A Visit to the Sugar Refinery

A carriage rolled slowly past the gates of the Two Rivers Territory Sugar Refinery.

From a distance, the broad open space before the gates was packed with carriages of every kind. Nearby, many people in fine clothes stood or sat, waiting for something.

Everything about their dress spoke of wealth and luxury. They were clearly rich merchants who spent freely, and each had several burly, stern-faced guards at his side. None of them looked ordinary.

They had heard that the Sugar Refinery was about to produce a new batch of high-quality white sugar and had come to buy it before anyone else.

Inside the carriage sat Victor and Rabik. Not long ago, after some discussion, Victor had decided to visit Sugar Beet Estate.

Although Victor had decided not to enter the Sugar Refinery, he still insisted on coming to have a look and seeing for himself the bustling scene Rabik had described.

Victor lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and studied the trade association emblems hanging from the carriages. He counted more than thirty carriages scattered across the grounds. The sheer number was astonishing. Rabik had not exaggerated when he called the place bustling.

Yet something about the merchants struck Victor as odd. They had gathered in small groups and seemed to be talking quietly, but there was little joy on any of their faces.

Victor watched them for a while and gradually understood why. The merchants had crowded into the narrow strips of shade beneath their carriages, trying to escape the heat. Their servants stood beside them, fanning them constantly in an effort to stir up a little cool air.

It was noon, after all. June had only just begun, but the summer sun was already fierce.

The Sugar Refinery stood in a remote spot beside the sprawling