The Engraved Meridian

Following the bearing charted this morning, I advanced down the sidewalk to the primary street intersection. Set flush into the granite curb was a circular brass surveyor's benchmark, its surface etched with directional crosshairs and elevation coordinates. A compact wedge of dried grit and gravel had settled into the engraved groove of the primary axis, obscuring the orientation line. I rested my energon axe against the curbstone to free both hands. Kneeling on one knee, I used the edge of a stiff dried pine needle to dislodge the compacted sediment. With a steady sweep of my hand, the debris cleared. The recessed brass line now runs uninterrupted, marking the true coordinate node for the transit grid ahead.