The sun had begun its slow descent, spilling long shafts of amber light through the narrow streets. The golden hour cloaked the merchant district in warmth, gilding the market stalls and painting shadows that stretched like lazy serpents across the stone road.
Li Wei's figure moved with quiet ease, hands folded behind his back as he left the clam pavilion behind. The crowd's excited murmurs still lingered faintly in the air, rippling like the last rings of a stone cast into calm water. He could almost hear Lao Dong's teeth grinding in frustration.
"Greed blinds more surely than darkness," Li Wei murmured, his tone thoughtful as he turned a corner. "A fool reaches for the moon and loses his reflection in the pond."
The faint chime of the system followed his words.
~DING~
Mission Complete: Fortune from the Sea
Reward Unlocked: Pearl of Resonant Tides (Bound Item)
Effect: Enhances attunement with water- and spirit-based energies. Increases elemental harmony.
