In this small town, one can still see numerous temple structures, with styles that largely resemble what was witnessed in the ruins of Vastva.

Grand and magnificent, yet equally simplistic in appearance.

Alka and companions were looking around the city.

Surrounded by Vastva people, who observed them with curious eyes.

Alka could see that most of the civilians here appeared somewhat thin and frail.

Showing clear signs of insufficient nutritional intake.

Not just these civilians, even among those who had just arrived with the Great Elder, some were in similar conditions.

Only individuals like Kavala or Wata appeared relatively normal.

Soon, the hunched elder.

The one referred to as the Great Elder led Alka and the group into the tallest building in the city.

"This is the Tower of Autumn, the last remaining intact tower among the four," introduced the Great Elder.

Sitting on Alka's shoulder, Lucilia turned and looked at the exterior of the entire tower.

One could see this tower had become quite old, but some of its structures and arrangements suggested that it was very sturdy during its most glorious times and possessed numerous powers.

Many exposed magic power flow lines were visible on the walls, along with some engravings that had long been worn away.

"Is this one of the Tower of the Four Seasons?"

"It seems you really understand some of Vastva's past culture, so the Tower of Winter and the Great Temple are truly outside?" The Great Elder paused by a table, slowly sat down and asked.

Alka nodded: "If the map is correct, the extended corner is indeed outside."

Upon the Great Elder's gesture, the group sat beside the table.

Some people still stood around, likely leaders among the remaining Vastva people.

Suddenly, the entire room fell silent.

The Great Elder coughed twice then slightly raised his head to look at Alka's group opposite him. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Here, I ask for your help; we wish to lead our people out of this place. In exchange, everything of the Vastva people can be yours."

The Great Elder spoke with firm determination, and none of the others attempted to stop him, evidently sharing this resolve.

Hearing this, Alka looked at them and then waved his hand, saying: "Of course, you are free to go; if you want to leave, I can open the door."

Upon hearing these words, the Great Elder and those behind him visibly expressed joy.

"Thank you, thank you."

Looking at them, Alka said: "Although I'm reluctant to state it, I think even if you go out, survival is unlikely."

"What do you mean?" asked a somewhat tall and thin man behind the Great Elder, frowning.

Their initially joyful expressions turned stiff.

"You should know exactly how many years you've been trapped here, right?"

Hearing Alka's inquiry, the Great Elder nodded.

"Of course, we remember forever. According to records, in year 4143 of city construction, we were trapped in this world.

And now it has been 36,826 years."

"36,000 years?" Though aware they had been trapped for such a long time, hearing the duration out loud stunned Alka.

What an exaggerated length of time?

Frankly, Alka could never imagine it; it surpassed his cognitive scale.

In his view, hundreds or even thousands of years were already exorbitant eras.

Yet, seeing Vastva people trapped for over 36,000 years, he couldn't help but sympathize with them.

He must admire such a resilient race.

They have yet to be annihilated despite the extensive years.

"But according to estimates, the divine war ended just over 30,000 years ago," Simon suddenly stated.

"So, the destruction of the Vastva city-state occurred a few thousand years before the divine war ended?" Chadite pondered aloud.

She felt disbelief even in speaking it.

Did the divine war last so many years?

Or was Vastva's destruction an era before the divine war even started?

That's unknown.

"We'll discuss these matters later," Alka interrupted their conversation.

If Vastva's history was well preserved, they might witness stories from that golden era.

But for now, that's clearly not the focus.

Saying so, he turned to the Great Elder and others, seriously addressing them: "You've been trapped here for so long, so let me tell you about the outside situation since you were trapped."

The Great Elder nodded, and the others perked their ears slightly.

Truly slightly perked ears.

Just as Alka and companions were curious about how these people survived for 30,000 years and prior events, they equally wondered what occurred outside during their 30,000-year captivity.

"I want to confirm, when you were trapped here, was your understanding of the outside world that the gods were at war?"