The review was not held in a hall.
That alone told Arden everything.
House reviews that mattered were conducted behind closed doors, in rooms where sound did not carry and decisions were made without witnesses. The official notice listed the location as an administrative annex near the eastern registry, a building most citizens never entered and never spoke about.
Arden arrived early.
Not out of anxiety. Out of intent.
Selene walked beside him, her posture calm, her expression unreadable. She wore the Kael crest openly now. Not ornate. Not defiant. Simply present.
Inside, the room was wide and bare. Stone walls. A single long table. Seven chairs.
Six were occupied.
The seventh waited.
Arden took it.
No greetings were exchanged.
An older man seated at the center opened a ledger and began without introduction.
"House Kael," he said. "Registered recently. Growth rate inconsistent. Political alignment unclear."
He looked up.
"Explain."
Arden did not speak immediately.
Silence here was not emptiness. It was resistance.
"We prioritize stability," Arden said finally. "Growth follows survival."
A murmur passed through the room.
Another official leaned forward.
"You declined patronage."
"Yes."
"You rejected economic consolidation."
"Yes."
"You refused bloc alignment."
"Yes."
The man frowned. "Then what do you intend to become."
Arden met his gaze.
"Enduring."
The system pulsed.
Public evaluation response recorded
The questioning continued for hours.
They asked about finances. Arden answered precisely. They asked about military loyalty. Arden answered narrowly. They asked about future heirs.
Selene spoke then.
"House Kael does not intend to flood the system with unprepared successors," she said calmly. "Legacy is cultivated, not produced."
Several officials exchanged looks.
The system responded.
House cohesion reinforced
When the review ended, no verdict was given.
That was worse than condemnation.
It meant observation would continue.
As Arden and Selene exited the building, the system spoke again.
Major scrutiny phase initiated
Pressure tolerance increased
Not protection.
Endurance.
The retaliation began three days later.
House Kael lost two logistics contracts overnight. No explanation. No appeal.
Then a third.
Arden reviewed the notices in silence.
"They are isolating us," Selene said.
"Yes," Arden replied. "So we build inward."
The system responded.
Strategic pivot opportunity available
A new interface opened.
House Development Branch unlocked
Options appeared.
Vertical integration
Labor consolidation
Independent production
Military supply specialization
Each required capital. Each carried risk.
Arden studied them carefully.
Military supply specialization would draw attention. Labor consolidation would create dependency. Vertical integration required time.
Independent production.
He selected it.
Independent production pathway confirmed
Initial facility required
The facility was small.
A repurposed warehouse near the river. Nothing impressive. Nothing symbolic.
They registered it under a subsidiary entity.
Not Kael.
Not Marrow.
Neutral.
The system approved.
Asset insulation successful
They began producing basic supplies. Crates. Tools. Components needed by multiple industries.
Low margin.
High demand.
Quiet.
Workers came from veteran networks first. Men and women Arden recognized. Not loyal to him. Loyal to survival.
The system reacted.
Workforce stability increased
Social trust coefficient improved
Enemies noticed.
Not immediately.
But inevitably.
A merchant guild filed a complaint. Claimed unfair competition. Claimed irregular labor practices.
Inspections followed.
This time, Arden welcomed them.
Everything was compliant.
The inspections found nothing.
The system recorded it.
Hostile action neutralized
Reputation resilience improved
But hostility rarely stopped at one failure.
A rival house made its move publicly.
House Virel.
Old. Influential. Economically entrenched.
They proposed a citywide supplier reform. One that favored centralized producers.
House Kael would be excluded.
Arden attended the assembly.
This time, he did not speak alone.
Workers from his facility attended. Veterans. Clerks. Contractors.
They spoke.
About reliability. About delivery. About survival.
Not ideology.
Function.
The vote fractured.
The reform stalled.
House Virel noticed.
The system pulsed sharply.
Hostile house identified
Enmity level established
This was new.
A label.
Arden understood its meaning immediately.
From this point forward, conflict would not be abstract.
It would be personal.
House Virel struck quietly.
A rumor spread questioning House Kael labor conditions. Anonymous accusations. No proof. Enough doubt.
Workers were questioned. Suppliers hesitated.
Arden did not counter publicly.
He expanded operations.
A second facility. Smaller. Separate. Redundant.
The system responded.
Redundancy implementation successful
Operational survivability increased
House Kael did not collapse.
It adapted.
That made House Virel nervous.
The system evolved again.
Not in response to threat.
In response to pattern.
House Milestone Achieved
Status update
Emerging House
Confirmed Economic Actor
Recognized Social Node
New Rewards Granted
House Authority increase
Negotiation resistance bonus
Internal morale stabilization
Arden felt the shift.
Not strength.
Weight.
His decisions now pulled others with them.
The first direct warning came at night.
A stone through the window. No message. No damage beyond glass.
Selene did not react outwardly.
"Intimidation," she said quietly.
"Yes," Arden replied.
The system responded.
Threat escalation confirmed
Security options unlocked
They hired guards.
Not many. Enough.
Former soldiers. Trusted.
The house became harder to approach unnoticed.
The system approved.
House defense threshold increased
Despite pressure, House Kael grew.
Not explosively.
Reliably.
The warehouse expanded. Profits stabilized. Contracts diversified.
Arden reinvested everything.
No luxury. No display.
House Virel began to lose ground.
That was dangerous.
Established houses did not accept decline quietly.
The final move came disguised as generosity.
House Virel offered partnership.
Public. Formal. Seemingly conciliatory.
Shared production. Shared distribution.
Shared control.
Selene read the offer and shook her head.
"They want us inside," she said. "So they can crush us legally."
Arden declined publicly.
Calmly.
Respectfully.
The system reacted strongly.
Autonomy principle upheld
Hostile escalation likelihood high
That night, Arden stood in the production hall long after workers had left.
The hum of machinery filled the space.
He placed his hand against the cold metal.
This was real.
This could not be erased by ledgers alone.
The system spoke.
House Kael established as independent economic entity
Long term survivability confirmed
Enemies had been made.
But permanence had been earned.
At home, Selene watched him carefully.
"You understand what comes next," she said.
"Yes," Arden replied. "They will try to break us."
"And if they fail."
"They will try to absorb us."
She nodded.
"And if that fails."
Arden did not answer.
He did not need to.
The system already had.
Conflict arc locked
Legacy pressure increased
House Kael had crossed a line.
It could no longer pretend to be harmless.