Rain Without Ownership

The crew placed three small collectors beneath a broken highway canopy during an exterior storm. The rain arrived late, smelled of stone and left a faint salt crust across every surface it touched.

One collector carried enough mineral content to support a limited growth trial. A Bloodgardener review warned that any such result would immediately become an argument for assigning bodies to feed a future field. The Saltwrought hydrologist replied that water had already been turned into a reason to claim bodies inside the Vault.

They released the chemical data and withheld the exact collection site.

The decision remains controversial. It is also the first surface water report that could not be privately converted into a route toward agricultural control.