The streetlights of the Old District flickered past the tinted windows of the sedan, casting rhythmic shadows across the leather interior.
Aria sat with the ledger open on her lap, her bandaged fingers tracing the columns of ink. To the untrained eye, it looked like a standard inventory list for a dry goods store—entries for "Dried Mushrooms," "Ginseng Root," and "Oolong Tea."
But to Aria, it read like an obituary.
"It's a substitution cipher," she murmured, her eyes scanning the dates. " 'Mushrooms' are sedatives. 'Ginseng' is arsenic. And 'Oolong'... Oolong is the neurotoxin base."
She pointed to a specific entry dated two days ago.
Client: L.L. Item: Oolong (Special Grade). Quantity: 50g. Price: Urgent.
"She didn't just buy it," Aria whispered. "She paid a rush fee. She was panicked."
