A ladder hugs the edge of the canal, rust eating at its rungs. Darkened patches show where the water level has risen, lowered, then risen…

A ladder hugs the edge of the canal, rust eating at its rungs. Darkened patches show where the water level has risen, lowered, then risen again.

A lurch in your stomach at the sight of the drop.

Your fingers itch for grip.

Look into the water.

The water's reddish tinge and oily distortions across the slick surface make it hard to see far.

Wet cloth and iron dust. Foul. Chemical.

Tiny silhouettes drift beneath the surface darting in irregular arcs.

Look further down.

The canal passes right under the building.

Look down below.

The canal lies dry, a trench of cracked silt and stranded debris. The embankment looks accessible enough -- and leads right into the underbelly of the building.

A sneaky way in, far from prying eyes...

Glance at the device on the other side.

It's the water-lock you already operated from the control room.

It's the same water-lock you saw from above, used to raise or lower the water.

It's an old water-lock, used to grant passage to boats and barges passing through.

The Boatman mentioned a water-lock near a shady building...

Looking out over the canal, a thought surfaces: that of PSEUDOPOD's soiled, wet trousers.

He was looking for something like this, wasn't he?

It seems likely. But there are countless canals in Portofiro -- it's unlikely he found this one.

It's not about the canal. It's what's built around it.

Overhead, stars glimmer like solder points on some vast, inscrutable board.

That building up there...

It demands a closer look.

Past the canal, small, darting forms skitter out of sight, fleeing the encroaching dark.

Seagulls wheel against the sky, a restless ballet tracing the slow pulse of day.

We're sniffing around here for a reason, right?

Hrrmmm...

The building above looms, expectant.

Must be a way to operate that water-lock.

Looking at the device, you don't see a panel or switch. That would suggest a control room nearby.

Like the one over there, to the east.

And it seems the GM is no longer blocking the door...

There's a small room to the east. Might be worth a look.

In all likelihood, that's the door the GM is guarding.

Got what I needed. (End.)