Ren spoke calmly, with a composed air.
After he finished, his brow relaxed, and his entire demeanor seemed much more at ease.
Looking at him, Shisui opened his mouth but hesitated to speak.
He understood that his role right now was simply to be a vessel for his master to vent his burdens.
The confession just now was merely a release of years of pent-up pressure.
Though Ren's voice was steady, with almost no detectable emotional fluctuations...
...Shisui could feel the intense emotions hidden beneath that unruffled surface.
Once unleashed, he feared the entire Three Worlds would be unable to withstand this long-suppressed fury.
The Quincy were currently just victims of his master's redirected anger, caught in an undeserved catastrophe.
Next would be the Soul Society!
Shisui looked up at Ren, who was sitting casually on the ruins; a slight smile touched his lips before he quickly suppressed it.
His scarlet eyes flickered with light.
He could feel his master's anger and his hesitation.
Yet at this moment, a sense of sincere joy miraculously welled up in his heart.
Not even Lady Yoruichi had heard the stories Ren just told.
But he was here, listening and absorbing Ren's long-suppressed emotions.
All of this indicated that he was the person Ren trusted most!
Even Lady Yoruichi couldn't compare!
Although his heart was cheering, Shisui forced himself to suppress these active feelings, not letting them show.
His expression remained as calm as ever.
"Sir, Mr. Sengoku is here."
Hearing Shisui's voice, Ren pulled himself out of his tangled thoughts.
He saw Sengoku approaching with Tsuru, carrying a stack of documents.
"Great King, here are the latest casualty statistics," Sengoku said, pulling one from the pile.
Ren took it and opened it.
The document was filled with rows of names, listing the details of the fallen soldiers.
After flipping through it, Ren's heart grew heavy.
Sengoku handed over another document.
"This is our data on the Sternritter."
"Aside from the five prisoners and the one captured by Mayuri Kurotsuchi, there are fewer than ten bodies left on the battlefield!"
Ren examined it closely, his brow furrowing deeply.
"Meaning at least seven or eight Sternritter were taken by Haschwalth?"
Although they had destroyed the Quincy Empire, letting so many elites escape—along with Yhwach...
To Ren, this outcome was not ideal.
At least, it fell far short of his initial expectations.
Ren asked, "What are the search results?"
Tsuru shook her head and sighed.
"Despite the carpet search by the army and the Stealth Force, we only found a few hiding Quincy. There is still no sign of those Sternritter."
"The enemy... must have already fled this shadow space."
Hearing this, Ren's expression darkened.
Though he had anticipated this result, it was the worst-case scenario.
Haschwalth was no fool; if he dared to play this hand, he must have been fully prepared.
Ren gritted his teeth, unwilling to accept it. "Blockade this space. Continue a large-scale search. Don't lift the restrictions for ten days."
"Understood," Sengoku nodded.
Ren looked at Shisui.
"Shisui, take a note. Once we're out, notify the Stealth Force to continue the investigation in the outside world. Don't miss a single clue!"
"By your command!"
Then, Sengoku handed over another document.
"This is the follow-up development plan for this shadow space."
"Since this space is hidden in the shadow of the Seireitei, we should rebuild it as our headquarters once we occupy it. It will also allow us to monitor the Seireitei at all times."
Ren looked at the document, thought for a moment, and said, "Regarding the Quincy prisoners, there are some capable ones among them. Sengoku, send someone to talk to them and put them to use as soon as possible."
"After all, they created this space. They understand it far better than we do. We'll even need their power to maintain the space's stability in the future."
Sengoku pushed up his glasses, his voice steady.
"Rest assured, Great King. I've already sent people to contact them."
"They are the losers of this war and were abandoned by Haschwalth. Recruiting them won't be an issue."
"Good. I'll leave this to you and Nobunaga for now. I can't stay away from the Seireitei for too long."
Ren jumped down from the ruined wall and started walking away with Shisui.
But Sengoku called out to him.
"Great King, there is one more thing."
"Hmm?"
Ren turned back to Sengoku and saw that his expression was quite complex.
Tsuru sighed and spoke for him, "Actually, there are two major matters that require your decision, Great King."
"Speak."
