Alaric stepped back into the main hall. The noise and light washing over him immediately. Music still playing. Conversations flowing. Wine still being poured.
Like nothing had happened.
He adjusted his mask. Scanned the crowd.
[Baron Tormund - Grey Mask]
There. Near the wine tables. Talking with two merchants.
Alaric moved that direction. He approached from the side. Caught the tail end of their conversation about shipping delays.
"Excuse me." His voice carried polite interest. "I couldn't help overhearing. You're experiencing route disruptions as well?"
The grey-masked baron turned. Assessed him briefly. "You too?"
"Unfortunately. Lost major shipments last week. All through the northern routes." Alaric shook his head. "I thought it was isolated. But if others are having similar issues..."
"It's systematic." One of the other merchants said. "Someone's squeezing the routes. Making it impossible to operate profitably."
"Any idea who?"
