They arrived at the trading center of Jiopk in the early afternoon.
The journey had been about speed, not sightseeing, and they had pushed the horses hard to get here before the market began to wind down.
The roads had been dusty, the sun hot, but they had made good time.
Now, as they rode through the outer edges of the settlement, the buildings grew denser and the streets more crowded.
The trading center was not a castle or a fortress. It was a sprawling collection of wooden structures, open-air stalls, and livestock pens arranged around a central square.
The square itself was packed with people: merchants yelling out prices, buyers haggling, children running between legs, and animals being led to and from pens. The air was thick with dust, the smell of animals, and the low constant hum of commerce.
And it was heavily protected too. Guards stood at every entrance, their armor polished, their eyes scanning the crowd.
