The smell of burnt wood still lingered in the north wing of the Valton estate. A single fragment pulled from the ashes last night. The characters "灰環" and a symbol of scales within a circle. Haikan—Valton Alicia had seen that name for the first time last night. She'd instinctively sensed it was some kind of secret merchant guild moving funds in the darkness, but the details remained unclear. That such a small scrap of paper could carry such weight. It was all that remained in her hands—a substitute for thirty years of ledgers turned to ash. From the window of the Valton estate, the Torene market square spread out below. Morning light reflected off the Minol River's surface, casting golden stripes across the stone pavement. It wasn't a market day, but the permanent stalls had opened their awnings, and old Gram the vegetable merchant was arranging his goods. It should have been an ordinary morning. But Valton Alicia's gaze was fixed on white papers plastered against the buildings aro