Chapter 1450: The Sovereign of Death - Part 3

The small village had nothing to show. A few oversized cabinets, giants walking in and out, and cattle that looked nothing like each other. Some cows had horns, while others had multiple heads.

"Is it your first time seeing a cow?" a giant approached Arthur who was standing by the fence. "I guess not everyone is as fortunate as we are. We got three cows from a nobleman in the nearby town."

"Why do they all look different from each other?"

"The first cattle to appear in our world didn’t exactly belong to it. Some interdimensional adventurer brought them with him. Over the years, different species of the same cattle found themselves populating the valley."

"Do you have a lot of these adventurers?" Arthur asked. "One who would cross between worlds."

"We used to, but not anymore. The... rulers began killing them because they were stealing the resources from the realm."

Arthur noticed that everyone would avoid mentioning the Death Sovereign as much as they could. The giant followed after the others, and Arthur picked up the corpses and dropped them at an inn where the giants sold them.

The small village barely had any buildings, but they were all oversized compared to Arthur. He marveled at the giant doors, windows, and even chairs that he had to jump to sit on. The food was the same.

A giant drumstick covered in a red sauce and butter found its way into Arthur’s plate. The rest devoured them in an instant, but Arthur could barely make a dent even after eating his fill.

He noticed that the flavors in this realm were weaker compared to his. Arthur was already suffering a terrible case of losing his senses and emotions, so that was further amplified.

"I heard the inn owner talking about needing extra hands at the stables," one of the giants said to Arthur. "You might be small, but I can vouch for your strength."

"It’s kind of you to suggest that," Arthur said. "But I plan on going ahead and finding the nearest town, and then possibly the giant black palace atop the hill."

"You want to visit the Palace of Death?" one of the women hissed at him. "You are either a fool or a madman."

"I can be both. I believe that the Sovereign would make use of my skills," Arthur said with a smile. "I want to join his army," he lied.

"You want to become an undead?" a man asked and then sighed. "The promise of immortality can be tempting, but it’s nothing if you lose what makes you a human — free will and a belly for food."

"Can anyone become an undead if they desire it?" Arthur asked with interest.

"Many do," the giant said. "Hunting inside the realm is becoming more difficult. We barely have enough to feed ourselves. That’s why many of those who have no ability to procure food for themselves believe that a life of no hunger, no death, and no sickness is more ideal."

"The undead I saw could barely function. Why would anyone desire it?"

"When you contribute in the army, you get the chance to evolve further. You have seen the lowest ranking of undead. The generals of the army are true immortals who command death with a wave of their hands."

"I understand," Arthur said, realizing that finding the ruler of this place wouldn’t be as easy as he thought. "I still wish to try my luck. Maybe my strength can help me find a spot in his army without needing to turn into an undead."

Arthur’s words earned a few disapproving head-shakes from the crowd, but they didn’t try to stop him. The man told him that if he followed the main road, he would get to the nearest town in a few hours.

Instead of spending more time in the village, Arthur bolted toward the nearest town. His speed allowed him to reach it in an hour. It was a lot bigger than the village, with high walls and a few solid masonries.

Guards patrolled the town, but they didn’t say anything to Arthur who walked among the crowd. It seemed they were more concerned about monsters than humans here.

The town was filled with giants, but there were a few who were Arthur’s height but more robust. Arthur was still walking around the town, looking at the haggling customers and the bustling life, when someone passed him.

Spiritual energy.

Arthur looked back and saw a man walking through the crowd, his height, without the overgrown muscles that seemed to belong to dwarves. The man’s spiritual energy was a tier higher than the others, and Arthur had a feeling that he didn’t fit.

He followed the man into an alley.

The man was waiting for him inside.

"Why are you following me?" the man asked. He was young and wore silver chainmail armor. His hand rested on the sword, but he was more curious than hostile.

"I have a feeling that you aren’t from this place," Arthur said.

The man squinted his eyes and looked at Arthur.

"I can say the same about you," the man said.

"I guess that makes us outsiders to this realm," Arthur said with a smile. "Are you also a challenger of the Sovereign Path?"

The man looked surprised.

"You are too?"

"I am."

"That’s odd," the man said. "I spent a year in this place and it’s the first time that I meet another challenger. What brings you here?"

"The path itself," Arthur said. "You are not here for the challenge?"

The man chuckled. "It makes sense now."

"Enlighten me."

"I didn’t come here while climbing the path," the man said. "I came down from my world to visit."

"Came down?" Arthur was surprised. "I guess that’s also possible."

Arthur remembered Alaric, the pirate historian that he met while traveling with Diana. He told Arthur about the higher worlds, connected to his by the Sovereign Path. Alaric was a user of a higher world who came down to Earth and followed its major events.

"If your starting world is this, then I’m guessing you are new to the Path," the knight said. "I can help you with the basics if you would like."

"Excuse my suspicion, but I don’t think people are usually this helpful," Arthur said while squinting his eyes. "I don’t even know you."

"I’m a knight," the man said with a grin. "You can call me the Knight of Loyalty."

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