The private dining room stood apart from the main hall, separated by a partition that muffled voices and the clatter of dishes. The furnishings were simple: a heavy table, a few sturdy chairs, and still-warm dishes arranged at the center. At the foot of one chair rested a single briefcase—the last of the six brought from the capital.
Anastasia ate methodically, cutting the meat into even portions before bringing them to her mouth without haste. Her posture remained straight, yet her left arm occasionally lacked precision. She adjusted without comment, compensating with her right. Nothing in her expression betrayed discomfort.
Across from her, Guül and Gaäl ate without restraint. Their six arms moved in efficient coordination, seizing food and drink with no concern for refinement. They drank before finishing their bites. Their lack of education was obvious, but not insolent.
Guül lifted his head first, still swallowing.
"Your Majesty… where has Master Ophar gone?"
Gaäl nodded, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"That's right. He left all of a sudden. Without explanation."
Anastasia finished her bite before answering. She set her utensils down with precision, took a sip of water, and raised her gaze to them.
"We spent more time than necessary these past days. It would have been inefficient to continue together. We divided our responsibilities."
Her voice was calm, free of unnecessary justification.
"He will visit the Clans of the Sword and of Dreams. He will settle certain internal matters and return with the masters I have requested."
Guül frowned in concentration.
"And us?"
Gaäl leaned slightly forward.
"Why are we still in the south? What comes next?"
Lily, who had been quietly focused on her plate, discreetly lifted her eyes toward the Empress. Her expression remained neutral, but her attention was absolute. She observed not only the answer, but its effect.
Anastasia set her glass down deliberately.
"We are heading toward the most important destination of this journey. One of the Seven Great Clans. The Clan of the Raven."
Silence settled immediately.
Guül blinked.
"More dangerous than the Void Dragon?"
Gaäl tilted his head.
"What could a clan possibly hide to be more dangerous than that monster?"
Anastasia studied them for a few seconds, measuring curiosity rather than insolence.
"It is not a matter of brute strength. And it does not concern you."
The twins exchanged a brief glance before lowering their heads.
"We went too far. Forgive us."
"You have done nothing reprehensible," she replied calmly. "But certain information is not necessary for your efficiency."
She straightened slightly.
"You may leave. I need to speak with Lily in private."
They rose without protest. The chairs scraped louder than intended, and the door closed behind them. The room returned to stillness.
Anastasia remained motionless for a moment, her gaze fixed on the remaining briefcase. Since her battle with Azharyx and the tangible sensation of her own impending death, a conclusion had imposed itself upon her with cold clarity. Her power was not absolute. An opponent capable of killing her could appear. And if that happened, everything she had built would collapse with her.
She could not allow an Empire to rest upon a single existence.
The stiffness in her left arm silently reminded her of that truth. She had believed herself too secure, too unassailable. The world had corrected her. Pride was not the issue. Continuity was.
Her gaze shifted to Lily, who waited without speaking.
Training Lily was no longer optional. Not out of affection, nor indulgence, but calculation. If one day an entity strong enough to kill her emerged, the Empire would have to survive her absence. Her legacy required a will capable of understanding its mechanisms and extending them.
She would train Lily under the same masters. She would transmit administrative logic, economic structure, strategic discipline. Lily would become more than a guard. She would become an operational heir. A continuation.
The thought slightly bruised her pride, for it required acknowledging the possibility of her own fall. But denying that possibility would be a greater weakness. She could not foresee every variable. She could only prepare responses.
If someone were to kill her, Lily would become the final piece. The one who would keep the Empire standing. The one who would destroy the enemy without allowing collapse.
Anastasia opened the last briefcase and withdrew several carefully folded maps. She spread them across the table with precision, aligning them before lifting her gaze.
"Lily, we will continue your training."
"Very well, Your Majesty."
Anastasia looked at her for a few seconds.
"I have already told you that when we are alone, formalities are unnecessary."
Lily nodded. The movement was firm, though a slight hesitation crossed her eyes before she corrected her posture.
"Understood."
A brief silence followed—not heavy, but structured. The Empress unfolded a map of the northern region, annotated with detailed markings.
"Why did we personally verify that timber extraction in the north had been significantly increased under the scholars' orders?"
Lily took her time before answering.
"To support the ongoing industrialization and prepare for the long war you have announced, Your Maj—"
Anastasia inclined her head slightly.
"Correct. And what is the purpose of the compensatory reforestation program?"
Lily answered without hesitation this time.
"To prevent resource depletion, preserve forest balance, and avoid local unrest. If the population perceives irreversible destruction, industrialization will be seen as a threat rather than progress."
"Exactly."
The approval was brief, but unmistakable.
Anastasia folded the northern map and replaced it with another divided into four distinct zones.
"Now, the research centers. Why establish four, distributed across the territory?"
Lily studied the locations before speaking.
"To avoid excessive concentration of knowledge in a single location, which would create rivalries and increase the risk of sabotage. Regional distribution ensures political balance."
She pointed to the north.
"The northern center reassures industrial and military clans."
Then to the south.
"The southern one stabilizes resource-rich territories."
She moved toward the eastern coast.
"The eastern coast controls maritime and commercial flows."
Finally, she placed her finger at the center.
"And the central one ensures coordination close to the seat of power."
Anastasia listened without interruption.
"And what do they share?"
"They report directly to the Palace. No noble can appropriate their work."
Silence settled again, denser this time.
"The objective," Lily concluded, "is to centralize knowledge without provoking immediate regional imbalance. Politically, it limits resistance. Logistically, it accelerates the diffusion of innovation."
Anastasia closed the briefcase slowly.
"You are progressing."
It was neither warm nor distant. A simple statement of fact.
Lily straightened slightly, her concentration sharpening.
