Morning had barely cleared the eastern horizon when Hajin left the administrative building for the town gate.
Marrick hurried behind him with a ledger clutched against his chest while struggling to match the group's pace.
"My Lord, please wait before we cross the boundary," he said as one loose page escaped the leather cover.
"Walking toward the Gold Mountain during your second morning feels like very poor regional policy."
Hajin kept his attention fixed on the eastern peaks beyond the waking rooftops.
"The mountain has been a death story for generations," Marrick continued while his breath shortened.
"Nobody has confirmed its summit for fifty years, while every expedition entering that sector failed to return."
"I need four hundred thousand gold pieces," Hajin replied without slowing his stride.
"Unless the office hid that amount beneath another fraudulent ledger, the mountain remains our only available source."
