An uproar greater than the previous disturbance fell upon the small gathering. Despite Li Lin's reserved phrasing, the elves could easily imagine the terrifying scene that such unrestricted privileges would bring.
Forced buying was the most direct manifestation of this economic plunder. Whether it was horses and carts, wine, wheat, malt, oats, cattle, sheep, pigs, clothes, sheets, tables and chairs, pots and pans... anything deemed necessary for royal life and entertainment would be stripped bare by the procurement official who would then leave behind a token with a small sum recorded and the 'seller' in tears, clothed poorly if at all, clutching the token to wait for an undetermined amount of time for the Finance Bureau to reimburse a discounted owed amount.
