"Come, look upon the current state of the world."
The command was not a request. Gilgamesh led Enkidu-Sa to a massive floor screen positioned at the heart of the pavilion. On it, a detailed map was projected via flickering blue light—a synthesis of seized government documents and the hyper-accurate intelligence gathered by the Urukian Immortals.
What met Enkidu-Sa's eyes was a stark visual of an era's death-throes. The crimson icons representing the Imperial Court still occupied vast swaths of The Cradle, but they were being eroded, eaten away by the black ink of a dozen different rebel factions—groups who had "felled trees for weapons and raised bamboo poles as flags."
Even more startling was the area beyond the Great Wall. It was a vast, unending expanse of white representing The Hross-Horde. The sheer volume of white on the map suggested an overwhelming power that could, at any moment, break the bulwark and drown the Central Plains in a catastrophic war.
"Look, Enkidu-Sa," Gilgamesh said, his rubicund eyes staring intensely at the display. "The Cradle is trapped between the internal rot of roaming bandits and the external hunger of the Hross tigers. It is a dark omen."
Siduri walked up behind them, her arms crossed. She looked at the map in shared, grim silence.
"Before I left my seclusion, my mentor told me this was an age of strife," Enkidu-Sa murmured, visibly shaken by the scale of the threat. "But I never imagined the situation had deteriorated to this extent! The white icons... they cover everything."
"Indeed," Gilgamesh nodded. "You have been preoccupied with your studies, oblivious to the world outside. But I? I am a leader vying for a throne. I cannot afford to be blind. The Hross-Horde is the fuse for a global chaos, and the ultimate enemy every final victor must face."
Moved by the King's concern for the realm, Enkidu-Sa stepped toward the screen. The fear that had plagued him was replaced by a scholar's focus. He began to study the map with measured, desperate concentration.
Behind him, Siduri leaned toward her father. "Do you really think he has what it takes, Abu?" she whispered.
"Who knows, Siduri? I am simply giving him a chance," Gilgamesh replied quietly. "If he proves incompetent, I shall dismiss him to serve as a common registrar. At the very least, he serves as a symbol—a sign to the world that the Auric Reclamation values talent."
After a long silence, Enkidu-Sa finally spoke. "My Lord... have you never thought about establishing a base of operations? A foundation?"
"It is true," Gilgamesh admitted with a hint of rare helplessness. "Until now, my army has been nothing more than 'roving bandits.' We hold no territory. Every time I take a city, the Court treats it as a dire threat and mobilizes massive forces to surround us. I must empty the granaries, arm the people, and then abandon the city to avoid being crushed. We have snowballed in size, but we have no home."
"Then, My Lord, listen to the path I have charted for you," Enkidu-Sa said, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face. "To break this cycle, you must 'fortify the walls, store grain widely, and delay your claim to the throne.' The Court is depraved; it is only a matter of time before the Central Plains collapse under a drought or a flood. That will be your true opportunity."
"Oh? You have a plan? Speak!" Gilgamesh's eyes lit up with a golden fire.
"We must retreat to the Southwestern Mountains," Enkidu-Sa said. "Have you heard of the Southwestern Foxes?"
"The Demi-humans?" Siduri interrupted, confused. "Aren't those just myths used to scare children? Beasts with the ears of foxes?"
"They truly exist," Enkidu-Sa countered. "My master handled the Court's 'tributes'—the beauties the officials demanded as playthings. They are nearly identical to humans, save for their fox-ears and cat-ears.
The Court treats them with utter cruelty. If you go to their mountains and treat them not as monsters, but as fellow citizens... you will win their hearts and a fortress that the Imperial Army cannot hope to breach."
Gilgamesh looked at the scholar with newfound determination. "Enkidu-Sa... you truly are a rare treasure. As promised, I appoint you as my Military Registrar, to advise me on all matters of the state!"
"I shall serve you unto death!" Enkidu-Sa knelt, his heart swelling with purpose.
"Siduri, go gather the officers. We must announce our—"
The tent flaps burst open. A burly general in black-iron armor stumbled in, his chest heaving. "Commander! Disaster! The Imperial vanguard has found our scouts! The government troops are here in force!"
"What?!" Gilgamesh's face darkened, the approachable scholar persona vanishing instantly. His ruby eyes flared with a terrifying, ancient power.
He turned to Enkidu-Sa.
"It seems I won't need to call a meeting after all. Once we repel this wave, we leave for the mountains immediately. Get ready, Master Registrar. You are about to see how the 'Wedge' earns its name."