The City
The first sentences of the novel are imagery showing readers the setting of the city where the narrator was born. The narrator says, "The city is, in many ways, like other cities. Like other cities, it was built alongside a river and has a series of low, rambling buildings, at the center of which is the domed chapel of a cruciform church." The imagery provides a perfect description of the city, showing readers that it is similar to other cities that the reader already knows.
The immortality
The alchemist does his magic to promote immortality. The magic makes gunpowder solutions that can be used to extend life. For instance, the emperor wants to live forever, and he approaches the alchemist to extend his life. The magical process is illustrated using imagery. The author writes, "The fire drug, the alchemist called it, and it became famous." The alchemist first calls the dug, which later instructs the formation of the gunpowder solution used in the magic.
The sparkling white crystals
To illustrate the ubiquitous presence of saltpeter in the city, the narrator uses imagery. For instance, the narrator says, "Sparkling white crystals that grow on stone walls and hardened soil and other damp, dark places—trash pits, dovecots, henhouse, barnyards, cellars, and crypts." In this case, the imagery helps the reader understand the city's history because, for many years, saltpeter has been used as medicine.
