The mid-day sun hung high over the central plaza, but its warmth was completely swallowed by the chilly mountain wind whistling through the columns of the inner peak.
The short tournament intermission had officially begun, and the grand arena outside was still echoing with the frantic, terrified murmurs of the noble clans.
Tony Clark sat lazily in the shaded gazebo of the Cloud-Mist Pavilion, his dark hunting cloak draped loosely over his shoulders. Before him on the heavy stone table sat a massive, newly arrived treasure chest overflowing with rare, high-tier herbs and ancient elemental plants plundered directly from the Vance clan's deepest reserves.
Standing right beside the table was the painting lady from the inner campus, Selene Faith, her majestic gold-and-crimson merchant robes rustling softly against the floor. Her violet eyes were narrow, scanning Tony's relaxed, unbothered posture with a complex mixture of deep admiration and sharp, suspicious curiosity.
