"Have you found anything?"
Alka looked at everyone and asked first.
This place wasn't big, nor was it small.
But if we were to measure its depth and height, it was clearly enormous.
But they were limited to exploring a small area: the central platform and the auditorium on the opposite bank.
Xadaiti spoke first, "I've explored the surroundings. We're definitely underground, not somewhere within the mountains."
Her silver ripples could penetrate the soil, and Sofia could also distinguish whether the surrounding area was deep soil or rocks.
From this, she reached this conclusion.
"And after walking around, I didn't find any exits nearby, not even any signs of excavation."
What puzzled them most was the lack of an exit.
"I observed the seats. It's not that they were uninhabited, but there are signs of extensive use," Jason continued.
As he inspected the seats, he noticed that many bore varying signs of wear and tear.
These marks were the result of years of use.
For example, the stone bench he sat on had sunken in places, and the armrests also bore various indentations.
These were all signs of wear and tear caused by the accumulation of time.
This showed that this place wasn't just for decoration, but had indeed been frequently used at some point in time.
Simon spoke next, holding two flying balls in his hands, seemingly using them to help him explore.
"I used these two objects to explore the height and depth of this place."
"The cave ceiling above us is about 16 meters above the platform, and the surrounding pits are quite deep."
"Due to the limited range of control, I can only see a little over 100 meters below. However, this pit doesn't rise continuously, but instead has irregular protrusions of stone.
The longest of these four stone pillars is actually only 80 meters, and the shortest is only 60 meters. They are all built on these irregular stones."
Hearing this, Alka nodded in understanding.
In other words, the pit he had just seen wasn't as deep as he had imagined. He might have just happened to throw the stone into the deepest part.
However, being able to build a stone pillar as long as 80 meters in such an irregular and extremely dangerous pit is already outrageous.
It's really outrageous.
"So, whoever built this place wanted to get here by the same method we just used?" Juanlu asked uncertainly.
Alka nodded and kicked the stone platform beneath their feet.
Most of the dust had already been cleared away during their recent exploration.
The stones showed numerous signs of long-term footfall, especially around the circle where they had just fallen.
The marks there were the deepest.
This meant that almost everyone who came here appeared at this location before moving on to their respective locations.
Only frequent use by so many people could leave such obvious marks on a stone platform like this.
The others then began to add their findings.
They spoke one after another, almost revealing all they could find.
Finally, everyone turned to Lucilia, who sat on Alka's shoulders. Because all around, whether on the nearby seats or the statues and pillars, there were numerous carvings and what looked like text.
They couldn't understand it, but Lucelia clearly could.
Looking at the gazes cast at her, Lucelia, who had been silent until then, coughed.
"Well, now it's my turn to speak."
She stood on Alka's shoulder and began to speak, recounting the information she had been gleaning from the text and images.
"This is the real temple. The ruins we saw outside were merely a passageway or a slide leading here."
"And I just pronounced the temple's name in their language. Perhaps it's the code to enter, or perhaps it can't even be called a code."
Lucelia grumbled slightly.
After all, who would write the code directly as the name of the building before them? How could it be a secret?
All you need to do is look up at the temple's name and whisper it, and you'll be transported directly inside.
"From these inscribed words and images, I have a rough idea of what this place was used for.
Various festivals, prayers, sacrifices, even large meetings, funerals of prominent figures, and speeches—all took place here."
She pointed to the stone pillars, densely engraved with inscriptions.
"Every event is recorded there, and I learned that this temple originally belonged to a city-state called Vastva, which worshipped a deity known as the Four-Part God."
She then looked up at the robed, human-shaped statue, over ten meters tall.
"These four statues are symbols of that deity."
Then she briefly listed several meetings and rituals held in this place. After listening to Lucelia's story, everyone gained a deeper understanding of the place.
Then Alka looked at her.
"So... how do we get out?"
That was the main question now.
"I don't know."
?
Everyone looked at Lucelia with confusion.
Lucelia looked at them and spread her hands. "I really don't know. This information isn't written down here, just like how someone wouldn't write down how to open a door in a crucial place."
...While that made sense, it was also too hard to accept.
"Why don't you repeat what we said when we came down here?" Alka thought for a moment.
After all, that was what had brought them down here.
"I actually tried, but it didn't work."
Lucelia then recited the temple's name in that unknown language, but there was no response.
Seeing this, Jason's expression fell.
"It's over! Are we trapped here?"
Alka frowned, thinking for a moment, then nudged Sofia beside him with his elbow.
"Did you bring a map-drawing tool?"
Xadaiti, turning around, understood what Alka was planning and nodded.
"Yes, I've explored the area. Do you want me to start drawing now?"
Alka nodded. "Yes, let's draw it and see if we can find any clues."
Jason, looking at Lucilia, said, "Do you want to change the words? Maybe something like 'go home, leave'?"
"I've tried everything, but it doesn't work."
"I don't know how long the food we brought will last," Juanlu said, checking the dry rations in his pocket ring.
Just as Sofia pulled out his sketchpad,
Julia suddenly looked up and said, "The concentration of magic power has increased."
This caught everyone's attention.
Then, a wave of energy descended from above, landing on everyone.
Their bodies were once again frozen in place, then vanished from their original position.
A feeling of being dragged appeared, but it lasted only a few seconds before light returned to the darkness.
This time, they reappeared outside, surrounded by the ruins, in their scattered positions.
Other figures had appeared around them.
Arka looked at the group of humanoids that appeared before them.
Everyone instantly prepared for battle, alert.
The unknown race before them had gray skin and orange-red eyes.
It was the intelligent race on this island that Arka had seen in his dream last night.
The leader, wearing leather armor and holding a bow, watched them.
