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Throughout Eskil City, one could see buildings and houses hewn directly out of massive blocks of rock or mountain walls. It was a city built against the mountains, and the bluish-white diabase most abundant in these mountains had become the preferred material for every kind of construction. Many people simply carved houses and various buildings straight into huge slabs of diabase.

Some of those houses and buildings were small, no more than ten-odd square meters by the roadside. The large ones, however, nestled against the mountainsides like the towering reinforced-concrete skyscrapers of other cities, reaching heights of over a hundred meters.

Unlike buildings and houses made of reinforced concrete, the houses and structures carved from stone here retained the natural contours of the rocks and mountains themselves, with little sign of artificial alteration. If not for the doors and windows installed on them, from a distance, one could hardly distinguish them from ordinary giant boulders or mountain walls.

These buildings filled the city with a strange, rugged charm.

Matching that strange, rugged charm was the heavy commercial atmosphere and savage air of the place. Shop and trading company signs could be seen everywhere along the streets. Likewise, even with torrential rain pouring outside, armed people were everywhere in the streets. Almost every man carried an extremely conspicuous weapon, while many women and children had blades or swords hanging from their bodies as well. This was the first time Zhang Tie had ever seen a city like this.

In the downpour, Zhang Tie swiftly darted through the quiet alleys and streets of Eskil City. Since it was raining, his hurried movements attracted no attention. In weather like this, it was perfectly normal for a traveler newly arrived in Eskil City to be anxiously looking for shelter or a place to stay.