I am certain we at House van Bergen do not need to detail the circumstances we now face. We hoped we would have been able to announce our plans in their due course.

It is thanks to the trust and foresight of Lady Emilia van Bergen that we were able to pursue our work to this point. We are ever grateful for your advice and patronage.

Through the art of alchemy, our House has reached heights which could not have entered the most spectacular dreams of our forebears. Alchemy keeps us healthy; alchemy keeps us warm. Our airships carry us safely across the most impassable of landscapes.

We must not lower ourselves back into the muck. We at House van Bergen have aimed at the highest possible target—the only target left for us. We will journey through the heavens themselves!

Our Eastern Tower has been prepared, through great labor and ingenuity, to withstand the harsh conditions it will soon face. And the device we have fitted to its base is no mere parade rocket. WE WILL LAUNCH IN ONE WEEK'S TIME. Any worker who wishes to be considered for one of the few remaining positions on board the Eastern Tower may address inquiries to Lady Emilia.

Elisabeth Sterck, House Alchemist