The first alert reached the Ministry of Commerce at exactly 8:17 that morning.
It wasn't marked urgent.
Only unusual.
A shipment of imported wheat scheduled to arrive from Norland had been delayed.
Reason: price adjustment pending.
The procurement officer frowned.
Imports weren't usually suspended over a single market fluctuation. He made a phone call. The supplier answered immediately.
"I'm sorry," the representative said.
"We've been instructed to recalculate every contract involving the Valen dollar."
The officer stared at the ceiling.
"Since when?" "This morning." By nine o'clock... It wasn't just wheat. Steel.
Industrial chemicals. Medical equipment.
Electronic components. Vehicle parts.
One after another, foreign suppliers began demanding revised payment terms.
Not because Valenridge had defaulted.
Because international commodity exchanges had suddenly become unstable.
