Uchiha Madara and the others left Narube's Sea and headed southwest toward Duyelu.
They could not believe their eyes: Duyelu had become an empty city!
They had never been here before, but this empty city was not some collection of broken walls and ruins. On the contrary, there was something strangely novel about this deserted place.
"Could it be that the people of Duyelu were also taken away as conscripts?" Uchiha Madara said in surprise.
"Most likely. If everyone here vanished in an instant, wouldn't that be impossible to explain?" Captain Thomas said. He was someone who believed in reality—everything had cause and effect. Without a cause, where could there be an effect?
However, Mitchell said, "No, I can sense a different sort of atmosphere. The people here may not have been taken away as conscripts."
Uchiha Madara asked in surprise, "Mitchell, why do you say that?"
Mitchell said, "Look. It seems the people here disappeared all at once. The quilts are still hanging outside, and they're still wet—clearly, they were washed less than a day ago. If you say that everyone in a city this large was conscripted, I simply can't believe it. Besides, conscription usually only takes men, right? Yet even the women are gone here. Isn't that suspicious?"
Uchiha Madara nodded. "Yes, I also find this rather strange. To be safe, the four of us should not stray too far apart. This may be the work of some spirit beast again."
After hearing everyone's discussion, Yerudu, the White-Haired Witch, clenched her fists worriedly. "They... they won't be in danger, will they?"
Uchiha Madara shook his head. "If something had happened, they might have left some kind of warning behind. At the very least, there should be bloodstains or something. But they left absolutely nothing behind. A city