The Registry intake desk at nine forty seven AM.
Ms. Yoon was at her desk building the complete record when Park Sung-Jin appeared at the door.
"Ms. Yoon," said Park Sung-Jin.
"Yes," said Ms. Yoon, without looking up.
"There is a general from the Dark Lord's army at the intake desk."
Ms. Yoon looked up.
"Dark Lord," said Ms. Yoon.
"Fantasy world. Kingdom of Solenne's primary antagonist. Military commander. He arrived through the Hongdae Gate at seven forty three AM and has been on Han-Ho's route since seven fifty one AM." Park Sung-Jin checked his notes. "Han-Ho cleaned his boots."
Ms. Yoon looked at Park Sung-Jin.
"Han-Ho cleaned the general's boots," said Ms. Yoon.
"Class B ley line contamination transfer from the Aurenthal eastern junction. The general tracked it through the Gate onto the route section. Han-Ho addressed the route contamination and then cleaned the boot source."
Ms. Yoon was quiet for a moment.
"Is there a field for Dark Lord military affiliation," said Ms. Yoon.
"There is a field for fantasy world origin," said Park Sung-Jin. "Sub-field for kingdom affiliation. The Dark Lord's army is technically not affiliated with the Kingdom of Solenne but it operates within the same world."
"Create a new sub-field," said Ms. Yoon. "Antagonist faction affiliation. Non-hostile status to be determined by intake assessment."
"Creating now," said Park Sung-Jin.
"And a note field for boot cleaning incidents," said Ms. Yoon.
Park Sung-Jin looked at her.
"How many boot cleaning incidents are there," said Park Sung-Jin.
"One currently," said Ms. Yoon. "But patterns suggest this will not be the last time Han-Ho addresses contamination on a visitor's footwear before completing the intake process."
Park Sung-Jin created the field.
"Send the general in," said Ms. Yoon.
General Veron Ashmark sat across from Ms. Yoon.
He had been assessed by many people in twenty two years of military service.
He had assessed many people.
He assessed Ms. Yoon in approximately four seconds.
His assessment was: dangerous.
Not physically.
In the specific way of someone who has complete information and knows how to use it and has no particular interest in your assessment of them.
"General Ashmark," said Ms. Yoon.
"Ms. Yoon," said General Ashmark.
"I have been expecting a Dark Lord affiliated arrival for approximately three weeks," said Ms. Yoon. "Since the Hongdae Gate formation. The intelligence infrastructure of a kingdom that has been operating for two hundred years would have identified the Gate location within days of formation."
General Ashmark looked at her.
"You anticipated us," said General Ashmark.
"I anticipate most things," said Ms. Yoon. "It is my job."
"You anticipated us and prepared fields for our registration."
"Yes."
"Before we arrived."
"Yes."
General Ashmark was quiet.
In twenty two years of military intelligence he had occasionally been anticipated.
He had not enjoyed it.
This was different.
Being anticipated by Ms. Yoon did not feel like a tactical disadvantage.
It felt like an administrative inevitability.
"The intake form," said Ms. Yoon, placing it on the desk. "Name. Affiliation. World of origin. Purpose of visit. Duration of stay. Weapon classification if applicable." She paused. "And I will need the Dark Lord's information as well. Not for his arrival — I assume he will not come in person initially. But for the file."
"You want information about the Dark Lord," said General Ashmark.
"For the file yes," said Ms. Yoon.
"The Dark Lord does not typically provide information to—"
"I will obtain it through other means if necessary," said Ms. Yoon. "I have the old man's assessment of the fantasy world power structure and Aria's briefing and the sword's glow pattern analysis. I can approximate a reasonably accurate Dark Lord file from existing data." She looked at the general. "Your cooperation would make it more accurate."
General Ashmark looked at her.
At the file.
At the complete record being built on the desk.
"The file," said General Ashmark. "What does it contain."
"Everything," said Ms. Yoon.
"About Mr. Kang."
"Yes."
"Since when."
"Four years ago," said Ms. Yoon. "Starting with a status window error complaint that nobody responded to."
General Ashmark looked at the record.
At the scope of it.
At the four years of documentation that had been building toward something that the General's military intelligence training was telling him was very significant.
"He is more than he appears," said General Ashmark.
"He appears to be a Rank F Mana-Janitor with one skill," said Ms. Yoon. "He is exactly that. The more comes from what exactly that looks like when applied consistently for ten years without recognition or support."
