<div align="center">(http://orig00.deviantart.net/9176/f/2010/210/0/4/eclipse_phase_martian_street_by_hideyoshi.jpg)</div><br/>Little Shanghai.<br/><br/>The air is heavy with the the scents and aromas of cooking food, burning narcotics, and cheap sex. When not washed out by the weak Martian sun, a riot of neon and AR signs assault the optics. The atmosphere is one of desperate energy and resigned defeat. If it could rain, the downpour would never cease. Millions reside under its dome, and again as many in the endless, sprawling souks that wrap around the city and crawl along the transport conduits, growing slowly between the gaps.<br/><br/>The souks are everything that Little Shanghai is, but more concentrated and yet more diffuse. Mostly consisting of paths leading to other paths, the maze-like warrens connect arcologies housing tens of thousands to tin cans holding fewer than a dozen. All of it is lined with transhumans and transhuman artifices engaging in the time honored practice of separating people from their credits.<br/><br/>An encrypted message is received by a few members of a conspiracy of light.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Ni hao, friend. Your urgent assistance is needed. It has come to our attention that an unknown [art dealer] in your vicinity is seeking to sell certain [masterpieces] to the highest bidder. Please investigate and ascertain the nature of the artwork and its potential impact on the public. If it is truly of [masterpiece quality], do whatever it takes to keep this artwork from falling into a private collection. You will have five collaborators in your vicinity to help with your assessment (profiles attached). Keep us apprised of your progress.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Translation</div><div class="spoiler_body">Sentinel<br/>An unknown individual is claiming to sell TITAN artifacts. Track down the seller and determine the validity of their claims. If they are selling active TITAN artifacts, stop them.<br/>Six sentinels have been tasked with this. Here's how to contact them and what they can do.<br/>Let us know what you find.<br/></div></div></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>Maglev trains from Noctis-Qianjiao arrive and depart, transferring teeming masses of transhumanity and other commodities, including two imported conspirators. The transport conduit is an older one, supporting few lines  but penetrating deep into the city. The ground unfurls as the maglev approaches, revealing the track and barricading it from the pedestrians. Logistics bots attach themselves to ports alongside the train and begin receiving their assigned cargo. Portals along the length of the train melt into walkways, disgorging passengers into the streets. The smell of street food immediately hits the exiting passengers as the local vendors hawk their wares. Small drones and cyclists weave through the crowd, hurrying to their next destination.