Central Relief Hospital smelled of antiseptic, wet concrete, and burned mana. The lower receiving wing had been built for ambulances before the Merge. Now it held patients on narrow beds, staff moving supplies, and Kest's guards around an anchor circle that had turned the floor into national property.
Nox entered through the public doors with Vasa, Serian, Emilia, and two unarmed relay workers behind him. Kendra stayed outside with the Citadel squads, where people could see that the group was not arriving to storm a treatment wing.
The boundary notice floated above the anchor ring. Its wording was exact enough to be useful: patients, doctors, supplies, and unarmed escorts could cross without payment. Every armed claimant would pay a standard transit charge, with the cores placed in a protected medical escrow.
Kest had not closed the gate. He had also not sent the first payment.
