the emperor wants his gilded birds. we will make them sing his praises.

each commission provides the silver and brass for our own engine. the schematics for a duke's planetary mobile will contain the gear ratios we need. we will order five times the springs required for the princess's music box. the surplus we will document as flawed stock.

our work happens in the open, disguised as theirs. every part we build for the grand mechanism will first serve a purpose in some trivial automaton. we assemble our machine a piece at a time, hidden within the foolishness they pay for.

our bond is the knowledge of what we construct. let them applaud the dancing marionette. the balance wheel inside it will one day regulate a system that measures tides. maintain your focus on the second purpose of every part you touch.