As agreed upon previously, Tatsumi went to the hotel lobby to meet the others. At the time when the violet sun had risen slightly above the horizon, the group gathered.

Tatsumi could see the group had gathered there and looked like he was the last to arrive.

“Ah, there you are. Did something come up?” Long Wu was the first one to greet him.

“Just overslept a bit. Sorry for waiting for me.” Tatsumi replied and apologized for his late arrival.

“No, you are on time actually. I see that Master Hecates is on his way. Look!” Ame said while pointing to the front entrance of the hotel.

Tatsumi shifted his sight and found out that what Ame said was correct. He could see the burly figure with a white robe coming to them.

‘It is a good thing that I quickly dressed up and washed my face. Otherwise, I am going to be late.’ Tatsumi thought to himself. Because of the new experience in his Memory Assimilation, he was a bit excited and almost forgot that there was an agreed-upon meeting.

Hecates then caught sight of them and went in their direction.

“All of you are here already.” He said while examining each one of their figure, trying to examine something, but then he retracted his focused gaze and smiled at them.

“You don’t need to check on our physical condition, Sir. We are fine as it is.” Yamaguchi returned the polite smile and said calmly.

“I know that. But it is not wrong to check occasionally, right? Today is the day after all.” Hecates said while giving a justification for his action.

“True that. Let us go to the first destination.” Hecates then led the group outside the hotel, to the kingdom palace directly by using a bus that specifically went there.

Tatsumi was looking at the appearance of the palace and felt the slight dizziness and nausea coming. He furrowed his brow as he was met with a familiar feeling.

‘Undead element. The concentration is low, but it is there. Did we go directly to the Undead Secret Realm?’ Tatsumi thought as the bus was permitted to enter the palace from the front gate.

Even the guards at the gate wore protective suits that were designed to keep the undead element away from the body.

The moment the group came out from the bus was the moment they were in the front of a certain room.

“Let me explain.” Hecates started the explanation of the room. “This room is the changing room. Part of the palace and also the most important room. You can find the protective suits and masks there to protect you from the effects of the undead element.

“Additionally, the palace became the direct building where they managed the Undead Secret Realm. The palace is responsible for granting entry to anyone who comes here.” Hecates explained a bit about the palace and the changing function of the palace.

Before the emergence of the Undead Secret Realm, the palace was like the others, a center of politics and power but that changed since the entrance to the Undead Secret Realm appeared.

A low amount of undead element leaked out from the entrance, so minuscule it could be ignored. But some scientists insisted that this was still dangerous so they had to evacuate the entire palace.

The entrance to the Undead Secret Realm was at the deepest part of the palace and since its appearance, the palace itself became a forbidden ground for ordinary citizens.

That was why the palace became the building where scientists were conducting their experiments related to the undead element.

Tatsumi tried to wear the protective suit as he listened to the explanation from Hecates. The outer texture was soft, the skin slid on it but it was also firm. The inside was actually quite comfortable as Tatsumi could feel it through the skin on his arm.

Then he also checked the mask. It was made so that the air outside could be filtered inside the protective suits. He also noticed that the filter was made of various fibers from various plants with characteristics that could convert the undead element to breathable air.

Other than that, he also noticed that the room was large enough for dozens of people to gather, but it now felt a bit narrow.

It was due to the people present. Tatsumi understood that today was a special occasion where an important event was going to happen.

Clearly, the people involved were prepared for it as he could see that the people who changed into the protective suits were actually people with wisdom, and Tatsumi could discern that.

From their discussion, this was clearly arranged by the Thebes Independent Kingdom.

Tatsumi finished wearing the protective suit and felt that the suit limited his movement. Inside, he felt that the body temperature was regulated by the materials inside the suit.

‘Clearly, the suit has gone through several makeovers and modifications to make it more formidable and comfortable. It is also more secure…’ Tatsumi objectively pointed out the suit’s advantages and disadvantages.

‘Although, my movement is clearly limited and cannot undergo stressful movement. Other than that I have to be careful not to damage the suit to the point of creating a gap where the undead element can enter.’

After that, Tatsumi went back outside where he could see people wearing suits. The problem was that almost all of them were wearing the same suit, so he had difficulty seeing which one was who.

But fortunately for him, he saw Hecates was speaking to a group of people wearing the suits so he joined them.

Tatsumi realized that other than the filter, the mask also had a sound amplifier that could increase the volume of the voice spoken.

“This is the same group, right?” Tatsumi asked to make sure that he did not get the wrong group.

