main_10

New guests have been invited to the city, but it seems they refuse to attend any dinner party whatsoever.

Around the time of the violent happenings in Sudean last month, Carte was complaining that a few of his orders had been massively postponed. Everyone thought street gangs had plundered the goods; later, the guests 'requisitioned' factories with minimal fuss, and we realized just what was going on now.

You only see them about in Sudean and the nearby ports, more or less; that is exactly why I tell you that they still haven't found somewhere suitable for themselves.

Though Londinium is practically locked up as of now, they ferry in and out constantly. You can discern these people by their clothes at a glance. They call themselves 'Dublinn,' have little patience for chatting with the Londiniers, and essentially only deal in threats and armed deterrence. It seems it's default to them that others view them as enemies.

Compared to the silent Sarkaz, their anger is more open. I've heard a few members speaking Taran to each other, but when I've tried talking to them in it myself, it only seems to enrage them further, as if they can't take other Victorians speaking in their tongue.

I went to visit Leo today. He likes a lively scene; he was drawn into a clash between Dublinn and city folk, all told. Apparently he sustained a few physical wounds, caused by an explosion.

He described in vivid detail how Dublinn's fighters took up their blades and gave the Londiniers some fierce lip, how he fearlessly did as he saw he should, and how the ruffians who didn't identify him caught him up in the kerfuffle. At the end, he solemnly swore on the Steam Knight title of his ancestors that Dublinn might hardly have been some ragtag army from the wild, judging by their combat prowess, but 'if I'd just had my saber on hand, I would've laid them all low right there.'

The Victorian Army drill regimen did influence his childhood self; that is the one part I believe you can actually take his word for. He is able to tell when a soldier's been given standard training.

We avoid tacitly all talk of where Victoria's army and her decorated generals might be now. P.S. In need of a new Oriron supply channel.

Count Philip has amended his party's date and venue twice now since sending out invitations. None of them will let their courtyards be lit up at night anymore, for fear Sarkaz on patrol won't take well to the illuminations.

Both Bailey's and Lawrence's families are readying to leave, and René's promised he'll help them. He's sent plenty of the nobility on out of the city already. A man with both security and logistical connections.

It's rumored in a few more days, the Sarkaz will completely seal the city gates off. Every party since, the main topic has been what city's life can remotely compare to Londinium.

It's not just bustling streets everyone hopes for. Moreso that as in Londinium, they might accompany gatherings of bright minds in elegant conversation, and talk of how much their painting collections are worth, not of potatoes and maize.

I came to this city without any position or owned estate, so I simply stand to the side and nod along.

Reggie's chauffeured for Bailey's family for years now, but he doesn't plan to leave Londinium with them. We were chatting on the patio, and he says he'd rather drop daily essentials off for his friends in his own little boneshaker, and that it's a lot more interesting circling about Londinium's underground. I wager every Londinier has their own differing complex about this city.

I mentioned the anti-inflammatories to him, and he agreed to help me procure two crates.

Nora made her reappearance at the party today. It seemed the Sarkaz police detaining her in their garrison didn't affect her at all, but when we had a private chat to one side, she rolled up her sleeve and showed me the scars on her arm.

Of all the citizens arrested a few days ago, including her, she was presumably the only one deemed innocent, hence why they let her out so quick. It doesn't sit well with her; she's worried for the ones still in there.

She also says the Sarkaz keep going on about the city wall recently. Even their generals are always patrolling on top of them. Maybe they really are going to seal off the whole of Londinium.

P.S. Received a pile of paper clippings and an unsigned letter, though a glance at the writing tells me who wrote it. I've made fun of her a few times now for using the same red pen she marks student homework with, but she seems all the more smitten with it at this point.

It says we've finally gotten word of a heretofore missing friend, and that we need to lend him a hand.

My notes are in bits all over the place, and they're not ordered yet. Still, if I'm unable to record anything else in coming times, you should be able to find something to interest you somewhere in my notebook, I'd think?

It's my second time now meeting that Sarkaz, or should I say, being taken aside by him for questioning.

