At home a child shares a special malt candy with his father, notices his torn clothes, and the father dismisses it as an accident before sending the child to bed. The scene shifts to a crowded market where a cart puller is stopped by men from Bliz Martial Hall demanding a management fee. They point to a line of workers already paying and order him to join, escalating pressure and public intimidation. An enforcer singles him out and summons him over, pushing him toward the payment line and an immediate, unresolved confrontation.