Leaving the ruins of the old library, Klaus had been calculating in his head the entire time. To open the path to the deeper layer Grundstille, he needed a key. The primordial key—a metal magnetic card. There was talk that a collector named Kaspar possessed it in Graomarckt, the relic trading district of the upper layer Luminale. Klaus had heard this before at the tavern "Rusted Stopper," which used to be a contact point for the procurement network "Lost Hende." The problem was how to enter the upper layer as a lower-layer resident. The depth movement restriction ordinance—travel to districts more than two layers away from one's residential layer was prohibited. Violation meant immediate detention. And right now, the lower layer was sealed off. Regular routes were unusable. (I need connections.) Klaus decided on his destination as he walked through the dimly lit middle layer Mittelring's narrow alleys. --- The tavern "Rusted Stopper" was located on a thin alley one level below th