Metropolis

Biodata

Governance and Civic Order

Metropolis is governed through City Hall’s overwhelming coercive power. Independent forces may be challenged by strength, bribery, or negotiation, but directly opposing City Hall is treated as a dead end; residents instead survive by obeying its rules or exploiting its loopholes 163.

• City Hall’s bureaucratic hierarchy runs from ministry to bureau, division, section, and unit. Even unit-level posts are fiercely contested because of their authority and the prevalence of long-lived species in the workforce 431.
• The Supreme Speaker is the city’s ultimate political authority. Even major officials and exceptionally powerful races cannot leave Metropolis without following formal procedures 535.
• City Hall permits even evil-god worshippers to appear publicly if they pass the Religious Affairs Bureau’s review, but refusal to follow City Hall’s rules brings relentless trouble regardless of moral character 353.
• Supernatural power is suppressed within the city, especially near City Hall; according to Nile Doctor, even gods become nearly as weak as mortals on the Supreme Speaker’s floor 629.
• Formal employment, rank, official documentation, and departmental connections are major determinants of safety and status. A City Hall position can be both a career opportunity and a life-or-death political asset 432.

Society and Economy

Metropolis is portrayed as both inclusive and deeply exclusionary: almost any race, faith, or form of life can exist there, but only under the city’s institutional order 353.

• Humans generally remain within the city because City Hall’s protection is essential; outside it, most humans risk becoming slaves or food 353.
• Employment is highly exploitative. The city’s workers are subject to “996” overtime culture, while management treats labor as an opportunity for control and amusement 479.
• Food is a major economic sector because every race—including ghouls, vampires, and revenants—has dietary needs. The Food Business Management Office consequently holds broad jurisdiction and substantial wealth 535.
• Imported goods are especially valuable. Ingredients unavailable in Metropolis can become more precious than gold once brought inside, partly because local soil and water alter the qualities of food 175.
• Underground wealth alone does not guarantee political power. The Jorden Family’s medical-business influence remains vulnerable because its operations lack City Hall’s direct protection 163.

Borders and External Relations

Metropolis is separated from the outside by a controlled border gate leading into a Mist Vortex. Travelers are inspected by faceless Key Persons and are screened for prohibited items before departure 244.

• Travelers crossing the Borderlands receive memory chips that suppress most memories of Metropolis while providing mental protection; if that protection is breached, the chip destroys the user’s mind 244.
• City Hall assigns outbound representatives observation and procurement duties. Its protected diaries record valuable findings while shielding the bearer’s cognition, but cannot leave the instance 244.
• City Hall is wary of time- and space-travelers because the knowledge and aura they bring may be dangerous. Reliable Planeswalkers can nevertheless be employed to locate races or groups suitable for migration 519.
• Gods and other external powers continue to seek opportunities in Metropolis, but avoid sending their true bodies into the city because City Hall can retaliate against them or their entire pantheons 509.
• Time beyond the border does not necessarily align with time inside the city: Liu Zheng’s extended trip to Yate corresponded to only twenty-four hours in Metropolis 320.

Landmarks and Districts

City Hall does not treat every area of Metropolis as ordinary territory. Landmarks possess enough inherent danger and significance that even City Hall employees avoid harming them without major cause 518.

Story Role

• City Hall sends Liu Zheng beyond the border as a representative of the Bloodstained Restaurant, requiring him to obtain supplies and document valuable discoveries 244.
• Liu Zheng returns from Yate with a 150% completion rate on City Hall’s procurement mission, earning support from Border Management Bureau personnel and additional institutional recognition 320.
• Red Ghost interrogates Liu Zheng over his connection to Hell Game and offers him the choice to leave Metropolis, remain in it, or stay permanently in Shelter. Liu Zheng chooses to remain 540.
• Metropolis functions as both Liu Zheng’s source of allies, equipment, employment, and protection, and as the hostile system whose institutions, factions, landmarks, and hidden powers repeatedly endanger him 540 601.