Realities into a radiant city that never slept.
The girls who ca along with scattered to browse on their own. Qianqian, Sandora, Big Sister, each had their own preferred trinkets, and with the crazed energy that girls often have while shopping, they soon disappeared as soon as they arrived. Even Pandora and Visca followed Big Sister and vanished sowhere.
Alright, I admit, I managed to sneak away after seeing the excited glow on the faces of several beautiful girls ready to go on a shopping spree. I went along with the Divine Clan’s Tiaozi Five on a shopping trip around the old quarter last ti and almost died from exhaustion. If I were to accompany them through the Shadow City flea market this ti? I’d rather be spared, thank you.
However… there was still one little tail I couldn’t completely shake off.
Reluctantly glancing beside , Little Baobao held onto my hemline tightly, muttering greetings to any passing object. This little girl was almost becoming like my pet.
With her ability to appear and disappear out of thin air, there was no way I could shake her off.
And on the other side, there was another person I couldn’t shake off.
She looked exactly like Little Baobao, but walked with an air of authority, as if she were a young lady on an outing, full of vigor.
Since the work in the evening was a little simpler, and the dayti work could be taken over by other mass-production hosts, Bubbles finally got so rest ti after a hard day. Therefore, she appeared in front of , pulling along her little daughter for a stroll through the streets.
“Neglecting your partner due to work is the biggest taboo for career-oriented won!” That’s what the child’s mother said to thirty minutes ago, standing in front of , “So, no matter how tired you are after work, you must spend quality ti with your partner in the evening! Let’s work hard to strengthen our marital bond, child’s father!”
Standing at the crossroads, in front of all the transmigrators from the Great Thousand Worlds, the Little Loli, with a height just over a ter, looked up at the man in front of her at a forty-five-degree angle and made such a commanding declaration.
Bubbles, are you trying to drive to my death?
Despite using a large hand to stop this fierce otaku woman, who always prides herself as a “mother of a child,” from making more improper and tasteless remarks, I still had to accept the fact that she successfully stuck by my side. To cut off her thoughtless and sotis vulgar comnts at any mont, my brain really suffered all along the way, but now it seed that Bubbles had finally been distracted by the surrounding shops.
Look, as we casually strolled near the World Tree Temple, Bubbles spotted sothing of interest and imdiately tugged at my clothes, shouting, “Daddy, look! A hundred thousand yuan, that’s a hundred thousand yuan!”
Following the direction of her pointing, I imdiately collapsed: In the open space in front of the World Tree, a rather large street vendor boldly blocked the main entrance to the temple. A certain red and white witch was hawking her wares:
“Spirit Talismans! Magic Talismans! Divine Talismans! A variety of Scripture Magical Artifacts, Hook Jade Talismans, scrolls! Coming from the latest technology of the Boli Shrine! Avoid disasters, pray for blessings, attract luck, proven effective every ti! Absolutely genuine, tenfold penalty for a fake, those in the know can see at a glance! The strongest witch of Boli personally blesses with spiritual power, each handmade, and the back even has an autograph from the big demon of Fantasy Country to boost power! Co take a look, the most effective talismans for just 998! For only 998, bring good fortune ho, no fear of evil spirits!”
Ling ng! Have you really beco so poor that you have to sell spirit talismans on the street to make money? Or have you decided to abandon the last bit of your dignity to redeem yourself?
Bubbles didn’t care about the dignity of a certain red and white, her otaku soul blazed uncontrollably, dragging along and rushing forward: “Looks like they’re doing good business; let’s go have a look!”
Although it was full of points to criticize, it seed like Ling ng’s stall was indeed doing good business, surrounded by a crowd of custors.
Of course, I felt more than half of these custors weren’t attracted by her silly talismans. What was most eye-catching was that Ling ng dared to wear the urban enforcent armband and blatantly set up a stall in a non-trade area…
Such a bold vendor was enough to attract attention.
