The Veritas Clan.
It didn't exist somewhere one would expect a great clan's estate to be. It wasn't directly in the center of the Eastern Region, nor was it somewhere on the edges as if putting the entire region in its shadow.
Instead, the Veritas Principality, which was essentially just a clan estate that was too big to be called as such, was around 50 billion kilometers south of the central area of the Eastern Region.
It wasn't a location that had much significance at first glance, but if one was able to peer into the truth of the world, one would soon come to understand the decision to build the heart of the cardinal region here.
This specific location was where the fate lines converged. It was where all things were birthed and where they'd return upon death. It was a location close to Samsara, yet one that absolutely denied the concept.
Veritas, a word that meant "Truth" in a language long forgotten, at least in most people's perception.
But just as much as it meant truth, it held another meaning.
"Reality."
The Veritas Clan was one that existed to protect reality as it stood. They would not allow it to be shattered by others' machinations, and they would not allow its law to be broken regardless of the consequences.
They existed within reality and melded with it. Rather than normal practitioners who sought to leave its bounds, they wanted to strengthen those bounds and become its embodiment.
It was a strange way of thinking, one Damien couldn't understand, but he respected it.
After all, in the end, they were a just influence.
In the four years he'd spent working for them, he learned a lot about how they operated and why they were able to maintain the position of a great clan for tens or even hundreds of millions of years.
The generations changed, the beliefs of those living changed, and the world changed through innovation and conflict, but their core ideologies always remained constant.
They helped the common people and made sure they could live stably. Those influences under them who were loyal and just were given benefits that made it impossible for them to even think about turning traitors. The quality of life was amazing, to the point where, if someone tried to overthrow the Veritas Clan, the entire Eastern Region would rise up to make sure they never succeeded.
Was there a way to not respect a clan who'd created relationships like those?
When Damien arrived at the Veritas Principality, he was instantly greeted by a wall so high even he couldn't see where it ended.
This wall had gates every hundred million miles or so to facilitate entry and exit into the region. Several guards, both Demigods and lower existences, guarded every inch of it day in and day out, making it an impenetrable fortress.
Damien was granted entry relatively easily since his reputation was known and news of his arrival was sent to the gates beforehand.
Once he was in the principality, he headed to the location Sebastian told him about without wasting any time.
'The Veritas Clan's main estate should be in the middle of this place. I thought that's where I'd be going, but I guess I was wrong.'
He'd been in the Heavenly World for a few years now, and while he was still relatively naive about the cardinal regions beyond the eastern side of the world, he was more than just knowledgeable about the Eastern Region itself.
He had become a key player in their operations, someone with enough importance to know secrets the Veritas Clan would never tell outsiders.
With Yulia's backing and friendship as well, he was practically a member of their clan already.
But even he couldn't gain access to the main estate.
'I heard the Veritas Clan keeps a record of all the knowledge in the world there. It's a physical representation of reality itself, an almost impossible concept that exists somehow.'
The Sapientia Clan focused on information and wisdom, but they couldn't even come close to what the Veritas Clan was hiding.
'Even regular members of the clan can't enter there. Unless it's the patriarch, the grand elders, or someone who has received unanimous permission from the council, that ground is off-limits.'
The main lineage of the Veritas Clan wasn't an exception to this rule. Fairness beyond all else. This was how the Veritas Clan rose to their grand position from the start.
'Though, Yulia doesn't seem to have a problem going there. Well, everyone else has a problem with it, but she does it anyway.'
Yulia Veritas was an outlier that nobody could control. Her true strength, her motives, and everything else about her were too hidden for people to make guesses.
But her loyalty to Veritas was absolute, so while people raised a fuss about her actions, nobody actually tried to stop her.
'What a nice position.'
It was basically where Damien wanted to be in the future. She was someone with the same standing as the Patriarch without any of the responsibilities. She was a free spirit to the core.
Damien wondered what the same position in Void Palace would look like as he reached the destination in question.
He was the first one there, but eventually, people arrived to join him.
It was three at first. A man with a bushy beard and a barbarian-like appearance, a woman who was the complete opposite of him, elegant and graceful, and another man who was dressed like a scholar from ancient times.
They approached Damien with the barbarian at the head and introduced themselves.
"You're Damien Grey, right?" The barbarian said.
"I've heard too much about ya to not say hi! You can call me Harutos. I don't really care about status or anything like that, but for the sake of introductions, I'm the Sixth Elder of the Veritas Clan."
Damien shook the grinning barbarian's hand with a cordial smile and returned his greeting.
In quick succession, the other two introduced themselves too.
The woman was named Regalia Veritas, and the scholarly man was called Telarius Veritas. They were the Seventh and Eighth Elders respectively, and along with him, they were in charge of protecting the geniuses of the clan.
"They sent four of us, but there's supposed to be six geniuses going to this secret realm. I guess the Grand Elders will be coming too?" Regalia wondered aloud.
The Veritas Clan had 24 Elders and 8 Grand Elders. While the Elders were all high-rank Demigods with great power, the Grand Elders were True Gods beyond imagination.
For them to be acting…
"The Young Master and Young Lady are participating in this expedition."
Telarius spoke to confirm Damien's thoughts.
Protection targets that Demigods didn't have the power to protect properly. They would be joining this expedition.
'Grand Elders, huh…'
If True Gods were participating as mere protectors…
'...this secret realm will probably be much more interesting than expected.'
And by interesting, naturally, he meant dangerous.
As he glanced into the sky and watched the spirit ship that held those illustrious characters approach, he contained his thoughts.
'A nagging feeling.'
It filled his heart.
And it only grew more prominent as the spirit ship approached.
He knew what his intuition was telling him, and he refused to ignore it.
'I might have to use it this time.'
He frowned, and stepped forward with the other three elders.
'Haa, and I thought I could hide for a little longer.'
