This had once been a prosperous city. Though it had never rivaled Dundorma in size, it had been comparable to Loc Lac.
Under the relentless erosion of wind and sand, most of its buildings had been reduced to crumbling foundations. Only a handful of buildings made from precious stone had retained even their basic frames.
The Hunters made their way through the ruins.
Altaïr repeatedly scanned the sky while remaining alert for any tremor beneath his feet.
They were still on the outskirts of the ancient city, where virtually none of the buildings stood more than two stories tall. The surrounding view remained relatively open, so they did not need to worry much about a Large Monster springing an ambush from among the ruins.
But an attack could still come from the sky or underground, especially underground.
A vast labyrinth lay beneath the ancient city, and the Ghost Dragon lurked somewhere within it. The risk of something bursting out of the ground was considerable.
Altaïr's caution slowed the entire team's advance, but the "examiners" at the rear showed no displeasure. Instead, they quietly awarded him high marks.
A Hunter had to be brave, but a reckless fool who knew nothing of caution would not live long.
After advancing roughly a kilometer from the outskirts, Altaïr led the team into a relatively intact building, one that at least still had a roof, for a brief stop.
They had hardly traveled far enough to tire themselves out. Altaïr's main reason for stopping was to check their route again.
He took out a topographic map of the ancient city.
The map had been left behind by the first archaeological team to explore the ruins several years earlier. Its terrain data was incomplete, but it at least marked several of the city's main thoroughfares.
Altaïr compared the surrounding ruins with the terrain shown on the map and quickly confirmed their position. "We're here. Once we turn onto this stone-paved main road, we can pick up the pace and head straight for the palace district at the center of the city.
"The previous archaeological team's journals mention that some murals and stone carvings should still survive inside the palace district. We may find the information we're looking for there."
"Didn't the archaeological team that entered the city back then make copies or take rubbings of those carvings and inscriptions?" Isis asked, puzzled.
Altaïr looked equally confused. "They should have, but the people at the Research Institute told me there was no such archive. I don't know whether it truly doesn't exist or they couldn't release it to me for some reason."
"Ahem, I know a little about that." Alva, who was squatting nearby, spoke up. "When Gilgamesh was first discovered, three sizable official archaeological teams entered the ancient city at the same time, along with numerous privately funded expeditions.
"Never mind the private expeditions; there was no controlling them. Even if they made rubbings of something, they would never hand them over. Besides, their main objective was gold and silver treasure.
"Of the three official teams, one discovered the underground labyrinth and eagerly ventured down. That was the team that later went missing.
"Another team followed them underground, but it remained in the shallower sections and eventually managed to evacuate more or less safely.
"Only one team focused entirely on surveying the surface, and they're the ones who drew the map you're holding.
"But they worked their way inward from the outskirts. Before they could properly investigate the palace district, the accident occurred in the underground labyrinth, and the Guild sent people to clear and close the site."
Altaïr fell silent for a few seconds before asking, "Then why didn't the team surveying the surface prioritize the central palace district, which was clearly far more valuable, instead of getting bogged down among the crumbling houses on the outskirts?"
"Hmm... Isn't that like asking whether you eat the strawberry on top of a cake first?"
"I'm definitely the type who eats the strawberry first," Isis said, giving him a thumbs-up.
Alva shrugged. "It's hardly an absolute rule, but in a way, it reflects the difference between how scholars and Hunters think.
"You can explore and make discoveries step by step, or go straight to the source and eliminate the threat."
"I swallow the whole thing in one bite," Gordon suddenly cut in.
"No one asked you." Hayata shot her husband an annoyed look before turning to Altaïr. "Shall we keep moving?"
"Let's move." Altaïr put the map away, and the group left the building where they had rested, setting off at a faster pace toward the palace district in the center of the ancient city.
—--
A little over fifteen minutes later, they arrived before the crumbling palace.
The journey had been entirely uneventful. They had not seen so much as a single small lizard, let alone encountered a Monster attack.
In a place like the Jungle, such an absence of life would have signaled danger, but this was the Great Desert, where traveling all day without seeing a living creature was perfectly normal.
Altaïr tilted his head back to study the enormous stone pillars rising over thirty meters before him and the still larger stone gate beyond them. Slowing his pace, he glanced over his shoulder. "Mr. Alva, the map doesn't show the interior of the palace. Do you have any suggestions?"
Alva adjusted the multifunction eyepiece on his forehead and spent a couple of seconds studying the tops of the stone pillars and the carved decorations along both sides of the palace.
"Classic James civilization architecture. Late Golden Age, roughly 2,500 to 2,600 years old–"
"Get to the point," Gordon said, nudging him with an elbow.
Alva was hardly frail, but that "light nudge" nearly knocked him over. He stumbled two steps with a yelp, then rubbed his arm and grumbled.
"I was getting to that... If I'm not mistaken, this great hall was a religious building, so its interior should be enormous. Since the James people worshipped the stars, it..."
Seeing Gordon lift his elbow for another nudge, Alva hurriedly changed course. "All right, all right. The sightlines inside should be fairly open, without too many obstructions, though there may be plenty of stone pillars.
"As for the floor plan, it should look something like this. Religious halls from this period of the James civilization all share roughly the same layout."
Alva quickly sketched a floor plan on his drawing board and handed it to Altaïr.
"Oh, right. One more thing: the ceiling. The center of the ceiling may be open to the sky. As I just mentioned, they worshipped the stars, so the priests would have held religious ceremonies in the hall at night."
"Thank you." Altaïr studied the simple but clear floor plan for a few seconds, then nodded.
He looked at Isis. "Judging by the building's size, the interior has enough room for a Large Monster to move freely. With that opening in the ceiling as well, it wouldn't be surprising if one had made its nest inside. Prepare for combat."
"Got it!" Isis took the Large Shield from her back, strapped it to her arm, and moved to the front of the formation.
Hayata instinctively tried to move forward as well, but Gordon raised an arm to stop her before she could take a step.
Letting their precious daughter take the lead behind a shield and bear the brunt of the danger felt unnatural, but this time, it was not their turn to lead.
Moving quietly and placing each step with care, the group slipped through the gap between the two enormous stone doors, which had never fully closed, and entered the ruined hall.
The hall was nothing like most enclosed ruins, with their stale air and dim light.
Here, the light was surprisingly bright. Fierce late-morning sunlight poured through the opening at the center of the dome, illuminating the enormous structure.
Carvings and inscriptions capable of making any archaeologist cheer covered the distant walls, the massive stone pillars, even the ceiling and the stone floor.
But everyone, including Alva, was staring at the center of the great hall.
Beneath the column of light illuminating the chamber lay a strange, ghastly, dried-out molt.