At dawn, Tower Keeper Green awoke to the low hum of mechanical devices. Sunlight streamed through the crystal glass window on one side of the tower's lounge, while the decorative wrought-iron patterns on the frame cast alternating bands of light and shadow across the floor. The vast, cloudless sky stretched clear in the distance, and the mechanical antenna array atop Luan Hub turned through another angle. Its jagged, elevated alloy framework slowly passed beyond the window, slicing the sky into several clever geometric shapes.
"Not bad. Fine weather... The mages' forecasts are getting more and more accurate."
Squinting at the sky outside, the Tower Keeper muttered softly before letting out a deep breath. He pulled on a loose, cool shirt, gave himself a cursory tidy-up, and left the room. The mechanical turntables and linked mechanisms in the upper levels produced a reassuring low rumble. Accompanied by that familiar sound, he crossed a short corridor and a small flight of stairs, arriving at a nearby equipment room. A blond young man in a brown shirt sat before a Magic Net Terminal, intently watching the numbers flickering across a Holographic Projection. Beside him, neatly trimmed copies of the latest newspapers were stacked before a printing device.
The young man was named Roen. He was Green's colleague and the other Tower Keeper of this tower. He had only been transferred here recently, but his steady, hardworking, and likable nature had already left a deep and favorable impression on the tower's "old hands."
"Ah, Mr. Green." Hearing movement at the door and recognizing the visitor, the blond youth immediately smiled. "It's not time to change shifts yet. You're up this early?"
"A regular routine is good for the body—especially for a middle-aged man like me, no longer in his youth." Green smiled and greeted