There was something in Aurelburg's silence that disturbed the captain. This city has prided itself on being one of the most peaceful and prosperous ones in Kriemreich, and disorder only made small ripples easily dissolved by its systems. It was the third day when no reports on the Gray Fox, or other syndicate activity, came in. He had questions running through his mind. Whether he would strike again, where, or perhaps make a mistake of revealing clues to his whereabouts. Gang activities in the more boisterous areas of the Empire gave him no leads. At least some reports were going into his desk, but none of them mattered to the investigation.

  Rinvar confirmed through the director that the stored remains of the fighting machines were taken by the Capital's scientists and engineers right after Farin was done with lunch. He thought that it wouldn't be long before the military took an interest in collaborating with whoever could unlock the mystery of these automatons.

  As he predicted, the noble families did not pass up the chance to marvel at the discovery.

  That meant a gathering, which was normally disguised as a symposium, would take place. The syndicates were yet to smuggle into Aurelburg, making the city a perfect venue for these events to take place in secrecy. After all, it was enough for the people of Kriemreich to assume that the nobility were dug in too deeply into their estates. Affairs such as inspecting wrecks of unfamiliar machines were too clandestine for a part of society known to live by partying.

  He was dressed in a navy blue outfit; Rinvar's rank insignia on his right chest glimmered in the hallway lights. There were a handful of officers attending to desks at this time; some were reading what was left of the morning papers, others tuned in to a crackling broadcast of what Rinvar heard as a string quartet.

  "Is that the Northern Strings? Must be a new piece of theirs."

  He passed by and found Farin in her usual attire: her skirt was longer than what she usually wore. It was hardly a few centimeters from the ground. He knew that as an officer who made it to the ranks by simply being good at her job. She made more effort than usual on her face, capitalizing on some of her beauty angles. This could mean she was taking this event seriously, or could only be part of her guidelines on how to appeal to this special crowd later. One who made it through merit had to go this far for those of higher stature.

  "You're quicker than I thought. My jacket didn't get enough cold air."

  "No caps today, Director?"

  "It's going to hassle me." Farin tapped her hair bun twice. "I don't feel like hiding my head tonight. Let's go."

  The amphitheater is an hour's drive from the constabulary headquarters. There were few people on the streets, and even fewer vehicles around as evening was giving way to nighttime. Only the presence of parked automobiles was the obvious hint that something was taking place inside. No lights and fanfare were present at the grounds, and the silent watch of men guarding from the shadows could only be noticed until someone stood close enough. Their transport was guided to an empty parking space near the building's right wing. An exchange of salutes, and the attendants guided them to where the event was taking place.

  Rinvar and company passed by the entrance hall, where the doors to the grand theater were shut. They were led to a lecture hall, where there were enough seats for a reserved number of delegates while the caterers worked on food, drink, and other forms of merriment that had nothing to do with listening to speakers. There were seats for the Investigative Bureau at the rightmost front, separate from the rest of the attendees. An assortment of meats and sauces, carried in covered trays, left threads of their scent where he and Farin were seated. Rinvar looked back at the attendants who sported stylized black and white uniforms.

  "That smell. I should have eaten something before going here."

  Food warmers were set in place; blue crystals glowed and left small circles of light at the tray bases. The caterers were soon requested to leave the venue as another part of the throng began to enter. Men and women, dressed in various kinds of formal wear, took their seats. While the style of the suits and dresses differed from person to person, it was strange that a scheme of black and gray was used for this gathering. The lecturer's platform lights glowed at their brightest. It took minutes before one of the presenters climbed the stage to begin.

  "Ladies and gentlemen. Good evening. This assembly would not be possible without the precise leadership of our esteemed guests: Director Farin Arinas and Captain Rinvar de Melvich of the Investigative Bureau. Without their diligence, we'd all be spending our time on important matters, like tending to our estates and people's affairs."

  Laughter echoed from some of the gathering, but it was kept short.

  Both of them stood up, waved, and made slight bows to the gathering. It felt strange, but the sound of almost synchronized clapping from the audience reminded the captain of where he came from. Rinvar was certain old Erik was somewhere among the crowd, but looking for him now would make him less presentable. He didn't want to raise suspicion this early.

  "Thank you, Director Arinas and Captain Melvich, now, for the main event."

  The attractions were brought before the crowd in a partially reassembled fashion. Sections of the machines were made to look like they were in one piece. Burnt head units and their weapon modules were linked to their charred chassis. Hardly any noise apart from ah's and oh's was heard from the attendees. The speaker continued, though Rinvar's attention was poured more into the audience than on the event's highlights.

  "These machines are presumed to be fighting units, basing it solely on how the weapons were put in place..."

  "From the metals used to construct these, to how these were operated, it is largely a mystery..."

  "Potential applications of these marvels are tremendous. Think of..."

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  They were paraded to the audience at first. The wrecks were propped up by special steel wire trees, with each limb placed where they were supposed to be linked. Guests were allowed to inspect the wrecks, but none of them touched the exhibits, though there were no rules against it. The third wreck was a special case. Its damage was focused on the internals, making its external frame mostly in one piece. Some of the attendees exchanged opinions as the exhibits were brought to their final display area near the lecturer's platform.

  It was an open forum. There were fewer questions; some of the representatives used the discussion to position their respective families in winning an untold bid.

