Lord Asriel's master plan

We are at Lord Asriel’s fortress where we hear of his grand plan to travel deeper and deeper through the worlds until he comes to the spirit-domain of the Authority, where he will fight and destroy him with the subtle knife.

He is going to send out a special crack team of miniature spies. He has summoned Lord Roke of the Gallivespian people, people who are so tiny they fly on dragonflies. Lord Roke recommends Chevalier Tialys and his spouse, the Lady Salmakia. Lord Asriel explains that he wishes the spies to travel to the Consistorial Court of Discipline in Geneva and once there to report to him daily by lodestone-resonator. He wants them to find out everything they can about the subtle knife and the church’s plan to recapture it.

Lord Roke asks Lord Asriel if he wants them to find out anything about his daughter’s whereabouts. It is clear Lord Asriel isn’t really interested in Lyra as he is consumed by his own master plan.