"I see," said Li, pleased that his followers had gone unharmed in his unplanned absence. "And the movements of the armies? Have they appeared suspicious at all to you? Especially in regard to us?"

Sindra rifled through her documents once more and found a letter sealed with the dove emblem of Lys. Her sharp eyes moved rapidly as she read through its contents, refreshing her memory.

"The armies of the five banners will stay here for three more days until their remainder come to Riviera and gather into an unified force. They will then mobilize to the Hinterlands, where they will meet the Triestan Armada at the western coast for supplies and additional reinforcements.

So far, the armies have moved exactly according to this declaration."

"And what about their supplies for the time they are in the city?" said Li. "There very well may be over half a million troops here if the entirety of all five armies march here and my knowledge of their numbers is accurate. Will our stored crop be seized?"

"The Farmer's Guild did receive a notice about that," said Sindra as she put a quill to her lip. "A request extended by the duchess. An emphasis on the word 'request'. She asks that the farmer's guild, if it so very much pleases, extend some support to the encampment.

But, she also very much emphasizes that such support is unnecessary. If needed, she will march the armies west earlier than expected and simply resupply at the western coast with the Triestan armada."

Li nodded. "I see." He thought about what he had heard for a few seconds, processing what was going on.

It was evident to see that the duchess had not made any move against him. If anything, she had contributed in stopping the temple from attempting to abuse Li's absence to intimidate and harass his followers.

Which did make sense, considering that she had an entire war to deal with already, and antagonizing Li on top of that would only burden her that much more. This, he already knew, but he wanted to be on the safer side of things.

"Then, let us move on to what he will do about my followers and their future course of action," said Li. He nodded to Ivo and Old Thane. "Ivo, old man, I've heard concerns about this lockdown affecting the crop. What did they say about its length?"

"One week," said Sindra immediately, never losing an opportunity to recite a memorized fact.

"Too long," said Li.

"Aye, I do agree," said Old Thane. As master of fields, he had the most stake in making sure the farms themselves were well maintained. "A few days, the fields could shoulder the impact. A week, however, when we've grain that grows so quick and livestock we could not bring within the city walls to care for?

An impossibility, I should say."

"The priests will also suffer," said Ivo. "In a packed city such as this, so filled with stone carved by man and so little with green, they will find their connection to their magic dwindling."

"Not to mention the logistics of it all," said Sindra. "There are over one hundred people in this guild, all whom you see packing the entirety of this impressive auditorium. Where shall they find housing?"

"That could be arranged," said Ven'thur.

Sindra's ears twitched. "How, if I may ask? I have run the calculations. Riviera, under lockdown, has now a population far exceeding its usual norm. Refugees from surrounding villages and even those in centerland cities may come pouring in by the thousands.

The city's shelters will be overrun. All the inns will be packed. When, and not if, a law of hospice is enforced, making it such that refugees must rotate between shelters to maximize the spread of warm roofs, it will be that much more difficult to keep all the guild members accounted for and safe."

Ven'thur flourished his lavender gloved hand, waiving away all of Sindra's concerns. "Oh, dear Sindra, you must take your mind off the numbers and books sometimes and see through a little more, hm, practical lens." He tapped his monocle and continued.

"With but a few persuasive words and leveraging some of the influence the guild has worked so hard to accrue, would it not be so very much a simple task to convince a few willing landowners to make exceptions and take in the followers, knowing that they are of a guild with an impressive flow of coin and rapidly flowering political influence?

Certainly, it would be far preferable to taking in unwashed masses of refugees that may have little to nothing to their name. I am sure they would be more than willing to ignore laws of hospice for such profit, too."

"You would suggest denying refugees shelter by leveraging coin? Does the injustice of this act not escape you?" said Sindra as she leered at Ven'thur.

"Would you prefer the followers to be out in the filthy streets?" said Ven'thur. "Dear me, irrational morality does so very much grate upon my cold nerves. And are you not a woman of privilege, born of Feli nobility? How amusing it is to hear you harping of the injustice of coin."

"How do you know I am nobility?" said Sindra.

"All too obvious. I am well-traveled, after all," said Ven'thur. "No Feli can afford a journey from the northern Republic down to the south in any capacity other than as a mercenary or slave, and you, my dear, are highly evidently neither.

No, you are an esteemed academic that graduated from Riviera's college. Quite likely, you hail from one of the few lucky beastman families that the Elves inducted as citizens and not laborers in their reservations.

A good thing you keep your background under wraps, for certainly, I am sure the beastwomen here would not take kindly to one they would consider hailing from a traitorous bloodline.

Or, perhaps, you joined this guild upon seeing your fellow beastmen in need from a sudden twinge of guilt, that little whisper in your heart that told you that you needed to use your comfortable position to aid those of your kin that suffered."

Sindra remained unfazed. "I do not care what you believe I think or where I hail from. What is important now is the task at hand."

"And I have provided a most simple and effective solution, have I not?" said Ven'thur. "With a few, hm, more 'convincing' words, I may even be able to secure the followers refuge in the comfortable villas of the northside where I am sure armed guards will protect those properties form any civil unrest that brews in the city."

"I still do not know why a mage of black magics such as yourself is allowed to sit here," said Sindra.

"Calm down, you two," said Li. Ivo and Old Thane were looking at Li in concern, because while they did not like the tension that was beginning to brew, this argument about city based logistics was beyond them, leaving them to rely on Li to mediate it.

"Everyone, regardless of background, is welcome here so long as they prove their worth and goodness. Ven'thur is no exception, and neither are you, Sindra. But, as to the matter of housing, I do not intend for this to ever become an issue.

I have a solution that will fix both the lockdown and field related issues."

Li saw that the table's attention was now fully on him.

"The solution is rather simple: there will be no lockdown for my followers.

I will use my influence to force lord Lys and the duchess to grant us our residences in the outskirts. They can close the city walls on us if they so wish, but I guarantee, with my blessing and might, the fields will be safer than any weak little wall."