An hour had passed since passing through the first door, and after riding the elevator down, walking down some stairs and through a passage, Koutarou and the others reached the underground world.
“So this is Kurano-san's hometown...”
Having seen the underground world for the first time, Harumi stared with her eyes wide open. She was seeing a splendid view of a town at night, which at first glance didn't look like it was underground. There, Kiriha smiled and called out to Harumi.
“That's right... this is the largest city the People of the Earth has built up over hundreds of years, the town of Sial”
Her proud smile showed that this city held a special meaning to the People of the Earth.
According to the People of the Earth's legends, their ancestors were chased away from their homes after committing a cardinal sin. At the end of their exodus they reached the area around Kitsushouharukaze city, and established their new hometown. While they held advanced technology, looking back at their sins, they kept away from power. As a result, they limited themselves to a small area.
Supported by their advanced technology and culture, they lived peacefully for a long time. However, as time passed, the civilization of the people living around them advanced, and their territories clashed. When that happened, friction between the two civilizations naturally occurred. Once that friction crossed a certain line, the People of the Earth's ancestors decided to move underground. While it wouldn't be hard for them to suppress the opposition with their advanced technology, their legends and myths claimed that domination and power would lead to ruin. So the majority of them decided to move underground, with only a few leaving behind their technology and remaining on the surface. Thus, the civilization that moved underground became the People of the Earth.
Life after that was far from easy. However, the People of the Earth united to face their problems, and built the splendid town of Sial underground. After hundreds of years of building onto the town, it evolved into a modern city. As a result, the People of the Earth prospered after abandoning conflict. That was why this city was not only the hometown of many, but a symbol of unity.
“But... this side is dark”
The People of the Earth's hometown was built inside of a massive cave, filling it up entirely. As it was current night, there were lights keeping the city bright, and light leaked out from the windows of the various houses, creating a beautiful night view. However, that was limited to the northern side of the city. In the southern side where Koutarou and the others were, it was for some reason almost no lights. That confused Sanae as she looked around.
“This is the old district... with the decrease in population, this side isn't being used”
Kiriha answered Sanae's question, but her expression was lonely.