Xyrin Empire-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 nighttime activities for embellishment? Wouldn’t that be too nominal?

After the daytime 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 some 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 commerce, and not mess things up.

Less than two hours after returning home 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 me to the street corner before midnight to wait for the fireworks; such a charming and cute little girl’s demeanor was infectious, and my mood was lifted. So, when I saw some 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 time, 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 something 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 customers and sellers could be very blurred—as long as you had something others coveted, you could register at any time with the patrolling Imperial Soldiers to sell it. And correspondingly, if you had already applied for a shop but found something you wanted to buy, you could leave at any time to make a purchase—no customer would complain because everyone was busy doing the same thing.

Ironforge craftsmen 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 merchants 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 merchants and visitors transformed this Capital of All Realities into a radiant city that never slept.

The girls who came along with me 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 somewhere.

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 time and almost died from exhaustion. If I were to accompany them through the Shadow City flea market this time? I’d rather be spared, thank you.

However... there was still one little tail I couldn’t completely shake off.

Reluctantly glancing beside me, 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 daytime work could be taken over by other mass-production hosts, Bubbles finally got some rest time after a hard day. Therefore, she appeared in front of me, pulling along her little daughter for a stroll through the streets.

"Neglecting your partner due to work is the biggest taboo for career-oriented women!" That’s what the child’s mother said to me thirty minutes ago, standing in front of me, "So, no matter how tired you are after work, you must spend quality time 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 meter, 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 me 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 sometimes vulgar comments at any moment, my brain really suffered all along the way, but now it seemed that Bubbles had finally been distracted by the surrounding shops.

Look, as we casually strolled near the World Tree Temple, Bubbles spotted something of interest and immediately tugged at my clothes, shouting, "Daddy, look! A hundred thousand yuan, that’s a hundred thousand yuan!"

Following the direction of her pointing, I immediately 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 time! 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! Come take a look, the most effective talismans for just 998! For only 998, bring good fortune home, no fear of evil spirits!"

Ling Meng! Have you really become 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 me 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 seemed like Ling Meng’s stall was indeed doing good business, surrounded by a crowd of customers.

Of course, I felt more than half of these customers weren’t attracted by her silly talismans. What was most eye-catching was that Ling Meng dared to wear the urban enforcement 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 Meng 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 Meng."

She didn’t notice us, so I had to take the initiative to say hello.

At once, the red and white stiffened all over.

Meanwhile, behind Ling Meng, 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 Meng, I really can’t write anymore. I want to go back to sleep. The Executor wouldn’t let me sleep during the day, and you won’t let me 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 mess.

The corner of my mouth twitched slightly, looking at the Fantasy Country duo selling talisman papers, with veins throbbing on my forehead, "First, Ling Meng, 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 enforcement personnel are not allowed to participate in trade activities among transmigrators. Fifth, Ling Meng, 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 meters 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 Time-Space Administration could exchange for Imperial Coins after the festival, while visitors invited as "family" who aren’t registered with the Time-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 shameless individual, knowing she was going to joke her way out of it again, "and there’s a sign not even five meters behind you saying that setting up a stall within a hundred meters to the left and right of Heaven is strictly forbidden! Yukari’s parasol is still leaning against it!"

"I was wrong."

Ling Meng 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 Meng, 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 me in surprise, I waved them off, "Just have fun, but don’t set up shop at the gates of Heaven. Besides, Ling Meng, you better work hard tomorrow! Based on my experience, Sicaro has already stocked up by now."

"Ha, thank you~!~!" With her bonus secure, Ling Meng immediately brightened up, "You really are a good person!"

Me: "..."

After bidding farewell to the two jovially redeemed girls, I dragged Bubbles, who was insistent on making Yukari and Ling Meng 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 customers 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 acumen, 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 something and tugged at my clothes, exclaiming loudly, "Wow! Gooaah!!"

Looking up, I saw a figure in the distance, seemingly looking around for something.

"Jil! Over here!"

I called out from a distance, and the golden-haired girl tens of meters away immediately 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 time in our circle, Jil, you really have changed quite a bit.

Little Baobao affectionately hugged Lady Shining’s waist and started giggling merrily, 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 immediately raised her head, full of pride: "A resounding success, for the Holy Grail has become a treasure within my grasp!"

You sure take it seriously!

"Tell me 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 emerged 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 dimension 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, immediately misunderstood and turned away with a haughty look: "Though they are some weird events, I have trained properly! Even if I lost to Medusa, that handheld gaming console fanatic, in a few events, I was rightfully first overall! As for something like the Holy Grail, it’s only natural that it should become 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 mentioned 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 meant "you dare not praise me?" 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 me, 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 Gilgamesh?" 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 someone who dares name themselves ’galgames’ must be pretty amazing." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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