Erik and his buddy straightened up and went stiff at the sound of the voice. “Just open the door and let yourself in,” Erik muttered quietly, not moving so much as an inch.

“Okay,” Lucas called to whoever might be listening inside the room. He felt the need to warn the Baron based on the earlier sound effects, even though he had been invited. “I’m coming in now.”

Lucas was greeted by the sight of a gargantuan man wearing only a pair of grey slacks to prevent himself from being nude seated in the largest chair that Lucas had ever seen. The enormous figure was several inches larger in each direction than even Willmarth, but whereas the blacksmith had looked like a well-built tank, this man had muscle and fat spilling over his skeletal frame in equal proportions. There was a woman on either side of him, each with disheveled hair and busy at work arranging her uniform and adjusting herself as quickly as she could.

“Sorry to disturb you,” Lucas apologized as a way of greeting. He wasn’t sure what to do with his body—whether he was supposed to bow, salute, or offer a handshake—since he didn’t know what the manners and customs of Imperium Soldiers greeting Barons were.

“The book can wait,” Dray responded, closing the book he was holding and tossing it onto a nearby table. “Fantasy is repetitive, and the stories don’t change no matter when they are read, but news uncapitalized upon will be lost. Opportunity will rot if not acted upon. So, don’t waste your chance: Say what you have to say.”

“I have news from—” Lucas began his pitch once more.

“I’ve heard that already through the door. Take out your proof and explain it to me.”

“Ah, right.” Lucas pulled his bag off his back and began to fetch out the documents he had forged, handing them over to Dray as he removed them. “These are the things I found in Kegan’s study, hidden under one of his bookshelves.”

Dray extended his hand expectantly and waited for Lucas to bring him the items rather than getting up himself, and he began flipping through the pages and notes rather quickly once he had them, almost as if he knew exactly what he was looking for. “These don’t match the book Kegan showed me,” Dray said, “nor the taxes he paid.”

“It is as you say, Baron. He was deceiving you by keeping sales contracts hidden and pocketing small bits of money for himself.” Lucas paused and studied Dray’s reaction as the man continued to flip through the contracts and accounting book at an alarming speed. The work that had taken Lucas hours to put together had taken this man a minute to tear through.