Upon passing through the doors, the group was met with an incredible sight. Wondrous buildings stretched as far as the eye could see, towering in the distance. These structures ranged from normal one or two story houses to massive towers that reached all the way to the ceiling, hundreds of meters high. Along the walls on the edges, more structures were built, connected by bridges at different heights and levels in a mesmerizing, truly awe inspiring manner. The entire scene was illuminated not only by warm, yellow lamp posts that lined the streets but also by a massive orange crystal embedded in the ceiling, shining brightly and providing warmth reminiscent of real sunlight. This was the ancient city of the dwarfs.
Unlike the tunnels the city itself wasn't built using that special alloy. Most buildings were built like normal houses but there were a few that were completely made of that alloy. Their carriages slowed down as they carefully traversed the city's streets. Rex, on the lookout for any dangers, stood on the roof of one of the carriages, surveying the area.
"Huh… that's odd." Rex commented.
"Did you see anything?" Sol asked.
Rex shook his head. "No, nothing yet. It's just strange, everything looks so clean. There's not a speck of dust anywhere."
"Could there still be people maintaining this place?" Duncan wondered aloud, though he found it unlikely given the lack of any living presence.
Nataly had another theory. "Could be some kind of cleaning spell that keeps everything perfect."
"It would require an astronomical amount of mana if that were the case," Lazuli agreed. "But given that their tunnel system is still working after so long, I can see it being possible."
"We can think about this later," Sol interjected, keeping his focus on their objective. "For now, let's find a place to set up our base of operations. Rex, let us know if you find a safe area."
Rex nodded and expanded his range of perception further.
Not long after, they found a suitable location a decent distance into the city, a public park. It was similar to those in Crestal City, with lush green grass and various types of trees scattered throughout which flourished even though they were deep underground.
"Why choose a park and not one of the nearby buildings?" Aron asked, watching the soldiers set up tents. "It would save us the trouble of setting up camp."
Sol, having just finished discussing facility placements with a soldier, replied, "Because we don't know if the buildings are safe. They could have security measures against intruders, and until we investigate them, we won't know. A public park is the least likely place to have such traps, as it's where people would go with children and pets. It was either this or setting up in the middle of the street."
"The park is definitely nicer," Lazuli added. "It's more open, so we can keep a better watch on our surroundings."
The squad agreed this was a good place to base their operations. The only potentially better location would have been a city square, but they hadn't come across one yet. As they were discussing other matters, two orc soldiers approached and gave a traditional Frostaxe Clan salute, holding their weapons close to their chests with their off hand behind their back.
"Savior, we have finished setting up camp and can begin sending teams to explore the city," one of them said.
Though Sol still found it strange to be called "Savior" by every orc, he did his best to ignore that and nodded.
"Good work. Once our soldiers are done, we'll send out teams to gather a better understanding of the city."
It only took ten more minutes for the kingdom's soldiers to finish their preparations, allowing them to start exploring. Sol had to carefully divide their forces, keeping in mind both safety and the tension between the orcs and humans.
'It would be easy to keep them separate, but I don't want them thinking one side is hiding something from the other…'
After some consideration, he split the squad and their forces into three main groups, each with different objectives.
The first was the home team: 20 soldiers from both sides were tasked with defending the base and watching over the human scholars and orc sages, who wouldn't leave the base for their own safety. Duncan and Lazuli would stay behind to ensure there were no problems between the orcs and humans.
The second group was the perimeter team. Fifteen soldiers from each side, along with half of the exploration related talents, would search the buildings around the park to make sure there were no hidden threats. They would gradually expand their search outward, led by Rex and Aron.
The third group, the away team, consisted of the remaining 15 soldiers from each side and the other half of the exploration talents. Their objective was to reach the heart of the city, where massive buildings rose to the ceiling, including a large structure that resembled a castle. If the method to create life clusters was anywhere, it would likely be there. Sol led this team, with Nataly and Lapis alongside him. Though he would have liked Rex to be on the away team because of his exceptional search skills, leadership wise, Rex was the most capable after Duncan, and Sol trusted him to make the best decisions for the perimeter team.
While it was possible to communicate using gems, it was possible there could be objects or magic in place that disrupts them, so each team needed a capable leader with them.
"Stay safe, everyone." Sol said after assigning the squad their responsibilities.
They all nodded, understanding their roles, and led their respective groups out of the base. Duncan and a somewhat disgruntled Lazuli were the only ones that stayed behind.
Lazuli kicked a pebble off to the side, grumbling, "Being left behind sucks…"
Duncan laughed and patted her shoulder. "Come on, it's not so bad. Think of the bright side, you've got plenty of time to work on that new spell of yours. Didn't you borrow a spell book from the Royal Library as well?"
"Yeah, I guess… I was just hoping for some more action, you know?" She sighed, feeling that her first mission was a bit underwhelming if all she was going to do was stay at exploration base and study, something she could have done back at the Royal Knights Headquarters. "Doesn't it bother you, being left behind?"
"Not at all." Duncan said, shaking his head. "We've been given the important job of protecting the scholars and sages. Without them, we'd be lost if we encounter something unfamiliar. Plus, with my improved barrier skill, I'm the best one to defend them if it comes to that."
Lazuli tilted her head. "Improved? Didn't you say you already maxed out that skill?"
"Oh, um, yeah. I just got a new skill that enhances it." Duncan almost let slip that he was working on his law technique but remembered Sol's warning about the limit on the number of A-Rankers a nation could have, and that spreading such knowledge could cause trouble.
Lazuli found his response a bit odd but decided not to pry. "Ah, I see. Well, you're right. I'll use this time to fix [Berserk Tonic]'s side effects."
"Mhm, good luck."