Director Rook appeared on every city emergency screen with the tax archive still burning behind him in the public feed. He wore a fresh uniform and spoke from the municipal hall as if the confiscation records had never existed.
"Only registered factions may enter the city-anchor qualification trial," Rook announced, while a new notice unfolded beside his face.
"Any armed group operating an unregistered dungeon route after sundown will be treated as an unlawful bounty target," he added, letting the penalty remain on every screen.
The warning reached the First Citadel cafeteria before breakfast had been cleared from the serving tables. Citizens read the bounty clause in silence, while fighters checked the route maps that had kept Serian's enclave alive.
