A Registry boarding boat came toward the harbor chain under a white flag. Han watched it from the wall. The skiff carrying the archive copies waited behind the inner barrier, with Ruo and two local pilots ready to move.
The white flag stayed raised until the boat reached the chain. Then it turned sharply toward the archive skiff.
“Signal,” Han called.
Ruo and the pilots pulled the skiff behind the inner wall. Lian directed the chain crew to hold position and rang the harbor bell twice. The change from negotiation to seizure was visible to everyone on the quay.
Yan formed two Soul-Lantern projections through the prepared posts. One watched the west approach; the other tracked the archive skiff’s stern. Small flashes carried their positions back to Han’s teams. The branches were eyes and signals, not fighting copies. Yan kept his full body beside the chain.
The west view showed a second rope in the boarding boat’s bow locker. The stern view tracked the skiff’s rudder as Ruo and the pilots pulled it behind the wall.
“They have another line,” Yan called. “The skiff is turning clear.”
Han sent two defenders toward the chain station but kept a third beside the archive path. “If they cross, don’t let them reach the doors. Keep a lane open for the skiff crew.”
