The next morning Ethan arrived at the capital’s main market district with two scribes at his side. Renn from the ledger room and a quiet girl named Mira who looked like she had been forced into this assignment by someone much higher up. Both carried blank parchment. Both walked with the tense shoulders of people who knew nobles were watching every breath.

The district itself was far bigger than anything in the village. Sprawling stalls covered entire streets. Colorful canopies stretched overhead. Runes flickered across signs. Spices filled the air. Mana stones glowed in baskets like burning coals. And everywhere prices were chaos. One stall shouted five silver another shouted nine. Customers argued. Merchants swore. Guards extorted quietly.

Ethan exhaled. A storm with no wind patterns
Mira blinked. outsider What does that mean
He smiled softly. It means this chaos is predictable once we measure it

Renn whispered. The nobles said we must watch you They said you will push too fast
Ethan nodded. They are correct But pushing is the only way change happens

He motioned for Renn and Mira to follow him to a central square. He climbed onto a wooden crate and spoke loudly. Merchants Adventurers Alchemists I want one moment of your time
People turned. Some recognized him from rumors. Some whispered outsider. Some rolled eyes expecting trouble.

Ethan continued. I am not here to take your gold or restrict your work I am here to bring order to prices and stabilize your income
A merchant scoffed. Stabilize How
Ethan held up a mana stone. This stone was sold for five silver three streets away and nine silver here Why
The merchant shrugged. Because nobles tax us randomly
Another shouted. Because the mines are unstable
Ethan nodded. Good But none of you know which reason is true Because there are no records

He pointed at Renn and Mira. Today we start building those records

The crowd quieted. They were listening.

Ethan continued. We will begin by collecting the average prices from every stall in this district. Every stone Every potion Every scroll If you tell us your price we will list it publicly for all buyers to see
Gasps
A man shouted. Public prices
Ethan nodded. A posted list updated daily Everyone sees it. Everyone uses it
A merchant narrowed his eyes. And what do we gain
Ethan answered. Trust And trust brings buyers
That shut most of them up.

Mira stepped forward timidly. We will start with mana stones Please tell us your grade and your price
Some merchants hesitated. Others stepped forward immediately, eager to finally be part of something organized.

For the first hour the scribes recorded prices while Ethan checked for patterns. He saw clear distortions created by noble tariffs. He saw inconsistencies with the ledger records. He saw opportunities for arbitrage everywhere. The market was a living puzzle and he could already see the picture forming.

As he walked with Renn he whispered. List A stones first and organize by average price Remove outliers above twenty percent difference
Renn blinked. outsider That is… a new rule
Not a rule Ethan said A filter Filters reveal truth

Suddenly a group of armored guards pushed through the crowd. Their leader wore a crest marked with a flame shaped rune. Ethan had seen it in the ledgers. House Rahl. The family that controlled half the city’s fire stone trade.

The guard captain glared. outsider What do you think you are doing
Ethan remained calm. Building transparency
The captain scoffed. House Rahl sets prices in this district Not outsiders
Ethan met his gaze. Then House Rahl should have nothing to fear from public prices
The man stiffened. You mock us
Ethan shrugged. I measure you
Gasps rippled through the onlookers.

The guard captain raised his hand. Shut this down
Renn froze. Mira trembled. But Ethan stepped between them and the captain.

If you interfere with a work order from the High Circle Ethan said clearly you interfere with the nobles themselves
The guard hesitated
Ethan continued. You may dislike me But you cannot defy the Circle
That did it. The captain backed away with a frustrated scowl. The guards followed.

Renn whispered. outsider That was dangerous
Ethan nodded. So is letting a broken system stay broken

For the next hours the scribes continued recording. Ethan walked the district building trust one stall at a time.

A young alchemist asked shyly. outsider Will your list raise or lower prices
Ethan answered. It will make prices honest
A miner asked. And will buyers trust us more
Ethan nodded. Yes Because you finally have proof
An adventurer asked. Will the nobles allow this
Ethan smirked. They already did They just do not realize it yet

By late afternoon the scribes brought him the compiled data. Ethan sat on the ground against a wooden post sorting the information. He separated prices by item type and grade. He calculated averages. He marked unfair outliers.

Then he wrote a simple heading at the top
Ardrel Market Price Index—Day 1

Renn looked at it with reverence. Mira whispered. outsider This feels important
Ethan smiled. It is the start of the Magic Exchange

He pinned the list on a public board. A hush fell over the square. Merchants stared. Adventurers leaned closer. People whispered numbers to each other comparing their purchases.

A man murmured. My stall is overpriced
Another muttered. And mine is too cheap
A woman gasped. People will finally know the real value

Ethan stepped back. The Index had done what he hoped
It made information visible
It exposed distortions
It forced the market to breathe

But as people gathered around the board like pilgrims around a shrine Ethan saw something else out of the corner of his eye.

A noble carriage stopped at the edge of the district.

House Rahl.

Watching him in silence.

He whispered to himself. Good
Let them watch
Markets always scare those who built their power on secrecy

Ethan turned back to the board.
Tomorrow they start negotiating with numbers.
Tomorrow the kingdom shifts again.