CHAPTER 86 — WHEN THE WORLD STARTS GAMBLING
Beyond the academy's outer perimeter, where official authority softened into tolerated chaos, an entire marketplace had risen overnight. . A temporary city, erected with frightening efficiency. Spirit-forged pillars anchored massive canopies, sigils burned softly in the air, and layered defensive formations hummed beneath the ground like a sleeping beast.
At the center of it all floated a massive emblem, projected high above the crowd in shimmering gold:
MERCHANT GUILD — OFFICIAL PUBLIC POLL
They called it a poll.
Nobody was fooled.
This was gambling on survival.
By midday, the place was overflowing.
Common citizens packed shoulder to shoulder with cultivators. Retired veterans leaned on canes, arguing loudly. Merchants shouted odds until their voices cracked. Children sat on their parents' shoulders, pointing excitedly at glowing nameboards they barely understood.
