The silence in Sirzechs' office was interrupted only by the rhythmic thud of the marble stamp against paper and the soft glide of phoenix-feather pens. Grayfia Lucifuge remained standing to the right of the desk, a statue of efficiency from whom emanated a gelid pressure that allowed for no distractions. The sun had already set, and emerald lights from Ulquiorra's tower painted the edges of the windows, a reminder that the city was now watched by something far deeper than mere sentinels.
— Lord Sirzechs, this is the tax infringement report from Blumund — Grayfia said, sliding a parchment with Fuze's seal onto the already cluttered desk. — Ulquiorra detected three merchants diverting Avalon silk to the Falmuth black market. I have already prepared the decree for the expropriation of assets and the note of diplomatic censure. It only lacks your signature for the order to become irrevocable law.
Sirzechs sighed, dropping the pen and massaging his temples. The power of the Visionary could shape mountains, but it did not seem to diminish the endless flow of bureaucracy brought by commercial expansion. — Three merchants, Grayfia? The Eye of the Void truly lets nothing slip. Sometimes I wonder if Ulquiorra is being too efficient. Fear is useful, but suffocation can stagnate trade.
— Order knows no concept of "too much," my Lord — she replied, adjusting her glasses with a precise movement. — You established the foundation of marble and steel; Ulquiorra is merely ensuring there are no cracks in that foundation. Here is also Szayelaporro's request to double the quota of magicule crystals for the new railway sensors. He claims the current precision has a margin of error of 0.0001%, which he considers "offensively primitive."
Sirzechs gave a bitter smile, signing Szayelaporro's request without reading the technical details. He knew that questioning the scientist would result in a three-hour lecture on transcendental physics. — And what of Harribel? She rarely sends paperwork, which usually means she is too busy maintaining peace on the southern border.
— Lady Harribel sent only a memorandum — Grayfia withdrew a paper that exhaled a slight marine humidity. — She informs that the spiritual pressure from Ulquiorra's network is agitating the currents in the aqueducts. She requests that you calibrate the energy output of the Sun of Avalon. If the resonance continues to increase, the water will begin to boil from molecular agitation before reaching the public fountains.
Sirzechs stopped his pen in mid-air. He looked at Grayfia, seeing the reflection of his own exhaustion in her eyes, though she would never admit it. The dynamic between his subordinates was a delicate balance of absolute forces. — Administering this Duchy is becoming an exercise in balancing gods, Grayfia. Ulquiorra watches the souls, Harribel governs the waters, and Szayelaporro defies logic. And here we are, discussing silk taxes and crystal quotas.
— It is this contrast that keeps Avalon standing, my Lord — Grayfia collected the signed documents, organizing them into leather folders with hypnotic speed. — Without your signature, their power is merely chaos. Paperwork is what transforms a Demon Lord's will into civilization. Now, please, sign the authorization for the new Tempest diplomatic quarter. Rimuru-sama sent a note with "please" written on it and a drawing of a smiling slime. I took the liberty of transcribing it into the proper legal language.
Sirzechs laughed softly, feeling the weight of duty become a little lighter. — What would I do without you to translate Rimuru's smiles into contractual clauses, Grayfia?
— You would likely be sleeping over a pile of unread reports, my Lord — she replied without changing her expression, though there was an almost imperceptible glint of approval in her gaze. — We have forty more decrees before midnight. Shall we proceed?
Sirzechs leaned back in his high-backed chair, watching the last emerald light from the Sun of Avalon reflect off the black marble tabletop. Grayfia, without showing a hint of fatigue, slid a silver-covered document across, its pages filled with charts and demographic projections processed by Ulquiorra's Bureau of the Void.
— The population census for the last quarter has been completed, my Lord — Grayfia announced, her voice cutting through the silence of the room with the precision of a blade. — The data is as impressive as it is alarming. The immigration rate of middle and high-class monsters, attracted by safety and railway infrastructure, has grown by 400%. Furthermore, the flow of human artisans coming from Blumund and small neighboring villages has exceeded all our housing projections.
Sirzechs flipped through the report, seeing the upward curve of the population. Avalon was no longer just a fortress or a trading post; it had become a beacon of civilization amidst the chaos of the Great Jura Forest.
— We are becoming victims of our own success, Grayfia — Sirzechs murmured, pausing at a demographic density map. — If we continue to compress this mass of population within the current walls, Ulquiorra's absolute order will begin to generate social friction. A lack of space is the first step toward disorder.
— Precisely — she agreed. — Ulquiorra has already reported an increase in "emotional static" in the working-class districts. The surveillance system detected that excessive proximity is generating territorial conflicts between races. Szayelaporro suggests immediate verticalization of the capital, but Harribel raised a pertinent objection: the water infrastructure would not support the pressure necessary to deliver water to higher levels without compromising the flow of the external viaducts.
Sirzechs stood up and walked to the large window overlooking the horizon. He saw the city lights expanding to the very edges of the marble walls.
— We will not stack our subjects like merchandise in one of Szayelaporro's warehouses — Sirzechs decided, his crimson aura glowing faintly. — The answer is not upward, but outward. Avalon needs territorial expansion. I want the creation of "Satellite Cities" along the railway axes. Each major station must become the core of a new specialized district.
Grayfia began noting the directives with supernatural speed. — This will require the formal annexation of new sectors of the forest and, consequently, the relocation of local fauna. Rimuru-sama will have to be consulted, as these lands are technically under the jurisdiction of the Tempest Federation.
— Rimuru will understand that an overcrowded Avalon is a risk to everyone — Sirzechs said. — But expansion brings another necessity: labor and defense. We need more citizens who are not just consumers, but producers. I want Ulquiorra to establish selection criteria for "Citizenship by Merit." We will attract the best talents from the Western Nations, offering them what they desire most: the order the Church cannot guarantee.
The expansion report was now marked with Sirzechs' seal of urgency. The Duchy was about to transition from a city-state to a regional empire. The sound of the phoenix feather signing the territorial expansion decree sealed the fate of Jura's borders.