If the labyrinthine city was characterized by buildings enveloped in vegetation, revealing a mysterious urban outline.
Then... this city within a house was exceptionally clean.
There was no hiding...
Neatly arranged streets, like tofu blocks of varying sizes placed side-by-side.
Even objects placed outside the buildings were merely covered in a layer of dust.
Traces of 'human' habitation were faintly visible.
Of course, not necessarily the human species, but possibly other highly intelligent life forms.
However... they were too similar to humans.
"Judging by the size of the houses and these objects, the users should have been about our size. So... the possibility of them being human is higher," Oboro led the three as they wandered the dim, long streets.
Menchi glanced around and said softly.
Some areas within the house, the urban zones, were as bright as day.
Other areas had little light, as if night had fallen.
This was because the 'daytime' areas received sunlight filtering through the 'house's' windows. However, the windows were small, so the light did not spread completely.
"So many murals..."
Anthony chimed in.
As they walked, they discovered that the buildings in this city, regardless of size, were adorned with various carved images on their outer walls.
This reminded Oboro of the book he obtained at the Kurta clan's settlement and the reverence for stone artifacts among the Gyudondond tribe in East Gorteau.
They had also explored some residences and found that most of the daily living items left behind in this city were made of minerals. Beds, chairs, cabinets, etc., were scarce, and items made of pure metal were even rarer. This was completely different from the labyrinthine city... The labyrinthine city showed signs of being 'developed and prosperous.'
Oboro looked down at the thick layer of dust on the ground and raised an eyebrow: "This place is very clean, with only dust. It seems the inhabitants left not long ago. If too much time had passed, it would have become overgrown with weeds like the labyrinthine city... Of course, there's another possibility: that something has been 'cleaning' here all along."
"…"
His words made Menchi and the other two's hearts sink.
Within the city, there were also areas that appeared to be recreational zones, with vegetation planted... but without exception, they were all stone carvings.
From the large trees to the small patches of grass... everything was made of stone.
"The abundant resources of the Dark Continent are self-evident... The species that once lived here, whether human or not, had no need to rely on stone for their daily needs. Metal, fabrics, compounds, etc., could all be found, making it easy to develop industry or technology."
Oboro continued walking and said, "This phenomenon... can only be inferred as a form of culture."
"Migration?"
Anthony stroked his chin. "If it was a large-scale migration, it definitely wouldn't have been to the lake center where we are... meaning they went to a more central location on the continent."
Menchi shook her head: "It doesn't look like migration. The 'appearance' of this city, including the items in some residences, is too complete... If they were moving, they would have taken some things with them. Moreover, no matter how much time passes, some 'traces' would remain. For example, 'messiness'... But this city, as we see it, is clean, orderly, and undamaged..."
As she finished, the woman glanced at Oboro and said coldly, "It's more like everyone here just... disappeared overnight, for some reason."
Although the environment and location were different, everything was similar to the labyrinthine city.
Where did the people go?
"Captain, you once said that the reason we humans could bring back the Five Great Calamities was because the 'gatekeeper' wanted to punish humanity and issue a warning. In other words, he intentionally let the survivors take them away. If he hadn't wanted to, we wouldn't have been able to keep those 'samples.'"
"Mhm... In a sense, the gatekeeper is aware of the existence of the lake center and the human world. And he doesn't want humans to come to this continent... To truly enter the Dark Continent, one must pass through that 'gate.' And to enter the 'gate,' one needs to undergo a certain trial, gain qualification or recognition. As for what lies behind the gate, whether it's Eden or Pandora's Box, is unknown." Oboro nodded slightly.
As they approached the city center, the four could clearly see several giant stone statues standing in the daylight, where the sunlight streamed through the windows.
They were extremely conspicuous.
Like landmarks of this city.
"Why?"
Anthony asked, confused. "If that's the case, wouldn't that so-called gatekeeper be like a 'manager'?"
"Why is he so resistant to humans? Or... is he protecting them?"
