Chapter 89

As we proceeded down the road, the vast ruins of an ancient city came into view.

We continued down the road and stepped into the ruins of the city.

"Hmm, there really is nothing here."

Yuri said, looking at a rock wall that was only as high as a chair.

We walked for a while, but there were hardly any buildings to be seen, only remnants of stone pillars and walls.

Most of these remnants were covered with grass and soil, suggesting that a considerable amount of time had passed since people had left. It was impossible to tell where the squares or main streets had been.

Moreover, the grass grew as high as our knees, making it feel almost like walking through a plain.

Compared to this, the ancient city of Alz could be said to have been in a much better state of preservation.

Lahn said, looking at the ground.

"We might find something if we dig a little, but there’s nothing here at all."

"Perhaps... Given the long time that has passed, many people might have visited here."

I nodded at Elysia’s words.

"Moreover, it’s along the road. Before the area was overrun by monsters, it would have caught the attention of many people. It wouldn’t be surprising if surveys and excavations had been conducted. The chances of finding something by digging randomly are low."

Moreover, we searched for magical reactions underground, but there were no significant responses. There were no signs of monsters or magical items being buried.

Yuri poked at the rocks in the wall and said,

"It doesn’t seem like a good place to set up a base. The rocks used in the walls are all round, unlike the square stones used in Alz, making it difficult to repair."

"Come to think of it, the style is different from Alz. Alz had marble buildings, but there are no remnants of such buildings here."

I nodded at Elysia’s words.

"Perhaps it was built in a different era from Alz, or by a different civilization from the empire..."

My curiosity was piqued, but there was no way to investigate. It would have been helpful if there were any documents about Tialz left in Alz.

If we wanted to know what Alz was like when people lived there, Selena might know...

I suddenly noticed that Selena had become quiet. She was looking solemnly at the deserted city.

It didn’t seem like she recognized it. Selena had been turned into a Living Armor shortly after arriving on Alz Island and didn’t have detailed knowledge of Tialz’s geography.

Earlier, she had said that this place was not marked on the empire’s maps, so it was probably not a city from her time.

Yuri called out to Selena.

"What’s wrong, Selena? You’re quiet, did you see something scary?"

"No... I’m just wondering why this city was abandoned."

"Given the number of monsters, it’s impossible to live here, right?"

"That’s true, but isn’t it too simplistic to conclude that the city’s downfall was due to the increase in monsters?"

"Ugh... You’re stating the obvious, Selena."

Selena’s point was valid. We couldn’t say for sure whether the massive appearance of monsters was related to the city’s downfall. The destruction by monsters was just one possibility.

Putting aside the city’s fate, it was natural to wonder why Tialz was now overrun by powerful monsters.

Lahn looked around and said,

"Anyway, it doesn’t seem like a good place to set up an agricultural base."

"There are no buildings to stay in or walls to protect us. Even if we set up such facilities, it wouldn’t be feasible to ask Lord Alec to stay here permanently."

As Elysia pointed out, with our current followers, it would be difficult to deal with the number of Arrowcrows and Deathsnakes.

"I could stay here until they stop coming, but this place seems a bit harder to defend compared to Alz."

Alz is surrounded by the sea, so Arrowcrows can fly in, but Deathsnakes can’t cross the water.

On the other hand, even if we restored the walls here, we would need to be constantly prepared for attacks by Deathsnakes.

Additionally, from the high places around where we discovered these ruins, we could be easily attacked from above with bows or magic.

Even if we were to rebuild the city from scratch, it wouldn’t be an ideal location.

Selena nodded deeply.

"I also think it’s not a good idea to build a base here. This city seems to have developed naturally as people gathered."

It might not have been planned for military or transportation purposes. Perhaps it was built by a civilization that had little to do with war.

Of course, we don’t know the truth. However, it’s fun to speculate about what might have happened.

We continued to explore the ruins but found no treasures or signs of daily life beyond the structures.

We weren’t even attacked by monsters; it was a rather peaceful exploration of the ruins.

In the end, we decided to leave this place as it was. If we tried the summoning magic we wanted to test, there was a risk of damaging the valuable ruins. We would need to find a more suitable location.

Perhaps, if we have time in the future, we could conduct some excavations.

We returned to the road and left the ruins, heading northeast again.