The city was built on the edge of the valley that looked like a basin encompassing all life within it. The road leading toward the city was filled with undead monsters that seemed to patrol the area rather than seek to harm anyone.

Arthur and his companion reached the city gates in a few hours, right as the sunlight was being replaced by darkness. The guard blocking their path was filled with stitches, had unhealthy pale skin, and only grunted at them.

As Loyalty was paying some kind of fee for entering the city, Arthur looked at the countless undead that seemed to coexist with the giant humans, the dwarves, and the other races that Arthur didn’t recognize.

"Most people here are wanderers who came into this realm by chance," Loyalty said after they were allowed through the gates. "You’ll see all kinds of races mixed together. You can consider this an astral refugee camp."

"And the Sovereign of Death is fine with it?"

"Careful with that name," Loyalty warned as they walked the streets. "Instead of turning away all those who wander into this realm, the rulers have chosen to employ them."

"Employ them to do what? I barely saw any agriculture on the way here," Arthur said with a frown. "And there were barely any monsters."

"Peaceful, right?" Loyalty said with a grin. "The rulers open astral dungeons every now and then to feed the realm. The mana and spiritual energy harvested from the monsters of those dungeons keep this realm alive."

"I understand now," Arthur said. "It’s like building an astral guild."

"Communities are a little more complex than that. It’s hard to lead a group of astral travelers and let them fight for your realm, so the Undead Army exists as well — protecting the citizens, controlling the awakeners, and harnessing the universe."

Arthur didn’t answer anything, because he could suddenly feel a pair of eyes lock in on them. He looked around, but found everyone to be busy with their own thing — closing their shops, setting up stalls, or heading toward the bars.

"Someone is watching us."

"Really?" Loyalty asked, unimpressed. "I would assume it’s the ruler in the palace ahead. Let’s find shelter for the night, and seek audience with them in the morning."

"Why waste the time? We can do it now."

"Just in case things are about to turn south, you wouldn’t want to face the undead during the night. They are their strongest then," Loyalty said. "We wait until dawn breaks, and then we go to the palace."

Arthur had to agree, although he didn’t feel like anyone could threaten him inside this realm. However, it was better to avoid being too confident, so he followed after the knight who rented them a room.

The room was clean, tidy, and had enough furniture for the two to rest. Arthur even noticed some fruits on the table, although he didn’t recognize any of them.

After a quick dinner at the inn, Arthur and the knight returned to their rooms. Loyalty then excused himself and told Arthur that he needed to scout the area and possibly secure an escape route for them out of the city.

Arthur offered to assist.

"You should take this time to recalibrate your body," Loyalty advised. "I can tell that it hasn’t been long since you came to this world. You are either too gentle or too rough with the world around you."

"I guess you’re right," Arthur said. "Any quick tips as a seasoned world-traveler?"

"I tried many ways and artifacts, but I just realized that the best way is to learn the world around you," Loyalty said. "Do just that," he said with a grin before he left the room.

Arthur looked around, and then found himself a spot to sit on the ground. The room had enough items for him to experiment on. The first ones were the silverware.

"Let’s see how easy it is for me to bend them," Arthur said, knowing full well this was hardly a proper test. He picked the knife and snapped it in half without feeling any resistance.

It didn’t bend.

It broke.

"That’s hardly good feedback," Arthur said with a sigh. "Forget it. I have something else I want to try."

Arthur sat cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes. He could feel the pair of eyes on his back. It had been bothering him ever since he walked into the city.

He decided to stare back.

Arthur allowed his spiritual energy, which he had been holding back, to seep out and integrate itself into the surroundings. It drenched the hardwood floor, the velvet couch, and even the fresh fruits on the table.

His spiritual energy allowed him to become in tune with the world around him, and even more, allowed him to see who was intruding with their own spiritual energies.

Arthur could see a pair of blue eyes staring at him. The two looked at each other, and then the pair of eyes had a face — a pale woman in her twenties with an elaborate hairstyle and a necklace around her neck.

"A pleasure to meet you," Arthur said as he opened his eyes. In front of him was a figure, ethereal and transparent, of the woman that had been following him this entire time. Her blue eyes stared at him with curiosity.

"How did you find me?" she asked him, with a smile playing on her lips. "I thought I hid myself well enough."

"I can say you did," Arthur said as he rose from the ground. "I could only feel someone watching me, but it required me to use my spiritual energy to see you here."

"You flatter me," the woman said, still smiling.

"How about you return the favor and tell me who you are?"

"I believe that you already know who I am, but you just haven’t made the connection yet," the woman said. "I heard you mention me more than once."

"...you are the Sovereign of Death," Arthur said with sudden realization, and then a frown. "I didn’t expect..."

"A woman?"

"A ghost."