(Meanwhile, The Autumn Festival Parade)
The chariot carrying Veyr reached the entryway to Sunsteps Market without encountering the slightest disruption, its progress through the preceding three sectors having lulled many into a false sense of ease.
By this point, the Twelfth Elder's guards, once rigid and alert, began to relax visibly, their shoulders less tense, their formations slightly looser, as if the festive ambiance had gradually seeped into their discipline.
They no longer reacted to the sudden bursts of confetti that occasionally rained from above.
Nor did they seem particularly interested in admonishing the children who darted beside the Dragon's Chariot with gleaming eyes and carefree smiles, each one treating the procession as if it were a passing miracle.
From a security standpoint it was a big lapse, however, with such a large crowd, it became difficult to control every small aspect.
