The experts gathered in the Mayor's courtyard one by one as they awaited his arrival. Soft morning light filtered across the open space, casting long shadows between the assembled figures. The air carried a quiet tension.
A Ninth-stage Sovereign dressed in blue turned to the man standing beside him. "What happened last night? I tried to investigate, but the Mayor's guards stopped me from approaching that area."
"I wanted to ask you the same thing," the other man replied in a low voice. "When I first sensed the explosions, I thought the Gnomes had finally launched a direct attack on the city. I rushed out immediately, but by the time I got close, the Mayor's guards had already formed a tight perimeter. They said the Mayor gave clear orders that no one was to pass, and that anyone who tried would be treated as an enemy."
"That serious?" the man in blue asked, slightly taken aback.
