Night settled over the Osborn compound without any disturbance. Lamps burned low along the inner walls, and the training grounds stood empty, their packed ground cooling beneath the faint silver of moonlight. Most of the clan had slept. The steady rhythm of cultivation chambers hummed softly beneath the main hall, controlled and disciplined.
Robert remained awake. He stood alone in the upper courtyard, eyes half-closed, letting his breathing settle until it almost disappeared. The spirit stone chamber beneath the clan grounds had been operating for weeks now. Extraction was steady. Distribution was controlled. Growth had accelerated beyond what the Osborn Clan could have imagined half a year ago.
Rapid growth, however, carried its own scent. He activated the system scan quietly, restricting its range to avoid unnecessary fluctuation. A faint pulse spread outward through the compound.
