"Mr. Bai Ye, we need to report back. If there's anything, feel free to find me."
Kamado Tanjiro bowed politely to Bai Ye, then left with Inosuke and Agatsuma Zenitsu.
Bai Ye, however, wandered alone in the old town.
Currently, the old town didn't seem very crowded, with only sparse figures on the streets.
However, this was hardly representative, as it was already late at night. Most people in this world were accustomed to being active during the day and sleeping at night.
This was also why Bai Ye was unwilling to consume demon blood and turn himself into a demon.
Granted, operating at night did have its conveniences, but it also had many inconveniences.
Most importantly, when necessary, Bai Ye could operate at night, but if he became a demon, he would no longer be able to operate during the day when needed.
After a brief stroll, Bai Ye found the Summoned Ones' market in the neutral zone.
Naturally, it was deserted in the dead of night, not a single soul to be seen.
Bai Ye merely confirmed the market's location and then found an inn to sleep in.
As for money, Kamado Tanjiro had given Bai Ye some when he left.
The Japanese-style inn had an open courtyard, with a wind chime hanging by the window, and a small bridge with flowing water in the yard, possessing a unique charm.
It was just that the occasional snores from within the room were quite disruptive to the atmosphere.
The night passed uneventfully!
The next morning, Bai Ye was awakened by a cacophony of noise.
Blinking his eyes open groggily, Bai Ye leaned against the window, pulled it open, and looked outside. He then saw the deserted street from the previous night now bustling with activity, his vision filled with crowds of people coming and going.
Bai Ye wasn't too surprised by this scene.
The Demon Slayer Corps headquarters was, after all, a very popular neutral zone.
The reason was similar to that of the Great Wall.
The Great Wall could accept a large number of missions, hunt down bandits, barbarians, and demonic creatures, allowing one to venture into dangerous areas to search for treasures and accumulate merit to enhance their strength through these missions.
The Demon Slayer Corps headquarters was much the same; a large number of missions were posted here as well.
However, the targets for hunting had changed from bandits, barbarians, and demonic creatures to...
Demons!
Killing demons also earned merit. Rewards could be collected from the Demon Slayer Corps, or one could even join the Demon Slayer Corps directly and become a demon slayer.
Furthermore, the tier of this area was clearly lower than that of the Great Wall.
The Great Wall hadn't yet had any forbidden zones activated, as people's skill levels weren't high enough to trigger them.
However, this area was different; forbidden zones had already been activated. Mount Natagumo was there, so it was naturally more favored by the Summoned Ones.
If the Great Wall was considered a high-level map, where people flocked to prepare for the future, then the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters was a normal map that could cater to most Summoned Ones currently, making it ideal for exploration.
After sitting by the window and watching for a while, Bai Ye stretched and then got up to leave the inn.
To seek trades, one naturally had to go to the Summoned Ones' market.
Upon entering the market, Bai Ye was indeed taken aback.
Compared to the deserted emptiness of midnight, where not a soul was to be seen, the market now could be described as a sea of people.
Various stalls, various display stands.
In fact, order had already been established in the market, with even trading categories being divided into zones.
Upon entering the market, the area near the entrance was filled with stalls, mostly selling small items. Moving inward, smaller auction areas were formed.
Bartering was the primary mode of trade, but the items here were quite good, and many people wanted them, allowing them to bid, and the seller would ultimately decide with whom to exchange.
There were also two methods of auction: open bidding and blind bidding. In open bidding, people would compete. In blind bidding, the seller did not want others to know what they received, so everyone wrote down their offer on paper, and the seller would ultimately decide the trading partner.
Further inside the area were many display stands.
This was no longer a place for trading items.
It was primarily for acquisitions and recruitment.
Acquisitions were easy to understand. Recruitment was more complicated; the most common example was when Kinza previously asked Bai Ye to play death football.
If no one approached, one could use this method in the market to recruit people.
Typically, rewards were calculated per person, with no room for conflict or dispute.
Thus, they could cooperate.
Simply put, the Summoned Ones naturally had a relationship of mutual killing. However, as long as there were benefits and those benefits did not conflict, cooperation was not impossible.
Bai Ye browsed slowly, not in a hurry to trade, and then...
Bai Ye suddenly stopped, his gaze directed forward.
The Evil Spirit Gang!
"The Evil Spirit Gang..." Bai Ye murmured. "Has the Evil Spirit Gang started to form?"
Bai Ye's thoughts began to wander.
After obtaining the Goro Goro no Mi, Bai Ye had developed some new ideas.
The unfortunate gacha machine had thrown Bai Ye back to the very beginning of the World Battlefield's opening. After accepting this fact, Bai Ye's sole thought was – to become stronger!
To continuously become stronger, to rapidly become stronger, and to re-establish himself as one of the top Summoned Ones.
Then...
It would inevitably be a struggle for survival!
To await the final great battle, to still be able to break through the encirclement, enter the central area, ascend that tower, and see who stood behind the World Battlefield.
However, the sudden appearance of the Goro Goro no Mi gave Bai Ye some additional thoughts.
Ten years!
A full ten years!
In his previous life, Bai Ye had struggled bitterly in this damned place for ten years!
Would he have to spend another ten years in this place in this life?
Bai Ye was unwilling!
Perhaps...
He could give things a push from behind, accelerating the World Battlefield's progress?
The thought uncontrollably emerged in Bai Ye's mind.
Bai Ye was well aware of the World Battlefield's developmental trajectory. Knowing this, could he artificially interfere and accelerate the process?
Bai Ye truly did not want to spend another decade in this godforsaken place!
Sometimes, an idea was merely a flash of inspiration.
But once a flash of inspiration occurred, it was difficult to suppress.
Bai Ye knew that pushing the World Battlefield's trajectory with his own power was an extremely difficult task, but it was only difficult, not impossible.
Since that was the case, why not try?
Bai Ye looked at the display stand for the Evil Spirit Gang, falling into deep contemplation.
First, he needed to confirm one thing: was the progress of the World Battlefield driven by a specific event? Or by the exploration of regions? Or by a certain individual? Or, more precisely, by a certain expert?
No, no, no...
Bai Ye knew this was wrong.
The trajectory of the World Battlefield was like a book, but this book could not be opened by just one person!