"How many have confirmed this?" Emperor Halycon demanded the elemental fires he controlled flickering to life.

He controlled those flames, but his control was tenuous at best. He was furious. So furious that while he was able to control the fire, he failed to maintain his formidable aura from releasing. The killing intent that he had unleashed had lashed across the palace, affecting everyone. Those below Nihility Realm had collapsed. The pressure was enough to force them to their knees. For those under the Qi Gathering Realm, the pressure caused them to pass out.

Emperor Halycon wasn't the strongest cultivator in the Empire. His duties precluded the time for closed-door cultivation to see him advance that far. Still, he had reached the perfected stage in the Immortal Realm. His aura and anger were frightening, and everyone knew there were old monsters that he could call on if needed. Ancestors that had reached the Profound Immortal and Immortal Venerable Realm.

"Ten of the dozen we asked to investigate confirmed that the paper the missives are made out of are embedded with enchantments that allow someone who knew of those enchantments to create a copy of anything written on them," Xi Wang answered.

Xi Wang had served the Emperor for centuries. He was as much Spymaster as Majordomo, and he had never seen Emperor Halycon this angry. He watched the Emperor with uncertainty and caution, afraid for the first time, acting as the eyes and ears of the Emperor that his anger would result in the innocent bloodshed of the palace staff.

Patriarch Umbra of Four Element Sect sent a dozen new devices and communication tokens that allowed for real-time voice communication. The devices were revolutionary and would change the nature of business, governance, and personal lives.

That should have been a cause for celebration, a gathering of treasury and economic councilors to discuss how to take advantage of the changes these new devices would portend. But a saved voice message had been placed within the device earmarked for Halycon. A message that revealed treason and betrayal.

Patriarch Umbra had informed the Emperor that the Clan could read anything written on the missives they manufactured. They had enchanted the paper, embedding runic enchantments on the filaments of the paper. They had the ability to make a copy of any message sent.

For most people, this feature wouldn't mean much. Clan Velize wouldn't be interested in their messages. But for those in the Palace? Those heading other Sects? The ability to spy on private missives gave Clan Velize an unbridled advantage into the secrets of enemies and friends alike.

Private correspondence and the messages from the dozens of government offices located within the palace were available for their Clan to sort through. This theft of information would give them access to vital information. Knowledge that would shape their actions and guide how they respond to developing situations. The ability to read the Emperor's missives alone would allow them an insight into every deal and secret Emperor Halycon might have planned and written about over the centuries.

Knowledge was power. And the information Clan Velize was able to steal would allow them to leverage that knowledge to react to changes in policy and economics before they happened.

What was more problematic, the reason for Emperor Halycon's loss of control was how that knowledge would allow Clan Velize to subvert policies as they pleased. Clan Velize could use insider information to force individuals to betray themselves, their ideals, or their Emperor.

Knowledge of secret deals or hidden commands coming from the Emperor would allow them to pressure people, to force them into actions they would never agree to without the secrets stolen from those missives.

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The communication token had been a revelation.

The Emperor had the tokens examined carefully after listening to the message Patriarch Umbra had saved, determined to find any hidden enchantments or back door commands within the devices that would have the CT devices save or broadcast conversations beyond the intended recipient.

It hadn't taken long to find that the tokens had been enchanted to prevent those types of hacks. They had been installed with safety features so that listening to others' conversations was impossible. They had even come equipped with privacy arrays that activated automatically when using the tokens; a barrier formed so that no sound could pass beyond arm's length while the tokens were in use.

They used the same principle to connect users that the missives used, ensuring that connections would be established between the intended recipient. A sympathetic connection between intent and Qi signatures. It made certain that when you wanted to talk to Wu Chen, the prince, you connected to that person and not the Wu Chen of any other city or principality. That they could connect instantly and allow for unlimited discussion would see missives relegated to the dust bin of history.

It had taken some work to find out who had invented the devices. The spies placed in Four Element Sect had been hard-pressed to remain hidden when the Patriarch had discovered people using illusion to spy and kill within the Sect. Only a few of the Empire's people had succeeded in remaining hidden.

The Patriarch had been tireless in searching for and rooting out the multiple factions that had hidden personnel in her Sect. It had been more luck than skill that had kept his people in place. Very few of the people found used illusion; they had been given legitimate positions as the Sect staffed and recruited, so it had taken a concentrated effort to discover the few that had been found.

The Patriarch had been thorough in scouring her personnel. Background checks and new interviews had been implemented. A flurry of missives and directives had been issued that managed to root out almost all of the Emperor's people into position.

The few who remained had been recruited and earned their position legitimately. One of those people was an Elder. An Elder who was a staunch conformist. His family had supported the Empire almost from its inception. And he made no apologies or tried to hide his reverence for the Empire.

It had taken the Elder a few weeks to find out where the communication tokens came from. A new House and Baroness had created them. One whose name was coming up frequently lately.

The Hindel had made demands to the way negotiations were conducted recently. They had lodged complaints and threatened trade sanctions because of insults they were now assigning to the way they were treated.

They had sent memory spheres and tokens that showed them interacting with this new young Baroness. The Emperor, after watching the memory spheres, had agreed. From their perspective, it was easy to understand why they might feel they were being slighted and insulted.

The use of arrays required to create a suitable meeting place for both parties was easily accomplished. Forcing the Hindel to navigate land in what amounted to giant fish tanks could be considered offensive. The Baroness had proved that it was much easier for both parties to conduct negotiations in pavilions built to conform to an environment suitable for each individual.

Her offer to create an embassy near her city, in the ocean, was a brilliant strategic decision. At least if she intended to create a solid partnership with the Hindel, her actions had demonstrated a real disparity between how the Empire and her Barony valued the Hindel and their relationship. A distinction that gave some of those in the Empire who believed Elves were the superior race problems.

The Hindel had become intractable about how all future negotiations would occur. If you wanted something from them, then you would meet at places convenient to them. Halycon quietly gloated each time a new person convinced of their superiority came to complain.

"Send out missives to all Sect Heads, all major Clans, the top hundred Houses. Inform them of Clan Velize's actions. Include the proof we have uncovered. And let them know that Clan Velize will be called to answer for their betrayal," Halycon ordered.

"High Justice will be served. Clan Velize will be stricken from the rolls of Clans. Its properties, monies, and investments will be confiscated. Every Elder will be stripped of their cultivation. And the rest of the Clan members will be conscripted, each to be sent to different military divisions.

"Let it be known that any who give aid to those of Clan Velize, who try to help them avoid the sentence that I have decreed will face the same repercussions," the Emperor ordered.

The words were simple enough, and they would be carried out. Halycon offered no regrets, no apologies as he made his proclamation. Xi Wang found it regrettable how a Clan, a pillar of the Empire, could be extinguished so quickly.