The private jet touched down at Changi Airport just after sunrise.
Tony watched through the window as Singapore emerged from the early morning haze. Clean lines. Geometric precision. The city looked designed rather than grown, every building positioned with intentional purpose. Unlike Tokyo's organized chaos, Singapore felt controlled. Regulated. Efficient.
"First time in Singapore?" Yuki asked, looking out her own window.
"Yes. Observation: significantly more vegetation integrated into urban architecture than Tokyo. Calculated environmental design rather than aesthetic preference."
Grimmey stretched in his seat, checking his reflection in the darkened window. The expensive suit still looked perfect despite the six-hour flight. "I've been here before. Two years ago, actually. Right before I settled in Tokyo. The shopping is excellent. Real luxury, not just brands pretending to be exclusive."
Marcus was already standing, gathering their bags from overhead compartments. "Stay in character until we're through customs. Corporate consultants. Tired. Professional. No divine perception, no enhanced senses, nothing that draws attention."
They deplaned into the terminal. Even at this hour, the airport operated with mechanical precision. Staff moved efficiently. Signs directed traffic in multiple languages. Every surface gleamed.
Customs was smooth. The fake passports worked perfectly. The officer barely glanced at their faces before stamping them through with practiced indifference. Within twenty minutes, they were outside, heat and humidity hitting them like a physical wall.
"Forgot how hot it gets," Grimmey muttered, immediately loosening his tie. Then he caught himself and tightened it again with a slight smile. "But I suppose suffering for appearance is acceptable."
Marcus flagged down a taxi. "Marina Bay financial district. The Ledger building."
The driver nodded, pulling into traffic. Singapore's roads were as organized as its architecture. Lanes respected. Traffic lights obeyed. The taxi wound through streets lined with towers of glass and steel, nature carefully curated into designated green spaces.
"So what do we know about this Ledger guy?" Yuki asked quietly, keeping her voice low enough that the driver wouldn't hear clearly over the engine noise.
"God of Accounting," Marcus said, equally quiet. "Concept: Value. He sees worth in everything. Transactions, exchanges, debts, balances. If something can be measured, quantified, or priced, he perceives it."
"Sounds boring," Grimmey said.
"Sounds powerful," Tony corrected. "Information asymmetry creates advantage. If he can calculate value accurately, he can manipulate any exchange system."
Marcus nodded. "Exactly. He's been neutral for eighteen years. Observing. Recording. Building his business empire as cover while tracking divine movements across dimensions. Some say he's the richest god in the third dimension."
"Some say?" Yuki asked.
"He doesn't confirm or deny. Just smiles and changes the subject." Marcus looked out the window. "But his company has branches in every major city. Singapore headquarters, offices in New York, London, Hong Kong, Dubai, Tokyo. Legitimate financial consulting with suspected off-books divine artifact trading."
The taxi driver spoke up in accented English. "Ledger Accounting and Trade? Big company. Very successful. Boss very private though. Nobody sees him much."
Marcus leaned forward slightly. "You know the company?"
"Everyone knows. They handle accounts for half the corporations in Marina Bay. Very professional. Very expensive." The driver glanced in the rearview mirror. "You have meeting there?"
"Consultation," Marcus said smoothly. "Software integration for their accounting systems."
"Ah. Good luck. I hear they very particular."
The conversation lapsed. Tony watched Singapore pass by the windows, cataloging information. Population density. Building height regulations. The integration of technology into public infrastructure. The city ran like well-optimized code. Clean. Efficient. Predictable.
They passed through the financial district, towers rising like crystalline formations. Morning sun reflected off thousands of windows, creating patterns of light and shadow. Workers in business attire moved along sidewalks, entering buildings, starting another day of corporate routine.
The taxi pulled up in front of a forty-story tower of dark glass and steel. Gold lettering near the entrance read: **LEDGER ACCOUNTING & TRADE INTERNATIONAL**.
"Here you are," the driver said.
Marcus paid, and they exited into the heat. The building's entrance was understated but expensive. Marble floors. Subtle lighting. A reception desk staffed by two professional-looking women who looked up as they entered.
But they didn't go in. Not yet.
"Let's walk around first," Marcus said quietly. "Get a feel for the area. Make sure we're not walking into anything."
They moved past the building, following the sidewalk. Grimmey adjusted his cuffs, clearly enjoying the attention their expensive suits drew. Yuki looked uncomfortable, unused to playing corporate professional. Tony simply observed, processing.
"The company has other branches, you said?" Tony asked.
"Seventeen confirmed locations worldwide. This is headquarters. Where Ledger himself operates, assuming he's not traveling." Marcus glanced up at the building. "But finding him won't be as simple as walking in and asking for a meeting. Gods who survive eighteen years of Zeus's hunt don't make themselves accessible."
"So how do we approach him?" Yuki asked.
"Carefully. With respect. Acknowledging that he holds information we need and offering fair exchange for it." Marcus stopped at a corner, looking back at the building. "Ledger doesn't do favors. Everything has a price. We need to figure out what we can offer that he'll consider valuable."
"Information about Tony?" Grimmey suggested.
"Maybe. But he might already know everything we do. He's been watching longer than I have." Marcus frowned. "We'll have to feel it out. See what he wants. What he's willing to trade."
They continued walking, circling the block. Office workers hurried past, absorbed in phones and conversations. Normal human activity, completely unaware that gods walked among them discussing divine politics.
Tony felt it first.
A pressure. Not physical. Not audible. Just... awareness. Like being observed through a camera he couldn't see. His enhanced perception picked it up as a distortion in the ambient environment. Something focusing on them with intent.
"Marcus," Tony said quietly.
"I feel it too." Marcus's expression didn't change, but his posture shifted subtly. More alert. "Someone's watching. Truesight, probably. Divine perception."
Grimmey's hand moved to adjust his tie again, but the gesture was tense now. "High God?"
They all threw side eyes at each other uncomfortably.