He hurriedly added, "Of course, I'm not saying this is common, just occasional. A discrepancy between the account and the actual object doesn't necessarily mean someone is lining their pockets. It might be just a timing difference, a delay in transportation, or a difference in clerical habits. But once the auditor starts to nitpick, they'll assume there's a problem here. Really, it's just a flaw in the system, mere convention. We little clerks are just keeping the Empire's gears turning."
Great Dumas was clutching his stomach with one hand and slapping the table with the other, laughing so hard he could hardly breathe, "My God! Eld! I thought your Navy Department always dealt with battleships, colonies, forts, spices, and gold, engaging in astronomical transactions. But in the end... you folks are comparable to mice, even stealing a few rolls of rope?"
