The metropolis woke screaming.
A tremor rolled beneath the stone avenues of the Iron Gate District as if the very earth recoiled in alarm. Lanterns swung wildly from bronze hooks, lighting the still-dark dawn in feverish waves. Merchants peered from shuttered windows as guards surged in panicked formations, vendors clutched their chests as the ground shook beneath their feet.
Somewhere, a child cried. Elsewhere , a hawker muttered. "Behold! A great evil has stirred…"
Though he could not know how right he was.
Inside the Grand Ledger Hall, main headquarters of the Oolong Group. An oppressive silence weighed on the assembled elites.Steward Huo stood before the great jade table, his expression carved in stone.
He scanned the sea of faces before him. The assembly consisted of merchants, enforcers, accountants, district magistrates that were each awaiting his decree with bated breath. There was a faint tremor of embarrassment rippled through the chamber.
