Mud swallowed the eastern sector up to the workers' ankles. Timber beams lay across the ground, and Ferra stood over a guild blueprint with both hands braced on her knees.
Granite blocks waited beside the half-dug foundation in rough uneven stacks.
The lead engineer pointed his pen at the chimney sketch with quiet confidence. "This vertical layout is standard for a regional capital forge, and the guild has used it for generations."
Ferra dragged one bare heel through the mud without breaking her stare. "A standard human chimney will crumble into ash when we feed anomaly-grade cores into the furnace."
Her heel carved a wide circle around the staked pit in the mud. "The heat needs room to turn, triple-brick backing, and a lower vent that can bleed pressure without throwing fire into the workers."