  "If technology like this can be built in paltry syndicate workshops, House Faubourg's industries are certain to reproduce and perfect these in short order."

  "The Faubourg has a lot of bravado to say that when your light cruiser offerings move too slowly and are armed too sparsely."

  "House Ravenna still has the tooling for the gun these machines used. We believe we are better-positioned to figure out the rest of the assembly."

  An hour of taking turns, exchanging ideas, and arguing their points led to the agreement of any further study on these should take place in Blaurosen under the Emperor's watch.

  As for Rinvar and Farin, they looked at each person who asked the most questions and made the most assertions. One of them may be an asset of the Gray Fox, though the idea was based on pure conjecture as it stood.

  To the captain, the real event was taking place: the supper after the symposium. It was the perfect time to find out if the caterers were the same people the nobility hired for these gatherings.

  The usual sausages, cheeses, and spiced sauces were present. So were the expected courses of chicken and other fowl meat. Rinvar took a plate and moved from one dish to another, but the first food that caught his eye was a strange-looking item of a small steak-like meat between some vegetables and two halves of a bun.

  "Excuse me, what's this?" Rinvar asked the attendant.

  "This, sir, is a hamburger. A dish from the Federation."

  "Sounds like a place from the Empire, doesn't it?" Rinvar saw the attendant smile as if to say there's no answer to the question. "Never mind. One of these, then."

  He looked at what was handed to him. There was a kind of sauce inside, directly between the bun and the vegetables. Was this meant to be eaten like a sandwich? He would have done it in a heartbeat, but there were unspoken rules he was meant to follow.

  "Of all the offerings you're going to eat at this function, and it has to be this... sandwich-like thing?" Farin looked at what Rinvar put in the table before he took a seat.

  "Speak for yourself, one who picked that sea creature in butter and garlic." Rinvar pointed to the small lobster dish that his superior had chosen to eat.

  Rinvar could have consumed his fare faster if not for needing to slice the sandwich into smaller pieces. He left Farin, who was busy conversing with other guests, once she had finished her meal. He found a platinum-haired lady looking at the exhibit; her eyes were focused on the most intact of the wrecks. She was mumbling:

  "So, this is the work of that 'Angel'..."

  "Excuse me, Lady Agnes."

  "Oh, Captain Rinvar." She turned around to look at him. "I have to commend you for this splendid find. I would have felt the Schild family is interested in these, but a mere line of artifact-keepers cannot offer much in terms of reproducing complex machinery."

  "I am surprised you decided to attend this personally. Forgive me if the remark is out of turn."

  Agnes von Schild let out soft laughter before she continued, "I still have to see what the other families are on about. You may be right, but I am blessed with capable assistants, giving me a little free time."

  "I'm here to tell you that we are still working on the duke's whereabouts." Rinvar looked at the wreck. "Is everything all right?"

  "I am far from my best self, but Alberta is managing fine enough." Agnes' stare returned to the destroyed constructs. "I will have to ask a favor from you. I know that your work is far from being easy..."

  "It's all right. I'll extend what I can, if I can."

  "That's good to hear. My daughter. She has been out and about, serving her commitments to the Church. I fear for her safety sometimes. If you see her, do tell dear Euphemia to come home, even once in a while."

  "I don't know how Sisters of the Church operate, but I'll do my best."

  "Thank you, Captain."

  "You're most welcome, Your Grace. If you'll excuse me."

  Rinvar saw the duchess nod before he turned away and walked around, looking at the rest of the congregation. Farin was on the farther side of the gathering, sharing a drink with some of the officials present. He didn't want to join her yet. His focus was still on somebody who was most likely present in this gathering.

  He was not wrong.

  A man sat alone at the table. Rinvar knew that fistful of red hair around his face on a body with both heft and power. Though the slight wrinkling of the forehead told a story of his age, he was far from being considered too old to be in this business. He stared back at the captain, making him stand up and walk towards him.

  "Rinvar, m'boy. Why don't you give your father a hug?" Erik de Melvich spread his arms and threw himself at the investigator.

  "I'm happy to see... you're doing well- and taking care of yourself." Rinvar embraced back.

  "So how's my son doing? About that metal monster, was it a tough enemy? Did it give you a real fight?"

  "About that... I found them, um, destroyed."

  "That's not good. Someone beat you to it. Maybe if you gave it a beating, we would have seen more parts to make sense of that thing."

  "I'll grab one out of their assembly lines when I get the chance."

  Erik led his son to his table, handing him a glass of what Rinvar smelled as strong liquor.

  "One of the best brews from Pretagne. They're at least good with these things."

  Rinvar expected the conversation to start with this. He downed the drink in two gulps; his throat felt raspy in moments. "This is... strong."

  Erik burst into a short guffaw. "Hah! My offer still stands, son. Return to your rightful place as commander of our regional force, and you won't have to work with the piddly department you're in."

  "Your timing in bringing these matters up is how do I say this...? Exciting."

  "Of course, anytime is the best time when it comes to my son – and the honor of House Melvich." Erik poured another into Rinvar's glass.

  With him at the table, it would be impossible to leave the venue without getting drunk. Rinvar hoped he would have enough sense to make it in the morning. Maybe this was all for the best. The thoughts of the Gray Fox still lingered in the captain's mind. For now, Farin would need to do much of the profiling on her own.