Interrogations like that are awfully common; he let me go quickly. Still, I feel his manner wasn't quite like other Sarkaz.

I found out beforehand a squad of Sarkaz mercenaries might get in touch with us, but I still haven't noted any hostility or explosive burning in Londinium tallying with that codename yet.

I asked that Sarkaz today about his name. He acted somewhat oddly; ridiculing me, most likely. 'No need to bother committing any Sarkaz to memory. We'll die in one blink, and be forgotten in the next,' he said, showing me the Originium crystals on his face.

I don't know if I can work with the Sarkaz or not. The more stories I learn in this city, the harder it is to judge.

'Old friend' is practically a cliché between Sarkaz in Londinium. Most met in the civil war before, then again in a different battle later on. Their deepest bond is knowing they can never trust each other. Even decade-old friends will hack off the hand clung to their starboard one day, in order to keep their own ship afloat.

The Sarkaz don't mince this attitude at all. They're forever in battle mode.

If Victoria is engulfed by flames of war like in Kazdel yore, I wonder how we will end up?

P.S. On top of Oriron supply being cut off, some other common industrial products are gradually vanishing from the market. Rockrock and co. will be very troubled keeping work going if materials dry up to this extent.

Though even if we win the companies' support, there's no reliable transport channel as of now. The railway owners have confirmed to me that freight trains can only transport industrial materials to Central Londinium currently, and personal transport uses have to go through approval.

If unable to escape this place, seek Golding for future Messenger work.

Handwriting may be part illegible, sudden bad news. Little time to note things.

Per Amiya, Sarkaz spies hidden among Self-Salvation with shapeshift-like Arts, thus easily disguised as one of us. Such Arts beyond our ability to beware. Most worried this will cause suspicion between Corps.

Feist + Rockrock v. guilt-ridden; was the one they spent great effort rescuing. Once their closest comrade in arms.

I can empathize. If chance presents itself, would like to comfort them. Some Corps fighters know I once made a similar mistake.

Most vital now is having everyone stay reasonable. Not easy establishing this base in Sudean, and families of several live nearby, but all now under threat of bombardment by city defense artillery.

Our defensive arms are simple toys vs. cannons designed to melt a nomadic city to its structural level, but all are silently equipping selves.

I want to leave this written: We have nothing else, seek nothing else. Vast majority of Self-Salvation soldiers care most how to get wounded companions medicine, how to keep doing the work they know in Londinium's underground, nothing else. They've never conjectured about the truth of the dark clouds above Londinium, can hardly imagine how dreadful the Sarkaz Royal Court is.

But realistically, no Sarkaz Civil War rumor is exaggerated or fabricated. Breaths of the ancient Royal Court suffice to tear the lives of us commoners from us.

These are the enemies we contend with, whether they know this is the truth or not.

—RE: mistake I made, I trusted the wrong person for liaison when we tried to get in touch with Camden Borough. After he was taken in, he told the Sarkaz everything he knew under trial.

To avoid more intel agents' discovery, our Messengers decided to bring letters of no real substance to the RDV point as usual, pretend we never learned he was captured...

Ella was a child anyone would've loved.

But we can only move on. We're about to leave.

We're on a train for Central Londinium now. More of our fellows survived than anticipated. We're very lucky.

Things were sudden. Still no time to get in touch with Allerdale, but Rhodes Island's Messenger sent the distress call to her long ago. We should have a temporary safe place there for now.

As Duke Cumberland's daughter, Allerdale has a cohesive pull in noble-concentrated Central Londinium that no one else in the Self-Salvation Corps can match. Corps members are limited in movement in the central district, under the Sarkaz Royal Court's noses. Luckily, Allerdale has always been clear about maintaining the resistance. She inspires our fellows who were shaky by themselves.

It's rare you get a noble like her. She calmly acknowledged months ago that Parliament no longer existed; at present it's only the Sarkaz borrowing the name.

