Tolbana was a fairly sizable town. Though it was far inferior to the Town of Beginnings, it was more prosperous than any other village or small town. The two guards outside its arched gates alone made that clear, not to mention the two-and-a-half-meter-high walls surrounding Tolbana. On the First Floor, only the Town of Beginnings and Tolbana enjoyed such distinction.
As Wang Yang passed through the gates and entered the streets, background music performed by a variety of instruments immediately filled his ears. It was somewhat stirring, yet laced with a faint melancholy, like a tune played when one reluctantly left home.
Background music, a standard feature in online games, had been carried over into Sword Art Online, the first game to fully implement FullDive technology. Players were already used to it, and background music performed by NPCs could even be disabled in the settings. Still, most players would not do something so mood-killing.
Yet Wang Yang, who had only recently emerged from the Lake Marsh Area, was drawn in by the music's blend of passion and sorrow. He stood before a residence not far from the city gates, turned the volume all the way up, closed his eyes, and listened.
The tune changed for only around three minutes before settling into a monotonous loop. Wang Yang slowly opened his eyes and let out an inexplicable sigh. He then lowered the volume to a level that would not interfere with normal conversation before continuing down the street.
Most of the people coming and going were Players. Outside of certain hours, there were actually very few NPCs who could roam freely. Blending into the crowd, Wang Yang walked in silence. As usual, his first destination after entering a town was the blacksmith's shop, to repair his equipment's durability.
After walking for