across a moat with fountains of molten silver , on foundations of polished volcanic rock , buttressed by bronze effigies of massive animals and decked in twisting baroque gilt , standing on a pyre of tree-sized crystal beams awash with spiralling waterfalls of decomposing mercury composites , sitting on a throne fashioned from the facade of the cathedral of reims of ancient earth and flanked by gigawatt lasers burning the passing seconds of a thousand space timezones into falling shards of newly smelted aluminium pouring from an artificial lightning storm above , was the rector .