NOVPUBThe next day.
The vicinity of the abandoned factory had been crawling with police for a while now.
Martin, inside his rental home, welcomed a special visitor.
"So, you’re saying you saw it at that time?" The detective asked while taking notes.
Sitting calmly on the sofa, Martin replied, "I was just passing by on my bicycle, but at the time you’re referring to, I had long since been past that area. I didn’t see any flashes of lightning or anything of the sort."
"Mhm," the detective nodded.
"Officer, may I know what exactly happened there? I passed by today and it was all cordoned off," Martin asked, feigning a touch of curiosity.
The detective looked up at him, his expression unchanging, and simply stated, "Murder."
Glancing down at his papers, the detective suddenly inquired, "Why haven’t you been delivering takeout these past two days, and instead just riding your bicycle around aimlessly?"
A chill went through Martin’s heart.
That area, though remote, was populated with a fair number of factories and wasn’t exactly sparse in personnel; it was a prime target.
Only after filtering through these individuals would they turn to the second category of suspects – those who passed by around the time of the incident.
Methods included but were not limited to checking road surveillance and bike-sharing company data.
To have completed so much in such a short time, this terrifying efficiency was unlikely the work of a hastily formed investigative team.
Therefore, the other party must be a well-established group.
And so, it was highly likely that the Solantia officials had already encountered the monster before.
While his mind raced, Martin managed to look surprised, "You know about that? I’m actually planning to move."
After a series of questions, the inquiry concluded.
Seeing off the detective, Martin knew that the real investigation was still ongoing in the shadows.
It wasn’t personal; anyone who had passed by was likely receiving the same "treatment."
His plans to recruit more people would have to wait.
Which was just as well.
He could use this time to make some edits to the headquarters of the organization.
Lying in bed back in his bedroom, Martin thought to himself, "System, I want to modify and preview the organization’s headquarters."
Having possessed the system for several days now, he had become more familiar with its functions.
For instance, at first, he would speak out loud to communicate with the system, but later realized that he only needed to think the commands silently.
As his thoughts took shape, an interface appeared in Martin’s mind.
If one were to draw an analogy, it resembled the interface used in game engines to design game environments.
To the left was a real-time preview, and to the right, a plethora of materials—plants, rocks, buildings—all available for use.
Moreover, the system conveyed that he could easily adjust the original materials.
Truth be told, this ignited a certain creative spark within Martin.
It felt akin to playing some sort of creative game.
Regrettably, this was only the most rudimentary secret realm, capable of mere material edits. 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
In more advanced secret realms, he could manipulate parameters like gravity and light, or even add special areas.
For example, a cavern with perpetually flowing lava, setting temperatures exceedingly high and designating it to emit intensely hot spirit power.
Or an island suspended mid-air, where night never falls.
Martin’s imagination was already running wild.
After a moment, Martin reined in his wandering thoughts and began to ponder the construction of his first secret realm wonder—the organization’s headquarters.
"Since it’s the headquarters of a supernatural organization, it ought to have an air of magic and awe."
"It has existed for ages, yet remains uninhabited, so it needs something to convey antiquity, as well as a touch of desolation."
Suddenly, Martin remembered an animated neon film he had once seen.
In it, a family moved to an old country house with a massive oak tree in the backyard, which housed the magical creature Totoro in its hollow.
The secret realm in the animation, along with the colossal oak tree, had made a profound impression on Martin’s heart.
He had a fondness for nature, preferring buildings that were nestled in dense woods.
And indeed, behind House Rosewood, his family’s ancestral land, there was a small hillock.
So...
"Eureka."
Martin first replicated the topography of his ancestral land from memory, then he selected an oak tree from the materials and enlarged it, placing it atop the hill.
As for the tree’s age, he set it to thirteen thousand years, referencing the oldest existing oaks in the world.
Then, he populated the hillock with lush trees and herbs, interspersed with ancient vines as thick as dragons.
Several blue-tiled pavilions were hidden among them, revealing only corners.
At the entrance to the secret realm stood a white stone archway, partly ensnared by old vines.
Martin then attended to some fine details.
But after looking over his work, he felt something was missing.
After some thought, he had an epiphany and set a huge, weathered stele on the main path leading to the various buildings, just behind the archway.
The stele bore no inscription, only a symbol: the outline of a shield with a circle in the center.
The emblem of Divine Shield!
"Phew..."
Observing the final outcome, Martin exhaled deeply, content with the ancient and mystical ambiance.
Although he could adjust the plants, after all, at this level of secret realm, he couldn’t create new species. To have accomplished this much was already quite impressive.
As for animals, they would have to be introduced later when the realm was in use.
After all, according to the lore, a secret realm sealed for so many years should have no surviving animals.
"The secret realm adjustments are complete. Next, after the official investigation concludes, will come recruiting Anna to join the ranks and settling the headquarters secret realm—two matters to address."
"Surely when she discovers such an expansive secret realm hidden behind our ancestral land, she’ll be utterly astounded!"
...
