The second month after the end of the Holy City War, the Jade Federation's capital, Crystal Rock City, remained brightly lit.
The city resembled a bisected mineral, presenting distinct layers from top to bottom.
The deeper you go, the muddier the color; the higher you rise, the calmer the light.
The top-floor meeting room hovered above the city, like a crystal embedded in the clouds.
The huge floor-to-ceiling windows held the entire Crystal Rock City beneath, permitting only those inside to gaze downward.
Yellow-green toxic mist churned between streets and factory districts, resembling a sea of miasma that would never disperse.
Millions of mine slaves and low-level craftsmen crawled within it, their lungs long eroded by crystal dust and metal scraps, coughing up blood considered just another part of their work.
Scalding pipelines traversed the district, silhouettes climbing, tripping, being dragged away.