"..."
Another incomprehensible message, but the tone and intonation seemed very similar to the unknown language Lucelia had just used.
"He said, 'I didn't expect we were a group of outsiders,'" Lucelia translated.
However, before she could speak for everyone else,
The leading alien man thought Lucelia was speaking to him, but it was a strange language.
Then, after a slight adjustment, he spoke the language used by Alka and the others.
That is, the language used in most areas of the Home Sea.
"Do you understand?" Although the tone was a little awkward and sounded a little strange, fortunately, it was understandable.
Alka nodded and said, "No problem, we understand."
The man before him was quite friendly, and considering the information Alka had inquired about in his dream yesterday, he raised his hand slightly, signaling his teammates not to be overly vigilant.
"That's good!"
He seemed to understand the wariness of Alka and the others.
"I don't know who you are, where you're from, or what you're doing on this island, but welcome," the gray-skinned man before him said with a friendly smile.
"Meet me, my name is Shiraishi, a patrol leader."
"Alka, the leader of the treasure hunt."
Hearing Alka's response, the patrol leader named Shiraishi nodded.
"There must be someone in your team who speaks Savoyard, otherwise we wouldn't be able to activate this temple."
"Savoyard" was probably the same language Lucelia had just spoken. Alka nodded.
Upon hearing Alka's admission, Shiraishi said, "This is the first time I've seen an outsider speak this language. But you can't speak it on this island.
Especially around ruins like these, because they're always activated by strange combinations of words, bringing unexpected effects."
He shook his head, motioning everyone to look.
Above the ruins, a figure of his race stood, his hands shrouded in magical energy, seemingly casting a spell.
The energy of the spell penetrated the ruins.
"These ruins have effects, whether good or bad. To deactivate them, you must reverse the spell you activated, if that's possible.
Or, you can use the spell's power to reverse it, but that effect requires a long time to maintain."
After saying this, he looked up at the people in the ruins and said in their language, "Yuanmu, it's done. These ruins teleport you. The people have returned."
As for why Alka understood, it was because Lucelia translated softly in his ear.
Then he saw Alka and the others and said, "If you don't mind, you can come to our town. Don't worry, outsiders come here all the time, and we have normal trade with some of them."
"Of course, if you don't want to come, that's fine too. Remember what I just said: don't talk nonsense around the ruins.
This time, you've only activated these harmless ruins. If you activate something that could cause a serious disaster, don't blame us for being rude.
If you can survive to that point."
He hadn't expected outsiders to speak their language; they had never had to worry about such issues before.
After saying this, he waited for Alka and the others to respond.
Alka thought for a moment, then said without hesitation, "Of course, I'm very interested in this island. If you don't mind, could you take us to your town?"
"Hmm, you're really brave. Have you learned anything about this island?" Shiraishi didn't expect Alka to agree so easily. If it was a stranger, they would generally refuse, unless they knew something about the island.
"This is our first time here, but we're confident in our abilities, and you seem quite friendly." Although Alka said this, it was essentially a made-up excuse.
He couldn't claim to have wandered around the island several times in your dreams last night, so he knew it well.
"Haha, so confident, huh? Okay, follow me, it's still dangerous out here."
With that, he led his team forward, with Alka and the others following behind.
Even though they could have walked in a straight line, this man kept taking Alka and the others in circles. There was a forest they could have walked straight through, but he insisted on taking them around the small hill nearby.
As if sensing Alka and the others' confusion, Bai Shi explained as they walked, "This island's environment isn't safe. There are too many magical beasts and various dangerous plants. There are also frequent dimensional rifts, bringing with them strange monsters."
"There are also many ruins that have been activated by talking nonsense, and the people who activated them have died. We don't know how to deactivate them, and the spells can't deactivate them either.
So, in many cases, we have to take detours, otherwise it will be very troublesome."
The people following him nodded.
It seems that this island is truly unsafe.
Alka finally understood why she had seen so many children in her dreams wanting to leave but being afraid to do so.
Every time she asked, she was told that if she sneaked out, her parents would definitely beat her.
This seemed to be the reason.
After all, children are bound to gather in places like ruins. Plus, the language used to activate ruins is common among them, so there's no telling when they might inexplicably open a ruin.
These are lessons learned.
As they walked, they could see patrols on both sides spreading some kind of pollen.
This caused their movements, though somewhat circuitous, to be relatively swift, and no monsters came to stop them.
It seemed the pollen was the cause.
Soon, they came upon a wooden watchtower. Bai Shi greeted the occupant and continued on his way.
After passing one watchtower after another, they finally saw the island's gathering place in the distance.
The stone and wooden walls, though crude, seemed quite sturdy.
People dressed similarly to the patrol patrolled the walls.
They could see the side of the town; it appeared to have some areas used for planting.
Some people, also with gray skin, were working on the fields.
Because the outer wooden walls reached a height of about five or six meters, the people couldn't see inside from the outside.
Moreover, you can see the sea not far away from this place, which means that this place should be built on the seaside.
Perhaps this place is also relatively close to some areas suitable for building a port.
Alka and his companions circled around for most of yesterday and didn't come here, so they didn't find it.
At this point, Shiraishi said, "This is where we've lived for generations, the Broken Town. Judging from the direction you're coming from, it should be in the bay over there, right?
If you're lucky enough to come back to this island after you leave, you can go there. There's a small port we've built.
Of course, if you can bring some supplies we need, we'll welcome you even more." Shiraishi turned and said with a smile.
It must be said that he seemed to enjoy chatting with outsiders, constantly communicating with Alka and the others in a somewhat awkward language.
Listening to him, Alka nodded and smiled, "Of course, if I come again next time."
But what does it mean to be lucky?