Luohun Street is a neutral zone.
And neutral zones, in essence, are gathering places for the natives of the World Battlefield. A large number of natives reside here, typically never leaving these areas. Chosen Ones can obtain items within neutral zones to enhance their strength, or find quests that reward them upon completion. Ultimately, survival in the World Battlefield necessitates resources, and neutral zones are the only places for trade.
The methods of transaction are varied, as each neutral zone generally has its own rules.
The most crucial point is that in most neutral zones, combat is either prohibited or carries an extremely heavy price.
Take Luohun Street, for example. It is a legendary place where souls linger after death. These souls can choose to disperse and survive independently, or gather together to form new families and live as one. Many of these souls originate from different worlds and eras.
Fundamentally, the lives of souls are not drastically different from when they were alive, which implies that...
Crime also exists in Luohun Street.
Luohun Street is divided into eighty districts. Some districts suffer from severe shortages of food and water, becoming incredibly chaotic and targets for theft and robbery. Large-scale brawls may ensue, and some individuals sell food and water for immense profit or to exploit others. Therefore, to maintain order, Shinigami form guard patrols in Luohun Street.
These Shinigami patrols are effective not only against the inhabitants of Luohun Street but also against the Chosen Ones from various worlds.
It is worth noting that each of these Shinigami is a top-tier fighter. Consequently, the fate of any Chosen One daring to cause trouble within Luohun Street can be easily imagined.
Concurrently, such environments make neutral zones of paramount importance in the early stages of the World Battlefield's activation.
Not all individuals entering the World Battlefield possess immediate self-preservation capabilities. While many worlds are rife with conflict, peaceful worlds also exist. In the nascent stages of the World Battlefield, to increase one's strength, one might scavenge in ordinary zones or venture into dangerous territories.
However, there exists a special case: neutral zones.
Neutral zones can be considered havens within the World Battlefield, places of tranquility amidst chaos. Furthermore, many avenues for power enhancement exist within these zones.
Yet, this relies on luck, as neutral zones are not universally common. Some areas, such as the Doom Ruins, lack them entirely; that desolate place is inhabited only by brigands and zombies, with no semblance of a neutral zone.
Of course, while neutral zones are vital at the outset of the World Battlefield, their significance gradually wanes over time. Moreover, neutral zones can become less secure, as the order they maintain is not absolute. When the strength of the Chosen Ones surpasses that of those responsible for maintaining order, the so-called "safety" inevitably collapses.
...
Approximately five days later, Bai Ye arrived in Luohun Street.
And then...
Bai Ye found himself in a somewhat awkward predicament.
For Bai Ye, the significance of a neutral zone was limited. In the early stages of the World Battlefield, some individuals chose to linger in neutral zones primarily for safety, but more importantly, due to a lack of strength.
Anyone with even a modicum of power would naturally gravitate towards dangerous areas or brave forbidden zones for more rapid advancement.
Therefore, Bai Ye's primary objective in coming to Luohun Street was resupply, more specifically, to acquire food and water.
However, among Luohun Street's eighty districts, some are relatively prosperous, while others are extremely impoverished. The Seventy-Seventh District of Luohun Street, where Bai Ye now found himself, belonged to the latter category!
Upon entering Luohun Street, the natives Bai Ye encountered were almost universally gaunt with hunger and clad in tattered rags. The surrounding structures consisted of rudimentary wooden huts with thatched roofs.
In short, it exuded an aura of destitution!
Under these circumstances, obtaining food and water would undoubtedly be challenging, unless Bai Ye resorted to violent plunder. The cost of such an action would be expulsion, or even death, at the hands of the Shinigami patrol.
"Do I have to be this unlucky?"
Bai Ye could only express his helplessness. Without the ability to resupply, his special trip to a neutral zone would be rendered meaningless.
But just as Bai Ye was contemplating this, he suddenly exclaimed "Eh?" and stopped in his tracks.
"No way?" Bai Ye looked at a sign to his side, exclaiming in surprise, "World Market?"
The World Market is a dedicated trading area within neutral zones for the Chosen Ones. Natives typically do not enter, nor are they permitted to. The exceptions are unusual circumstances, such as a murder within Luohun Street, where a perpetrator fleeing from Shinigami patrols might seek refuge in the market; however, this is an exceptional situation.
Bai Ye's surprise stemmed from the fact that while the World Battlefield had been active for some time, he considered the establishment of a market in a neutral zone to be a considerable undertaking. After all, it required a certain scale to be considered a market; otherwise, it would be no more than street stalls.
This piqued Bai Ye's curiosity, and he proceeded in the direction of the market.
Upon entering the market gate, Bai Ye noticed that the number of people inside was not substantial, but it did possess a certain scale. He counted twenty to thirty stalls, with a sparse scattering of individuals browsing before them or inquiring about prices with vendors.
As Bai Ye passed a stall, a man called out to him with a smile, "Young sir, all good things here, care to take a look?"
Bai Ye approached the stall and crouched down, asking, "What good things do you have?"
The vendor immediately beamed and replied with a smile, "What do you think of this? It's called a Portable Gigai; it can be used to enhance combat. And this is a Soul Understanding Glove, which can forcibly separate the body and soul for a period. This one also allows the soul to leave the body, but it's a more advanced item called a Gigai Pill."
Looking at the items the vendor pointed out, Bai Ye asked, "These are all things procured from Luohun Street, aren't they?"
"That's right," the vendor nodded, lowering his voice. "Do you want Shinigami items?"
Bai Ye was about to shake his head, his intention being to inquire about items from dangerous areas or forbidden zones. Simply put, he wasn't interested in things obtained within neutral zones.
However, before Bai Ye could even shake his head, the vendor mysteriously pulled open his robe.
...