Slums

The Slums (スラム), occassionally calle the Old Town, are an inhabited area located in the Second Tower of Ar tonelico, right below Telmina. Technically speaking, this place is an area of Pastalia, as this is what the city used to be before its constant remodelations and rebuilding due to the constant earthquakes.

However, the Grand Bell doesn't recognize this place as an area under their jurisdiction, which is why its inhabitants aren't given the same benefits that all other residents of Pastalia enjoy. This has turned this place into a den for people that are sought due to crimes, people that couldn't receive residence rights in the city proper, and a hideout for IPDs that have escaped from the IPD Labs. Therefore, it's a very dangerous area due to the unpredictability of the IPD Outbreaks, despite the IPDs themselves having put in place some rules to reduce the likelihood of outbreaks happening.

History
(more coming soon...)

Layout
Although the Slums are a dungeon, technically speaking, they ironically share with the Grand Bell Hall the fact that there are no random encounters at all in them. Additionally, while the Slums are a rather large place with a laberynthine structure, most of the area is blocked off at the start and can't be fully explored, most of these blocking gradually disappearing as the game's plotline progresses, either by rubble breaking down or lifts stopping working. This also gives access to new treasures, but also makes some chests inaccesible, so make sure to check to maps to know which chests you should get first.