Dust's second week in Lower Ashmark brought an encounter that reminded him why systematic change was so difficult to achieve. He was leaving Sarah's neighborhood when he noticed a familiar figure watching him from across the street—one of Marcus Garrett's more intelligent lieutenants, a man called Vincent who'd always been known for thinking several moves ahead.
Rather than avoiding the confrontation, Dust approached directly. His Academy training had taught him that perceived weakness often created more problems than calculated boldness.
"Vincent," he said with the kind of casual confidence that suggested this meeting was expected rather than accidental. "I was wondering when you'd want to talk."
"Been asking around about you," Vincent replied, his tone neutral but alert. "Interesting story. Local boy who disappeared three years ago, now back with expensive clothes and enough silver to hand out charity. That kind of transformation makes people curious."
"I imagine it does. What kind of answers are you getting?"
"The kind that suggest you've learned things that could be useful or dangerous, depending on your intentions." Vincent gestured toward a nearby tavern. "Buy you a drink? Seems like we should understand each other."
The tavern was exactly the kind of place Dust remembered from his street days—dim, reasonably clean, and full of people who minded their own business. Vincent chose a corner table where they could talk without being overheard.
"Marcus wants to know if you're planning to cause problems," Vincent said without preamble once they'd been served.
"That depends on how you define problems," Dust replied. "I'm planning to create opportunities for people to improve their circumstances through legitimate means. If that threatens Marcus's operations, then yes, it might cause him problems."
"And if it doesn't threaten his operations?"
"Then maybe we can find ways to work together instead of at cross purposes."
Vincent studied him carefully. "You're not talking like a reformer or a government agent. You sound like someone who understands how things actually work."
"I am someone who understands how things work. The question is whether Marcus is interested in those things working better for everyone, or just continuing to work well for him."
Their conversation continued for over an hour, with each man probing the other's intentions and capabilities. Dust learned that Garrett's organization had evolved even more than he'd realized—they were now providing services that ranged from legitimate security consulting to informal banking for people who couldn't access traditional financial institutions.
"Problem is," Vincent explained, "everything we do has to operate outside official channels because the officials are either incompetent or owned by our competitors. Marcus would love to go legitimate, but the legitimate system won't let him compete fairly."
"What if that changed?" Dust asked. "What if there were ways for Marcus to transition his operations into legitimate businesses without losing market position?"
"He'd be interested. But he'd also want to know who's making such promises and whether they can deliver."
Dust left the meeting with a clearer understanding of the political landscape he was navigating. Garrett wasn't just a criminal to be opposed—he was a practical businessman operating within a corrupt system that made legitimate business nearly impossible. Reform that ignored this reality would either fail completely or simply create opportunities for worse actors to take Garrett's place.
The insight led to his first major strategic decision: instead of trying to destroy the existing power structure, he would work to transform it into something more beneficial for everyone involved.
His next step was reaching out to Elena through their established communication channels. Her legal expertise and family resources were exactly what he needed to develop legitimate alternatives that could compete with criminal enterprises.
"The key," he wrote in his coded letter, "is creating institutions that provide the same services as criminal networks but through legal, regulated channels. Security companies instead of protection rackets, licensed lending instead of loan sharking, private arbitration instead of underground courts."
Elena's response arrived within days, along with something unexpected—she was coming to Lower Ashmark herself.
"This is exactly the kind of systematic reform the Brightwater Institute was designed to address," she wrote. "But it's too complex for remote consultation. I need to see the situation firsthand and meet the people involved."
Elena's arrival created complications Dust hadn't anticipated. Her obvious education and wealth made her stand out in Lower Ashmark's rough neighborhoods, potentially marking her as a target for criminals or corrupt officials. But her legal training and practical intelligence quickly proved invaluable for understanding the regulatory framework that maintained the city's dysfunction.
"It's ingenious," she told Dust after spending several days reviewing city ordinances and licensing requirements. "The regulations are written to make legitimate business almost impossible while creating profitable opportunities for officials to sell exemptions and special permits."
"Can it be changed?"
"Legally, yes. Practically, it would require either replacing most city officials or finding ways to make honest governance more profitable than corruption." Elena paused thoughtfully. "But there might be a third option—creating parallel institutions that operate under different jurisdictions."
The solution Elena proposed was characteristically elegant. Instead of trying to reform Lower Ashmark's government directly, they would establish businesses and services that operated under provincial or royal charters, bypassing corrupt local officials entirely. A security company licensed by the kingdom rather than the city, a banking cooperative operating under provincial commercial law, a dispute resolution service sanctioned by royal courts.
"It's more expensive and complicated than working through local channels," Elena explained, "but it's also much more difficult for local corruption to interfere with."
Implementation required careful coordination with contacts Elena had developed through her legal work and family connections. Within weeks, they had established the legal framework for what would become known as the "Lower Ashmark Development Initiative"—a collection of businesses and services designed to provide legitimate alternatives to criminal enterprises.
The first test came when they opened a security consulting firm that offered protection services to local businesses at rates competitive with Marcus Garrett's organization. The difference was that their security was provided by trained professionals operating under legal contracts rather than through intimidation and extortion.
"You're either very brave or very stupid," commented Henrik Stones, the owner of a small metalworking shop who became their first client. "Garrett's not going to like competition."
"Garrett's a businessman," Dust replied. "If we can prove that legitimate security is more profitable and sustainable than protection rackets, he might be interested in transitioning his own operations."
The gamble paid off sooner than expected. Within days of opening, Vincent appeared at their offices with what he called "a business proposition from Marcus."
"He wants to meet," Vincent explained. "Not to threaten or negotiate territory, but to discuss potential collaboration. You've got him curious about this 'legitimate business' approach."
The meeting was arranged for neutral ground—a restaurant in the merchant quarter that catered to people who valued privacy but weren't engaged in openly criminal activities. Marcus Garrett had aged in the three years since Dust had last seen him, but he'd also clearly prospered. His clothes were expensive but understated, his manner confident but not overtly threatening.
"Vincent tells me you're the boy who used to work for Thomas Baker," Garrett said after they'd been seated. "Amazing what education can do for someone."
"Education and opportunity," Dust agreed. "Though I suspect you understand that better than most people."
"I understand that opportunity has to be created, not waited for. The question is whether you're creating real opportunities or just attractive fantasies."
Their conversation was interrupted by a disturbance at the restaurant's entrance—city guards were conducting what they claimed was a routine inspection, but which looked suspiciously like harassment designed to drive away customers.
"This is what I mean about the legitimate system," Garrett said quietly as they watched the guards intimidate staff and patrons. "They make it impossible to operate honestly, then condemn you for finding alternatives."
But instead of submitting to the harassment, Elena stepped forward with documentation that Dust hadn't known she possessed—royal warrants that gave her certain jurisdictional authorities that superseded local enforcement.
"Gentlemen," she said to the guards with calm authority, "I'm afraid you'll need to conduct your inspection at another time. This establishment is currently under royal protection due to ongoing legal proceedings."
The guards, faced with documentation they couldn't challenge and authority they didn't understand, retreated with minimal face-saving protests.
"Now that," Marcus Garrett said with genuine admiration, "is exactly the kind of leverage I've been looking for."