* * * Sierra Square, the heart of Forza, was a place where five major avenues radiated outward from a central circular execution platform. Each district formed by these avenues held different facilities, such as markets, city hall, the university, churches, and a stretch of inns and public bathhouses. That entire, vast expanse was Gyeongju’s workplace. “Candles for sale!” Carrying Inju on her back, Gyeongju wandered among the people already gathered around the gallows, selling candles packed into her apron. They were not the beeswax candles used by nobility, but cheap candles mixed with tallow. Although they smelled foul when burning, such candles were indispensable items in the lives of commoners.