When Bubbles, Little Bubbles, and I squeezed in, Ling ng was busy organizing a stack of talisman papers to hand over to Shana—Really, Shana, do you actually believe this stuff works on the folks from Red World?
“Yo, Ling ng.”
She didn’t notice us, so I had to take the initiative to say hello.
At once, the red and white stiffened all over.
anwhile, behind Ling ng, what we originally thought was a mountain of unfinished talisman papers suddenly heaved slightly, followed by the sound of talisman papers slipping down. A golden-haired girl wearing a soft hat yawned and clamored as she crawled out, “Ah, Ling ng, I really can’t write anymore. I want to go back to sleep. The Executor wouldn’t let sleep during the day, and you won’t let at night either…”
Her words stopped abruptly midway. Holding a handful of talisman papers and a brush, supposed to be signing “enriched with spiritual power by the big demon,” Yukari Yakumo stared dumbfounded, facing her current boss, both in a ss.
The corner of my mouth twitched slightly, looking at the Fantasy Country duo selling talisman papers, with veins throbbing on my forehead, “First, Ling ng, you’re supposed to be on patrol now. Second, Yukari, you still have half an hour before your shift changes. Third, I’ve personally found that half of these spirit talismans of yours are just scribbles. Fourth, market order enforcent personnel are not allowed to participate in trade activities among transmigrators. Fifth, Ling ng, you’re suspected of false advertising. And sixth…”
At this point, I glanced at the light golden barrier not far behind the two girls, which was the outer barrier of the World Tree Temple.
“Sixth, it’s strictly forbidden to set up a stall within a hundred ters to the left and right of Heaven…”
Still clutching a bunch of talisman paper and temporary coins (currency temporarily used among transmigrators during the festival period, which registered personnel of the Ti-Space Administration could exchange for Imperial Coins after the festival, while visitors invited as “family” who aren’t registered with the Ti-Space Administration Bureau needed to spend it all before the festival ended), she wore an embarrassed expression, her red and white eyes quickly flitting about, “Ah ha, ahahaha, is that so, I and Yukari are just temporary workers, didn’t expect we’d also have to…”
“That’s the code of conduct for temporary workers,” I glanced sideways at this shaless individual, knowing she was going to joke her way out of it again, “and there’s a sign not even five ters behind you saying that setting up a stall within a hundred ters to the left and right of Heaven is strictly forbidden! Yukari’s parasol is still leaning against it!”
“I was wrong.”
Ling ng put down the talisman paper and admitted her mistake with a straightforward bow, then looked up with tearful eyes, “But can we not have our bonus docked…?”
“Although I’ve said before that this would cause problems,” Yukari held her arms and looked at Ling ng, who was scratching her face with a silly smile, and then quietly looked this way, “Are we going to be punished?”
“Forget it,” as both of them looked at in surprise, I waved them off, “Just have fun, but don’t set up shop at the gates of Heaven. Besides, Ling ng, you better work hard tomorrow! Based on my experience, Sicaro has already stocked up by now.”
“Ha, thank you~!~!” With her bonus secure, Ling ng imdiately brightened up, “You really are a good person!”
: “…”
After bidding farewell to the two jovially redeed girls, I dragged Bubbles, who was insistent on making Yukari and Ling ng her own collectibles, away from the street. We hadn’t gotten far when another stall brought us to a stop.
A storefront embellished with fresh flowers and magnificent tapestries had a crystal cross marking at the entrance, indicating it was a shop run by Imperial Soldiers, and a sign by the entrance read, “XX Flower Shop Shadow City Branch.”
The Asida sisters, wearing store uniforms, were at the door handing out flyers—at least it appeared they were planning to hand out flyers.
You two hugging a stack of flyers, silently staring at each other by the door, won’t attract custors all night!
With a silent complaint, I pulled Bubbles away.
“Aren’t you going to have a look? It’s the Asida sisters’ shop,” the mother of the child asked curiously.
