When Evan returned to the stall he immediately sensed something wrong The air felt heavier The rune lines on the stall walls dimmed slightly Mila rushed inside to check Rinna followed Evan walked slowly scanning every detail Every stool every plate every corner

Nothing looked broken
But something felt off

Loras ran out from the back room panting
Someone tampered with the teleport delivery circle

Mila knelt beside the circle tracing the runes Her expression darkened
They inserted a null sequence If we activated it it would have collapsed the receiving point The food could have teleported into a wall or worse into a person

Rinna growled
That is not sabotage That is attempted destruction

Evan asked
Anyone enter the stall this morning

Loras shook his head
No one came inside But I did hear something near the back A soft sound like a spell flash

Mila examined the back door and found faint violet residue The same signature color used by the Free Traders League

Evan clenched his fists
The League did not wait They acted immediately after our meeting

As Mila repaired the circle she explained the danger
If the teleport collapsed with food inside it could cause spatial distortion The Guild would have shut us down for safety violations Even though we did nothing wrong

Rinna added
This is not just sabotage They want to create a record that makes the Guild distrust you

Evan understood the larger tactic
The League wanted to frame Arcane Flavor as unstable so the Guild would withdraw support

In the afternoon an unfamiliar merchant came to their stall A charming man with a silk vest and polished speech He introduced himself as Derren an independent investor He praised their food their innovation their vision He said he wanted to fund ten branches immediately

Mila’s eyes narrowed Rinna crossed her arms Evan asked
Who do you represent

Derren smiled politely
Oh I work alone Strictly neutral

But his rune signature faintly matched the violet residue Mila detected earlier They refused his offer Derren’s smile faded into something colder before he bowed and walked away

The League had shifted strategies again
Sabotage
Then infiltration masked as investment

That evening Evan gathered everyone They sat around the counter a circle of shared tension

Mila spoke first
The League is testing us They want to see where we are weak

Rinna added
If they cannot corrupt us they will attack our supply or our customers next

Loras looked terrified but determined
What do we do We cannot fight them with force

Evan took a deep breath and answered
We do it the same way we survived everything else With systems Structure Discipline Transparency We protect everything we built and expose every attempt they make We stay ahead

He pointed to the teleport circle
We reinforce every rune triple layered

He pointed to the stove
We install detection runes that trigger when foreign magic touches equipment

He pointed to the door
We ward the entire building against cloaked entry

He then looked at Mila
We document every sabotage attempt and deliver the reports directly to Varos No delays No assumptions

Mila nodded
The Guild will see the truth before the League twists it

Rinna slammed her fist into her palm
Good And if the League tries to break my equipment again I will break their hands

Loras looked at Mila then at Evan
And what about expansion The Riverbend store is running well Should we stop

Evan shook his head
No The League wants us scared They want to freeze our growth The best answer is to continue carefully controlled expansion If we stop they win If we grow recklessly they win We grow with precision

That evening Mila activated protective runes around the stall Rinna installed new metal plates to guard the stove Loras organized supply logs Evan updated the operational manual with a new section Crisis Response Protocols

Late at night as the team worked an owl shaped spell construct landed outside carrying a message The seal was purple The symbol unmistakable

The Free Traders League had sent a final note
You chose the wrong side Evan Hayes
You will regret what comes next

Evan read it then burned the parchment letting the ashes fade into air

He spoke quietly
Let them come We will build something they cannot break

And outside in the shadows two cloaked figures watched the stall whispering
The next phase begins tonight

The war for Arcane Flavor had officially begun
Not with swords but with contracts runes sabotage and strategy
And Evan prepared to face it all