A downpour lashed against the blue brick floor of the Ministry of Works warehouse. Shen Xitang’s deerskin boots crunched over the puddles, coming to a halt before a damp camphor wood shelf.
Water droplets from the tip of her oil-paper umbrella struck the cover of the *Yonghe Year 1 Ministry of Works Official Registry*, kicking up a fine spray of dust.
Her fingertips traced the yellowed pages, stopping abruptly at a corner that had been torn away—the very spot where the name of the supervisor for the Magnetic Pith storehouse should have been recorded.
Chapter 70