“We’re not going, first, the two of them might not even hear you calling, and second, even if they do, the only thing those sisters know is to borrow money,” I answered decisively. Those two dummies with unlimited negative business acun, actually knew to take advantage of the festival period to open a branch in the crowded Shadow City to address their rent and utilities issues outside of town; that’s truly remarkable. But as long as they don’t change their habit of entering their own world and ignoring everything else, they can forget about a happy life without relying on welfare!
Just then, Little Baobao, who had been quietly following by our side, suddenly noticed sothing and tugged at my clothes, exclaiming loudly, “Wow! Gooaah!!”
Looking up, I saw a figure in the distance, seemingly looking around for sothing.
“Jil! Over here!”
I called out from a distance, and the golden-haired girl tens of ters away imdiately looked back. Seeing us, a genuine surprise crossed her face, and she ran over quickly.
“Hah, finally found it. Just now I felt Little Baobao’s presence but couldn’t find her no matter what.”
After all this ti in our circle, Jil, you really have changed quite a bit.
Little Baobao affectionately hugged Lady Shining’s waist and started giggling rrily, vigorously rubbing her head against the other’s stomach. I knew this was the little one’s way of showing closeness to her most intimate people, or perhaps her favorite toy—hopefully, Sister Jier isn’t regarded as the latter in Little Baobao’s heart.
Jil, made uncomfortable by the rubbing, struggled to maintain that usual proud and aloof expression on her face. She could only show us an indignant look and then bent down to quietly explain to her “owner” why she hadn’t been by her side all day.
“Is that Sixth Holy Grail War of yours over?”
I looked towards Golden Shining with a teasing expression, and she imdiately raised her head, full of pride: “A resounding success, for the Holy Grail has beco a treasure within my grasp!”
You sure take it seriously!
“Tell honestly, how did you guys compete?”
I asked with a smile. Due to attending the Pandora Sisters’ sports day, I missed the “contest” among the Heroic Spirits, so now I was a bit curious.
“The first round was, of course, the usual combat, where I erged as the easy group winner,” Sister Jier began, counting off on her fingers as she narrated, “Then there was Fight the Landlord, Dodgeball, Matching Pairs, Handicrafts, Sewing, Music, Super Mario, and Checkers. Don’t think it’s just that kind of competition; the challenges were far from few!”
I blinked rapidly as Sister Jier finished speaking, my face covered in a cold sweat: “This is what you competed in?”
If the fans in the third dinsion knew about this, they’d cry themselves to death!
“What, you plebeian looking down on my strength?” Sister Jier, seeing the disbelief on my face, imdiately misunderstood and turned away with a haughty look: “Though they are so weird events, I have trained properly! Even if I lost to dusa, that handheld gaming console fanatic, in a few events, I was rightfully first overall! As for sothing like the Holy Grail, it’s only natural that it should beco my possession!”
I silently listened to Sister Jier brag, feeling all kinds of deep sympathy for this person who had learned vicious playing skills while nannying yet was unaware of it—didn’t you realize that half of the events you just ntioned are skills you developed while taking care of Little Baobao and playing with her?
“Hmph, seeing your dumbfounded look really spoils my mood,” Sister Jier complained unreservedly to us, but her words clearly ant “you dare not praise ?” Then she picked up Little Baobao, who was asking for candies, with a stern face, “It’s already nearly ten o’clock, and children must sleep! I’m taking Little Princess away~~”
Watching Sister Jier walk further and further away, I sighed silently after a long while: “Indeed, she’s a great nanny.”
Beside , Baobao nodded in satisfaction: “It seems that entrusting my precious daughter to this Golden Shining person is quite reassuring.”
“You seem to have a good impression of Gilgash?” I looked at Baobao in surprise, as she rarely gave high praise to others.
“Well, it’s not too bad, after all, I’ve always thought soone who dares na themselves ‘galgas’ must be pretty amazing.” (
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