Diton Fred
The city walls of Taiyang City weren't particularly high, but they were decorated with various patterns, making them appear especially ornate. There were three archways, one large and two smaller. The taller central archway allowed magnificent carriages pulled by large horses, adorned with family crests and banners, to pass through. The two smaller archways were for single-horse carriages and pedestrians. Guards stood at the city gates, swords at their waists and spears in their hands. Fortunately, these guards generally just stood at a distance and watched, ignoring even minor skirmishes. Even if someone caused trouble, the guards would quietly observe with interest. Mi thought it would be even better if their spears were replaced with melon seeds. If troublemakers didn't disperse on their own, the city's security team would quickly escort them away.
Only when noble carriages passed by would the guards stand respectfully upright, bowing slightly as they watched the carriages enter the city gates. Only after the carriages disappeared from sight would the guards resume their spectator-like posture. It took Mi a while to truly grasp the feeling that "this is Sun City." She had finally left the border, and everything about the border was slowly fading away. Mi looked up. The sky in Sun City wasn't quite blue; it had a slightly pale tinge. Layers of gray clouds covered the sky, and the sun appeared somewhat dim, as if obscured by a layer, with a hint of turbidity. Mi frowned, longing for the vast blue sky and fluffy, cotton-candy-like clouds of the former capital.
Mi got off the carriage and entered the city through the small gate on the right, then exited through the small gate on the opposite side. It was the first time she had entered and exited the city so freely, and Mi was a little unaccustomed to it, so she went in and out several times. The carriage that brought Mi here was arranged by Di. For the past two months, they had not entered any star cities, but had traveled along the various towns on the outskirts of the star cities without entering any main cities. The old coachman stopped the carriage and watched Mi wander back and forth at the city gate.
Mi strolled along the city wall outside the city. Not far from the city gate was a large market, selling everything imaginable. The most unusual thing was a tall stage with a projection of a beautiful woman singing. Mi stood watching for a while. It was an image suspended in mid-air, not a real person; it was as if a projector was playing it. Mi suddenly remembered the video of City Lord Zara of Lin City 17 that she had seen of City Lord Citadel 18. Mi suppressed her nausea and continued to look at the beautiful woman before her. Red curly hair cascaded down her back, her skin was fair, and she had long, narrow, fox-like eyes. Her voice held an indescribable languor and allure, making one want to slowly approach. More and more people gathered around the stage, and Mi was pushed out of the crowd, her seductive voice floating above the market. The men put down their work, and some women tilted their heads to listen to the song. Suddenly, a strong middle-aged woman carrying a bag walked past the stage, shouting at it, "Sound boy, stop playing such mushy stuff! Get to work!" With the woman's shout, the crowd began to move. As the song ended and the images on the stage disappeared, many men in front of the stage scratched their heads and looked back reluctantly as they left.
As one song ended, another began, the singing as cheerful as a lark's. This time, however, there were no images, only the clear, melodious voice. This piqued Mi's curiosity. She looked around for a long time before noticing a young man with ropes hanging from his shoulders and a box in his arms filled with patterned pebbles, like a child in Shanghai during the Republican era selling stones. Mi saw the young man take a pebble out and place it on a small stand on the stage. He pressed a button, and an image appeared—a human figure suspended in mid-air, striking poses, just like before. The people in the market were busy, and many called out to the young man, "Sound boy, just play some songs, but for movies, go to the square." The young man, not bothered by being called "sound boy," remained engrossed in watching the girl singing on the stage. After a while, the song ended. Yinwa stared longingly at the air where the image had disappeared, smacked her lips, and moved on to another stone. This time, there was only the melodious singing without any images. Many people in the market hummed along to the song, and girls in colorful skirts sang and danced. The whole market was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Mi consulted a local guide named Fried, who explained that the small round stone was called a "record stone," containing images of various singers from Sun City. The images were incredibly lifelike, which Mi found highly improbable. The small triangular stone was a "sound stone," allowing one to hear sounds but not see people. A record stone cost five silver derry, while a sound stone only cost one. The small stand for the record stones was called a "mountain-supporting stone," costing fifty silver derry. It could be used to play both record and sound stones, and was considered a valuable item.
Fried, watching Yinwa who wouldn't leave the rock, said, "You have to keep a close eye on this rock. Although everyone in our market is from around here, people are poor and easily tempted. It wouldn't be good if someone stole it. The city's security team doesn't deal with petty theft in the markets outside the city. But once you're inside the city, there are rock formations like this on almost every street corner and square. They're used by singers to play their promotional songs. There are especially many during the dahlia crown competition every year, and the city is filled with singing and dancing."
Mi stared at the unscientific yet wondrous sight before her, filled with curiosity about the Sun City. This was supposed to be an era of cold weapons, where war was fought with human lives at stake, and the only means of transportation was horse-drawn carriages, slightly faster than human legs. Yet, the Flower Kingdom possessed such an advanced media player—it was illogical! Since entering the Witch's Forest, Mi had found herself on a highly unscientific journey. Everything here sometimes conformed to her understanding, sometimes shattered it, constantly reshaping her senses.
