Unless the chief possessed a pletely different perception, there was little reason to expect hostility.
"Perhaps I really am considered some form of royalty here."
The thought was absurd. Yet the evidence continued supporting it.
Michael's gaze swept across the settlement once more. Near the central building, he noticed a large stone platform covered in faint blue flames.
Several skeletons continuously carried black crystals toward it before dropping them into a pit at its centre. The crystals melted almost immediately, releasing dense waves of energy that spread across the settlement.
Michael's eyes sharpened.
"Resources."
That was the true reason he had e here. The settlement might be weak, but weak did not mean useless. Even low-level undead required materials to survive, strengthen themselves, repair their bodies, and evolve.
Whatever resources they possessed might not be enough for the Demigod ritual, but they could provide Michael with clues. Perhaps they traded with stronger settlements, or perhaps they served a larger skeletal kingdom. Perhaps they even knew where richer regions could be found.
In any case, this small settlement could bee his first foothold in the Netherworld.
Michael slowly lowered his hand. The guards and patrols immediately became attentive.
"Continue."
The guard captain's soul flame flared. It turned toward the settlement and raised its crooked sword. The entire escort resumed moving.
As they emerged from the dead forest and entered the open land, the skeletons standing on the settlement walls quickly noticed them. Several blue soul flames flickered.
Then the watchers spotted Michael walking at the centre of the procession. For a moment, the entire wall became silent.
Michael sensed countless gazes locking onto him. Then, clang, a weapon fell from one of the watchtowers.
The skeleton that had dropped it suddenly collapsed to its knees. Another followed. Then another.
Within seconds, every skeleton upon the wall had bowed toward him.
Michael watched the sight with narrowed eyes.
"As expected."
However, before he could take another step, a powerful soul fluctuation erupted from the large structure at the centre of the settlement. It was considerably stronger than anything he had sensed so far.
The doors of the central building slammed open. A towering figure emerged.
Michael's gaze immediately focused on it.
"So that's the chief."
The chief was an imposing sight. It stood nearly three metres tall, towering over every other skeleton in the settlement.
Its bones were not the dull yellow-white of the patrols or guards but a deep metallic grey, with thin violet lines running across them like veins.
A long mantle made from stitched strips of black hide hung from its shoulders. Across its ribs rested several pieces of dark armour shaped far more carefully than the crooked equipment worn by the guards.
Although the armour remained crude by Michael's standards, it was clearly the finest craftsmanship this settlement possessed.
In its right hand was a long staff. Or perhaps calling it a staff was inaccurate.
The lower half resembled a heavy metal spear, ending in a sharp black point, while the upper portion split into several crooked branches that surrounded a fist-sized purple crystal.
Faint mist flowed within the crystal.
"A hybrid weapon?"
Michael studied it carefully. It appeared capable of functioning as both a staff and a close-bat weapon.
That alone suggested the chief was not merely a physical warrior. Perhaps it possessed some form of magical ability as well.
The towering skeleton stepped out of the central building and stopped at the top of a broad staircase overlooking the settlement. Its violet soul fire burned steadily within its hollow eye sockets.
Michael waited. Based on everything he had experienced so far, he expected the chief to kneel like the others.
However, it did not.
Instead, the skeleton tightened its grip around the strange staff and stared directly at him. The soul flame within its skull flickered once. Then a clear voice spread through the settlement.
"Outsider."
Michael's expression changed. The voice was low but distinctly feminine.
"What business do you have here?"
"…"
For the first time since entering the Netherworld, Michael was genuinely caught off guard. It spoke. More importantly, it spoke in the Universal mon Tongue.
Michael's eyes narrowed slightly as he examined the towering skeleton more carefully. The fact that it possessed no flesh or vocal cords did not matter much.
There were countless methods through which powerful or intelligent undead could produce sound, whether it was creating vibrations through magic or transmitting its thoughts directly into the minds of others.
There were too many possible explanations for Michael to determine the exact method immediately.
What mattered was how did it know he was an outsider? Except for his appearance, even his living aura was almost entirely concealed.
Was it because of my appearance? If so, it seems flesh-like zombies like my undead aren't mon here.
"Interesting."
Michael's thoughts moved quickly. Was the skeleton similar to Li Yang?
Li Yang had been an outsider Michael summoned from the Netherworld roughly a year ago. He had not originated from this realm but had somehow bee trapped within it after death. Perhaps this chief had experienced something similar. Maybe she had once lived in another world before dying and awakening here as an undead.
If so, her memories could be extremely valuable. She might know the surrounding territories, and perhaps she even knew the location of stronger undead settlements or valuable dark-element resources.
A faint trace of excitement surfaced within Michael's eyes.
From this distance, Michael could already sense the strength of her soul fire. She had not entered Rank Three. However, she was extremely close.
Peak Rank Two. Perhaps only a single opportunity separated her from advancement.
More importantly, the stability of her soul flame far surpassed that of every other skeleton in the settlement. Her intelligence was clearly no weaker than that of an ordinary person. Possibly even higher.
That alone made her far more useful than the nearly mindless patrols and barely articulate guards.
Michael stopped several dozen metres from the settlement gate. The skeletons surrounding him remained bowed, creating an unusual contrast between the chief's caution and everyone else's reverence.
His gaze moved briefly across the walls. Every skeleton continued kneeling. Even the guards who had escorted him had lowered their heads.
Only the chief remained standing.
Michael looked back at her.
"You recognised me as an outsider."
It was not a question.
The violet flames within the chief's skull narrowed slightly.
"Yes."
Her voice remained cautious.
"What do you want? If you have no business here, please leave."
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