Actually, the price increase isn't that high, and people wouldn't have been overly worried about it. However, the impact of the Duel Day is just beginning to show. That day was supposed to be a carnival for freelancers and small business owners, a chance to earn a stable income each year... But this year, rather than making money, almost everyone ended up losing. Now everyone has to tighten their belts to get by, and the rising prices are fraying fragile nerves, making the atmosphere indescribably heavy.
The greater the pressure, the easier it is to become restless; the more uneasy one is, the more fragile they become. Tierlos saw a quarrel break out in front of him, escalating from a war of words to shoving. He quickly avoided it, but the curses of the people reached his ears. Curses about the damned new security ordinance, curses about the ineffectual Country authorities, curses about everything perpetually being damned.
