That night, everyone in Profound Candle Prefecture was sleep-deprived.
Even if you slept like a dead pig, someone would shout for you to get up and go watch the spectacle—no, the fireworks—no, whatever, just get out there and watch the big shots suffer!
Half-City District was ablaze from end to end, and the fire could be seen throughout Profound Candle Prefecture. Fortunately, Half-City District was outside the city, with the walls blocking it off. Otherwise, it was hard to say whether the flames might spread into the city. The section of wall facing Half-City District had been blackened by smoke.
The cries of people rushing to put out the fire rang through the night sky. The Patrol Guards, the various merchant associations, and the Prefectural Governor's Mansion all sent people to contain the blaze. Even the gangs sent people to help. Everyone was united, working feverishly to fight the fire and rescue those affected. If the imperial court still had any authority over East Sun District, the Profound Candle Prefectural Governor's Mansion might even have submitted a report titled "All Citizens Fight the Fire" to claim credit.
In reality, however, ordinary citizens were fairly calm about it.
If anyone intended to go help, someone nearby would stop him:
"Hey, what are you rushing for? Nobody lives in Half-City District. It's all factories belonging to the rich. Why would they need you to put out the fire?"
"But they seem to be desperately short-handed..."
"Hey, do you read the Youth Newspaper? Rich people have faucets in their homes, with all the clean water they could want. We drink the well water nobody else wants. They could fill an entire pool to swim in, so what use is the little bit of water you can carry? Just sit here and watch. Once