Northern followed the soldier silently. They passed through sections of cushioned seats in the lounge, then entered a doorway that opened onto metal stairs leading to the upper floor of the building.
The steps clanged softly with each footfall, drawing Northern's attention to the construction. The stairs were metal, bolted directly into walls that appeared smooth from a distance but revealed themselves as carved rock up close. Natural stone shaped and polished into architectural surfaces.
'Clever. They've found a way to turn the mountain itself into their infrastructure.'
No need to haul building materials or construct outer walls when you could simply hollow out and refine what already existed. The technique reminded him of something the Kageyama clan did—carving their estates into clustered peaks and cliff faces.
