Kareem remains seated before the Empress, hands resting on his knees. The enchanted stylus scratches steadily across fresh sheets, preserving each distinction in his testimony.
The Empress
You remember fragments of your origin, but not a homeland you can name. Tell me what you remember clearly, and what you believe only because others have told you.
Kareem Bishop
Clearly, I remember hard streets, military service, medicine, and repairing damaged equipment. Before that, I remember light, calm voices, and a place I cannot prove existed.
The Empress
And the wells? You had no recognized imperial training in waterworks, purification, or provincial supply. How did you restore them?
Kareem Bishop
Some methods came from my own practical knowledge. Villagers showed me local wells, materials, and old failures. Unknown benefactors may have shaped what I remember, but I cannot claim instruction I never received.
The stylus pauses at unknown benefactors, then resumes. Beside the testimony, the attendant adds a second column linking diverted copper, purification stone, and treasury silver to each village repair.
The Empress
Then explain the safeguards. How can public need be supplied without allowing another office to redirect the funds, conceal the loss, and call the theft administration?