“Hahaha, looks like you are also having difficulties discerning which person is who. Don’t worry and see the face to confirm it yourself.” Hecates said with a smile.

Tatsumi could only see Long Wu without the suit returning from walking around outside the room.

He was filled with a slight resentment because only at this time that Long Wu returned. If he had come a bit earlier, Tatsumi could definitely find the right group without asking.

Other than that, he saw the familiar faces in front of everyone in the group. The lower part of the face was covered by the mask, but the upper part of it was only covered by a layer of transparent material through which you could see the face.

“Tatsumi sure took his time wearing the suit. Are you seeing the people who just came in?” Ame was the one who initiated the conversation.

“I mean, they are here for a reason, too. I'm just wondering whether I should speak to them. But it looks like they have their own group.” Tatsumi replied and answered based on what he had seen and concluded so far.

“Since all of us are here, what is the next step?” Yamaguchi interjected and said what everyone wanted to know.

“We are going to gather with the other group first before entering the Undead Secret Realm.” Hecates said firmly.

It looked like that was an important agenda which had to be done no matter what so the group complied and nodded their head.

Tatsumi could feel that the effect of the undead element was nonexistent as long as he wore the suit. He did not even feel the dizziness, nausea and discomfort when he wore the suit.

‘The room where we changed is definitely protected by some materials that reject undead element.’ Tatsumi took notice of this fact and wondered if the entrance of the room was made with similar materials.

He wondered whether this could be applied on a large scale. But seeing that the entire palace was enveloped by a low concentration of undead element, he doubted that.

As the group walked to the large clearing inside the palace, Tatsumi thought about the room for a while.

Then when he realized that there was a large congregation of people, Tatsumi knew that this was the place where they had to gather.

Hecates was leading the group and upon entering the clearing, he led them to the one on the leftmost where they were visible to the others.

Tatsumi realized that they stood solely based on the group that came and they did not join with others. He furrowed his brow as he did not understand why their group was singled out.

Other than that, Tatsumi also saw several people without protective suits standing at the podium in front of him.

From what he realized, they were definitely transcendent, whose energy source was the undead element. That was why they did not mind the exposure of the undead element to their body.

‘In fact, they probably feel that they are suffocating due to the lack of undead element.’ Tatsumi thought.

He could see that Hecates was nodding at the figures on the high podium.

Tatsumi then felt something poking at his back. As far as he remembered, the one behind him was actually…

“Hey, are you alright? You seemed to be quiet almost the entire way here.”

Tatsumi realized that he was thinking so much about the Undead Secret Realm that he barely noticed that he had gone silent almost the entire way.

“I am just thinking about the Undead Secret Realm. I wonder what kind of scene will greet us there, that’s all.” Tatsumi replied perfunctorily.

He did not care that Ame asked him a question. All he cared about was the scene he had experienced through Memory Assimilation.

He wondered whether that was also what he would see later. After all, personal experience and others’ experience were different.

As he was drowned in thought, the gathering was finally able to hear the people who were going to lead them say a few important notes to do while entering the Undead Secret Realm.

“As you all know, the concentration of the undead element in that place is high. For ordinary people, they have to wear protective suits at all times to prevent being affected by the undead element. Furthermore, you have to not disturb anyone there. They dislike it.

Only after we enter the Necropolis and reach its center can we finally begin. All right, that is all from me. Follow the protocol and procedures so that your safety is guaranteed. Remember, the most left group is the most important in this operation. Please take care of them.”

The one on the podium said with a serious tone, and the rest of the people were taken aback. They then turned to look at the smallest group on the far left and noticed that from their height, they should be someone who had just reached the verge of adulthood.

No, they noticed that the group was a mix of young people and middle-aged people. Because some of them caught a glimpse of the face, they saw that it was the case.

But all of them could not question the decision from the leader of all of them since it was probably related to some unspeakable secret. They knew better not to ask certain thing and just did what they could do.

Tatsumi looked around and saw that the others did not raise any objection whatsoever. He heaved a sigh of relief as that meant that the matter could proceed smoothly.

After all, he came here due to a certain being’s request. Tatsumi also wanted to check things for himself and with the help of the Mikazuki family, he could do that with so much ease he wondered if this was some kind of blessing in its own.

Putting that thought aside, now his group became the center of attention as well as becoming the literal center of the congregation that went to the Undead Secret Realm.

They walked through the corridor of the palace, which was a bit dilapidated. Air of decay and rot manifested and caused some furniture to be damaged that could be seen to the current day.

