High above Velmora's bustling trade district, Lyra Velmora stood by a wide window, her gaze fixed on the city below.
She wasn't admiring the view.
She was analyzing it.
Every movement, every exchange, every fluctuation in behavior—it all formed patterns. And those patterns rarely changed without reason.
Which was why the anomaly stood out.
A merchant who should have suffered loss… didn't.
Instead, his goods stabilized.
Unexpectedly.
"…That shouldn't be possible," she murmured.
She knew that merchant's history. His business model. His failure rates.
This deviation had no explanation.
Which meant only one thing.
External interference.
"…Find out who interacted with him today," she instructed calmly.
Her assistant nodded immediately.
Because in Velmora, nothing changed without cause.
And someone had just altered the flow of value within the market.
Quietly.
Efficiently.
Without permission.