Time changes everything. The original fortress city has now taken on vast economic attributes, yet Zhenxi Prefecture City was ultimately forged to face war. As the sun set, the curfew calls from the City Defense Office's night watchmen started to echo. The bustling noise of carriages and people in every street and alley quickly receded like ebbing tides.
Rows upon rows of houses and staggered buildings with upturned eaves seemed frozen for an eternal moment under the sunset, only to vanish swiftly into the darkness of night.
The long streets, plunged into darkness, became silent and desolate. Merchants and peddlers without a home gathered in the various taverns and inns, where people from all walks of life formed small groups in the halls, shouting loudly, drinking, and making merry.
The sounds of revelry seeped through staircases, passed along corridors, and reached a guest room through its not-so-soundproof wooden door.
