After they came out of the Pagoda, Yan Feizhuo would not let Sheng Nian wander around anymore. He pulled him straight toward Qionghua Tower, the building on Central Avenue closest to Dream Capital's imperial palace. Otherwise, if they missed the night tour later, the young master would sulk again.
Qionghua Tower had seven floors. Though built of wood, it was very sturdy. Apparently, it had been constructed from the hardest tree in the interstellar world-ironwood, which was said to rival many new metal materials in hardness.
When they reached the tower, they realized their mistake. Qionghua Tower was the best place to view Dream Capital at night, but entry required a reservation. Their visit had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, so they had no reservation at all. In other words, they could not get in.
Fortunately, if there was one thing Yan Feizhuo had plenty of, it was money. He stopped two tourists who were about to enter and paid triple the price to buy their two slots.
They climbed to the seventh floor of Qionghua Tower. Below, the crowds bustled noisily, but up here it was quiet, with only the tourists who had made reservations silently looking down over the scattered lights of Dream Capital.
The palace complex beside it was equally dazzling. Beneath the lights, its glazed tiles gleamed in golden splendor.
Pedestrians thronged the streets, and lights stretched into the distance. The scene offered a glimpse of Chang'an in its golden age.
[So this is the splendor of the Great Tang at its height? No wonder it drew all nations to pay homage back then.]
[And Dream Capital is only a replica, not even half the size of Chang'an on Blue Star.]
[I can finally say I've seen the scenes in those ancient poems: "Jade carriages stream past princesses' mansions, golden whips pass endlessly toward noble houses," and "The Liang family's painted pavilion rises into the heavens, the Han emperor's bronze pillar stands straight beyond the clouds"...]
[I'm not very cultured. All I can say is holy shit!]
[Those last two commenters really have it tough, sharing the same livestream...]
[Aaaaaah, I love Blue Star's ancient culture so much! I can make hairpins, too. Can I set up a stall in Dream Capital?]
[I think I heard the wind chimes beneath the eaves. The wind's picking up...]
Yan Feizhuo felt the chill in the wind too. He took the thin white cloak they had bought together at Cloud Robes and Feather Garments from the assistant behind him and draped it over Sheng Nian.
"Jingle~ jingle~"
A strange ringing sounded. Sheng Nian curiously leaned his head out to look, only for Yan Feizhuo to push his head back in.
The staff watching the livestream even helpfully added a tag: [Dangerous action. Do not imitate!]
"The night tour should be starting. Shall we go down?"
At that, Sheng Nian quickly nodded.
They came down at just the right time. A procession of at least a hundred people in all sorts of bizarre ghost and monster costumes was passing by.
This was presumably the first part of the night tour-the "Night Parade of a Hundred Demons."
Sheng Nian studied the procession with fascination. There were Chinese and Western ghosts alike, and he even saw people who had put zombie makeup on their pet cats and dogs.
Many tourists went up to take pictures with them, and Sheng Nian was eager to try too.
The little figure in the bubble had already changed outfits. A white ghost robe covered his entire body, leaving only three pitch-black round holes that revealed a pair of darting amber eyes and rosy lips.
Cackling eerily, the little figure walked into the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.
His exceedingly elaborate inner theatrics made Yan Feizhuo chuckle.
Sheng Nian glanced at Yan Feizhuo and decided not to put his helper on the spot by making him go along.
Unexpectedly, Yan Feizhuo said, "Want to take pictures? Let's go."
Sheng Nian wondered whether these domineering CEOs had all taken advanced psychology courses. Otherwise, how could they see through other people's thoughts at a glance?
He said yes and had Yan Feizhuo take plenty of pictures of him with all sorts of ghosts and monsters.
After the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons passed, that strange jingling sounded again. Two people came toward them, skipping along and shaking bells, followed by a beautiful woman dressed in black gauze with an ornate headdress. Everything she wore, right down to her lip color, was black.
Following the route taken by the bell-ringers ahead, she walked slowly with a simple woven-bamboo lantern in hand, the overlong train of her black gauze dress dragging behind her.
The watching tourists were all curious. "What kind of ghost is this? She's so pretty!"
The woman in black gauze rebuked them. "Insolence! I am the Night Wandering God."
The woman was immersed in her role, but the tourists were not playing along at all. "Ohhh, the Night Wandering God. What kind of god is that?"
The woman: "..."
[Hahahahaha, those tourists are saying exactly what I'm thinking! I don't know what kind of god the Night Wandering God is either...]
[But this Night Wandering God is so beautiful. Even dressed entirely in black, she doesn't look out of place at all. Instead, she has this really unusual aura.]
[That black outfit is anything but simple, either. Especially that headdress. It's gorgeous!]
[The Night Wandering God is a deity said to oversee nighttime patrols, watching over yin and yang and distinguishing good from evil. Having her begin the second part of the night tour, warding off evil and praying for blessings, is quite fitting.]
[Thanks for the explanation!]
[Wait! What's that behind her?]
[Whoa, is this the legendary Nuo Exorcism?]
Following the Night Wandering God was a procession of people in Nuo opera masks, performing a Nuo dance to the beating of drums and gongs.
They wore vivid, ferocious Nuo opera masks with menacing features, their leaping movements carrying a distinctive charm.
Though each mask was more ferocious and exaggerated than the last, here on the brightly lit avenue amid the sea of people, there was nothing frightening about them. Instead, they seemed strangely harmonious, with an inexplicable air of divinity.
Sheng Nian was initially drawn to the unusual steps of the Nuo Exorcism dance, but his attention gradually shifted to the various masks.
Yan Feizhuo noticed the starry-eyed look on the little figure in the bubble as he stared at the masks.
[So cool, so cool! That black demon mask is so cool!]
Once the Nuo Exorcism procession had passed, Dream Capital's night tour for the evening was over.
They had been so busy having fun tonight that Sheng Nian had eaten only the half of a hu flatbread he had bought just inside Dream Capital's entrance. By now, he was starving.
Yan Feizhuo had intended to take him to a restaurant, but a staff member told them that the Production Team would arrange dinner tonight. It would not be ready that soon, though; they would have to wait another hour or so.
Sheng Nian asked a couple of questions. Apparently, the Production Team had some scheduled proceedings to arrange.
"Ah, I was planning to have a meal at Taotie Tower in Evernight Sky. Looks like we'll have to find some snacks to tide us over first."
The staff member: "..." The Production Team has certainly let you down, but young master, have you even looked at how expensive Taotie Tower is? One meal costs a middle-class worker's entire monthly salary...
There was still quite a while until dinner. Remembering that the two had spent the whole evening having fun in Dream Capital without doing any tasks, a staff member reminded them, "Mr. Yan, Mr. Sheng, since there's still some time before dinner, why don't you take a ride on the Ferris Wheel? The badge for that attraction is pretty easy to get."
"Yes, exactly! We've heard Evernight Sky looks beautiful from the Ferris Wheel, too. Wouldn't you like to see it, Mr. Sheng?"
Sheng Nian's eyes lit up. He leaned over to look at the map with Yan Feizhuo and discovered that the Ferris Wheel stood right in the center of Evernight Sky. There were plenty of places to get food along the way from Dream Capital.
The two made up their minds to take a ride on the Ferris Wheel.
Before you continue