While the palace slept in a shroud of false security, the Under-City was alive with the pulse of Nexus. Livius, draped in his midnight-silk cloak, stood on a balcony overlooking the "Silk District"—the heart of the capital's illegal trade.
His organization had grown with terrifying speed. Grog, the former slave trader, was now his "Hand in the Dirt," managing the network of beggars, orphans, and disgruntled servants who formed the eyes and ears of the Ghost.
"Master," a voice whispered from the darkness behind him. It was a young girl, no older than ten, with eyes that had seen too much. She was one of the "Web-Walkers," the children Livius had rescued and trained in the art of silence. "The Second Princess's carriage has arrived at the 'Velvet Rose.' She is meeting with the Finance Minister's son."
Livius didn't turn around. "And the package?"
"Delivered, Master. The recording crystals are hidden in the chandeliers. Every word of their conspiracy will be etched in light by morning."
Livius smiled. The Second Princess, Isabella, was a woman of sharp ambition. She lacked the dragon traits, but she possessed a family treasury that could buy a small kingdom. She was planning to bankrupt the First Prince's military supply lines by manipulating the grain prices. It was a clever play—one that would lead to a famine if left unchecked.
"Isabella thinks she is playing a game of chess," Livius murmured to the cold wind. "She doesn't realize I've already burned the board."
By dawn, the "Velvet Rose" was a crime scene. Not by the hands of the city guard, but by the hands of the people. A "mysterious" leak of documents had reached the local merchant guild, revealing Isabella's plan to artificially inflate grain prices. The merchants, fearing for their livelihoods, had revolted, barricading the Minister's son in his own manor.
Livius watched the chaos from the shadows of a nearby clock tower. He hadn't fired a single spell. He hadn't drawn a blade. He had simply moved a piece of information from one hand to another.
"Knowledge is the only true magic," he whispered.
At the bottom of the tower, a small mark was carved into the stone: a spider's web with a crown at the center. Nexus was no longer just a gang; it was becoming the shadow-government of the Argentine Empire.