"Yes," Tsuru said. "The first is the rewards and punishments for the soldiers."
She nudged Sengoku with her elbow. Sengoku hesitated for a moment before saying, "The Great King needs to set the tone for how to reward the merits of the soldiers."
"Strictly speaking, the rewards and the second matter are actually one and the same."
Hearing this, Ren was slightly stunned before it clicked.
"Sengoku, I understand. You want to take this opportunity to finalize our management system!"
"Exactly!"
Without rules, there is no order.
Rewarding merit or punishing crimes requires a reasonable and complete system.
One cannot simply act on a whim!
That would be too disorganized, neither just nor fair.
If we did that, we wouldn't be any different from common pirates.
"After some discussion, and based on your suggestions, Tsuru and I have consulted the views of many sages. We've managed to draft a set of rules."
"Now that we've conquered the Shadow Empire and achieved this victory, it's the perfect time to announce it!"
But this was exactly why Sengoku was hesitating.
He had spearheaded this system; he was the primary person responsible!
If the system was ill-timed or flawed, it could cause our small faction to collapse from within.
Sengoku's character was usually resilient, but the thought of everyone's operations depending on his system put heavy pressure on him.
At this critical moment, he couldn't help but feel a bit constrained.
"Ren, it looks like I've arrived just in time."
A slightly mocking voice rang out.
Ren turned and saw Nobunaga walking toward them with a matchlock gun on his shoulder, flanked by guards.
Seeing the lingering gloom on Ren's face, Nobunaga burst into laughter.
"Gyahahaha! I heard everything. We really got played in this war."
As the commander-in-chief, Nobunaga had been directing the army in the city to wipe out the Quincy.
Now that he finally had a moment of free time, he had rushed to Ren.
After his laughter died down, Nobunaga's face instantly darkened.
"This was my first time commanding an army since my death as the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, yet I was manipulated like this. It's been a long time since I felt the fickleness of the world!"
This feeling of shock was similar to when he learned of his brother's multiple rebellions or Akechi Mitsuhide's betrayal during his lifetime.
It was loathsome!
"Nobunaga, I've already made a judgment on that matter."
Ren said, "You came at the right time. Sengoku and I are discussing the system. What's your opinion?"
Ren didn't have much confidence in the upcoming system either.
And Nobunaga, after all, was a figure who had navigated the Warring States period; his political abilities were superior to Ren's.
Ren desperately needed Nobunaga's perspective.
Nobunaga stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"I had a hand in that system Brother Sengoku drafted."
"Strictly speaking, it should be enough to handle our current scale."
He was, after all, a man who had once unified the Warring States. His understanding of politics was far beyond others.
He had plenty of authority on this matter.
Hearing Nobunaga's confidence, Sengoku secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his heart filling with more certainty.
"In terms of the system, like a country, the Great King is our KING. Naturally, you sit at the top, making all the decisions with absolute authority."
"Below you are the various Ministers who share your burdens, each managing specific affairs. Given our current scale, two or three will suffice."
"Below the Ministers are the administrative officers responsible for various government affairs."
Sengoku pushed up his glasses and handed the documents to Ren and Nobunaga.
The specific official titles and their respective duties were all listed.
"Regarding the rank of officials, based on your suggestion, it is divided into nine ranks and eighteen grades. This corresponds to the Soul Society's twenty levels of Spiritual Power, matching different levels of strength."
"A Minister is First Rank, and can receive the Spiritual Pressure of the First Class Spiritual Power from the Great King. Secondary First Rank is Second Class, First Second Rank is Third Class, Secondary Second Rank is Fourth Class, and so on. Low-level clerks below the Ninth Rank have Spiritual Pressure of the nineteenth or twentieth class."
"The corresponding official position provides the corresponding power. Lower-level officials can be promoted or demoted based on their merit. Depending on the rank they reach, they obtain that level of power. Similarly, if an official is punished and drops in rank, their power will be weakened accordingly."
"The rewards and punishments for the soldiers I mentioned earlier follow this logic!"
Nobunaga carefully looked through the documents, his expression serious, not missing a single detail.
A moment later, he slowly nodded.
