"Any further questions? No? Well then, let's go!"
The major nodded at the players and turned around to face the ruins in front of him. At this point everyone adopted a serious expression. Although the army reassured them that there was no danger, the players wouldn't completely drop their guard as they followed the major in.
As soon as they came into contact with the void energy, their consoles sprung to life, surrounding them with a faint layer of starlight energy. Timers appeared in front of everyone's eyes. Their vision was quickly filled with violet fog, reduced to a few meters around them.
"Don't forget to keep an eye on the timer. If it runs low, retreat immediately. Don't be greedy!"
The major warned one last time before diving deeper into the void. Below their feet the remains of a street could be seen, now broken and overgrown with weeds. It didn't take long until the first building came into view. It was a comparatively small watchtower.
Suddenly a noise could be heard as if some hydraulics were moving. Everyone froze in place, holding their breaths. They vaguely saw something akin to a spotlight turn on top of the watchtower. But after only a slight movement it fell silent, either due to malfunction or a lack of energy.
"No need to worry. We encountered many ruins where the security systems activate upon entry. But even their emergency energy sources usually don't work anymore after so many years. Usually only some highly secure places still remain functional. Unfortunately, those also hold the highest research value."
The players quietly acknowledged the major's words. Liam stared at the watchtower up ahead, wondering if this was the only security in place. If so, it would signify that the ancient civilization didn't fear the beasts on Falva Star. Whether the beasts were too weak, had been tamed, driven off, or didn't exist at all was not something he could verify.
After the brief shock the players carefully passed the watchtower and entered a small town. The houses on both sides followed a sleek, modern style but they were nothing special. Some parts were made from stone, which had been considerably weakened over time, overgrown with plants and partially turned into rubble. Yet most of the walls were made from metal which survived until today without too much damage.
The group made a perfunctory sweep of the surroundings, confirming that there was no danger before the major allowed the players to split up for faster exploration. Everyone swiftly scattered, starting to search for valuables. Liam picked a random direction. He walked for a short while to gain some distance before deciding on the building closest to him. It was a somewhat more fancy home occupying a large area and completely made from some black metal. It only had a single floor and there was even a broken hover car lying in front of it.
Unfortunately hover cars found in ancient ruins weren't worth much anymore. They were one of the first pieces of technology the United Human Federation discovered in the ancient ruins. Over the years they had gathered so many different novels there was nothing new left to learn. Thus, Liam ignored the hover car and approached the door.
Liam stared at the metallic sliding door in front of him, pondering for a moment. He tried to knock or wave his hand, but the door showed no movement.
As expected… can only use violence…
This was something the army had informed the players about. There was no need to fear any security measures for normal homes like this one. If you couldn't get in, just punch hard enough. Thus, Liam took few steps back and with a thought activated [Holy Sword Trinity]. Three golden swords emitting a sacred and untouchable aura appeared behind his head. They suddenly shot towards the front, crashing heavily into the door. The sturdy metal deformed but it actually held on.
Liam was amazed. This was the door to a normal house, and it withstood such a blow. One had to know that with Liam's equipment his attack strength wouldn't lack behind even strong level 60 players. However, the door was a dead object after all. After two more attacks it broke apart with a bang, opening a gap large enough for one or two people to pass through.
When Liam stepped inside, he scanned his surroundings curiously. What he saw was a nice family home not unlike his own apartment in the gaming house. Unfortunately, void energy had found its way inside, causing a lot of damage. All sorts of textile or leather were corroded. To the right of Liam was a pile of springs and some loosely connected metallic rods. He could only guess that there used to be a comfortable sofa there. Even some metallic objects had taken damage although their condition was comparatively better. For example, the kitchen could still be recognized as such, but it was far from functional the way it looked now.
Curiously Liam searched through the house. He didn't have much hope of finding anything valuable. Family homes like this were countless in the ancient ruins and all the technology which could be unearthed had long been discovered and researched. But perhaps he could find some information about the ancient civilization itself.
However, after such a long time it was difficult for any information to survive outside of those highly secure places which could even defend against void energy. A simple family home didn't have much research value. Thus, Liam only searched for a bit before he moved on.
Liam soon had to realize that this small town mostly consisted of family homes, some offices, and small shops. It was unlikely to contain any groundbreaking discoveries. Yet Liam's opinion changed quickly as he came across a buzzing TV screen hanging in one of the shops. For some reason this shop seemed to be powered by a resilient emergency power generator. Flickering light caused a strange atmosphere as it tried to bypass the lingering void energy. Even one of the fridges was still producing refreshing air even after its contents had long been destroyed.
Liam was intrigued and thoroughly searched through the shop. Soon, he realised why it still had power. There was actually an emergency shelter below the shop! Staring at the thick, almost vault-like door before him Laim couldn't hide his pleasant surprise. Yet the fact that the door was wide open didn't bode that well. After such a long time it was almost impossible to verify what exactly happened but since the power was still working, Liam might be able to find some clues.
Full of curiosity Liam entered the shelter. Although there was an elevator, Laim preferred not to use it for fear of getting stuck. Thus, he took the stairs downwards. A bright light accompanied him. The staircase was made from thick metal without any superficial decorations. It certainly wasn't a place where people were supposed to linger.
After a while Liam reached the bottom of the staircase and stepped through the door in front of him. He entered a wide but short corridor which resembled an air lock. To his right was a thick glass wall showing a reception area. From his experience during the last exploration of a room Liam judged that at this point the doors should close, and a mechanism should erase the void energy. But nothing of the sort happened.
Liam wore a light frown as he continued. He entered a large room which seemed to be a sort of common area spread over two floors. Liam could only make out the debris of some furniture unable to tell what exactly they were. However, as he looked around the room he spotted something at the rear wall which made his eyes light up brightly. There was a screen hanging high on the wall and it was still working!
Liam observed the screen from below. It seemed to shift between various rules and news.
"Rule 12: Open fire is forbidden in shelter B-203 and can be punished with expulsion from the shelter."
Liam drew a sharp breath. One can imagine that in a situation where people had to gather in a shelter, expulsion wouldn't be much different from a death sentence.
However, other than the shelter's name the rules weren't that interesting. Liam was more curious about the news which were shown on the screen. There were only two articles.
The first article spoke about a certain Dr. Merrathi. She was praised as a genius in void research. She worked from a large observatory, which seemed to be at the centre of the town Liam currently explored. Apparently, the doctor made some important discovery but what exactly she discovered wasn't closer described. The article also came with the image of a woman with short brown hair, wearing a white robe which rather resembled a magician's robe than a modern lab coat.
Then there was the second article which spoke about the impending arrival of a man called Duke Demmington who would visit the observatory. There was a reminder in the article telling all citizens to gather and welcome the duke at the day of his arrival. There was even a picture showing a tall blond man in luxurious robes. He had extremely fine features and slightly pointed ears. Around him was a large crowd, all bowing solemnly.