The chamber held its silence for a long moment.
Ronaisan El Topov hovered at the upper edge of it, surrounded by his elite, the blueprint rotating slowly in the suspended water between everyone present. Below him, the two expedition forces that had descended together stood frozen in the wreckage of a partnership that had lasted exactly until it became inconvenient.
It was Ronaisan who broke the silence.
"I will be clear, so that no one wastes effort on misunderstanding," he said. His voice carried evenly through the depth's pressure. "That blueprint is a chaos-aligned harnessing system. It is, by every reasonable measure, the property of the kingdom whose depth this is. Oblivion Tyrant Sovereignty and the Velkarion Dominion have a legitimate claim to it. My alliance is here to ensure that claim is honored."
Almond's expression did not change. "And in exchange for honoring it, you receive what."