General Ashmark was quiet.
"The Dark Lord," said General Ashmark carefully. "Has been concerned about the source of the Demon King's disappearance. The concern was that something powerful enough to eliminate the Demon King represented a threat to established power structures across multiple worlds."
"Yes," said Ms. Yoon.
"And the source is a Rank F Mana-Janitor who cleans floors."
"Who cleaned the Demon King yes," said Ms. Yoon. "Because the seal was stubborn and the Demon King was in a book in a dumpster and the book was dirty."
General Ashmark looked at the intake form.
"Is the Dark Lord a threat," said Ms. Yoon.
"That depends on whether—"
"Is the Dark Lord a threat to Han-Ho specifically," said Ms. Yoon.
General Ashmark was quiet for a moment.
He was a twenty two year military veteran.
He knew when a question was not actually a question.
"No," said General Ashmark. "The Dark Lord's concern was that whatever eliminated the Demon King was a threat to the established order. If it is not a threat—"
"Han-Ho is not interested in power structures," said Ms. Yoon. "He is interested in contamination. If the Dark Lord's operations produce contamination that affects the ley line network Han-Ho will address the contamination. If they do not he will not interfere." She paused. "The ley line cleaning is about the energy network. Not the political structure."
General Ashmark looked at her.
"You are telling me," said General Ashmark. "That the most powerful entity the Dark Lord's detection network has ever flagged is not interested in power."
"He is interested in whether the drain is clean," said Ms. Yoon.
"The drain."
"The storm drain. On the route. If it is contaminated he cleans it. If it is clean he notes it and moves on." Ms. Yoon looked at the general. "The Dark Lord's operations are not a drain on Han-Ho's route. They are not his concern."
General Ashmark sat with this.
"Unless," said Ms. Yoon.
"Unless," said General Ashmark.
"Unless the Dark Lord's operations produce ley line contamination that falls within Han-Ho's cleaning scope."
"Then."
"Then Han-Ho will address it," said Ms. Yoon. "Politely. Directly. And with a very thorough report filed afterward."
General Ashmark looked at the intake form.
Filled it out.
Every field.
Including the Dark Lord information field.
Ms. Yoon processed it.
Filed it.
Added it to the complete record.
"Welcome to the Registry," said Ms. Yoon.
"Thank you," said General Ashmark.
He stood.
Paused.
"The complete record," said General Ashmark.
"Yes," said Ms. Yoon.
"When it is finished."
"Yes."
"Will the Dark Lord be able to read it."
Ms. Yoon was quiet for a moment.
"The record is a Registry document," said Ms. Yoon. "Access is at the Director's discretion. I will recommend that it be available to all registered parties."
"Including antagonist faction affiliates."
"Including everyone who has come through a Gate and stood in the intake chair," said Ms. Yoon. "Registration conveys access. That is the policy."
General Ashmark looked at her.
"You registered the Dark Lord's general," said General Ashmark. "Which means the Dark Lord—"
"Has access to the complete record when it is finished," said Ms. Yoon. "Yes."
General Ashmark looked at the record being built on Ms. Yoon's desk.
"The Dark Lord will find this unexpected," said General Ashmark.
"Most things Han-Ho does are unexpected," said Ms. Yoon. "People find it easier to accept when they read the complete record."
"You are using the record as an orientation document," said General Ashmark.
"Yes," said Ms. Yoon.
"For everyone who encounters Han-Ho."
"Everyone who encounters him needs orientation," said Ms. Yoon. "The record provides it more efficiently than repeated individual explanations."
General Ashmark looked at her.
"You have been building an orientation document for four years," said General Ashmark.
"I have been building a file for four years," said Ms. Yoon. "That it functions as an orientation document is a secondary benefit."
She drank her coffee.
General Ashmark left.
Ms. Yoon added the interaction to the record.
Under the section: Dark Lord Military Contact.
Under the sub-section: Boot Cleaning Incident.
Under the note field: General Ashmark filled out all fields including Dark Lord information voluntarily. Ms. Yoon's assessment: the Dark Lord will read the complete record when it is available and will draw the appropriate conclusion that Han-Ho is not a threat to power structures and is in fact a significant long-term benefit to ley line network health across multiple worlds. Filing with confidence.
She filed it.
Went back to the complete record.
Added three new entries.
The record was getting long.
It was also getting complete.