Anastasia unfolded another map, accompanied by sheets covered in numbers and annotations.
"We will now address industrial labor centralization. Why did we choose direct state recruitment?"
Lily examined the tables before responding.
"To accelerate production without relying on local noble structures. By recruiting directly, the Empire controls the workforce."
Anastasia inclined her head.
"That is only part of the answer."
Lily frowned slightly.
"The wages offered exceed those within noble domains. That draws workers toward imperial sites and reduces the economic influence of regional lords."
"Continue."
"Performance bonuses encourage productivity. Worker housing built around the sites stabilizes the labor force and reduces unnecessary movement."
Anastasia nodded.
"The objective is not merely to increase output. It is to create direct dependence upon the Empire. When workers perceive their income, housing, and security as granted by central authority, their loyalty gradually shifts."
She paused.
"In time, this will give rise to a distinct industrial class. And weaken the nobles' economic monopoly."
Lily nodded slowly.
"The nobles will lose part of their ability to dictate economic conditions."
"Not immediately," Anastasia corrected. "Gradually. Any abrupt transition would provoke a coalition of resistance."
Lily accepted the correction silently.
Anastasia moved to another document structured in hierarchical columns.
"Now, the mandatory imperial census. Civil and military."
Lily straightened.
"Each noble must declare all citizens under their authority. Births, deaths, changes in status."
"And?"
"The registers are transmitted upward through the hierarchy until final centralization at the Palace."
Anastasia shook her head slightly.
"Incomplete."
Lily raised her eyes.
"Each hierarchical level must copy the registers before transmitting them, retaining a full record of its own territory."
"Exactly."
Her tone remained calm, yet firm.
"If a register is altered upstream, the lower copy reveals the discrepancy. Every echelon remains accountable for its numbers."
Her finger traced the columns.
"The military census follows the same logic. Active troops, reserves, losses, rotations. No soldier exists without record."
Lily reflected briefly.
"It reduces fiscal fraud and prevents nobles from concealing real troop numbers."
"Yes. And it grants the Palace accurate knowledge of the population—civil and military."
Anastasia straightened.
"An Empire that does not know its own numbers is fragile. With these registers, we possess precise fiscal leverage, measurable military capacity, and constant regional oversight."
Lily studied the documents with deeper focus.
"It makes each region more transparent."
"Exactly."
Anastasia gathered the papers.
"Imposed transparency is not humiliation. It is order. Those who resist will merely expose their own irregularities."
Lily nodded silently. She understood now that these measures were more than administrative adjustments. They were a reconfiguration of internal power.
Anastasia spread new technical maps across the table, lines connecting capitals to ports and industrial hubs.
"We will conclude with the global logistical reform. It is the absolute priority. Explain why."
Lily observed the routes before answering carefully.
"To accelerate commercial and military flows. An army that moves faster dominates the battlefield."
Anastasia inclined her head.
"Correct, but insufficient."
She placed her hand flat on the table.
"Logistics is not only about speed. It determines stability. When routes are optimized, relays synchronized, and stocks centralized, production becomes predictable. Shortages decrease. Costs stabilize. Errors diminish."
Her voice remained measured.
"I entrusted this mission to Ophar's most competent subordinates and the scholars remaining at the Palace for this reason. They are not merely correcting roads. They are redesigning imperial flow."
Lily listened intently.
Anastasia revealed a more detailed mechanical plan.
"What is the final objective of this reform?"
"The steam train," Lily replied without hesitation.
"Exactly."
Anastasia unfolded the full schematic.
"The designs have been adapted to local resources. Locally extracted metals, optimized fuel, terrain constraints accounted for. Rail production is already underway. Installation will begin after the Imperial Festival, once the announcement has prepared public perception."
She traced the first line.
"The major cities will be connected first. Not for prestige, but because they concentrate production, troops, and administration. Expansion will then reach clans and strategic points."
Lily studied the map.
"It will accelerate military transport."
"Yes, but not only that."
Anastasia lifted her chin slightly.
"Rapid exchange will produce economic rebound. Raw materials will circulate faster. Food surpluses will reach deficit zones without delay. Prices will harmonize. And each region will grow dependent upon the central network."
She paused.
"Interdependence reduces rebellion."
Lily nodded.
"An isolated region can sustain itself. A connected region depends on the system."
"Exactly."
Anastasia slid forward a thinner document covered in uniform characters.
"Final point: the printing press."
Lily scanned the aligned text.
"Rapid dissemination of laws. Administrative standardization. Scientific acceleration."
Anastasia added calmly,
"And control of the imperial narrative. Centralized information reduces regional divergence. Research centers will exchange findings without delay. Decrees will reach every province in identical form."
She closed the file slightly.
"The printing press is also one reason for the massive timber extraction. Paper requires constant production. Logistics, rail, and print are not isolated reforms. They form a system."
Lily remained silent for several seconds.
"This is not partial modernization," she said at last. "It is a complete restructuring."
Anastasia looked at her without smiling.
"That is correct."
She did not close the briefcase immediately.
"Now tell me why I personally travel to verify these reforms."
Lily considered the question carefully.
"Because your presence creates pressure that written reports cannot. Nobles may delay, reinterpret, or circumvent orders delivered by intermediaries. But they cannot ignore a direct inspection."
Anastasia listened.
"By appearing in person, you compel actual implementation. The scholars you installed gain authority when seen as your direct representatives."
She added after a brief pause,
"Your presence turns an administrative directive into an imperial mandate."
Anastasia nodded slightly.
"Good."
She closed the briefcase with a precise motion.
She briefly placed her hand on Lily's head, measured and restrained. Lily allowed herself a faint, sincere smile before returning to composure.
Anastasia revealed nothing.
Perfect.
She rose.
"Good. Let us proceed to the Clan of the Raven. We have much to do."