Three hours felt like three days.
Rumina had checked her proposal three tis, smoothed the folds of her gown twice, and sipped the tea served by the receptionist—tea that was far too sweet for a palate accustod to the bitter black coffee of Northreach. Outside the lounge window, the ridoss canals grew increasingly crowded. rchant boats shuttled back and forth with heavy loads, traders shouted their offers, and the sun continued to climb, shortening the shadows along the water’s edge.
Finally, the lounge door creaked open.
A servant clad in black robes appeared at the threshold. His face was stoic, his posture rigid, and his voice deep and practiced. "Madam Vernazza is ready to receive you."
Rumina stood, adjusting her gown one last ti—not out of nervousness, but to ensure every detail was flawless. She followed the servant up a winding marble staircase, passing through corridors lined with dark wood paneling and oil lamps that slled of exotic spices. At the end of the hall, two uniford guards pushed open a set of double teak doors.
The room beyond was vast. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the main canal of ridoss, allowing sunlight to flood in and dance across the polished marble floor. In the center of the room sat a massive blackwood table—large enough for eight people to deliberate—surrounded by crimson velvet chairs. The walls were lined with shelves filled with leather-bound ledgers, parchnt scrolls, and trade artifacts from across the globe—ivory statues from the South, porcelain vases from the East, and golden hourglasses from distant archipelagos.
Behind that table sat a woman.
Madam Vernazza.
Her silver hair was coiled into a sophisticated bun atop her head, secured with a pearl-encrusted pin. Her face bore the marks of ti—fine lines at the corners of her eyes and lips—but they added an air of authority rather than taking it away. Her eyes were sharp, a deep brown like concentrated coffee, and as she looked at Rumina, her gaze felt like she was weighing the price of a valuable commodity. On her fingers, gold rings set with various gemstones—blood-red rubies, sea-blue sapphires, and leaf-green eralds—glinted with every movent of her hands.
She did not smile. But she did not frown either. She simply watched, waiting.
Rumina stepped forward, stopping directly in front of the table, and offered a polite bow—not too low, just enough to show respect without appearing subservient. "Madam Vernazza. Thank you for your ti."
Vernazza did not stand. She gestured to the chair across from her with a slight nod. "Sit."
Rumina took her seat, placing her leather briefcase on her lap. She regulated her breathing, calming her heart which beat slightly faster than usual. This is it, she thought. The real battlefield.
Vernazza leaned back, her fingers interlaced on the table. "I hear you are from Northreach. House Sudrath."
"Correct. I am Rumina Sudrath, Treasurer of House Sudrath."
"Sudrath..." Vernazza repeated the na slowly, as if tasting an aged wine. "That na leaves a bitter taste on my tongue."
Rumina did not imdiately respond. She had anticipated this.
Vernazza reached for a teacup beside her—white porcelain painted with blue floral patterns—and took a slow sip. "Lord Valerian. Are you familiar with him?"
There it is. Rumina straightened her back. "Lord Valerian is a na my brother used for certain business ventures. It has long since been abandoned."
"Certain business ventures?" Vernazza set her cup down. The sound of porcelain hitting wood was louder than it should have been. "He cheated , Miss Sudrath. He sold glass as an ancient artifact. The Void Chalice—supposedly capable of neutralizing poisons, supposedly crafted by an extinct line of Alchemists." She smiled, a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Do you have any idea how much gold I paid for that piece of junk?"
Rumina took a steady breath. "I do. Fifty thousand gold coins."
"Fifty thousand." Vernazza nodded slowly. "That is not a small sum, even for . I do not enjoy being cheated, Miss Sudrath. And I do not like your family na."
Silence hung heavy between them. Rumina could hear her own heartbeat—not from fear, but from intense focus. She had prepared for this mont since the day she left Iron Hearth.
"I am not here to defend my brother," she said finally. "What he did five years ago was a mistake. However, I am not here to apologize. I am here to offer you sothing real."
Vernazza arched an eyebrow. "Real? Like that ’real’ Void Chalice?"
"More real than that." Rumina opened her bag and pulled out a sleek black box—the Blackwood Case—and placed it on the table. She flipped open the lid.
Inside, resting on a velvet cushion, lay a sample of Pure Mana Crystal. The sunlight from the window pierced the crystal, creating dancing prisms of violet and blue light across the table. Vernazza fell silent. Her eyes—previously cold and suspicious—narrowed as they focused on the stone.
She picked up the crystal carefully, examining it under the light. "I have never seen a crystal this clear. No cracks. No inclusions. This is... pure."
"The result of our refinent process. Not magic. Science."
"Science." Vernazza repeated the word as if she were hearing it for the first ti. "A strange word."
"It ans knowledge. We study how the world works—stone, fire, water, air—and use that understanding to create sothing better. That crystal is the proof."
Vernazza placed the crystal back in its box, but she didn’t close it. Her eyes remained fixed on the violet stone. Then, she looked at Rumina. "You said you ca to offer sothing. What?"
Rumina pulled a scroll of proposals from her bag—thick parchnt with sketches of rails, trains, and figures written in neat black ink. "This. The Maglev Train. The Lightning Rail. No horses, no magic. Three tis the speed of a standard carriage. Northreach is already utilizing it. I want to build a rail line from Northreach to the Erald Union."
Vernazza took the proposal, unrolling it slowly. Her eyes moved rapidly—not reading, but scanning, searching for sothing to challenge. "I’ve heard rumors of this. A train that floats above the rails. Silently. I heard it was rely an engineer’s fairy tale."
