The final night of the festival felt quieter.
Not empty—never that—but subdued.
Wagons creaked through the streets while merchants packed inventory beneath torchlight, eager to gain an early start on the roads before dawn.
Lanterns still glowed overhead.
Music still drifted through the streets.
Food still sizzled from crowded stalls.
But the sharp edge of departure lingered in the air now.
Jax walked beside the Vixens through the thinning crowds while they continued debating the home he planned to build.
"I'm serious," Nyxian said dramatically. "A master bath. A real one. A shower large enough for all of us."
Bunny's ears flicked upright.
"And the pool."
"Yes," Nyxian agreed immediately. "The giant permanent bath."
"It's called a pool," Jax corrected.
"Still sounds like a bath."
Zee smiled softly.
"I'd like a garden."
Llandra crossed her arms thoughtfully.
"I'd like soundproof walls."
Nyxian looked offended.
"You wound me."
"You literally hear through walls."
"That is unrelated."
Jax laughed quietly beneath his breath.
Then a voice called out.
"Hey!"
A small foxkin boy stood near a sweetbread cart staring directly at Jax.
Recognition spread across his face instantly.
"It's him!"
Several nearby children turned immediately.
Some Jax recognized from the school.
Others clearly knew who he was anyway.
One of the smaller girls hesitated before stepping forward.
"…Thank you," she whispered.
Another bowed quickly before hiding behind an older beastkin woman.
The woman herself looked exhausted.
Wary.
Protective.
But she still lowered her head respectfully.
"We're doing better now," she said quietly.
Jax nodded once.
"That's good."
As they continued walking afterward, the atmosphere changed again.
Not from the children.
From the adults.
Jax noticed the looks almost immediately.
Resentment.
Suspicion.
Anger.
Nyxian noticed too.
"There's a lot of hostility tonight."
"More than before," Llandra agreed quietly.
Jax's expression stayed calm.
"They're angry," he said evenly.
"But they aren't dangerous."
The emphasis wasn't missed.
That was when they saw the notices.
Messengers moved through the streets posting fresh papers onto walls and lamp posts.
EMERGENCY TOWN HALL – TOMORROW – 10 AM
Bunny tilted her head.
"That feels ominous."
Nyxian snorted.
"The Slave Guild lost money. Of course there's a meeting."
"It'll be political," Llandra said quietly.
"They'll try controlling the narrative before public opinion settles."
Jax removed one of the notices and folded it calmly.
"Then let's make sure they don't."
Morning came slowly.
Mostly because Jax woke up trapped beneath four women.
An arm across his chest.
A leg across his waist.
Bunny's ear brushing his neck.
Someone was lightly snoring into his shoulder.
Honestly?
Not the worst way to wake up.
Carefully, Jax disentangled himself without waking anyone and prepared for the day.
By 9:30 he was already dressed, fed, and making calls through tele-stones.
"Meet me there," he said simply.
The town hall was packed long before the meeting officially began.
Merchants.
Workers.
Adventurers.
Citizens.
Standing room only.
Jax arrived five minutes early and immediately noticed the front rows.
Too many humans.
Too much armor.
The merchant from the auction stood near the center alongside several men wearing partial Imperial military insignias.
Not active duty.
Connected.
Mayor Halvren Thistlefox stood at the front platform with the careful expression of a man already regretting this meeting.
The foxkin mayor cleared his throat.
"It has come to our attention," he began carefully, "that a large number of slaves were purchased yesterday and immediately released."
Murmurs spread throughout the room.
The mayor raised both hands diplomatically.
"This action has created… concerns."
One of the merchants immediately stepped forward.
"What happens when dangerous people are suddenly released into the streets?"
Another added loudly:
"What about debt criminals?"
"Violent offenders?"
"Who protects honest citizens?"
Bunny frowned immediately.
"That's not what happened."
"No," Jax said quietly.
"It's what they want people to believe happened."
Another guild representative stepped forward.
"We propose new regulations regarding slave purchases within Solmere."
A paper hit the table dramatically.
"No immediate emancipation."
"Only licensed guild buyers."
"Mandatory ownership review periods—"
"I am Jax Darquebane."
The room quieted instantly.
