From the top of the glass tower, the view spread over the entire city. Despite the great height, no clouds were visible. Instead, skyscrapers were arranged in even rows like trees in a forest. All were made almost entirely of crystalline glass, wrapped in a network of ivy. Green was the dominant color, providing a natural extension for modern building materials. Where technology intertwines with nature, ideal living conditions are born.
Solana stood out from other cities for its cleanliness, cooperation of residents, and planned development. The government was run by a group of validators elected by citizen-shareholders. This creates a system similar to a republic, where those who give the most to others have the greatest influence on the city. The effects of management are best seen in the number of new citizens coming to Solana. It may not be the most populous city, but it is growing much faster than others like Ethareum or Avelanche.
Solflare looked around from his apartment on the top floor, as he usually did every day after waking up. Not all residents of Solana had short, alphabetical names, especially those that meant something. Since they cannot be repeated, each subsequent person had a smaller choice. There was also the possibility of buying someone’s name, but ones like Solflare were costly and often belonged to the oldest families and the wealthiest residents. That day, the daily ritual of admiring the city was disrupted.
The ubiquitous light faded slowly, the windows went gray, and electrical appliances stopped working. It seemed as if someone had disconnected the city from the power supply. What was in motion froze. Solflare turned sharply from the window, pretending he didn’t see it. His golden jumpsuit, which always emanated light, seemed gray and gloomy. The man’s face, which was always smiling, expressed terror but also curiosity about what happened. It was hard to determine the age of the man, as well as other residents of Solana. Pale skin resembling white jade and long blond hair were features that distinguished them from newcomers from other cities. Most of them had trouble distinguishing between Solana citizens. Solflare understood them well, as he had the same problem with strangers.
The man wanted to do something but didn’t know what. Without power, even leaving his apartment was a challenge. Solana had to be powered to function like all other cities. Electricity set everything in motion, although each metropolis used energy differently. Solana relied on centralized generators, which, together with the cooperation of residents, determined the success of this city. Another important factor was the Time Tower. It was the largest building in the center of Solana, used to manage the entire city. Solflare didn’t know exactly how it worked, but it wasn’t necessary in his job. He created software to manage almost every aspect of life in Solana. However, it was not a dystopian tool for controlling people. On the contrary, it enabled the coordination of the efforts of all citizens to create an ideal place to live. The application allowed, among other things, payments, which was necessary in such a robotized world. Almost every boring and repetitive occupation has been automated. Payment for this was made through software named after its creator - a distant ancestor of Solflare. Unfortunately, due to the lack of power, even it became useless.
Solflare took his book reader, sat down on a couch made of gold fabric, and looked at the painting created by Mad Labs. It was a family heirloom depicting some figure, probably someone from his ancestors. There were no books in Solan because they were unnecessary. Everyone had an e-reader with a small battery - ideal, especially when there is no electricity in the city.
“Coinbas, we’ve found the saboteur responsible for this incident,” said the guard entering the room where the Solana board had gathered. Armed units were rarely seen in the city, as they were unnecessary. All citizens took care of law enforcement themselves. The sight of a guard meant that something important had happened.
“What do we know about him?” asked Ledgar, standing beside Coinbas. The man looked very similar to the others gathered in this room. For the untrained eye, the only distinguishing mark was the emblems on their coats. Ledgar had a square that was not fully connected with a large L inside.
“Not much. We caught him trying to escape Solana through the intercity Wormhole tunnel. We don’t know where he comes from.” The guard paused, realizing what he had just said, “But we will find out; we are in the process of searching.”
“I do not doubt that,” replied Coinbas and, turning away from him, walked up to the glazed wall, revealing his coat with the symbol of a large, blue C. “Come to me and look around.”
The city looked as if nothing had ever happened. The power outage was quickly removed. Some residents may not even have realized what happened.
“Do you like our city?” Coinbas turned to the guard, who was now standing next to him.
“Of course! Solana is the most wonderful city in the world. I don’t know another one that would combine nature with modern technology, where people would live so well.”
“And how do you like Fantum?” Coinbas smiled at his interlocutor. He didn’t wait for his answer because he knew it.
Fantum was a dead city full of necropolises, cemeteries, and undead. It was one of those places that Solana residents avoided the most. The guard knew about it, too, and certainly did not want to have the opportunity to check if these stories were true.
“We will find out. I will take care of it personally,” replied the Guard, lowering his head. Then he backed away and began to look for an exit with his eyes.
“I’m glad we understand each other. Come back when the task is done. You will then be appropriately rewarded. On the other hand, if you fail us-”
Coinbas stopped talking, turning with the others towards the door. It was another guard with an even more terrified face than the previous one.