Part I The Basement & the Parlor — Chapter One

Thomas Senlin and Marya journey inland by train toward the Tower of Babel, passing caravans and airships as the traffic thickens. Senlin soothes his nerves with facts from the Everyman’s Guide, while Marya revels in the spectacle. A chaotic airship mishap and the crush of the crowd hint at the disorder ahead.

When the train halts short of the station, the conductor orders everyone to disembark. Senlin repeats the Guide’s rules—keep money close, refuse beggars, keep companions in view—as they step into the Market’s crush. Disoriented by winding stalls and canopies, they lose track of the train’s path until a gap in the awnings reveals the vast Tower, renewing their focus and their plan to reach the Baths on Level Three.

They push on, gaining confidence through steady movement, and enter a clothing bazaar. Marya, playful and bold, goes to shop for a “scandalous” dress, leaving Senlin with their luggage. Senlin, uneasy amid women’s undergarments, waits by the trunk and chats with two sisters tethered by a rope, who explain they bound themselves together after losing their younger sibling in the Tower’s environs.

As the conversation ends, Senlin reaches for Marya’s trunk and realizes it has vanished. The theft punctures his cautious optimism and underscores the Market’s dangers, just as the couple’s ascent to the Tower is about to begin.