---
The city stirred awake under a haze of morning fog, the streets still quiet from the night before. Alexis zipped his jacket against the chill and stepped onto the sidewalk. The Axis Goods store behind him was clean, stocked, and humming softly. A small win — civilian cover, neat and forgettable.
But Vaelore was something else entirely.
> System: "Current progress on Project Vaelore: 6.8%. Legal registration and infrastructure secured. Threadline interface is live. Prototype designs in early production."
Alexis walked briskly toward the train station, his ring glinting faintly in the dim morning light.
> System: "Updates incoming from Camille, Linh, and Marco."
He found a quiet bench at the terminal and flicked open his phone, the screen shifting to a secure interface only he could see.
---
Update – Camille Vossa:
"Vaelore Ltd." is now fully registered and operational under Athandra's jurisdiction. We're legally a high-end artisan craft brand with private backing. Shell companies layered clean. Documents will pass scrutiny from any government."
Update – Linh Tran:
"Website is live. Pre-booking system integrated with secure protocols. Each user session is trace-proof. Clients can submit custom orders, and AI tools will help filter requests by luxury tier. Threadline is functioning perfectly — distribution and logistics are masked within three layers of randomized routing. Also, I added a dark theme because light themes suck."
Alexis smirked. "Good."
He rose and boarded the train.
---
Later that day, Alexis stood in front of a building just off the city's central avenue. Glass panels, clean interior, discreet profile. Perfect. He stepped inside. High ceilings, subtle natural light — it had the bones of elegance.
> System: "Lease inquiry submitted. Ownership traced to silent investors in Paris. They've responded positively. Approval pending payment."
"Confirm. Send the deposit through shell 03," Alexis said.
> "Confirmed. Storefront secured."
He turned slowly, visualizing how the interior would look. White walls. Floating display cases. No loud branding. Only quality.
This would be the face of Vaelore.
---
Back home, the ring on his finger caught the last slant of sunlight as he opened his notebook.
> System: "Marco has submitted the first physical prototype. Jewelry is crafted and stored securely in Florence. Testing underway for material resistance and wear comfort."
Message – Marco Di Volterra:
"First design complete. The ring is subtle but dignified. We've used memory-grade alloys blended with refined gold. Clean lines. Strong form. Symbolic accents. It feels like a secret waiting to be discovered."
Alexis enlarged the design files and rotated the preview slowly.
No shine. No flare. Just command in silence.
He clicked approve.
---
Night fell. The city lit up again.
Alexis returned to the Axis Goods store and adjusted a few items on the shelf. In the corner of the store, Iris passed by, glanced at his hand, and gave him a faint nod. He returned it without a word.
She paused as if to speak but moved on.
Alexis looked down at the ring.
It was just the beginning.
---