A warm, amber glow bathed the tall windows of Xiao Feng's study. The evening sun dipped below the horizon, casting elongated shadows across an ornate desk littered with scrolls and ledgers. A manager—an older man with a narrow face and graying temples—stood before Xiao Feng, reading from a thick parchment that summarized the monthly reports. The scent of ink and wax mingled in the still air.
"...and so, the harvest from our Lava Stone Mine this month averaged around four tons per day," the manager was saying, his voice level but tinged with pride. "I suggest allocating more manpower to that site next month. As for the Moon Stone Mine, we suffered a brief delay due to a bandit raid, but our forces reclaimed the stolen stock with no casualties. In addition—"
