No longer held apart from the rest of the Multiverse, the City began to ascended to what many within it considered its rightful place as a centre of culture, prosperity and science the likes of which had never before been seen. Initially, there was much work to be done rebuilding the various parts of the City which had fallen into ruin in the months before the Empire's blockade, their repair neglected due to the pressing threat. What was left of the council succeeded in galvanising enterprising minds, aided by reparations from the empire and a general feeling of unity within the City in the wake of the victory, into a great campaign of reconstruction, restoring wide swathes of the former contrite and Pantheon districts to a liveable condition. Initially, they remained empty, though that was not to last long, as word of the City's new status began to spread far and wide.

With repairs well under way, some turned their attentions to novel edifices and constructions. Roland Jovic and Madison Vogontia began construction of a great University to educate young and old, while construction was begun elsewhere on a great tower to act as the centre of the City's government.

At the same time, the Winterdell laboratories began expanding into nearby unclaimed space, ramping up production in anticipation of an influx of potential buyers. Another group lead by Akal, equally fearful of the effects that a wave of outsiders could have upon their treasured world below, rapidly worked to erect a great barrier, separating the skies in which the moon sat from the now-lush planet below. The precise methods used were a closely guarded secret, but mere weeks after the Empire's defeat, an invisible maze had sprung into being, isolating the city from the precious land far below it.

Fears and hopes of an influx of outsiders would both prove well-founded. The interdimensional communicators and transportation devices designed by Astriam Dastolt and Jeremiah Worthington soon spread throughout the cosmos, linking all civilised worlds into one great interconnected network. Astriam's Aethernet needed to expand greatly to deal with the influx of users, but with the advancements in artificial intelligence pioneered by Thaddeus Winterdell and Miranda Hawkins he soon found ways to automate this. Winterdell's Iron Children mercenaries hit the City streets within a few years of the Empire's defeat, and although they experienced hostility from their progenitor's fearsome reputation they soon become known as the most deadly mercenary force in the multiverse. In health matters, Walter Howe's White Cross released a series of improvements to the City's healthcare, occasionally collaborating with Lao Jin on the planet down below to create truly experimental and ground-breaking techniques.

It did not take long for a wave of visitors to sweep the city. For a very few days in the wake of the empire's retreat, scientists and explorers were dominant among these, but once confirmation of the rumours began to spread across the worlds, the trickle became a flood. Some came through their own means, but the vast bulk made use of the river network put in place by Lucien. This would go on to play a pivotal role in taking the city's initial strengths and carrying it forward through history - as the network was gradually extended out through the multiverse, inter-dimensional travel by river attained an unprecedented level of ease, and to the City's benefit, all travellers upon the network had to pass through it eventually. Even in its initial state, spanning six worlds beyond the City, it represented a method of interdimensional travel open to anyone with a boat. Initial chaos as groups from the various worlds tried to use the network was quickly resolved by careful management of the river by the Union, whose bureaucratic experience and manpower proved invaluable. After hasty discussions, a council backed system of tolls was put in place, allowing the City to profit from travellers. Not all upon the rivers came looking simply to travel for travel's sake - many, if not most, came with their worlds wares, looking to trade.

It quickly became apparent to those in power that ad-hoc arrangements would neither suffice to accommodate all of these nor to maximise the city's gain from their presence. After some discussion, an uninhabited section of the former Pantheon district, well served by the river and canals, was re-purposed into a mercantile hub for the City, acquiring the title of “The Great Market”. This was established as the primary locale for city sanctioned trading (to be conducted exclusively in the bank's currency), and while some illicit commerce continued (notably within the floating market), most of it was conducted here, all to the profit of the bank and the city. As more and more traders flocked to the Market, it began to establish a reputation as a place where literally anything could be found for a price - only enhancing the flow of potential customers.

Elections were held once the dust of departures had settled, and both Sylvios Brant and the union succeeded in placing many of their allies upon the city Council. As this grew in importance, competition grew more fierce between the two power blocs, and two political parties eventually emerged, with the more fiscal and artistic concerns of Brant's group locked in a tug of war with the more socialist Union. Power ebbed back and forth between the groups over time, neither gaining dominance for more than a few years at a time.

The huge influx of new influences took the arts within the city to never-before-seen places, as both home-grown and immigrant autèurs set their works before the most discerning audience in the multiverse. This, combined with the extravagant luxuries available to the wealthy, helped to make the city a popular destination for cultural and leisure tourism, adding yet another revenue stream, and further enshrining its reputation as a jewel of the multiverse.

Airships fly overhead and boats fill the river. The two great towers, Union and Council, dominate the skyline, with the turrets of the Winterdell factory-fortress not far behind. The skies are filled with airships, portals flicking open and closed to allow their passage, while far below the rivers and canals are filled with boats packed tip to tail. The gleaming streets are filled with people of every description, nowhere more so than in the Great Market, where business never ceases.

The cycles of day and night are irregular, thanks to the orbits of the sun and moon, but the city never grows dark, the street lamps lighting up as night falls, and every manner of entertainment imaginable commencing within their glow. Once notorious, now famous, the city stands as a beacon to all those in the multiverse, showcasing the very pinnacle of mortal and immortal achievement.