"The state of the world."
Cyrus said that like it was obvious.
"Isn't that what everyone's doing these days? Talking about states of things? States! Like it's some trendy new toy—breaking news! It's all 'The Collapse this,' and 'Factions that,' and 'Oh no, bits of The Frozen Wall fell again!' Boohoo! Whole villages locked in permanent frostbite—did you know that? I think I read it in a brief. Hah! And let's not forget the proxy wars! Who's funding who now, hmmm? Who's whispering to who, promising weapons and gold? Ooooh, it's such a tangled web, and I'm the only one who sees the little threads. Or maybe you want to talk about that little… tick-tick-tick that only I, a Sultan, can see? No?"
"..."