This was a bustling market, filled with fruits and vegetables, as well as rice, flour, and oil. There were also food stalls selling baked flatbreads piled high with fillings like minced meat and fruit, much like pizzas from Earth. There were street performers, including a snake charmer wearing a felt hat and playing a flute, but not many people were watching; his hat on the ground contained only a few coins. Nearby, however, was a swordsman, his movements precise and skillful, wielding his large sword with impressive power. Many children gathered around, but none of them had a single coin in their pockets. The swordsman's wooden basin held only a few coins. Mi watched with great interest for a while, then dropped two coins before leaving. Further on, there was furniture, clearly secondhand: stools, tables, and small handcarts. A group of women surrounded the area, and occasionally someone would carry a table or chair past, which Mi avoided at a distance. The stall owners were both men and women, and everyone greeted each other cheerfully. It was clear that most of the customers at this market were regulars, and the customers and owners knew each other; they were either old friends or neighbors.
Fried was a boy of about thirteen or fourteen, wrapped in a tattered cloak, with brown skin, small and thin, with bright eyes and a clever mouth. Fried would carefully observe passing carriages at the city gate. If a carriage stopped and people got out, Fried would go up to the driver and tell them what good food and entertainment were nearby, where to park the carriage, and where to rest. Because of this, after wandering around for a while, Mi saw Fried leading the old coachman who had carried Mi from Maicheng to Taiyangcheng to an open space to sit down and drink tea. He had even brought out hay to feed the horses. A clever and capable young man, Mi hired him for one silver derri.
"Where are you coming from, sir?" Fried was quick-witted. He saw Mi get off the carriage and go in and out of the city gate several times, with the old coachman waiting quietly by his side. Only when Mi started strolling around the market did he approach the old coachman and invite him to sit down for tea and a rest. Fried knew that the middle-aged woman who had hired him was the one in charge.
"My lord?" Mi heard this title for the first time and was a little curious: "Who is my lord?"
“Sir, you must have just arrived in Sun City from out of town,” Fried quipped. “Everyone who comes to Sun City is an incredibly powerful figure!” Fried gave a thumbs-up in praise, then sincerely advised, “Although I don’t know where you’re from, sir, there’s an old saying: you don’t know how many powerful people there are until you come to Sun City! In Sun City, a single raindrop could hit three important figures. You can wander around here as you please, but once you enter Sun City, you still need to—” Fried stopped, and Mi watched him with a smile. This Fried was quite interesting and knew how to show off. After waiting for a while without Mi asking him any questions, Fried could only awkwardly say, “Sir—please don’t make things difficult for me.”
“Tell me about it,” Mi said, taking a step forward.
"My lord—Sun City has His Majesty the King and His Majesty the Queen. All the nobles of Sun City live around the royal palace. Everyone in the palace is a lord: Dukes, Earls, Marquises, Barons, Viscounts, and Knights. Each of these nobles also has a steward and a captain of the guard. Sun City also has the largest adventurers' guild in the entire Flower Kingdom, and everyone in the adventurers' guild is a lord."
Fried rattled off a string of "adults," but Mi interrupted him, asking, "Why is the Adventurers' Guild full of adults?"
"The Adventurers' Guild, huh? That's a place where big shots gather. It's said that it's full of descendants of long-lived and mysterious species who refuse to be granted titles." Fried became interested. He looked around and suddenly lowered his voice, saying, "In Sun City, the Adventurers' Guild's gold coins are as valuable as titles. Oh no, the Adventurers' Guild's gold coins are even more valuable. One gold coin is worth a title."
“Are there any differences in the Adventurers’ Guild’s gold coins?” Mi pondered. Bian Suliz gave her a handful of silver coins. The silver coins must be the Silver Deli that Fried mentioned. The obverse of the silver coin has a flower pattern, the same as the pattern on the 17th obelisk of the Acropolis. The other side is a man with a crown and a pointed chin. Silver Deli, King Derek. Mi thought that the man on the silver coin might be Derek I.
“Yes, the Adventurers’ Guild’s gold coins can buy lives,” Fried observed Mi. He wasn’t very tall, and his skin wasn’t the fair complexion of a nobleman. His dark hair gave him the air of an adventurer, but Mi’s slightly thin frame made him seem less than capable in combat. Fried shook his head, stopping his wild guesses. He continued, “The gold coins used in Sun City are called Gold Deli. One Gold Deli can be exchanged for one hundred Silver Deli, and one Silver Deli can be exchanged for one hundred copper coins. Sun City also has a special coin called the Nith Coin. The Nith Coin is the Queen Nith Coin. Queen Nith was the queen of Holy King Derek I, and Derek issued ten thousand Nith Coins specifically to commemorate her.”
“Ten thousand Nith coins,” Mi looked at the market, which was filled with so many people and goods, and asked, “Is that enough?”
“Actually, Nisi coins are almost no longer in circulation. They’re all kept by some large families. We use copper coins for daily use. When Nisi coins were first issued, one Nisi coin was worth ten copper coins. Now, one Nisi coin can be exchanged for ten gold coins. It’s not the same price as before.” Fried, seeing Mi’s gaze sweep over the goods in the market, quickly explained the prices to her: “Two copper coins can buy two catties of wheat and one catty of flour. One copper coin can buy a dry flatbread, and a filled flatbread costs two copper coins.” Fried stared at the flatbread and swallowed hard. Mi took out her copper coins and bought one of each to try. Mi broke off a small piece and handed the rest of the flatbread to Fried. Fried quickly finished eating and ran to the next stall to get a cup of tea, which he brought back to Mi: “Please have some tea, sir.”
Looking at the slightly yellowish water in the cup, Mi asked, "What is this?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
