The study's heavy oak door closed silently behind him, shutting out the cold and prying eyes. Flames danced merrily in the fireplace, driving away the chill the baron had brought in and casting the silhouettes of the room's other two occupants onto bookshelves covered with old maps.
There were two visitors, both wearing the dark wool coats common among Treasure Island's wealthy local merchants. Though they stood straight, their eyes were decidedly languid, showing neither the practiced smoothness of merchants nor the composure and efficiency of rigorous training.
They were the Bagnia Intelligence Bureau's eyes in Minisia, and to Baron Neharry, they were also envoys from his true master.
"My lord baron."
The lead envoy bowed slightly, while his assistant stood quietly beside him, two seemingly heavy, brass-bound wooden chests at his feet.
"Thank you for making the journey, especially in weather like this."
A sincere smile spread across Neharry's face as he strode toward the small table beside the fireplace, where a warmed flask of wine had already been prepared.
"Have some wine to warm yourselves first."
"It is our duty."
The lead envoy accepted the cup but did not drink immediately. Instead, he signaled to his companion. The assistant crouched at once and deftly opened the two wooden chests.
In an instant, an exotic, intoxicating fragrance seemed to infuse the study's warm, dry air.
The first things to catch his eye were pieces of porcelain that gleamed with a soft luster even beneath the flickering firelight... a tea set.
They were white as jade, their bodies so thin they were almost translucent. Elaborate Bagnia-style patterns of flowers and birds adorned them in exquisitely delicate brushstrokes, their colors vivid yet elegant.
Though Neharry was no expert on ceramics, he could tell at a glance that these were masterpieces no