Jax stepped forward calmly through the crowd until he reached the center aisle.
"I purchased those slaves."
His voice remained calm.
Measured.
"I am also a merchant operating within Solmere."
He placed a stack of papers onto the front table.
"The official Guild records."
The mayor blinked.
Jax continued.
"No criminal designations."
"No debt annotations."
"No violent offenses."
Silence.
Then Jax looked directly toward the guild representatives.
"So explain something to me."
His voice sharpened slightly.
"What crimes were committed by the eleven children under the age of ten?"
Nobody answered immediately.
One merchant finally scoffed.
"Their parents may have—"
"May have?"
Jax cut him off instantly.
"Interesting legal standard."
The room stirred.
People were listening now.
Really listening.
A guild representative slammed his hand on the table.
"This is emotional manipulation!"
"No," Jax replied evenly.
"This is documentation."
Another merchant stood aggressively.
"You freed property!"
That changed the room.
The wording.
The ugliness of it.
People reacted visibly.
Jax looked directly at the speaker.
"No," he said calmly.
"I freed people."
The hall went quiet again.
Then another guild representative stepped forward angrily.
"If Solmere allows this, the Guild will reconsider future festival investments."
There it was.
The real threat.
Jax noticed the mayor tense immediately.
Several merchants exchanged worried looks.
Llandra leaned toward him slightly.
"This is where they think they win."
Jax nodded once.
Then he spoke loudly enough for the entire hall to hear.
"I own contracts connected to over twenty-five businesses in Solmere."
Silence.
"If the Slave Guild leaves," Jax continued calmly, "then I replace the revenue."
The room exploded.
"What?"
"That's impossible!"
"With what?"
Brannic's voice thundered from the side of the hall.
"With us."
Heads turned instantly.
The dwarf stood near the back beside Merriweather and several local merchants.
Brannic folded his arms.
"We move where Jax moves."
Merriweather nodded immediately.
"So do I."
Others began murmuring agreement.
The momentum shifted.
Fast.
A small imp suddenly raised his hand nervously near the front.
"Jax…"
Pex looked deeply uncomfortable.
"You can't relocate the Neon Moon. I own eighty percent."
Jax smiled faintly.
"Then buy me out."
Pex blinked.
"Twenty times my investment."
The imp nearly choked.
"And per our contract," Jax continued calmly, "I retain the staff and recipes."
Pex looked horrified.
Nyxian smirked.
"Funny how ownership suddenly feels dangerous when someone stronger uses the rules against you."
That line hit hard.
The room shifted again.
Now citizens were murmuring openly against the Guild.
Mayor Thistlefox realized it too.
He slammed the gavel sharply.
"Order!"
The room slowly quieted.
The mayor looked exhausted now.
Cornered.
Calculating.
Finally, he spoke carefully.
"Who supports increased regulation under the Slave Guild proposal?"
Scattered hands.
Weak applause.
Then the mayor swallowed.
"And who supports abolishing the slave trade within Solmere?"
The hall erupted.
Not unanimous.
But overwhelming.
Cheers.
Shouting.
Applause.
The guild representatives looked stunned.
Then angry.
Then frightened.
One of the armored soldiers moved suddenly, hand dropping toward his sword.
Jax moved faster.
One finger pressed lightly against the guard of the blade before it could leave the sheath.
The soldier strained.
Nothing moved.
Jax's voice remained perfectly calm.
"This," he said evenly,
"…is democracy."
The other soldiers stiffened immediately.
Then stopped completely.
Because the Vixens had already surrounded them.
No weapons drawn.
No panic.
Just confidence.
Mayor Thistlefox slammed the gavel repeatedly.
"ENOUGH!"
Silence slowly returned.
The foxkin mayor looked across the hall carefully.
Then finally exhaled.
"Solmere will begin drafting legislation abolishing the sale of slaves within city limits."
The room exploded again.
This time louder.
More emotional.
The guild representatives looked furious.
Good.
Jax stepped back slowly while the celebration continued around him.
He had made enemies today.
Real enemies.
Political enemies.
Economic enemies.
Possibly Imperial enemies.
But Solmere had chosen.
And by morning—
the Empire would hear about it.