Aria returned to her delegation's quarters seething with frustration. Verena's casual admission of operating an extraction and integration network, combined with her confidence that nothing could be done about it, was infuriating precisely because it might be accurate.
"She told you everything?" Liora asked incredulously when Aria recounted the conversation.
"She told me because she believes it does not matter," Aria said. "That Ashenfell's political protection makes them untouchable regardless of what we know."
"Is she right?" Petra asked.
"Possibly," Aria admitted. "Ashenfell has enormous wealth. They have traded that wealth for political influence across the continent. Many territories depend on their economic partnerships. Accusing them of systematic extraction might trigger economic retaliation that hurts innocent people."
"So we do nothing?" Kaelan asked, disbelief evident.