"It is no fairy tale." Rumina pointed to a sketch on the proposal. "It is reality. I ride that train every day in Northreach. The tracks are already laid from Iron Hearth to the southern border."
Vernazza closed the proposal and set it on the table. She leaned back, staring at Rumina for a long ti. Then, she smiled—a different smile. Not cynical, not cold. The smile of a rchant who had just spotted an opportunity.
"You know, Miss Sudrath, in the Erald Union, we have no kings. We have no dukes. We have ledgers." She pointed to the shelves behind her. "Whoever profits the most, leads. I am number four of the ten mbers of the rchant Council."
Rumina nodded. She had heard this from her contacts, but hearing it directly from Vernazza gave the information a different weight.
"That ans," Vernazza continued, "I have enough power to make a deal, but not enough to force it without consensus. This Maglev project... if it succeeds, I could climb to number three. Perhaps even number two. But if it fails, I could drop to number seven. Do you understand the risk?"
"I do. That is why I am here personally. I did not send an envoy. I ca myself to show that we are serious."
Vernazza nodded slowly. "Good. But I need more than words and paper. I need proof."
"What kind of proof?"
"I want to see it for myself." Vernazza leaned forward. "This horseless train. These floating rails. I want to see with my own eyes that such a thing truly exists, that it moves, and that it can truly transport goods from Northreach to here."
Rumina nodded. "That is reasonable. I can arrange for your visit to Northreach. You will see the Lightning Rail, our factories, and the mana crystals we produce."
Vernazza smiled. "Very well. I shall co to Northreach. But on one condition."
"What is it?"
"You must be the one to escort . Personally. I want to see if you are truly serious."
Rumina locked eyes with Vernazza. She’s testing , she thought. She wants to know if I’ll run like Roland or stand firm like a Sudrath should.
"I accept," she said without hesitation. "When can you depart?"
Vernazza leaned back, picking up her teacup once more. "I will send word. I have Council business to conclude first. Two months, perhaps. We shall see."
Rumina stood and bowed respectfully. "I shall await your word, Madam Vernazza. Northreach will welco you with open arms."
Vernazza did not reply. She only offered a small nod, her eyes still fixed on Rumina—weighing, calculating, assessing.
Rumina turned and walked out. The mont the door closed behind her, she let out a long, heavy sigh. One more step, she thought. One more step and we have a trade ally.
At The Gilded Swan inn, Raveena and Caelus were sitting in the lobby when Rumina entered. Raveena stood up imdiately, her face full of anxiety. "How did it go, Sister?"
Rumina offered a thin smile—one that was weary yet satisfied. "She’s interested. But she demands proof."
"What kind of proof?"
"She wants to co to Northreach. To see the Lightning Rail for herself."
Raveena’s face lit up. "That’s good, right? Once she sees it, she’ll definitely agree."
"It’s good, but it’s also dangerous." Rumina sat on the sofa, setting her bag aside. "If she cos and sees sothing that isn’t up to standard—if the train stalls, if the factory is ssy, if there is even one small thing that makes her doubt—this deal is dead. We must ensure Northreach is ready to receive her."
Caelus, who had been silent until then, finally spoke. "When is she coming?"
"It’s not certain yet. Perhaps two months. She will send word."
Raveena squeezed her sister’s hand. "We’ll be ready, Sister. Brother Rianor can make the Lightning Rail even better. Brother Roland can handle the diplomatic reception. And you’ve already managed to convince her to co. That’s already a massive step."
Rumina looked at her sister. Raveena was growing up so fast. Once, she was just a little girl buried in her notebooks. Now, she could offer encouragent like this.
"You’re right," Rumina said finally. "But for now, let’s rest. We head ho tomorrow. The journey is still long."
Raveena nodded. She and Caelus headed to their rooms, leaving Rumina alone in the lobby.
Rumina stared out the window. The ridoss canals were still busy, but the sun was dipping toward the west. Boats began to light their lanterns, casting golden reflections across the water. This city was beautiful, she thought. But it wasn’t ho.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the crystal pager. Her fingers tapped out a short ssage to Silas:
"Negotiation concluded. Vernazza agrees to visit Northreach in two months. Prepare the finest reception. Returning tomorrow."
She sent it. Then, she stowed the pager and stood up, heading toward her room.
Two months, she thought. Enough ti to make Northreach shine.
In Iron Hearth, thousands of kiloters to the north, Lucian Sudrath sat in his study. Before him, Riven and Roland had just taken their seats after being summoned.
"The declaration of war has arrived," Lucian said bluntly. "Three months. The Kingdom, the Church, and the Solari are united against us."
Riven clenched his fist. Roland leaned back, his expression calm but his eyes sharp.
"What is your plan, Father?" Roland asked.
Lucian looked at both his sons. "We prepare Northreach for war. All resources—factories, mines, labor—are to be focused on defense. Rianor is working on sothing. I don’t know the details, but he says it will change the battlefield."
Riven nodded. "I will mobilize the troops and tighten the southern border."
Roland added, "I will expand the intelligence network. We need to know every move the enemy makes before they make it."
Lucian looked at them both. "We will not lose. We are Sudraths. We do not know the word ’defeat’."
Outside the window, the snow continued to fall. But inside that room, the fire of determination was ablaze.
And in the south, in the warm city of ridoss, Rumina Sudrath fell asleep with a smile on her face. One battle had been won. A larger war was still waiting.
But for tonight, she earned her rest.
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