Night swallowed the small city on the Empire's Western Frontier. The streets were silent save for the boots of patrolling knights.
No one would have imagined that the Jade Federation's Blue Tide Guild had hidden its most secret liaison office within the Empire in this remote town.
An alchemical lamp hung above the desk, its flickering light illuminating mountains of ledgers and encrypted files.
Selna Grovel sat behind the desk, reviewing the latest intelligence from the Imperial Capital. The spiral badge on his chest gleamed a muted gold in the dim light.
Hurried footsteps sounded outside, followed by a knock.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Layton From entered in a cloak crusted with snow and frost, his steps flustered.
Selna looked up at him in some surprise. "It seems something went wrong with your assignment."
Layton swallowed. "The Northern Frontier... we've been exposed."
"Exposed?" Selna's eyebrows shifted almost imperceptibly as he leaned back in his chair. "I asked you to bring intelligence, not trouble."
With a bitter smile, Layton took a letter from inside his coat. Its wax seal bore a gold-and-red sun crest-the emblem of Red Tide in the Northern Frontier.
Selna made no move to take it. "Explain," he said coldly.
Layton drew a deep breath. "The lord of Red Tide, Louis Calvin, met with me personally. He said Red Tide doesn't kill spies, only does business. Then he told me to bring this letter back and give it to you."
Selna was silent for a moment before finally reaching out to take the letter.
Unfolded, the letter read less like a threat than a formal trade proposal. Its wording was not aggressive, but a sincere invitation for the Blue Tide Guild to do business with Red Tide, exchanging ore, fuel, leather, and cold iron for salt