Chapter 10

Gregor Dandolo walks from the Commons into the Dandolo campo, refusing carriages flagged for founder lineage and noting the enclave’s unease after the blackout. He enters the illustris and, after bypassing administrators, meets his mother, Ofelia Dandolo. Gregor requests her help to stage a public council proceeding once he arrests the arsonist-thief to rehabilitate the Waterwatch plan. Ofelia agrees in principle but prioritizes resolving the blackout and warns him away from Orso Ignacio, noting Orso’s costly, vanished Vialto relic.

Gregor descends to the Spinola Foundry lexicon where Orso, furious and overworked, tests systems with his assistant. Orso explains the lexicon is mysteriously “reduced,” not damaged, and offers no cause. Gregor pivots to his case, revealing that amidst the fire a small wooden box from safe 23D was stolen and that a fence’s note linked the theft to Orso. Orso denies involvement and ridicules the idea of compact stolen definitions, while Gregor implies he will soon catch the thief and possibly recover the item.

After Gregor departs, Orso and his assistant Berenice Grimaldi drop their façade. They confirm the artifact—apparently a key—has been stolen again and panic that Ofelia will uncover Orso’s unauthorized expenditures. To protect himself and still recover the artifact, Orso sends Berenice to shadow Gregor using a twinned signaling plate to report outcomes. Orso plans frantic ledger cover-ups, vowing to secure the key even at the risk of Ofelia’s wrath.