Everwood palace. Martial World Sharang.
Hour of Shadow Rat. (06:00 PM - 07:00 PM)
Aksai reclined comfortably on a resting chair in the courtyard, the evening sky gradually dimming to reveal faint stars and a crescent moon, though daylight lingered.
A guard stood behind Aksai's chair, holding a large umbrella, while a table beside him boasted a glass brimming with fresh, zesty fruit juice. There was also a bowl filled with an assortment of fruits, from ripe black bananas to succulent purple berries, and golden apples to exotic magenta mangoes.
Sipping the fruit juice, Aksai savored its flavor as his attention turned to a nondescript middle-aged man approaching him with a flattering smile.
Flanked by palace guards, the man was Mo Len, a city official from Serenity Peak, evidently under Aksai's "monetary" influence.
Behind him trailed a group of prisoners, their limbs bound and mouths gagged, restrained by chains and weights.