Then, after going down the stairs several times, they arrived at the deepest part of the palace, where there was a black vortex spinning clockwise. The black vortex was emitting high concentration of undead element.

Fortunately, the ordinary people wore the protective suits or the transcendent that used undead element as their source so they were not harmed.

Tatsumi caught that with his eyes and he could not help but be amazed by the sight. After all, according to the consciousness in the Afterlife, the Undead Secret Realm was designated and created by the Father God himself.

“So that is the entrance of the Undead Secret Realm.” Ame spoke her mind as if her sight was captivated by the vortex.

“Here is a question for you, Ame. Where do you think the Undead Secret Realm is located?” Tatsumi wanted to see how knowledgeable Ame was, so he asked her that question.

He also said it out loud so others could hear him. Those who heard him turned their heads to look at him, wondering what kind of answer he had to question others like that.

“Oh? Hmm…I only know that the Undead Secret Realm is on the Cerulean Planet but not its exact location. Hey, Tatsumi. Do you perhaps know the answer?” Ame now was a tiny bit curious about what Tatsumi know, so she threw the ball back at Tatsumi.

“I think everyone knows that the Undead Secret Realm is located on our planet. But what they do not expect is that the Undead Secret Realm is located at the core of our planet to ensure that they receive and process the embryonic form of the undead element. That is why it is likely to be the case. Otherwise, placing it in any other way will reduce its capability.” Tatsumi explained in a way that everyone could understand, as well as explaining the reason why it was so.

“So that is where the Undead Secret Realm. I think this information is not easy to come by, right?” Ame added.

Tatsumi was surprised to hear that but he understood why she did it.

“Yes. This is something that came out after tireless research and observation. But I am willing to share this information with whoever hears it. Consider it as me giving it for free.” Tatsumi declared.

This time it was Ame’s turn to be silent. To be honest, even she did not expect Tatsumi to give such precious information for free.

‘Wait, does that mean that he wanted to just share it with everyone who heard it? Or is there something deeper?’ Ame thought.

‘Well, something free is the most expensive. But this time I am really giving it without much thought so consider it as charity to these people, then.’ Tatsumi commented in his mind.

‘My years of research and hard work have been embellished by you. But seeing the expression of those who heard your statement, I think they feel like they owe you and want to repay you. Boy, you are really something.’ Kudungga commented.

‘I mean what I say, actually. And I am sorry to use years of your effort to utter it so simply.’ Tatsumi also did not forget to apologize properly to the one who had helped him all this time.

In fact, those things that Tatsumi said was the result of Kudungga’s years of observation. It was perfected after Kudungga went to the Library of Consciousness but it was still his work.

Tatsumi knew this and did not take the credit as his own.

Then he saw the vanguard of the congregation enter the black vortex. The moment the body covered with the protective suit made contact with the vortex, the people flashed before them, and then they disappeared without a trace.

‘This is one wonder of the Undead Secret Realm.’ Tatsumi saw what had happened and thought to himself. The flash of light was an indication that something passed through to and from the Undead Secret Realm.

Then the congregation became smaller because some of them had entered the Undead Secret Realm. But Tatsumi was perceiving something about the working of the black vortex and gained something.

‘One thing for sure is that the space of the two places is already connected. How about I incorporate it into some of my moves…what happens if I do that?’

Then finally it was Tatsumi’s turn to walk toward the black vortex. Seeing it up close, Tatsumi could even see the manifested form of the undead element because of the distance. Black mist swirled around the vortex, turning its color to be black!

In other words, the black of the vortex was the accumulated undead element that spewed outside the Undead Secret Realm.

Tatsumi did not linger and took a step forward. Then he felt something he had never experienced in his entire life.

His head felt like spinning dozens of times before suddenly stopping, while simultaneously felt his mind and body desynchronized. He felt that greatly since he wanted to move his legs, but it was his hand that actually moved.

He could see yellow sparks in his field of vision before he fell to the ground, kneeling. Gasping for breath, Tatsumi looked around and saw that there were others who were in similar condition.

But he also noticed that the sky of the Undead Secret Realm was dark, darker than night. He could also see several dirt mountains in the distance emitting black mist.

“Are you alright?” Long Wu was the one who tapped his shoulder. Tatsumi knew that Long Wu was not affected by the change of environment, so he quickly got up.

“I am fine. Just a bit dizzy. How is the rest of our group?” Tatsumi asked while turning around.

He found out that the rest of the group did not fare well. They also knelt and gasped for breath.