The Society of the Boundless Horizon / The Exploration Bureau
This semi-autonomous organization is funded by The Institute of Theoretical Progress and House Valori, but its reach and interest are expanding due to recent wars.
This society is pushing the Flying Ships to their absolute limits, trying to cross the Sea or the Great Woods to the far west or even explore beyond the sky itself, to try and find new cultures or resources.
They are the primary source of "Novelty" for the Empire. When a strange new material or a "Ronayu" artifact appears in the Foreigns, it usually came through a Society explorer first.
They are the only ones looking outward while the rest of the Empire is looking inward at the war.