"Did you discover anything?" Alka was the first to ask, looking at everyone.
This place was neither particularly large nor small. However, considering its depth and height, it was evidently quite vast. The area they could explore was limited to the central platform and the spectator stands on the opposite side.
Chadite was the first to speak. "I’ve probed the surrounding area. We are indeed underground, not within a mountain." Her silver ripples could penetrate the soil, allowing Chadite to distinguish between deep earth and rock. This led her to this conclusion. "And after circling the area, I found no escape passages, not even any signs of digging."
What puzzled them most was the complete lack of any exit routes.
"I observed the seats," Jason said next. "They haven’t been untouched; in fact, they show clear signs of extensive use." While examining the seats, he found that many bore distinct marks of wear. These were clearly the result of long-term use. For instance, the stone benches were indented where people had sat, and the armrests had various nicks and depressions. Such wear and tear could only result from prolonged use, indicating this place wasn’t rely decorative but had been frequently used at so point.
Then Simon spoke. He held two flying spheres in his hands, apparently using them for his survey. "I used these to survey the height and depth of this place. The ceiling of the cavern above us is about sixteen ters from the platform, but the surrounding pit is quite deep. Due to the control range limitations of my spheres, I could only see about one hundred ters down. The pit doesn’t descend uniformly; there are irregular rock projections. The longest of these four stone pillars is actually only eighty ters, and the shortest is sixty ters. They’re all built on these irregular rock formations."
Alka nodded in understanding. So, the pit he’d seen earlier wasn’t as deep as he’d imagined. He might have just happened to throw the stone into its deepest part. Still, to construct stone pillars up to eighty ters long in such an irregular and extrely dangerous abyss was outrageous. Truly outrageous.
"So, the people who built this place... they ca in the sa way we did?" Juanlu asked uncertainly from beside him.
Alka nodded, then tapped the stone platform beneath their feet with his hand. Most of the dust had already been cleared by their earlier explorations. These stones bore nurous traces of long-term trampling, especially concentrated in the area where they had landed. Those marks were the deepest, indicating that people arriving here usually appeared in this spot before moving to their respective locations. Only frequent use by a large number of individuals could leave such distinct marks on a stone platform.
The others then began to add their own findings. One by one, they covered nearly all the issues they had been able to detect.
Finally, everyone turned to Lucilia, who was perched on Alka’s shoulder. The surrounding seats and stone pillars were covered in nurous carved patterns and what appeared to be text. None of them could understand it, but it seed Lucilia could.
Feeling everyone’s gaze, Lucilia, who had been mostly silent, cleared her throat. "Well then, it’s my turn to speak." With that, she stood up on Alka’s shoulder and began to explain, referencing the information she had been steadily gathering from the texts and patterns.
"This is the true Temple. What we saw outside, the ruins, was rely a passage to this place... or perhaps a slide. And just now, I pronounced the Temple’s na in their language. That might have been the ’secret phrase’ to enter, though it hardly qualifies as secret," Lucilia quipped. "After all, who would engrave the password directly onto the building as its na? What kind of secret is that? You just have to look up at the Temple’s na, say it softly, and you’re brought right in.
"From these inscriptions and patterns, I’ve managed to get a general idea of what this place was used for. It seems various festivals, sacrificial rites, prayers, large conferences, funerals for prominent figures, and even public speeches were all held here." She pointed to the stone pillars, indicating the dense inscriptions covering them. "Those record every event. And from them, I’ve also learned that this Temple originally belonged to a city-state called Vastva. They worshipped a Divine known as the Fourfold Deity." She then looked up again at the humanoid statues, each over ten ters tall and draped in robes. "These four statues are the symbols of that Divine."
Lucilia then briefly listed a few other ceremonies and etings that had been held in this place.
After listening to Lucilia’s explanation, the group had a much better understanding of their surroundings.
Then Alka looked at her. "So... how do we get out?" That was the main question now.
"I don’t know."
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