Five minutes later , they were walking again . Yueying walked next to a horse carrying various rolls of colorful silk , it ’ s hooves kicking up dust as it walked . The sun was blisteringly hot and Yueying was starting to feel lightheaded . The heat was beginning to affect some of the other travelers as some swayed on their feet and wrapped cloth around their heads in an attempt to shield themselves from the sun . They walked for hours and hours until Yueying could see a city in the distance . A large wall made of stone surrounded the city ; there were gaps in the wall where a great river flowed through . There were a series of large and tall ornate structures at the center of the city ; each of them had multiple sections and onion shaped domes . The rest of the buildings were flat and cube shaped , made with the same material as the wall . The buildings were closely packed together , with barely any space between them . From this far away , it looked like an intricate maze . Yueying lifted a hand to her forehead as another wave of nausea hit her , her skin felt feverish but she felt strangely cold . What was happening to her ? As they neared , she could see the large wooden gates of the city and the few guards that guarded it . The person at the front of the line of travelerspresumably Marco or his uncle- handed the guard some papers as well as a golden tablet . After deeming the documents and tablet satisfactory , he motioned to the other guards to open the gate . The heavy wooden door creaked as they opened revealing a bustling city inside .
As they walked inside , Yueying marveled as they walked pass various gardens and domed churches painted with various patterns adorned flecks of gold . It was a great city surrounded by beautiful and pleasant gardens . They took a series of turns before they ended up at the market . Once they entered , Yueying could see various shops set up outside the low rise buildings . Most shops had multiple tables overflowing with goods ; large tarps acted as a roof and shielded the goods from the sun . Although the architecture is Tabriz was beautiful , it was the people that really stood out . The people of Tabriz had dark skin , eyes and hair ; they wore robes similar to what she saw in China . Some men covered their hair with cloth and the women covered their hair and face with cloth , only leaving their eyes revealed . They traveled from stall to stall , selling and trading their goods to the various vendors . Yueying helped take out a wide range of silks and tea from their horses in exchange for gold and spices . Yueying recognized some of the spices such as dried chilies and star anise , but most of them were strange . Such as a yellow powder that tingled Yueying ’ s nose and a red powder that had a smoky smell . The market smelled like cooking food and herbs , spices were stacked as high as mountains and swaths of silk were hung up on the walls or rolled up and placed on the tables . Prices and the names of the goods were written in a language Yueying did not understand , Marco and his uncle also communicated with the people in what Yueying assumed was the same language . She never expected she would end up here . In a foreign place and time . She wondered what had happened to her father , did he ever come back ? Or did he die on his journey to the west ; maybe he traveled to this very place . The lightheadedness and the headache returned in full force until Yueying found herself lying on the ground staring up at the blue sky . She was thinking about Zhaojun and her father when the world went dark .
Yueying opened her eyes . She was sitting on a soft seat in what seemed like a grey box with windows . Where was she now ? Sifting through her host ’ s memories , she found that she was taking a method of transportation called a train . This train was headed to a place called Munich is Germany she was dressed in business attire with a briefcase on the seat next to her , in the case contained various designs for a railroad connecting China to various parts of Europe , it was a part of a plan called ‘ one belt , one road ’. As she peered out the window , she could see various buildings scattered across the lush green landscape . “ We have arrived at München Hauptbahnhof the voice coming from the speakers announced in English , German followed by Chinese “ Thank you riding with us , we hope you have a great day !” As the train slowed and stopped , Yueying stood up and -briefcase in hand- walked towards the exit . This was the beginning of her next journey .