The iron door groans wide. Magistrate Wei steps into the flooded ledger chamber, dry-hemmed silk skimming the water like he is above it. His gaze goes straight to the brass tally in Kareem Bishop's hand.
The imperial sigil on the wall flares hard enough to wash the room in white-gold glare. The pinned clerk twists against Inspector Lian's hold, and the scattered records float at the edges of the puddles.
Magistrate Wei
That device is under ward jurisdiction. Chief Warrant Officer Bishop, hand it over at once.
Inspector Lian
No. It is evidence now. Treasury ledgers, audit seals, and foreign gold are all tied to him.
Wei's expression tightens, not with anger, but calculation. He looks past Lian to the clerk, then back to Kareem, as if measuring how much trouble can be moved before the door behind him fills with imperial guards.
Magistrate Wei
Then we move quickly. If the guard reaches this chamber first, they will seize the gold, the tally, and everyone who touched them. Come with me now, and I can pull you through this before it becomes a public accusation.
The brass device pulses brighter in Kareem's grip, answering the chamber's sigil like a second heartbeat. In one beat, it becomes clear, Wei is offering extraction, and the gold's origin is the lever he means to use.
✓ Quest Accepted
Hold onto the brass tally device
“"You want me to keep a hold of this thing?" I ask as I follow Wei”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled +1)
Kareem Bishop
You want me to keep a hold of this thing?
Kareem steps with Wei, not lowering the brass tally. The device's pulse steadies against his palm, matching the sigil's flare in the wall.
Magistrate Wei
Yes. Keep it visible, keep it ready, and do not let Lian or the clerk touch it. If it leaves your hand, the story changes.
Inspector Lian
And if he keeps it, the record stays with him. That may be the point.
Wei glances once at the open doorway, then back to Kareem with a thin, practical calm. He is already deciding what can be written, what can be hidden, and what must be carried in plain sight.
Magistrate Wei
Walk with me to the light, Bishop. If the guards see us first, I can name this as a lawful extraction, not a seizure.
The clerk strains in Lian's grip, silent but wide-eyed, while the water shivers around the floating papers. Wei waits for Kareem's answer with one hand half-raised, patient and urgent at once.
Quest Complete
Hold onto the brass tally device