In August, the Docklands were at their busiest time of the year.
Early-harvested grain from Midseashire and East Chester County needed to be shipped out as quickly as possible, while the industrial goods and local specialties they needed traveled upstream from Pritz Harbor, through Backlund and Tingen City, to be delivered by river transport.
Situated at the confluence of two major waterways of the Loen Kingdom, the Khoy River and the Tussock River, Tingen City served as a transfer hub for waterborne transportation throughout the eastern part of the kingdom.
The middle-aged man across from Angel stared intently at the bustling scene outside the window.
"That all used to belong to the Labor Mutual Aid Society, didn't it?"
Taking a sip of coffee, she asked with a smile.
The man withdrew his gaze, his sharp eyes settling on Angel.
"You asked me out just to rub salt in the wound? Then I suppose you've succeeded."
"How could that be? Vaughn, after Chairman Jike was arrested, you became the Mutual Aid Society's true leader. I came to help you solve your problems."
Angel let a hint of temptation seep into her voice as she replied softly.
The middle-aged man who had once given speeches in front of the Labor Mutual Aid Society warehouse and commanded his men to capture Angel had lost all of his former vigor. Troubled by trivial matters, he looked utterly exhausted.
As though irritated that she had seen through him, Vaughn angrily ruffled his short brown hair. He pulled out a cigarette case from the pocket of his wrinkled, unkempt coat, hesitated for a moment, then put it away again.
"That's right." He pursed his lips before finally speaking in a somewhat rough voice. "Jike left behind this mess, and my men pushed me into the Chairman's