Sunset

Seventy-two hours later, this long sunset gradually neared its end. At the edge of the Boundless Sea, only a sliver of golden rim and part of the Rune Ring remained above the sea's surface. Refracted through the clouds, the evening glow had become ever more magnificent—and ever darker.

The people of this world had no time to admire the splendor of the setting sun. To most, the gorgeous, brilliant glow meant only that night was approaching, and now the entire world was gradually entering what might be the longest night in history.

In the Mokha city-state, two steam walkers bearing the emblem of the Truth Academy strode through the streets. Fully armed Knowledge Guardians escorted them on either side, inspecting the streets while urging citizens to return home as quickly as possible. In the steadily dimming light, the shadows of the warriors and spider machines stretched long, swaying as they merged with the shadows of the streets and roadside buildings.

In Cold Harbor, the final movement of supplies had concluded. Notices of the subway's temporary closure echoed through every station. Guardians sealed all Gates leading to underground facilities and stood watch over every entrance and exit. At sunset, sacred steam and incense would be pumped into the pipelines until the city-state's underground had been completely purified. After that, the subway would reopen, but it would operate cautiously under a strict new timetable and safety code.

After all, the night might last one or two months. The city-state could not possibly come to a complete standstill for that long. During these seventy-two hours of "preparation" at dusk, the city-state's administrators and scholars had already devised a new "timetable" and safety system for the long night, intended to preserve the city's basic functions for as long as the darkness endured.

The new