"I'm glad to hear it. I am sure you are very busy and I don't have that many questions that require you personally, but before you go - Charantis suggested that you might be willing to speak with a priest of Abadar about the new capabilities of your magic items, is that so?"

Why would the auditor want her to do that? - well, the Emperor might be concerned about if the crown has appreciated in value. The rest mostly isn't his business. That would not be a well-advised response. 

"The Church of Abadar collaborates closely with us and has many ideals in common, and I'm willing to speak with someone sworn to confidentiality about the details of the changes made to those artifacts of the Empire which are in the use of the Crusade. I trust the Archbanker Tilbun, if that is suitable for you."

"I have an Abadaran on my staff and was hoping he would suffice, if only because it's logistically simpler. We could consult with the Archbanker instead, if you can provide transport to and from Absalom."

"I expect your priest is wholly worthy of my trust but I'd worry about his safety, if he knows things Tar-Baphon would dearly like to." Tilbun can defend himself, is surrounded by people who can also defend him, and also has some fairly outlandish insurance (which in fact commits Iomedae if able to retrieving his self and/or soul should anything happen to it. In exchange she gets a discount on services.) 

And of course all of this is an evaluation of whether she's spending the Empire's resources wisely, which makes responding to the expense report require some delicacy - "I'll ask my staff how much risk they imagine the appraisal could pose, and they can also inquire as to whether our standing agreement with the Archbanker covers this and once that's all been evaluated I can send you notice of how they advise we proceed."

Pleasantries pleasantries pleasantries and she can go back to the front. 

They put up a group telepathic bond before she went to Vellumis even though she'd be in a Sanctum for the meeting. 

How'd it go?

I am sure he was going to great lengths to make sure I couldn't answer that question.

Are we in rebellion.

No! Gods.

It's important to me not to do that to you.

A lot of things are important to Iomedae, and even she can't have all of them. He doesn't say this. 

He doesn't need to. 

He claimed that the Empire will likely want to fund the war so long as what we've represented about the threat Tar-Baphon poses is true. He had reasonable questions.

They want to appraise the artifacts.

Sounds like that involves letting people get a close look at the artifacts.

I proposed the Archbanker. But that'll be expensive and we're supposed to be demonstrating we're spending the Empire's money wisely, here. 

I can send an inquiry, Pereza says. 

Thank you, do that. 

And to Arnisant - To say I am indebted to the Empire would be to make a claim with a formal meaning not quite the ordinary one. I don't know if it'd be a true claim or a false one and intend to check when I'm a god. But I - know it to be true that it is by the Empire's honor and strength and determination that our victory may be possible, and that my life has been. It does cause me anguish, that I don't see a way to build the thing I think needs building in an ordinary imperial province. I wish that I were Aroden, and could raise the land for my political experiments out of the sea, but on the other hand that didn't work either. 

I pray for the health and long life of you and the Emperor both. But not for both of you to get so much of it that the inevitable conflict can no longer be dodged, he doesn't say, again because he does not need to.

Right. They should get back to killing things, then.

When legate Angelus makes it back to his quarters, he pauses, looks around, and sniffs. "These people are getting rich enough off the imperial purse, and this is where we've been put? I rather think we're being snubbed. Bardas, go make it clear that we're not going to be pushed around like that. To that dwarf, if you must, but try to see if you can find someone who'd understand that humans don't like being packed into tiny little cells - And check with the cook, first, see if he's been getting the same treatment with our provisions. I want a proper meal and a proper bedchamber tonight."

- the staffer is a retired officer who spent his whole life on the Crusade and looks simultaneously baffled and aggravated. " - well, I'm terribly sorry. I ...hope that can be addressed." A bit dubiously, though. "We're building a nice diplomatic quarters, but it's not complete yet. And I assure you there's no supply of nicer meat we're hiding. I'll tell Charantis that it's a concern but there's, you know, a war on, and very few features of the world with which we should be satisfied, and even fewer which it should presently be our highest priority to fix." He is of course quoting Iomedae. She gave a series of sermons on the topic a while back. If he had more diplomatic expertise he could probably guess that quoting Iomedae as scripture was unwise but he mostly handles land surveying.

That does not sound like his own words, he's quoting something - "What's that from?"

" - the Knight-Commander." He says this like it should be completely obvious to anyone with a mind and also probably the undead.

Oh, one of those generals.

"Oh, of course - in a speech, or was it written down?"

"In a series of sermons. It's all written down, do you want the records?" Maybe they'll read them and then understand the importance of prioritization and the true meaning of Law and then stop being imperials. (He doesn't know a ton about imperials, just that people who aren't one don't tend to like them, and then this conversation which is a bit illustrative as to why.)