by Chester Seaton, News

27/8: When unpaid workers raided the office of Ivan Klankenvroot last month, they discovered that the renowned industrialist had packed up and run, leaving behind an office with nothing more an empty desk and burn bin full of smoldering ashes.

Authorities have been investigating the disappearance in the meantime, feverishly searching for clues as to where Klankenvroot may have gone. Well, Klankenvroot resurfaced this week, and in a surprising place.

A press release made by Klankenvroot’s long time rival, Rigel Rinkenbach, claims that Klankenvroot has fled to Nor Easter and claimed asylum under  Rinkenbach’s sponsorship.

“It is with great pride, and more than a little bit of triumph, that I declare sponsorship over Mister Ivan Klankenvroot,” Rinkenbach said in the release. “He is a brilliant mind in his own way, and it would be a shame to see him thrown into some Crowndonian cell to waste away and be forgotten. Klankenvroot may be many things…but to be unappreciated by Crowndon? I shudder at the thought.”

What this means for the ongoing race between Klankenvroot and Rinkenbach is unclear. Klankenvroot’s Heisenberg aircraft project has been taken over by the military, and the primary reason for Rinkenbach’s involvement, according to the man himself, was for the challenge. Rest assured, the Gazette will remain vigilant for the next twist in this story.