Oboro understood his meaning. Whether the gatekeeper was protecting the human world or preventing humans from 'landing' was possible.
"In our explorations over the past few years, we've gained some understanding of this world. What do you think... is different here compared to the human world?" Oboro asked.
"Resources, treasures, magical life forms, bizarre and powerful forces..."
"Life forms... Although the creatures here are very dangerous, undeniably, from the perspective of life, their modes of existence are diverse. Moreover, most life forms here are fundamentally different from humans... That is, they lack mature souls. Simply put, whether large or small creatures, including microorganisms, they do not possess mature human thought and intellect. Similarly, they lack the seven emotions and six desires, especially greed... Human greed is insatiable. This innate trait alone surpasses ninety-nine percent of the creatures we've encountered so far... Humans are like monsters that are never full. Once humans establish a foothold in the Dark Continent, the impact and destruction they cause to this world would be immeasurable, leading to the demise of countless food chains and ecosystems..."
Human nature can give rise to too many consequences.
It is also an accessory of civilization... War, power, control, conspiracy, etc. These things are completely incompatible with the Dark Continent's natural law of the jungle.
"Humans are a species with extremely weak life energy but immense potential danger."
"Naturally, there must be advanced life forms on the Dark Continent with intelligence comparable to humans... or even more transcendent species. But even so, they are still wary of humans."
"As neighbors, if you want to visit, but they don't let you in, there are usually two reasons... one is that they fear you and dislike you. The other is that there are guard dogs in the yard, posing an uncontrollable danger, and they are trying to protect you."
"Based on our experiences so far, I lean more towards the first reason. If humans were to set foot on this land and begin conquering... it would be devastating to the Dark Continent, or rather, to some of the life forms that dominate the Dark Continent."
"Of course, humans currently lack this power."
Oboro extended a finger, speaking eloquently.
This was merely his understanding and speculation.
"If that's the case... we wouldn't have survived this long even if we escaped to the center of the lake. Why didn't they eliminate us?"
Menchi asked the ultimate question.
"Why doesn't your neighbor kill you?"
At this point, Oboro no longer concealed his thoughts from the three.
"Because of the law; murder leads to the death penalty... Naturally, there's no law in the Dark Continent, but there must be some form of order, and this order must be beneficial to humans. For example, a dominant creature on the Dark Continent might really like humans... or perhaps it is even human. Or it is constrained by some factor."
"Realistically, the energy of the Lake Center is too scarce. Many things from the Dark Continent cannot obtain the necessary 'energy requirements' once they enter the human world... This reason alone is enough to make most creatures unwilling to go there. It's like, if you were living a life of luxury, would you willingly become a beggar?"
"The way creatures inhabit an area is primarily determined by the environment; this is decisive."
Oboro said, "This is the homeland of humans and magical beasts. We once belonged here... Don Freecss could wander this continent for hundreds of years. His existence and mine can prove that in a certain era, humans were fully capable of surviving on this continent, capable of controlling this seemingly immense life energy, and possessed a unique power system. Our ability to manipulate Nen is one manifestation of this."
"As for why we fled and migrated... perhaps it was a war, perhaps a disaster."
"This is just one of my speculations, not necessarily accurate... What you need to understand now is that humans... are actually quite terrifying."
Oboro smiled at the three, which was rare. He had rarely smiled since Fant and Rita's deaths.
"Perhaps... the diversity of all life forms on this entire Dark Continent was created by our human ancestors."
"The portion of humans who migrated to the Island in the Lake might have been only a minority, not the entirety of the Dark Continent... Perhaps humans are still living in the central part of the continent now, forming some new civilization."
"Of course, it could also be a 'hell' created by other species... Whether it's Eden or Pandora's Box, we need to open it ourselves... I think it's more likely the latter."
"…"
The three were speechless.
During their conversation, they arrived at the city center.
They saw the towering stone statues up close.
The conversation abruptly stopped.
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