The Corps's objective slightly differs to Rhodes Island, but they've pulled together into an upstanding force now. A lot of citizens who were hostile to Rhodes Island's Sarkaz are now comfortable chatting shoulder to shoulder with them on this train.

W came back with another Rhodes Island Sarkaz woman. She's never let herself look the friendly part, but at present I can confirm she's actively cooperating with us.

She tells me it seems the Sarkaz mercenary I was concerned for died a few days ago. I still remember his name, Schwab. A patrol at the factory caught sight of him once, after I was arrested.

Now I can be sure it was him who put W and me in contact, which was what let W make it in time to aid with Rhodes Island's rescue operation. I owe him a thank you.

A few of Rhodes Island's operators are being paid very close attention. The Banshee, for example. His very existence seems to put some of the Sarkaz on edge.

The Sarkaz Royal Court's surveillance network always seems especially acute at manhunting fellow Sarkaz. If needs be, I'm prepared to provide him support at any time.

Kal'tsit already reached Central Londinium at some point in the last two days, but she can't work in tandem with the Self-Salvation Corps.

I haven't seen her in so many years. I'm curious, even... am I as tall as her by now?

Rockrock's been crying awfully. I'm trying to console her, but really, I feel tears are a must at times like these.

In recent days, with security conflicts escalating, violent gangs in Sudean Borough have activated city defense artillery and caused grave damage to several districts.

This is the first time Londinium's defensive artillery has fired within its own walls. The hour of sustained bombardment caused several plates to collapse, and major casualties were witnessed on scene.

Since October of last year, violent gangs who deserve no fame have persistently antagonized Parliament's new safety bill, disturbed defense force patrol enforcement, caused conflicts on multiple occasions, and posed a grave menace to the stability of society. In only three months, over 200 counts of public violence have been recorded in Sudean Borough, placing it as the district of most concern with regard to law and order.

As a vital light industry region to Londinium, the array of manufacturing in Sudean Borough constitutes over 90% of Londinium's total light industry output. Following this bombardment incident, a great number of factories in Sudean Borough have suffered damages, and forecasts indicate a return to normal production order is highly unlikely in the short term, with severe impact on associated downstream industries.

Spokesmen for the Londinium-Kazdel Association of Economic and Cultural Exchange have sternly condemned the conduct of these violent gangs, and in following indicate that Kazdel parties will aid in Sudean Borough reconstruction work, so as to progressively return citizens' manufacturing lifestyles to normal order.

Yesterday, an awards ceremony for Victorian theater held in the Auchterigg Borough of Londinium was temporarily halted due to a fire alarm.

At around 8 o'clock, the fire alarm was sounded without warning. The awards committee immediately activated risk management plans, suspending the ceremony and evacuating staff present. After confirming the fire alert did not pose a threat to the venue, the ceremony was quickly resumed with order restored.

Numerous nobles and celebrities, including the Duke of Caster, attended the ceremony. After it was resumed, Arnold was awarded Best Actor in a Leading Role, his third time enjoying the honor.

Despite no casualties among personnel nor any property damage, the awards committee still received numerous complaints, the complainants criticizing the unnecessary fright the false fire alarm put them through.

Reports indicate that the fire in fact broke out at the factory site next door, caused by an improved incendiary weapon thrown in a fight between local street thugs of which one suffered second degree burns, and several makeshift houses were destroyed. Eyewitnesses state that Hannah 'Indra' Jackson and her followers were likely involved in the fight. Police are currently conducting a follow-up investigation due to the gang members' injury of Baron Grant.

At the behest of Her Highness Theresa and His Highness Theresis, the Military Commission of Kazdel today carried out necessary attacks on the rebels in Londinium, and the last plate occupied by the rebels has been cleansed. As of now, the entire city of Londinium has been awed into submission, and all obstacles to His Highness's plans have been removed. The city's industrial assembly lines will work day and night in casting a victory for the Sarkaz.

Londinium continues to extend an invitation to you, my fellow Sarkaz who wander the land. After the war, the Sarkaz will have a home to return to.

Military Commission of Kazdel