Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure Chapter 2145: Ancient civilization

This location truly offered little to discover, being overrun with debris.

Any potential clues about what this site had been prior to its ruin had long been worn away by time's unyielding power.

It truly appeared that nothing worthwhile remained for me to uncover here.

Yet that raised a puzzling question...

"How did this statue endure through all these ages?"

The statue depicting Solista wasn't crafted from any extraordinary material, so its preservation amid the decay of everything else defied logic.

Even upon close inspection, no hint of divine energy lingered within it to shield it from deterioration.

Though the statue bore signs of age, it still appeared recently fashioned.

The longer I examined this statue, the more baffled I grew by the mystery.

"Let’s check for anything more."

Rather than fixate on the statue, I chose to search for other finds in this rubble-strewn house.

Yet this debris-filled dwelling held nothing of note.

Time's grasp had stripped this place bare long ago, leaving us no choice but to move to another house in search of discoveries.

All these houses mirrored one another.

No matter which we rummaged through, they stood utterly vacant save for scattered rubble.

No, not entirely vacant...

"More Solista statues..." Gathering all these figures, my confusion deepened.

This was undoubtedly a domain under Solista's sway, yet what of its former inhabitants?

Where had the creators of these statues vanished to?

With these statues now assembled, I wondered if contact could be made through them. Since they once linked to Solista, her providence should encompass them.

Thus, I extended the hand bearing the Mark of God toward the statues.

With my hand raised thus, I awaited any reaction from the statues or the Mark of God.

Yet nothing stirred.

Despite sharing the same origin, neither responded to the other. Whatever essence once filled the statues had faded, eluding the Mark of God's recognition.

"But that only heightens the mystery..."

If all had vanished, how had these statues persisted?

For the moment, we'd surveyed a fair portion, uncovering only these statues.

Still, our torches illuminated much of the area from the buildings we'd marked. A subtle vitality seemed to flicker back into the ruins from those lights.

It felt as though life stirred faintly once more.

Our discoveries pointed to an ancient civilization that had thrived here, one far from primitive.

Their technology appeared remarkably sophisticated.

Or so it seemed from the remnants enduring the ages.

This rendered their destruction all the more inexplicable...

"From our findings, this seems like a residential zone. Staying here won't yield further insights, so let's venture deeper to uncover more."

In the end, that's the suggestion I made.

Lupus and Joan wore uneasy expressions, aware of the risks involved, yet they realized lingering offered no progress.

Something was bound to occur eventually, so advancing now beat waiting for it to ambush us.

Our prior explorations suggested no threats lurked.

Or if any had, the site's long abandonment had reduced them to dust. Not a single bone or corpse had turned up since our arrival.

Alternatively, this civilization might have simply relocated.

These could merely be the forsaken outskirts of a greater society.

Most crucially, remaining trapped here meant we couldn't aid those dearest to us. War was likely ravaging the capital even now.

The Destruction forces under War's command might have already razed the Kite Kingdom.

I alone pushed such thoughts aside.

Without evidence, I refused to accept it as fact.

Hence my urgency to escape this place swiftly.

Lupus and Joan cast anxious glances my way, but I decided to ignore it, knowing precisely what troubled them.

That choice settled, we pressed onward.

We seemed to be venturing deeper here, with more structures emerging into view.

Their increasing density indicated proximity to a hub where this ancient civilization's people had dwelled.

This suggested we were nearing the heart of what looked like their city.