the Sampo's functionality. However, due to recent events in the city, I must ensure its well-being. I can’t go as the district is full of giant beasts wreaking havoc.”
“Sampo?” Steve asked; his curiosity piqued. “What is this Sampo?”
“The Sampo is a mystical mill, an artifact that conjures grain, salt, gold, and more. It's hard to describe, and it's better if you see it firsthand,” Väino sipped some coffee, sitting back at the kitchen table.
“Where can we find it?” Hatta pressed.
“It's located near the Jäävarasto, in the Sampo Stronghold in the Industrial District. It's crucial for the city as it provides essential resources. Protecting it is my duty,” Väino explained, his face etched with concern. “Speaking of the Sampo to unauthorized individuals is a criminal offense. Please, keep this between us.”
“Why are you telling this to us then?” Steve questioned.
“I trust those who come under Völundr's banner. Your rings tell me that you are people he trusts,” Väino replied, sipping his coffee. “So, may I ask, what’s going on here? Why the sudden appearance of dragons and giant parrots? Why this chaos?”
Steve hesitated for a moment, fidgeting while trying to choose his words carefully.
“I can't say for certain but those creatures come from a parallel universe. My world!” Hatta responded.
“What do you mean by a parallel universe?” Väino frowned.
“You see, I don’t even know why I am here. Someone induced Alice, Steve’s daughter, to use her immature Thaumaturgy to open a portal between this world and my world. Creatures from my world spilled into this. I can't fathom how she did it or why.”
“This is a little hard to believe,” Väino sighed. “How can we send these creatures back to your world?”
Hatta shook his head, a hint of worry creasing his brow. “I'm not entirely sure, but my best guess is that Alice must close the portal she inadvertently opened.”
“So, your daughter possesses a prodigious talent in Thaumaturgy?” Väino asked staring at Steve, his interest piqued by the unusual circumstances.
"Maybe… but she hasn't received any formal Thaumaturgy education; she's just a normal 12-year-old schoolgirl," Steve explained, concern etched across his face.
Väino took a thoughtful sip of his coffee, considering their predicament. "Well, I repeat my request for assistance. Will you go with me?"
"I will." Steve nodded firmly.
Hatta chimed in with enthusiasm, "Let's wake up Lowe!"
Soon after, they left Väino's house. Väino led the way to a shed nearby where he stored two snowmobiles.
"Grab a fuel tank," Väino instructed Steve, and they quickly filled the diesel tanks. Once ready, they set out on their snowmobiles, dividing into pairs: Hatta with Steve and Väino with Lowe.
Väino led them through snow-covered streets with gingerbread-lookalike houses. Wooden homes and gardens adorned with pine trees painted a picturesque Christmas scene. After navigating a series of bridges crossing the frozen and zigzagging Tuonetar River, and reaching the Courts District, they arrived at a parking lot near a brick wall adorned with a gigantic graffiti mural of a standing bear.
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“This looks great,” Hatta whistled.
“The bear is the city’s animal”
The parking lot was near the Walls that separated the downtown from the rest of the city. Väino reached towards a brick wall in the lot, painted with the graffiti of a standing bear. Väino pushed the bear's legs in, then playfully threw a snowball at its snout, causing the wall to open, revealing a dark road. They drove inside, and as the wall closed behind them, the lights illuminated a snow ramp.
After about a minute, they reached a dim hall, and the lights flickered to life.
“Wow!” Lowe marveled at his surroundings, prompting Väino to explain. "We're underground. This is the Sampo Stronghold, and behind those iron doors lies the Sampo."
Approaching black iron seven-foot-high doors, “Every bump produces a solfeggio note. Fa-Fa-Sol-Fa-Do-La-Ti!” Väino pointed out small bumps on the metal's surface and produced a melody by striking them with a wand. The gate creaked open, revealing a drastic temperature change that left everyone else feeling lightheaded as it went from 40 to 100 °F in a few seconds.
"Drink this," Väino offered, handing them cans from a nearby shelf. "These drinks will warm your bodies and ease the sudden temperature change."
Inside, they found themselves in a massive boiler room with lakes of gold and silver.
"The boilers warm the water distributed throughout the city which is also used for thermal power generation." Väino provided context. As their impromptu tour guide, Väino continued to narrate their surroundings, shedding light on the inner workings of this enigmatic place.
Väino meticulously assessed the boilers' temperature and pressure, his companions observing with rapt attention. Leading them to a central platform above a vast tank, he introduced them to the enigmatic Sampo.
The Sampo, a hexagonal box-shape mill that shimmered with a dynamic cosmic gloss on its hard metal surface, spanning over three feet in diameter. Its crowning glory was a bright blue Niebieski handle, a deterrent to Thaumaturgy. The hand crank's sporadic movements dispensed grains of wheat, barley, salt, fresh water, silver, and gold through six pipes coming from its sides connecting the mill each to a different tank under the platform.
"It must leave the city immediately," Väino declared.
Väino first opened a lid at the top of the mill next to the crank, releasing a surge of yellow light and electric bolts. Wearing an insulated leather glove, Väino retrieved a jewel from the inside.
“What’s that?” Steve, intrigued, inquired about the mysterious gem.
"It's a black diamond, birthed by the Sampo itself," Väino explained. "A simple incantation on this gem spares me from having to turn the crank. The crank is made of a special metal resistant to Thaumaturgy and prevents any attempts to cast any spell to make it turn by itself. Electrical power is stored inside the black diamond, and using magnetism, it’s able to turn the crank."
The mill emitted a peculiar, squeaky sound, reminiscent of industrial steam machines powering down—high-pressure steam escaping, gears grinding to a halt. Väino and his companions carefully removed the Sampo from its base and secured it on a platform dolly.
As they made their way to the exit, Väino recommended Steve, Lowe, and Hatta to rehydrate with a lemon-flavored beverage. Väino replaced the dolly’s wheels with sleds before connecting it to his snowmobile and concealing the Sampo beneath a black sailcloth.
Emerging from the depths of the Courts District, they rode to the city's southern outskirts. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at a frozen lake, and about a mile ahead, they reached a quaint cottage. The barking of a pack of sled dogs greeted their arrival.
Ilmatar waited for them, her gaze vacant and distant. Not telling a single word, she single-handedly hoisted the Sampo onto a sleigh pulled by twenty dogs.
"Four men to load the Sampo... One woman to unload it," Hatta joked, making Väino chuckle.
“Fortunately, we didn’t encounter any danger,” Väino said. “Thanks for the help.”
“You can go back to the city with the snowmobiles, I trust you will return them.”
“You can always send Völundr the bill,” Steve chuckled.
“Well, they’re technically the city’s property, so the bill should come not from me.”
“Safe trip,” Ilmatar waved a hand at them. And so Völundr’s lackeys left.
“Let’s go,” Väino said.
About half an hour had passed, and Väino contemplated the horizon while sitting on the cargo bed. Ilmatar behind him steered the dogs northward.
"Did you talk to Louhi?" he asked, rubbing his chin. “I hope she lets me visit her after all this time.”
"I talked to her apprentice, Joukahainen. She seems eager to assist you," Ilmatar said, cheerfully.
A dark speck interrupted the pristine snowy road stretching ahead. Väino retrieved a spyglass and peered northeast. Another sled approached, heading for Paasilinna.
"Impossible! Ilmarinen?"