Ethan woke in the small stone chamber assigned to him, the walls cold but his mind burning with ideas. The nobles thought they had contained him by placing him under watch, but they had actually given him the one thing he needed most: access. Access to information. Access to data. Access to the truth behind Ardrel’s broken markets.

A knock echoed. A guard opened the door. outsider The Circle requests your presence
Ethan nodded, stretching. Then let us get to work

The guard led him through long crystal hallways filled with shimmering runes that pulsed like living veins. Important nobles walked by in robes so heavy with enchantments they almost hummed. Some glared. Some ignored him. A few whispered suspiciously, as if he were a spark that might ignite a fire.

He finally reached a heavy iron door guarded by two armored mages. The elder noble from yesterday stood waiting. outsider You asked for access to the capital ledgers This room holds the records you desire
Ethan kept his voice calm. Then let me see them
The noble narrowed his eyes. You will not remove anything. You will not alter anything. You will only observe
Ethan shrugged. Observation is all I need

The iron door opened with a deep groan. Inside lay shelves upon shelves of parchment, leather binders, crystal logs, and magical scrolls filled with numbers that represented centuries of economic history. It was dusty and disorganized. Records were scattered in piles as if nobody had looked at them for years.

Ethan exhaled softly. A treasure trove of chaos
Lyra would have lost her mind in here

A young scribe approached. outsider I am assigned to supervise your access. My name is Renn
Ethan nodded. Then help me find these categories Mana stone imports and exports Spell scroll production Potion supplies Noble tariffs Magical transport costs
Renn blinked. That is half the room
Ethan smiled faintly. Then we start with half the room

They spent hours digging through stacks. Ethan found scrolls documenting stone shipments from the northern mines. He found contracts stained with wax from nobles who enforced arbitrary taxes. He found sheets listing potion production where numbers made no sense. One page claimed a district produced three thousand healing potions in a week despite only having two alchemists. Impossible.

Ethan frowned. So this is how they manipulate records
Renn whispered. outsider You must not say such things loudly
Ethan lowered his voice. Renn do you know how broken this all is
The scribe hesitated. I know there are inconsistencies… but no one ever questioned them
Ethan tapped the parchment. Inconsistencies are the surface. Underneath is systemic failure. This kingdom is running on illusions
Renn looked terrified. outsider If nobles hear you—
If nobles hear the truth Ethan interrupted calmly they can deal with it
Renn swallowed. outsider You are bold
Ethan chuckled. I am honest

He continued gathering numbers until he noticed something disturbing. Stone supply from the northern mines suddenly dropped by half ten years ago, yet noble revenues from the region remained stable. That meant either production was hidden or nobles were taxing phantom numbers to justify price manipulation.

Ethan whispered. Hidden supply
Renn blinked. What
Ethan pointed at the ledger. Someone is hiding stones. A lot of them

Renn paled. That would mean smuggling… or noble hoarding
Ethan nodded slowly. Exactly

He worked until dusk, building charts and graphs across several parchments. It looked messy, but the story was clear: the kingdom’s economy was rotting from the inside, with nobles patching it using false numbers and arbitrary taxes.

The elder noble returned. outsider Are you satisfied
Ethan handed him a page filled with corrected data. These are your real numbers
The elder noble skimmed it and his face tightened. outsider You assume too much
Ethan replied. I correct errors
The noble hissed. We control these records for balance
Ethan stepped closer. You control them for illusion Illusions crack
The noble stared at him, shaking with restrained anger. outsider This kingdom has survived for centuries without your interference
Ethan replied softly. Then imagine how much stronger it could be with accuracy

The noble turned sharply. Enough You will report to the High Circle tomorrow

After he left Renn whispered. outsider Why do you provoke them
Ethan sighed. Renn If you want to fix a system you cannot pretend it is fine

As Ethan returned to his chamber he felt a quiet certainty settle inside him. He now held the truth. And truth was leverage. Nobles feared it. People needed it. And Ethan could use it to reshape everything.

He sat at the small desk and drafted a title on parchment
Ardrel Market Reform Proposal
He smiled.
Step by step the kingdom would change.

Tomorrow the nobles would learn that a market mage does not play by their rules.