The island of Veruya originally consisted of several smaller islands; these were then artificially connected, and it became the headquarters of the centralized government and strategic command.

In the center was The Aternos Palace, where a flag of each nation was hoisted on each of its peaks. It served as the living quarters for the shophets, the cabinet, and the present assembly members. From the plaza, a crowd of officials and civil servants trudged ahead under the heavy rain. Each one of them was headed to their respective departments.

Each department eventually expanded to occupy a separate district, consolidated around the department's Hall. The Treasury District was the largest and most numerous; the scene resembled a swarm of ants, with officials and civil servants tirelessly navigating through stacks of documents and cross-referencing details.

On top of a small hill behind the palace stood the house of 296, famous for its numerous windows and oval shape. Predictably, for a place where groups of people of different backgrounds gathered to discuss and decide on the affairs of the nation, it was complete pandemonium.

It was a rare incident; the semi-independent strategic command's de facto leader was summoned to answer the concerns of the elders.

Nominal authority of the strategic command may have been in the hands of the shophets, but in practice, it falls to the hands of the Admiral of the fleet and his general staff.

In the back room, three silver-masked figures knelt as they handed a sealed letter over. A blonde-haired man in his late twenties unfurled the letter and was reading it.

"So the old man is dead, huh?"

"Yes, my lord; however, he only had one subordinate left at the meeting point."

"And his left eye was covered; we believe it was gouged."

"Left eye? ... Hahaha! Good one, old man! Still, he was lucky to make it out alive."

"Do you want him to disappear, my lord?"

"Hm? No, no. He still has his uses, especially with the war approaching. Contact the spy in his brigade to get promoted as soon as possible and enter his inner circle. It's a good chance now most of his trusted aides are dead."

"Understood."

The shouting in the background was growing louder and louder.

"I need to go rescue the old man before the elders' bickering makes him snap, dismissed."

"Admiral Kaeros! This year's annual quota is abhorrent! Do you think ships build themselves?"

"Your new blueprints are incomprehensible! It takes us twice as much time to make them instead of regular ships, and you want the production rate to be increased as well?"

An elderly man in his 70s raised his hand, prompting several servants to pound their canes into the ground. This caused the crowd to fall silent. "Goodness, it is so lively today. Esteemed elders, if questions keep pouring out uninterrupted, they can't be answered. Give the admiral room to speak."

Standing at the forefront of the merchant section, a gray-haired man stood up. Unlike many of the men behind him, his robes were simple, and the only jewelry he wore was a ring on his finger. He said: "Chief elder, as this is a grave matter, I believe it's wise to invoke the drawbridge custom."

The chief elder replied, chuckling: "I can only bestow guidance; I don't wish to restrict the esteemed elders. But the situation does need some regulation... The assembly shall vote on the motion to invoke the drawbridge custom for this meeting."

Several people could be heard whispering, prompting the merchant to turn around and address his peers: "Esteemed brothers! This motion requires each member to acquire explicit permission from the chief elder before speaking; this will help us convey our ideas more clearly. I pray for your favorable decision."

As the voting proceeded and numbers were counted, the chief elder announced, "199 in favor, 56 opposed, and 41 people have abstained. The motion is carried by a two-thirds majority; now the drawbridge custom is in effect." He cleared his throat before adding, "Any member that speaks without express permission must vacate the assembly."

After this was concluded, the merchant stood up once more and raised his arm. The chief elder motioned to one of the servants, and he was handed a blue flag. The merchant thanked the chief elder before turning his attention to the Admiral: "Admiral, do you know the cost of the extra timber we had to import this year?"

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The admiral responded with a bored tone: "600 thousand regni, give or take."

This caused widespread murmuring in the assembly; only the drawbridge motion prevented the floor from descending into chaos once more. This merchant continued, "The admiral is well informed; to be exact, it is 630 thousand regni, which is 6% of the annual budget and a six-time increase over the past years."

The admiral stood silent, while the merchant kept going: "The import of timber was given a high-priority order, causing a large number of vessels to be tied down in its transport, which caused several shipments of other materials to be delayed."

Another man rose up; he was from the artisan and landowners sections. He raised his hand and received another blue flag: "Admiral Kaeros, I am Jeorni, head of the Rising Tide shipyard and deputy chairman of the shipwright association. My question to you is simple: how long does the strategic command think it takes to build a ship?"

The admiral gave a swift response: "The Rising Tide shipyard, huh? Then it should be 8 weeks for a galley. Need I remind you of what nation we belong to? We are the masters of the ship-building craft."

"Then why are you meddling with our process? Our ships are unrivaled across the seas; why must we follow these rigid guidelines and add these useless contraptions?"

"That is for the strategic command to worry about. The commission was accepted by the chairman of the association, and every shipyard is expected to fulfill the quotas."

A hulking figure stepped forward from the veterans section and received a blue flag. "Admiral, I believe introductions aren't necessary."

Kaeros nodded: "Giovanni, why won't you join me in the strategic command? Your country still needs you; you can still serve it."

Giovanni replied, "I am still serving it, even now."

Kaeros shook his head as Giovanni continued: "Admiral, I have the honor of being the commissioner of the officers' club. I hate mincing words, so I'm going to ask the question on everyone's lips: Is the strategic command going to start a war?"

Giovanni added, "It is unmistakable! Ship production rates are nearing wartime conditions; the odd contraptions housed at the army storage centers, and the newly mandated training issued to the officers all point to one thing... War."

The whispering grew louder as the group started discussing the potential implications while awaiting the general's response with bated breath.

Kaeros scratched his forehead before saying, "All I can say at this point is, we are preparing for every eventuality. The strategic command's independence isn't in question here; thus, that's all I'm at liberty to say."

Nearly all of the merchant section was fuming; one can only imagine the profanities they would shout out if they weren't in session. Amongst them, four new individuals were now granted blue flags, other than the first merchant, Lucius.

"General Kaeros! Not only were our shipments interrupted, disrupting our income for the past year, but now you tell us that a war is on the horizon. Do you wish us to incur more loss in the future as well?"

Kaeros ignored them and addressed the chief elder: "Can I be excused now? This has gone on for long enough."

The chief elder pondered for a while and then said: "We have taken enough of the admiral's time, and I am thankful for your presence today. But ending things here may be a little unsatisfactory.

We will conclude with two final questions; this red flag is the new permission symbol."

The entire assembly was standing up, seeking permission to speak. Amongst them, Giovanni was chosen. He took the red flag in his hand and started examining it: "Do you remember that day,

admiral? The sea water was as red as this cloth..." He paused briefly before staring at him with dead eyes: "Is the enemy... to the west?"

Kaeros kept quiet for a short while before replying, "...Yes."

"Are you going to risk our lives once more to settle an age-old grudge? Even if we make it to the shores this time, what's to guarantee that the disaster from 10 years ago won't happen again?"

For the first time today, Kaeros had no retort.

The silence continued for a few short moments before it was cut by a sharp voice crying out: "What you fear will not come to pass," as a dashing figure strode across the floor.