Din Kol hurries through the Iudex tower with parchments about the missing Apoth Captain Kiz Jolgalgan. He crosses paths with Captain Miljin, who is flushed and distracted and tells Din to ask Ana Dolabra about a major discovery before rushing off.

Din finds Captain Kepheus Strovi in Ana’s rooms, where Ana lies blindfolded on the floor amid fernpaper order records Strovi has delivered. Din reports what Apoth Nusis revealed: Jolgalgan is an Oypati survivor who vanished just before Commander Blas’s death and the dappleglass murders, making Jolgalgan a strong suspect. Ana agrees Jolgalgan fits as the likely “who” and posits a motive of Oypati resentment, but notes the remaining mystery is why Jolgalgan struck now and where the poisoning occurred.

Ana lays out the investigation’s framework: the Engineers were likely poisoned at their last secret meeting on the sixth of Kyuz, eight days before the breach. To find the “where,” she uses the fernpaper orders to identify large, time-relevant purchases that could indicate a site being hastily rebuilt or concealed after the poisoning.

After dismissing several plausible orders, Ana focuses on what is missing: fernpaper miller Yonas Suberek did not respond to Legion inquiries. Ana finds a record showing Suberek bought six fernpaper panels from neighboring miller Linz Kestip seven days before the breach—one day after the suspected poisoning—suggesting Suberek received an urgent, unusually large order. Ana concludes Suberek’s absence and the timing point to Suberek’s shop and the destination of that order as likely leads to the poisoning location.

Ana asks Strovi to escort Din to Suberek’s mill during curfew and tells Din to bring the Engineers’ reagents key in case they locate the order’s destination. Privately, Ana tells Din Miljin found Rona Aristan’s body along with the planted money and wall pass; Miljin, Uhad, Kalista, and likely Nusis reacted with appropriate shock, offering no clear sign of deception. Ana remains uneasy and warns Din to stay alert tonight, advising him to be ready to flee if necessary.