Renato did not go with Tristana. Instead, he turned toward the open ground in front of Deep Hammer Tower to look for Balin.
The clearing bustled with activity, with scores of Duergar laborers hammering away at stone. Two Deep Rothé pulled a flatbed cart piled high with large, neatly cut blocks.
A massive stone stairway was under construction, its tiers stacked like a small pyramid without a pointed top.
It was supposedly an altar that could extend the range of the artifact, the Mind Ripper.
In less than half a day, the steps had already risen six tiers. Work had yet to begin on the main statue, but the base alone was nearly half as tall as Deep Hammer Tower.
The Duergar built with astonishing efficiency. By comparison, Fried City's workers had taken nearly a week just to patch up the Inner City's walls.
Had Albert hired these Duergar craftsmen, he probably could have reinforced the Outer District's walls as well.
But even the finest defenses could not have changed Fried City's fate. The moment Baron Atwood committed to his coup, he had already entered the game.
Several warriors bearing the Deepforge Emblem stood beside the steps, watching Renato warily as though afraid he would cause trouble.
"Hey, Sorcerer."
A familiar voice came from nearby. Renato turned to see Flori waving at him, his signature iron crossbow strapped to his back.
The Dungeon Scout seemed in good spirits, looking positively spry.
That surprised Renato. Not only had Flori and Whitebeard both survived, they had made it back to New Rolling Stone City before him. It was incredible.
After all, Renato's group of three had marched through the night and used Spider Climb to cross all manner of difficult obstacles.
"I thought you were done for, Renato." Flori approached, making a