Before Ryan could offer a measured corporate compromise regarding the shattered ceramic inventory, a breathless page in a frayed, ink-stained tunic burst through the misty morning commuter crowd. Shoving past the outraged vendor with the unceremonious urgency of an IT support technician sprinting toward a downed server rack, the page slammed a heavy, red-wax-sealed parchment squarely into Ryan's chest. It was an unmistakable summons—the feudal equivalent of an unscheduled, high-priority calendar invite marked mandatory attendance, sent by senior management precisely five minutes before the end of the shift. Ryan let out a long, bone-weary sigh, smoothing down the front of his pressed white collared shirt as he automatically cataloged the decree as another administrative bottleneck threatening his morning schedule.
Before he could offer a polite diplomatic refusal or check his watch for train times, the page and an accompanying guard firmly gripped his elbows, steering him away from the apothecary corner with the practiced, unyielding efficiency of security personnel escorting an employee to a surprise compliance review. They hauled him past sliding cedar doors and down a narrow, damp-stone corridor that smelled of old parchment, melting tallow, and the stale panic of a boardroom facing an unresolvable audit deficit. Ryan offered no physical resistance, merely adjusting the strap of his canvas messenger bag over his shoulder and mentally rescheduling the rest of his morning run-sheet to accommodate the unexpected detour.
Dragged into the austere, open-air courtyard of the district magistrate, Ryan found himself standing before a high wooden bench where a stern, severe official glared down from beneath a sloping tiled roof. Piles of aging tax scrolls and rice ledgers flanked the magistrate's desk—documents that bore an uncanny, unnerving resemblance to the phantom logistics files currently haunting Ryan's department back in Sydney. With the placid, deadpan resilience of a mid-level coordinator facing an unreasonable regional director, Ryan offered a mild, deferential bow, wondering if he would still have time to grab a flat white once the interrogation was adjourned.