Quartermaster Verification Meeting

Bishop Adrian had just finished his morning prayers in the eastern wing of the Sacred War Reconstruction Institute's Inner Fortress.

The Recorder entered carrying a sealed hardwood box. Cowhide cord bound it, and the Master Register Room's wax seal pressed down on the knot.

The Recorder set the box beside the desk and handed over a registration tablet. "A verification report from Deputy Envoy Shien, concerning the allocation of Holy Unction along the Tear Knight Defense Line."

Adrian took the tablet. Shien had worked much faster than he had expected. Only two days had passed since the first reconstruction meeting; Adrian had thought it would take at least a week.

The Tear Knight Defense Line had operated for decades through war and repeated adjustments. Many records had been supplemented and recopied time after time. The accounts looked complete, but they had long since become a hopeless tangle.

Adrian had spent years working in the Quartermaster Office when he was younger and knew the problem well. He held little hope for the report. He suspected Shien was chasing quick success, eager to make himself noticed.

The report inside the box was not thick. An anomaly summary lay on top, followed by an index to the original ledgers and, finally, recommendations written in Shien's own hand.

Adrian opened the first page. Instead of the dense prose of a traditional quartermaster report, he found a table so cleanly laid out that he could grasp it at a glance.

Each batch was matched to its warehouse dispatch record, transport record, and final destination, with precise page references beside them.

Normal entries were written in black ink. Questionable ones were circled separately, their locations marked and brief explanations attached that went straight to the heart of the matter.

Adrian paused mid-page.

He had started his