The comfort arrived quietly.

That was its genius.

No bells rang. No guards marched. No banners unfurled from council balconies. Instead, the city felt a subtle easing, like a muscle unclenching after days of strain. Notices appeared explaining how waste routes would be “temporarily optimized.” Fire brigades received updated coordination maps. Grain stores were inventoried—not seized, merely counted. The order had arrived, disguised as assistance.

In the southern market, a baker ...