Wooyoung entered the bazaar of Babylon, only to be hit in the face by a wave of sound and fragrances cascading over his senses. The sweet smell of burnt sugar mixed with the mouth-watering scent of meat cooking with herbs in oil. Everything was underlined by the notes of soaps and fabrics, wood even whenever Wooyoung passed the respective stands. The merchants around here offered wares and skills of all kinds. Wooyoung dangerously side-stepped a seller who showed a customer how to hold a sabre only to crash nearly into the performance of a musician right next to the weapon's stand.

While overwhelming in their variety and the ever so constant shifting, Wooyoung had so much to see; he didn't know where to look first. He stretched his neck to peek over the assembled people who strolled around and laughed at and praised what they found interesting. Caught between feeding into his historian's fascination with the people and the architecture of the place and his personal infatuation with food and shining jewellery, Wooyoung stumbled left and right like a drunk man.

The heat in the open town square was murderous, but the stands provided some shadow with their colourful tents. Moving between the masses of people was like wading through quicksand, but Wooyoung wove through. He passed a loud seller with his fishes and crabs in his display. Other clothing stands looked just like modern ones. Wooyoung couldn't believe that aside from the ware offered, humans hadn't changed their market attitudes.

For fabrics, Wooyoung spotted only linen and cotton. Wool was out of trend by now if not for wintry days, and the linen was far more modern and expensive, too. When he spotted a shawl that looked so similar to his own, Wooyoung sent a brief prayer of proud thanks toward the skies. Seungyoun would probably hear it.

Drawn in by a young woman who offered jewellery, Wooyoung lingered nearby with inquisitive eyes. She explained the precious lapis lazuli of these lands to a customer and despite lacking some vocab, Wooyoung tried to pick up on the majority. If he deciphered it right, she explained the way they needed to be filed so they wouldn't break and match into their holdings.

For a while, Wooyoung just wandered over the endless bazaar. New stands kept appearing as if out of thin air, and he never finished the entirety of it. As the sun wandered over the zenith to throw contorted shadows of more subdued light, Wooyoung gradually grew hungry. With the money he had received from Seungyoun specifically for this journey, he purchased something he couldn't translate the name of that looked absolutely delicious. It turned out to be meat topped with plums in barley bread. Not something Wooyoung would try in modern times, but he found it a delightful experience.

As he stood under a palm tree to eat with a few travellers nearby that rested their feet, Wooyoung admired the beauty of the city once more. It deserved the title as a world wonder, undoubtedly. For the ancient times it existed in, it was modern and civilised in unexpected ways.

The bazaar never slept. Soon, the sellers lit the torches next to their stands to create a vast field of illumination. From his spot, Wooyoung couldn't see how the stars gradually appeared in the darkening sky. But he knew he should find a place to sleep in. Desert nights could get cold, even in a city with so many people around.

When Wooyoung finished his curious wanderings in the primary area, he set out to find a well-visited booth on the outskirts of the bazaar. There, he could question the people about Song Mingi in a private setting. His eyes rang after a day on the market with many voices yelling over each other, but he was fulfilled by it.

Just as he passed the larger street weaving through the bazaar, a sudden movement to his left startled Wooyoung into halting. Between the meandering people shot out a boy, ten years old at maximum. He cradled a bunch of fabric to his chest that was filled with food peeking out at the edges. Fear widened his dark eyes and had him cast nervous glances over his shoulder as he ran from the people after him.

"There! That's the thief!" The man yelling was a burly store owner with a thick beard and angry brows. He huffed and puffed, unable to track the limber boy down.

Chasing after the dirty feet of the scrambling child, however, was also a guard stationed around the bazaar to interrupt in case of a commotion. His movements were those of a hunter. The crowd parted around him and his heavy spear as he growled at the boy to stop.

Wooyoung stood aside with two whispering women.

"Poor little one. He must be a stray; he looked so thin."

"Let's hope he gets away," the other one hissed back. Sympathy laced both of their voices and drew Wooyoung's brows in, too. At this time and culture, it was probably usual to execute thieves or cut their hands off. Secretly, he also hoped the boy would escape. But as a stranger and scientist, he knew it was unwise to criticise their culture and step in.

As the crowd closed again and swallowed up the quick encounter, Wooyoung went on his way, too. A more private corner of the bazaar wasn't hard to find. The market's edges aligned with the streets near the bazaar and their bright buildings. Wooyoung approached a booth that read 'The Crocodile's Stomach' on a wooden plank in front. From the nearby corner towards the alleyways of the city, he was instantly greeted by the euphoric mood of men that celebrated their days with food and alcohol they had gathered from the market. If he remembered right, beer was new in Babylon at this age.

Smiling at their gruff laughter and the hands slapping thighs, Wooyoung stepped up to the booth. The woman guarding it greeted him with a kind smile that matched her long, curly hair in its softness.

"Hello. I'm a traveller and I need to find a person in the city. Have you heard of a person named Song Mingi?"

