The Military Queen-Chapter 68 - 59: Babylon City

(New book update, stability in two older works, urban alternative farming literature, go take a look if interested)

After entering the Main Battlefield, Player Number 500 quickly noticed the uniqueness of the online game "Military Road"—as the game progressed, there were no longer mandatory system tasks; instead, players were free to control their own subsequent journeys.

Yu Xiaonan and Xia You were different; before he joined the Armed Department of Rand Military District, he also stood at the cutting edge of the era. From small games to online "murder games," he had experienced them all, but among those games, none could make someone as physically and mentally exhausted with a mere slip of attention as "Military Road" does.

Everyone has secrets, and Player Number 500 vividly remembered the scenes of being discovered and chased when he escaped from the hostile tribe. When the woodcutting stone blade pierced the NPC’s chest, he could feel the real sensation of human muscles being penetrated. It felt like he was killing a living person, not an NPC.

And at Sun’s Crown, when he wracked his brain over 220 points of military merit and Player Number 0 appeared, in an instant, he truly had the urge to kill. Although it was just for a moment, that feeling was unmistakable—the dark power hidden deep inside everyone’s heart. He thought that as long as he joined the Rand Military District, surrounded by soldiers stronger than him, he would no longer have that impulsive urge to kill. But "Military Road" was such a terrifying game.

"Move aside," a Northern European soldier with a dense beard walked past him and headed towards the military station, spitting at the sight of Player Number 500’s face, beautiful enough to "shame the moon and flowers." With the public beta of the game expanded, all kinds of birds have truly gathered, even such weak-looking people now sporting the military rank of Sergeant.

The streets, without any dust blowing in the face, allowed six carriages to pass side by side. Prosperous men and women wore draped robes, followed by slaves with sorrowful expressions. Stone buildings, one or two stories high, glistened under the sunlight, and shops of various colors were lined up on both sides of the streets. Date palms swayed in the river breeze. Those fortunate enough to leave the city witnessed the massive and lengthy city wall, a marvel constructed with countless man-hours, 2 meters thick and stretching more than 10 kilometers, with dense watchtowers. This wall not only contained the river’s flooding but also defended against military invasions.

Stepping outside the city and crossing a large bridge, one could see the dark green river water shimmering with jade-like luster, and at the junction of the plains and valleys, fertile soil cultivated with numerous crops.

Upon seeing this scene, every player new to the Main Battlefield felt a deep sense of awe from their souls. After enduring days akin to the raw and primal Stone Age, both new and old players were captivated by the exotic sights of Babylon City.

In just a few days, "Military Road" had swiftly indoctrinated them into Slave Society. These soldiers living in an era of freedom saw for the first time those slaves living like ants.

The timeframe of the Main Battlefield had suddenly leaped hundreds of years. In 1772 BC, the bustling shops and buildings in the capital of the mighty Ancient Babylon Empire dazzled the eyes of all players including Player Number 500.

Time had changed, the city had changed, and even what players faced had all changed.

Player Number 500 was always keen on novelty. Every time he arrived in a new environment, he habitually marked his territory, which his colleagues in the Armed Department jokingly likened to a dog marking its path through urination. In the past week (equivalent to 17 hours in real life), he had tirelessly walked through every corner of the city without rest.

Although stimulated by Yijie, Player Number 500 only felt restless for a moment. He looked at the worn-out military boots on his feet, found a tavern at the street corner, and sat down.

The liquor from thousands of years ago didn’t go through modern distillation technology for purification; it tasted only faintly alcoholic, cloudy in color like rice slurry. However, such palate was just right for quenching thirst without getting drunk, most suitable for Player Number 500 who was somewhat tired both mentally and physically.

After drinking some liquor, Player Number 500 felt the restlessness in his heart subsiding. He dipped his finger in the liquor and wrote on the table: "Military Station, Temple, Forge Room, Shop, Human Resources Market," these were all the newly emerged places with special functions.

Compared to the previous primitive tribe, Babylon City in Main Battlefield 2 was like a dazzling kaleidoscope.

"Player Number 0 still hasn’t transferred the military merit," Player Number 500 was not so much worried about the sixty thousand yuan check, but rather that Player Number 0 had also entered the Main Battlefield and discovered the several new places.

A few more players dressed as soldiers walked into the tavern: "What did you exchange your military merit for?" These people had just come out from the military station.

"A Type 54 pistol, but sadly I didn’t have enough military merit, so I could only exchange for this old thing. But it’s still better than the stone axe I brought back from the Stone Age," the man sitting next to him was somewhat dissatisfied with his recent transaction. Similar to Player Number 500, these people had just come from the Main Battlefield and didn’t have much military merit left. A mere 500 points of military merit could only exchange for an old pistol, not even enough for proper equipment.

"Why bother with that thing, its attack power isn’t high anyway. This game is sure bizarre, with melee and firearms mixed together. If you have money or military merit, you can buy everything. I’m much smarter than you, lad. 100 military merit can be exchanged for 1000 military coins, and 500 military coins can buy a fine iron sword from the forge. The Attack Power of an iron sword is not much different from a gun, and I can use the remaining money to buy a piece of reinforced armor; it’s always more cost-effective to exchange military merit for military coins." The man who exchanged for the Type 54 pistol walked with a Jewish soldier who was very shrewd in calculations.

The man who bought the Type 54 pistol nonchalantly shrugged, "I don’t like close combat. People from civilized societies should settle things in civilized ways." Different preferences in weapon selection became apparent among the players. Some liked brutal killings, others preferred an approach that drew no blood. The longer one stayed in "Military Road," the more their true nature was revealed.

Player Number 500 would have a bigger headache if Player Number 0 knew about the military station in Babylon City where military merit could be traded. The more he thought about it, the more it troubled him.

While he was lost in thought, that trade box that appeared before popped up again. He hurriedly looked around and noticed no other players reacted oddly, evidently the trade box’s appearance was private. To others, Player Number 500 was just a pretty-faced player sitting in the tavern staring blankly at his drink.

"The player, Number 0, is confirming with you if you would like to receive 600 points of military merit," the system notified.