"You may be surprised. As I said, I do not consider the Tsaritsa's objectives and my own to be entirely disaligned." He gives the Wriothesley before him a serious, considering look, and then finally adds, "And unless you have been administering the Fortress vastly differently from your counterpart, then I cannot imagine that that other myself is anything but complimentary about it. The system as Egeria designed it is..."

He sighs, and says, "Ultimately, the product of a god who tried to understand humanity and failed. My understanding is, I'm certain, equally flawed, but I would hope at least flawed differently. It is clear to me that the Fortress under your counterpart is on the right track; it is the question of where to begin with the changes that are under my purview that eludes me."

It's not directly a request for input, but it's left hanging open. Neuvillette is a person who is rarely driven to push, especially upon strangers, but he does leave the door open.