Before Rayleigh could inspect the containers, another alarm sounded from below.
This one came from the machinery itself.
Several pressure gauges began shaking as the waterwheel outside suddenly started turning.
Rayleigh looked toward the control board.
The main release lever had remained untouched, but the explosion had damaged one of the regulators. Water pressure was rising through the lower channels, forcing the floodgates open without anyone operating them.
"Ardi, the canal!"
She reacted immediately.
"Rankle the Seas and the Skies, Nejibana!"
The sealed sword transformed into a trident as water surged around its prongs.
Ardi hurried toward the lower walkway and thrust the weapon toward the approaching flood. The water bursting through the drainage channels slowed, then began twisting into controlled streams beneath her command.
Rayleigh could feel the pressure building on the other side of the damaged machinery.
She was strong enough to redirect it, but the enormous pipes running beneath the pumping house were still feeding more water into the system.
He looked toward the control mechanism.
Two of the supporting gears had broken, preventing the emergency shutters from closing.
Rayleigh sheathed Benihime and approached the damaged assembly while Ardi held the water back.
"Can you give me a minute?"
Ardi planted her feet and tightened her grip on Nejibana as another wave struck the current she was controlling.
"I can manage that! Just don't take too long!"
Rayleigh drew Shinsō and examined the narrow space between the broken gears.
The first gear had slipped out of alignment, while the second was jammed against the frame. There was not enough room to reach either component by hand, but Shinsō was particularly well suited to that problem.
"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"
The blade extended through the narrow opening and struck the damaged gear.
Rayleigh adjusted the angle and extended it again, pushing the metal assembly back into place with several precise movements. Once the first gear settled into its proper position, he used another extension to sever the twisted support pin preventing the emergency shutters from moving.
The machinery lurched.
Rayleigh caught the operating wheel and turned it by hand.
Metal scraped against metal as the emergency shutters slowly descended into the drainage channel.
Ardi felt the pressure immediately begin to ease.
She swept Nejibana upward, sending the remaining water back through the canal rather than allowing it to flood the chamber.
By the time the shutters locked into place, the water level had stopped rising.
Rayleigh released the operating wheel and looked down toward her.
Ardi was breathing harder than before, but she still had enough strength to give him a satisfied grin.
"That should save Shakti a ridiculous amount of paperwork."
"At this point, I think we're both doing her a favor."
Shakti arrived several minutes later with the rest of the containment team.
She examined the flooded lower walkway, the broken railing, and the unconscious swordsman being carried away by two Ganesha adventurers.
Her expression became increasingly unimpressed.
"I leave you two alone for ten minutes, and the entire pumping house nearly collapses."
Rayleigh pointed toward the intact containers.
"We saved your evidence."
Shakti followed his gesture, then looked at the damaged machinery again.
"Next time, try saving the building too."
Ardi burst out laughing.
Rayleigh decided he had earned at least that much criticism.
...
The confiscated containers were opened under Guild supervision once the building had been secured.
Most held equipment used to maintain Valletta's network: magical regulators, replacement lock components, communication crystals, alchemical reagents, and enough preserved food to support several underground teams for weeks.
The largest container was different.
Inside lay an intricate metal assembly covered in old Daedalus markings.
Rayleigh recognized the design immediately.
It resembled part of the internal release mechanism they had encountered beneath the abandoned dye works, although this assembly was substantially more complex.
Shakti frowned as she examined it.
"Was this taken from Knossos?"
"Possibly. We need Merek to confirm."
Rayleigh crouched beside the container and inspected the edges of the metal.
The outer housing was old, but several components had been replaced recently. Whoever had worked on it possessed considerable technical knowledge, and the modifications had been made with a precision that ordinary blacksmiths would struggle to reproduce.
He also found scratches around the mounting brackets.
The assembly had been removed from something larger.
That suggested the people inside Knossos were sending machinery outward rather than simply accepting Valletta's supplies.
Fels arrived while Rayleigh was examining the mechanism.
The mage studied the confiscated equipment before turning his attention toward several sealed document cases recovered from the freight office.
"These were scheduled for collection tonight. The transport records describe regular deliveries between this pumping house and at least three other locations."
Rayleigh opened one of the cases.
Inside were payment records, supply quantities, and lists of names organized by date. Several entries went back more than two years, confirming that Valletta's network had been operating long before the Monsterphilia incident.
One document contained the names of several adventurers wanted for their involvement in the Great Feud.