For a moment, she looked pensive. The hands of her kid shifted through their display and messed it up. Nearby, the men howled over some joke.

"I believe he is the palace's scriptwriter. Ask the writer booth about him, the seller might know more."

Wooyoung thanked her and marched off again. He remembered faintly where that booth had been, but it took him a while to find back to it through the maze of the animated bazaar. After waiting until all customers were gone, he stepped up to the old man with milky eyes.

"I seek a man named Song Mingi. Have you heard of him?"

"Oh, yes, I did. He comes by every week and buys my best tablets. Shall I forward a message?"

"I need to meet him; he is the only person I know here," Wooyoung explained with a smile. Humming, the old man nodded again.

"I don't know when he will return. You can help me with my stand and sleep at my home until then. Desert nights get chilly." He gave a brittle smile that exposed many missing teeth, and Wooyoung copied it bright.

"That sounds wonderful, I thank you lots. Please, guide me where you need my aid."

As Wooyoung stepped into the booth next to the man, he was overwhelmed with how cramped the ware behind the counter was compared to the walking space. It took a lot of manoeuvring for the two males, but they made it work despite Wooyoung's awkward steps in sand-filled sandals.

Since night had fallen already and most curious wanderers retreated into their houses for the night, Wooyoung had little to do that day. He watched over the stand so nothing got stolen and lifted the heavy stone tablets from behind the counter whenever one got bought off the display. The idea that paper didn't even exist yet drove Wooyoung nuts. For hours, he sat next to the engraved stones on the display and tried to wrap his head around the living circumstances of the Babylonians.

Not that paper would take much longer to become a trend. Although Yongguk had mentioned Rome, so while Wooyoung would get to taste wonderful wines, he would still have to figure out scriptures in stones.

By the time only a handful of people sauntered over the gradually shrinking market, the scripture master called it a day. He didn't view it necessary to carry his products home to secure them from thieves, since it made no sense to steal stones when trying to make a quick getaway. Wooyoung couldn't agree more as he helped the man seal up his booth.

As they strolled through the night to talk about the stars, Wooyoung's skin glowed with the remaining heat of the sun. He felt a sunburn incoming on his cheeks, but he loved the feeling of it. The sand in the air chafed on his dry skin and he looked forward to his next bath. Yet, his day in Babylon had been an incredible time that Wooyoung wouldn't exchange for anything else. Despite being here on a mission for humanity in the future and preparing to uncover some of the oldest mysteries in his field, it felt like a dreamy holiday.

Wooyoung wanted to explore the tower and the Hanging Gardens that had to be part of the palace area. He wanted to see a royal procession and peek inside the throne room. If he was lucky, Mingi was a high-ranking man and he could allow Wooyoung to sit through an advisor meeting of the central government. Even if he lacked some vocabulary, Wooyoung would love that.

"What is your name, good Sir?" Wooyoung asked his companion as they wove through the empty alleys of Babylon. It was dark back here, and some cats and snakes rustled in the sand in their hunt for a midnight snack.

"Berosus, son. What is your name?"

"Wooyoung," Wooyoung grinned. The old man nodded thoughtful.

"I never heard that name before."

"It means to make a lot of friends."

Now, a faint smile tugged on the wrinkled skin of the man's cheeks.

"Seems like you were successful with that, even in a city you don't belong into," he agreed. Upon rounding the next corner, he halted in front of a hut and knocked on its door. From inside, a woman's voice answered.

"Who's there?"

"It's me, Berosus!"

Wooyoung observed the exchange. The woman unbolted the door from inside to open up for them. She seemed younger than Berosus, but not young enough to be his daughter. Her smile turned into a confused frown when she spotted Wooyoung twiddling his thumbs next to her partner.

"Who is this, dear?"

"His name means to make friends, and we befriended each other on the market. He's a traveller waiting for someone I know, so I offered him a place to sleep. Are you hungry?"

Berosus turned to look at Wooyoung with his opaque gaze. Softened by his hospitality, Wooyoung shook his head.

"I ate, thank you. Thank you for taking me in your care; I will be at the best of manners." Wooyoung bowed his head respectfully to the woman of the house. She waved it off with a smile.

"Any friend of his is a friend of mine. Come in, I will give you a spare blanket." She allowed them into the hut that was one plain room. The bed was divided off by a sandy curtain and a cooking place heated a corner of the room. While the woman got Wooyoung a blanket and showed him how close he could lie near the fire to be warm and not catch fire, Berosus relished in the stew she had warmed for him in the pot.

For a while, they sat together. The couple talked about their days and they asked where Wooyoung was from. When he responded that he came from the west; they hummed as if they could imagine anything from there. After Berosus had eaten, they all settled down and let the fires simmer low. Through the windows that were mere holes carved into the walls, Wooyoung heard the cicadas sing their nightly song.

When Wooyoung fell asleep later, the woollen blanket was scratchy on his skin. Yet, he was happier than ever that he had got to experience a Babylonian family's kindness.