Bringing back the other half of Theresia was no simple task.
Everything needed careful planning, from assigning personnel to launching the operation, concealing it from everyone, persuading Crawford, and overcoming the nobles' obstruction.
For now, they were merely going through the procedures. With Crawford, who respected the Empire Constitution above all else, around, compliance had become the nobles' top priority.
Over its history, the Empire had accumulated who knew how many convoluted laws and rules, which no one apart from the Royal Family had ever truly cared about.
Now that Crawford and the nobles had fallen out, the nobles had no choice but to start obeying the rules. It was downright absurd at the end of this era.
But their attitude had clearly changed as well. The nobles were no longer maintaining their public relationship with Elliot, instead turning to all-out confrontation.
The Sterling Family's few remaining sources of information all reported the same thing: the nobles were conscripting troops in large numbers. Before long, they would probably be fighting a real battle.
This was also why Elliot was in such a hurry to expand the Hearthfire District's influence and help Theresia regain her strength.
She had experience defending the Imperial Capital, after all. This was her specialty!
Aside from Theresia's situation, Elliot was also paying close attention to the Throne.
Upon learning that the Throne had sprung a leak and Evil Entities had poured into the sea, he immediately assembled a team to investigate.
The Communion had now repaired another two ships, bringing the total number capable of sailing out to sea to three.
This investigation would also serve as an early rehearsal for war, letting the Communion's believers familiarize themselves with operating the ships. That might come in handy in the decisive battle before long.
It was still