Another listed payments to employees of legitimate businesses who had been supplying equipment without necessarily knowing its final destination.
Rayleigh frowned as he continued reading.
"She's been buying ordinary machinery and modifying it underground. Most of these businesses probably think they're dealing with private contractors."
Fels nodded.
"The financial trail should allow the Guild to identify several more supply points. However, the people responsible will probably start moving everything they can once they learn this station has been captured."
Shakti stepped closer.
"Then we have to act before dawn."
Rayleigh agreed, but his attention had settled on one particular entry.
Several substantial payments had been transferred to a property registered under an unfamiliar company. Unlike the smaller warehouses, this location had received money regularly for almost three years, including during periods when Valletta's other operations appeared inactive.
He turned the document toward Fels.
"Look at this one."
The mage examined the entry carefully.
"The Ashen Crown Trading Company. It owns a large residence near the eastern outskirts and several smaller properties outside Orario. According to the records, its business involves buying and selling mining equipment."
"Have you heard of it?"
"No, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. There are hundreds of legitimate companies operating around the city."
Rayleigh pointed toward the payment dates.
"This one received money before the other supply stations existed. It also received the largest payment after Monsterphilia."
Fels considered that for several moments before asking Shakti to have the Guild verify the company's ownership records immediately.
Rayleigh continued searching the cases while the request was sent.
Near the bottom of the second case, he found a thin black folder secured with a metal clasp.
The documents inside were different from the accounting records.
They contained instructions for the station's senior operators, along with a list of equipment scheduled for delivery to the Ashen Crown property over the next several days.
One instruction had been underlined twice.
All remaining Phase Three equipment is to be transferred to the eastern estate. Further operations require direct authorization from Lady Valletta.
Rayleigh handed the folder to Fels.
"Looks like we finally found somewhere worth visiting."
Fels read the instruction and immediately reached for his communication crystal.
The Guild's verification arrived several minutes later.
The Ashen Crown Trading Company had been registered through a series of intermediaries, and its listed representatives had changed repeatedly over the last three years. However, the eastern estate had remained under the same ownership throughout that period.
More importantly, the original registration documents bore the name of a man who had supposedly died during the Great Feud.
A former official associated with the Thanatos Familia.
Shakti's expression hardened when she heard the report.
"Then we can treat the estate as an Evilus facility."
"With good reason," Fels replied. "But we'll need confirmation of who is actually inside before moving. If Valletta is there, a careless approach could send her underground again."
Rayleigh looked toward the confiscated folder.
For three years, Valletta had avoided direct confrontation while rebuilding through intermediaries, hidden supply stations, and surviving members of Evilus. The documents gave them their first substantial connection between those operations and a single property.
He had no intention of wasting it.
"Have Ganesha Familia watch every road leading away from the estate. Don't approach the building yet, and don't send anyone close enough to be noticed. If somebody leaves carrying documents or equipment, follow them instead of trying to arrest them in the street."
Shakti nodded and began organizing the surveillance teams.
Rayleigh turned toward Fels.
"I want Asfi involved in the next operation. Her equipment and experience with alchemical devices will be useful if Valletta prepared another escape route. We should also bring someone familiar with her old methods."
Fels understood the suggestion.
"Astraea Familia?"
"Alise and Kaguya both fought Evilus throughout the Great Feud, and Ryuu has more experience tracking people through difficult terrain than most adventurers in Orario. We don't need the entire Familia, but having them involved will make it harder for Valletta to surprise us."
Fels agreed to contact them through the Guild.
Ardi was already examining the route marked on the estate's property map.
She looked toward Rayleigh with obvious determination.
"After everything she did during the Great Feud, I thought we'd never find her again. If this really leads to Valletta, I want to be there when we finish it."
Rayleigh understood.
Ardi had lost friends during the war, and although she had survived events that should have claimed her life, she had never forgotten the people who were less fortunate.
He placed the final document back inside its case.
"Then make sure you're rested. We're going to need everyone thinking clearly."
By the time the Guild finished securing the pumping house, the first Ganesha Familia teams were already moving toward the eastern outskirts.
Rayleigh remained long enough to inspect the recovered machinery one final time before leaving with the confiscated records.
Fels would arrange for Merek to examine the Daedalus assembly in the morning, but Rayleigh had already decided to accompany the surveillance operation personally.
He had allowed Valletta to escape once.
This time, with her supply network exposed and her main financial connection finally identified, he intended to find out whether the woman herself was hiding behind the Ashen Crown estate before she had a chance to disappear again.