In August, heatwaves rolled through Pittsburgh.
The heat didn't just come from the vicious sun overhead, but also from the ceaseless, day-and-night roar of machinery in the Monongahela River Valley.
The skeleton of the Inland Port project had already risen from the earth. Giant steel beams pierced the sky, and countless welding sparks were still blinding even under the blazing sun.
The air conditioning in City Hall was cranked up high.
Leo Wallace sat at the head of the conference table, twirling a pen in his hand.
Sitting across from him were the mayors of the various industrial cities in the Industrial Revival Alliance.
This time, they weren't wearing hard hats, nor did they have the bold confidence they'd shown when the alliance was first formed.
Ron Smith was constantly dabbing the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, while Joe Byers of Scranton appeared restless, his eyes darting about.
They had come to collect.
「Three months had passed.」