"Below the throne, the Dragon Pavilion and Phoenix Terrace. Civil and military governance divided, with power and status bestowed... The Dragon Pavilion officials handle civil administration, while the Phoenix Terrace military officials handle military affairs, plus the Censorate for oversight and special agencies..."
"The directly governed local areas will have dispatched officials, while unstable areas will be granted as fiefs to lords for expansion..."
"I see."
Nobunaga looked at Ren with great interest.
"Ren, you referenced the Ming Dynasty system, and the names even have traces of the Tang and Wu Zhou dynasties."
"Correct," Ren spread his hands. "Otherwise, where else could I look for reference?"
"Our small faction is just a makeshift operation. As long as it can run, it's fine."
Nobunaga nodded and turned to Sengoku. "Are you planning to roll this out while we're enjoying this victory?"
"Yes."
"Then let's try it," Nobunaga said. "Our faction is still small right now. A small ship is easy to turn. If we find any deficiencies in the future, we can correct them in time."
Hearing this, Ren felt reassured and suppressed the trace of anxiety in his heart.
He nodded slowly to Sengoku.
"Sengoku, just as Nobunaga said, go ahead and try it boldly."
"Nobunaga and I will back you up!"
Even if Sengoku's system wasn't perfect, it was better than the makeshift setup they had now.
"Understood!"
Sengoku answered firmly, his voice filled with determination.
Having received Ren's approval, Sengoku left with Tsuru.
Watching their retreating figures, Nobunaga seemed to think of something and suddenly started laughing.
Ren asked in confusion, "Nobunaga, what did you think of now?"
Having lived with Nobunaga for so many years, he already knew his personality.
Whenever he had a wild idea, he couldn't help but show a manic smile.
"No, it's not that I thought of something. I just realized something."
Nobunaga pointed in the direction Sengoku had gone.
Sengoku acted swiftly, and the two of them were already out of sight.
Nobunaga didn't care; he kept pointing and said, "Brother Sengoku, he forgot the most important thing. He probably didn't mention it to you."
"What thing?"
Nobunaga flicked his finger and pointed at Ren.
"You!"
"Me?"
Ren frowned, more confused than ever.
"What about me?"
"Ren, don't you understand yet?"
Nobunaga scratched his head and said, "Brother Sengoku just said it. We're doing the great work of building a nation, and as our 'King', you should naturally have a resounding title!"
Ren was slightly stunned.
"Nobunaga... all that for this?"
"Of course it's because of this!"
Nobunaga's voice suddenly grew much louder, his tone incredibly firm.
"A title's role isn't just to sound cool. If chosen correctly, it can have a huge effect on people's hearts, sometimes even influencing the outcome of a war."
Ren looked thoughtful.
"Now that we've destroyed the Shadow Empire, it's only natural to take a royal title."
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Alright, Nobunaga, tell me. What good ideas do you have?"
Since Nobunaga had brought it up, it meant he had already been brooding on it.
That's why he proactively mentioned it.
He even seemed a bit impatient.
Nobunaga gave a sly smile.
"If we were still alive, we should naturally follow the mainland's example and have a mighty royal title like 'King of Qin', 'King of Jin', or 'King of Wei'."
"But unfortunately, we are all long-dead spirits. The rules of the living don't quite apply."
He extended a finger and pointed upward.
"In the Soul Society, the highest is the Soul King!"
"Ren, you are someone who wants to rule the world of the dead. Your title must be distinct from the Soul King yet even more grand."
"How about calling you 'Hades'?"
Hearing what Nobunaga said, Ren nodded slightly.
Hades, the most famous being the ruler of the Greek underworld.
He felt indifferent toward it, but since Nobunaga suggested it, he wouldn't object.
"Then Hades it is!"
At any rate, compared to titles like King Enma, it sounded much better.
Ren looked up.
The barrier above was flickering, but Ren seemed to see right through it to that mutilated figure upon the Heavenly Throne!
He turned to Nobunaga, a strange expression on his face.
"Hades is good, but for me, it's only a transition."
"Oh?"
Nobunaga's interest was piqued.
"Hahaha, then what do you want?"
"Nobunaga, once we fight our way into the Soul King Palace, a royal title won't be enough."
Ren smiled faintly.
"At that time, I shall ascend to the Imperial Throne!"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]