The steel pavement, dusted with snow, led Asahi and the others to the city's entrance.
A towering wall surged up from the city's depths. It defied the thawing ice that pressed hungrily against it, eager to swallow the streets. Far below, factories pulsed with life. Food, essentials, and precious soil canisters poured out of churning machines. Three mountain rings guarded the metropolis. The outermost cradled the villages. The next bustled as the main port. The innermost ring hid factories beneath shining steel roads. A Sanctuary was beneath the city. Sucking vacuums siphoned it into the factories.
To reach the city's vibrant heart, they wound their way through villages clinging to the outskirts.
"If it's soil canisters you're after, Astait's your jackpot," Primrose declared, veering them through alleys. "Sanctuary soil from Linuxinia is the most coveted. Need heals? Soil shops—if you can foot the bill. Steeper here than Obrus, mind you."
