Chapter Five: I Made a Thousand People Take the Wrong Road

Guanlan had canceled its route for “traffic inefficiency,” and dozens of elderly craftsmen were packing up. Lin entered the guild hall and struck a bronze bell no one had touched without permission in two centuries. “The Clock King has pointed the wrong way!” he shouted. “First person to find all twelve old clocks by the wrong route gets free repairs for a year!” Laughter greeted the ridiculous prize. Then Lin produced Grandma's brass guild seal. The room fell silent. Shen Zhiwei had repaired clocks for forty years. Half the city's old craftsmen owed her something. The first float turned into Yongning Alley, which navigation marked congested. Drums followed.