From the dune before the ancient city, they could now see that this side alone was at least seven or eight kilometers long. By that estimate, the city was nearly comparable to Baderia in size. However, the walls were covered in traces of war. It seemed that, situated on the outermost edge of the entire city-state system, this city had endured a great many battles. The buildings within looked equally decayed and desolate. Though most were still more or less intact, they were indeed somewhat different from how they had appeared from above.
Even so, it was a miracle that the city had remained in its original state after more than four hundred years. Looking through one of the ancient city's gates, they saw an incomparably towering structure at the end of the straight road, right at the city's center.
This structure was completely different from the surrounding buildings. It stood three or four kilometers away from where they were, yet its inexplicable majesty still made it feel utterly distinct from everything around it. A plaza encircled it, broad and spacious. One could imagine that, when this city had still been prosperous, a great many people must have gathered there. Now, the building stood alone in the empty square. Beyond several dozen meters of steps was a gate over twenty meters wide. Yet it had long since been ruined. One door had vanished without a trace, while the other barely hung from half a hinge, looking as though it would not last much longer. The enormous entrance gaped open like a hollow mouth, as if welcoming Li and the others' arrival.
In fact, even after they entered the city, many trees still stood along both sides of the roads. They were exceptionally tall, each one thick enough that at least