The night was pitch-black, and the streets lay in utter silence.
A large black cat leapt onto the rooftop, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
With the coming of winter, the air dry and objects brittle, the Old Town in Steel Fortress began enforcing a strict curfew. It prohibited any citizens from wandering about at night without cause, and the use of open flames outdoors was even more forbidden.
But for those holding a special permit issued by Mayor Wooper, all bans were mere scraps of paper.
Just like that, two carriages disregarded the curfew rules and entered a workshop on the North Shore of Old Town, one after another. The first carriage bore the guild insignia of blacksmiths; the second was marked with the emblem of a spreading White Eagle.
The night watch lit all the lighthouses, brightening the inside and outside of the workshop as if it were daytime.
