The Martial Unity

Rui narrowed his eyes. "That's not the only issue. Another issue that presents itself is the fact that the quality and scale of civilization that we see here vastly exceeds that of early human history on the Panama Continent. A thousand years ago or so, humans were still hunter-gatherers at best or nomadic tribes at worst. Thus, the anthropological discontinuity in the sophistication of civilization suggests that the hypothesis is deeply flawed or very incomplete."

"Makes sense…" Kane murmured. "I felt it was off, but that does highlight why it's off."

Rui had to agree that intuitively, he felt like it was incomplete or outright wrong as well.

"What about other hypotheses?" Kane asked, turning to Rui.

"Well, they're just possibilities that try to connect this part of human civilization to known history," Rui remarked. "There are all kinds of possibilities that anyone can conjure up. A forced migration. Independent civilizations inside and outside the Beast Domain. Maybe nigh-extinction events that led to a reset etc. The possibilities are endless as long as you are creative enough. They are not what's significant."

"Well, then, what is significant?" Kane asked, curious.

"The information that we have about the traces of ancient civilization in the Beast Domain that we have much greater confidence in than unsubstantiated hypotheses," Rui replied calmly. He continued, "For example, anthropologists, through data collected by Martial Artists commissioned through the Adventurer's Guild, have made very odd empirical observations of these so-called lost cities."

"Like what?"

lost cities, they managed to gain a better understanding

as if these civilizations did not know

widened with shock.

example, you know how esoteric lighting technology works in our

moonshine

esoteric substance in the crust of the Panama Continent that absorbed ambient light during the day and shined when ambient light around it reduced, serving as natural automated lighting for when the Sun started

that could shine endlessly as

economical and cheap ways of generating light that there was practically no incentive to use anything else as a source of light,

use moonshine rock that can be found literally everywhere in the Panamic Continent," Rui replied. "They used firewood across the entire metropolis despite its massive inconvenience. There is some anthropological evidence that they even had processes for drying wood during monsoons to ensure that they could light

in thought. "Yeah,

reasons, such as particular topographies like deserts, prevented them from having access to moonshine. But, as far as anthropologists can tell, this seems to be universal across lost cities," Rui remarked. "That isn't the only instance. Putting aside rare esoteric phenomena, lost cities did not have any records indicating that they were aware of more common esoteric phenomena that are nigh-universal in our

weird," Kane murmured, immersed

a stark lack of esotericism in their civilization has completely flummoxed anthropologists and historians. It's just reality-defying. This is why no one has understood lost cities. Not even the best of minds that humanity has to offer in regard to these fields, like the Scrier, the Esoterist, and the Ecologer, have been able to whip up

of this was