"Ruins from outside this world."
I frowned upon hearing those words.
"What do you mean?" I asked unconsciously, while the others moved closer to listen.
The old man, Elias, shrugged.
"I don’t know much about it either. After all, I never went there or anything like that."
"But a few hundred years ago, before contact with the other continents was cut off, news reached me about the discovery of ruins in that place... or at least their entrance."
I looked again at the location of the mark, which was at the far north of the map, where Russia overlooked the frozen sea.
I made sure to memorize everything before looking back at the old man.
"Why do you say they’re from another world when all they found was an entrance?"
The old man raised the pipe to his mouth.
"It’s simple. Whether it’s the construction method, which doesn’t resemble any of the ancient civilizations that lived on Earth, or the materials used to build the place—which don’t exist on this miserable planet."
The old man exhaled smoke as he stared at it while it faded into the air.
"That’s what they said back then before everything ended... so who knows the truth? Maybe they were just illusions they created to give themselves some hope before despair devoured them."
I fell silent, thinking about his words.
Ruins from another world... the most likely possibility was the world of Aetheron. After all, we had entered through a gate that led directly here.
Arthania stepped forward while I remained silent, lost in my thoughts.
"Can you really not help them return to their home?"
The old man answered without thinking.
"I said it before. The place is too far, and we don’t have any coordinates for it... and even if we did, I don’t think I could make anything safe enough to transport them."
He looked at the items scattered on the worktables before continuing.
"After all, this old man can’t make anything special aside from a few storage bags and useless things."
So he was the one who made that bag for Arthania.
His inability to help us wasn’t important to me. After all, I hadn’t placed my hopes on this old man to find a way for us to return.
But in the end, we had obtained information that could be useful.
Of course, the ruins.
At least now I had an idea of where we should head.
I knew this wasn’t a guaranteed path or anything, but it was better than nothing.
I looked at Arthania.
"It’s fine, we’ll find another way."
She let out a frustrated breath.
"I thought this miserable old man could help you, but it turns out he’s useless... I really don’t know what I should do now."
Her tone was filled with disappointment.
As for Elias, he stood there without commenting on her sharp words directed at him.
"Maybe you should leave now, because there’s nothing I can offer you."
Arthania sighed as she gave him a sharp look while muttering.
"Annoying."
Even so, she turned and headed toward the door.
"Let’s go and leave this old man with his stupid plans."
She reached the door and opened it, letting the cold air slip inside. Without hesitation, she stepped outside, and we followed her, but unlike her, we weren’t completely disappointed.
I exchanged looks with Ellen and Elliot beside me, even Leona... they all understood what the old man had said.
It was clear their thoughts were the same as mine.
Izel and Kyle went through the door first, followed by Leona and Ellen, then Elliot. Just as I was about to leave, a voice from behind stopped me.
"You, the black-haired one, can you stay here for a moment? There’s something I want to ask you."
I turned my head, glancing at the old man who was still in his place... something he wanted to ask?
Don’t tell me it’s about my lie.
Outside, Arthania narrowed her eyes as she looked at the old man.
"What do you want now? Didn’t you say you couldn’t help them?"
He released a cloud of white smoke as he replied.
"Just a conversation with this boy. Who knows, we might discover something to send them back... and since the others are standing like statues, you can take them with you."
Ellen flinched slightly at the old man’s words, but she remained silent in the end.
After a few moments of thought, I spoke.
"I’ll meet you later at that house." I saw the doubt in their eyes, but they listened to me in the end.
I turned and went back inside, and the door closed behind me once again.
After a few moments, I felt the others walking away from here, while Elias remained near that map.
He looked at it one last time before turning his attention to me.
His gray eyes examined me calmly, and at the same time, his lips moved, forming a few words.
"You should leave this place before you become a part of it."
...
Outside, Arthania walked with the others around her, frustration clear on her face.
"I’m sorry I couldn’t find anything useful for you."
But unlike her, none of the five felt disappointed, because they hadn’t placed any hope in this from the start.
So, with her usual smile, Leona spoke.
"You have nothing to apologize for, Arthania. We should be the ones apologizing for causing you trouble."
She raised her hand to her chin, thinking for a moment before smiling.
"Well, how about I take you on a tour around the city to lighten the mood... there aren’t many people outside at this time, so you won’t get much disturbance."
It was true that the idea of meeting more people wasn’t comfortable for them, but their curiosity to see this small city outweighed that.
"That would be nice of you." Ellen replied.
...
The five walked through the narrow streets of the city with Arthania.
The more they walked, the clearer the city became to them... in reality, Asfaria wasn’t particularly special.
On the contrary, it was just an ordinary city in the heart of the stone maze.
Like any city in human history, it contained the basics of life, from trade to agriculture and work.
Even if it was far less advanced than the empire, it was still beautiful in its own way.
The five stepped out through a wide-open door of one of the white buildings, while the pleasant smell of fresh bread drifted from behind them, accompanied by a deep voice.
"Don’t forget to come back later, I’ll make you something special that will make you want to stay."
The voice came from the owner of the bakery they had just visited with Arthania, who had insisted on offering them something.
So now, they walked out of that bakery with a bag filled with what looked like sweet pastries in Elliot’s hand.
"I told you, everyone here is kind." Arthania said, while Elliot nodded.
She wasn’t wrong. Throughout the time they had spent walking around the city, they had met many people, and all of them had welcomed them.
But among all that hospitality, one thing bothered them—the same feeling from before that everyone was alike had returned.
They had even met many Awakened as well, and all of them were the same.
So far, the only ones who were truly different were Arthania and Elias.
Slowly, that sense of unease began to grow stronger within them.
The five walked toward the northern edge of the city under Arthania’s lead, and gradually the buildings around them began to thin out and disappear, revealing what lay beyond.
Beneath the towering maze wall, green plants and trees stretched as far as the eye could see, while the fresh scent of the fields filled their noses.
And there among those trees and plants, many people were working together—some digging and planting, others clearing the area around the trees of harmful weeds. At the same time, water flowed through small channels between the plants, giving them life.
Meanwhile, the voices of the workers rose everywhere.
"Hey, bring that here!"
"Reduce the water flow on this side!"
Arthania smiled as she looked at this.
"This is where all the city’s food comes from."
While the others stared at the workers in the fields, two people approached them.
A middle-aged woman with dark hair and dark eyes, with a sword fastened at her waist, and beside her was a man of about the same age with sand-colored hair and eyes.
Both were Rank 4 Awakened, and the moment they got close to the group, they spoke at the same time.
"Welcome back, Lady Arthania."
Everyone turned their heads toward the two, while Arthania nodded to them.
"Welcome, you two."
The two looked at Elliot and the others, while a gentle smile formed on the woman’s face as she stepped forward slightly.
"And welcome to our honored guests... news of the arrival of other humans has spread throughout the city, so we came to confirm it, only to find this lovely group of children."
Ellen opened her mouth to speak on behalf of everyone, only to be interrupted by the man.
"Sorry, the city is happy about the arrival of new guests after a very long time, and on this occasion, we have prepared a banquet in the village hall."
"So we hope you accept this simple welcome."