Whoosh... Qin Ye transformed into a vortex of Yin energy and vanished on the spot. As soon as he left, Iwasaki Ichiro immediately stood up with a concerned expression. "Sir, are you alright?"
Iwasaki Kyouya gently pushed his hand aside before rising to his feet. "I'm fine."
Iwasaki Ichiro opened his mouth several times, but didn't say anything in the end.
Iwasaki Kyouya adjusted his own clothes, then said, "Do you want to say that there's no need for me to fear him?"
Before he had a chance to reply, Iwasaki Kyouya sighed, "You know far too little about that world. Do you know what Yama-Kings are? The most powerful underworld emissaries in the Nipponese Underworld are only Abyssal Prefects, and according to my knowledge, Yama-Kings stand above Abyssal Prefects. In the entire underworld, there are only several dozen Yama-Kings in total. They are the true rulers of the other world, and I'm about to go there soon. How can I not be afraid?"
"Also..." He raised a hand before clenching it into a tight fist, and veins bulged on his wizened arm. "After experiencing the feeling of youth, no one would want to return to old age! Make the preparations for an evocation tonight!"
After that, he immediately departed.
Three days passed by in the blink of an eye. On the second day, the entirety of the Mitsubishi Corporation was given a massive shock by the announcement of Iwasaki Kyouya's will. At 12 AM on the third day, Iwasaki Kyouya was already seated on his own in a booth in Takeshigerou.
Qin Ye hadn't left Iwasaki Kyouya with any means to contact him, but he knew that Qin Ye would definitely be able to find him.
Right as the clock struck 12 AM, a gust of Yin wind slowly took shape in front of him, and several seconds later, Qin Ye had already appeared on the seat.
In front of them was a lavish meal, with top-grade sushi that had been made no more than two minutes ago. The fish that was sitting on the rice hadn't even been warmed by the heat of the rice yet, but no one was in the mood to sample it.
Iwasaki Kyouya extended a deep bow, but didn't immediately say anything. Instead, he spread open a piece of parchment paper, and the names of three people appeared on it.
Qin Ye, Iwasaki Kyouya, and Iwasaki Iwasaki Yatarō.
Qin Ye's expression changed slightly upon seeing this. Even as the ruler of a nation, he felt a hint of admiration toward Iwasaki Yatarō.
This was the man who had once dominated the entirety of the shipbuilding and ship freight industries in Asia. Furthermore, he had singlehandedly founded the Mitsubishi Corporation, spreading its name far and wide throughout Nippon and even every single corner of Asia.
"You've already met your ancestor?" Qin Ye asked as he picked up his cup of sake before taking a sip.
"I have." Iwasaki Kyouya extended a deep bow before pulling a paper cutout out of his pocket, then said with a careful expression, "My ancestor wishes to speak to you in person."
He didn't dare to say anything further because the first thing that Iwasaki Yatarō had said after descending through evocation was: "You're telling me a Yama-King came to Nippon and specifically came to our Mitsubishi Corporation? Who are you kidding?"
In his mind, a Yama-King should've been pursuing a collaboration with entities like the Sacred Treasure Consortium. The Mitsubishi Corporation was extremely powerful in the mortal realm, but it didn't have much influence at all in the underworld, so why would a Yama-King come to seek them out in person?
Qin Ye casually nodded in response, and Iwasaki Kyouya took a deep breath before pulling out a small silver blade, with which he gently sliced open his own finger, allowing his blood to drip onto the paper cutout. The drop of blood was like gasoline on fire, instantly igniting a burst of blue netherfire.
The paper figure rose unsteadily to its feet, then inspected its surroundings in a very humanized gesture. In the instant that it caught sight of Qin Ye, its legs clearly trembled, following which it fell to its knees on the table and kowtowed with all its might as it greeted in a trembling voice, "It is the utmost honor for me to be in your presence, Yanluo Qin!"
This was the dogeza pose, one that was used in Nippon to express the utmost respect or apology.
Iwasaki Kyouya's pupils contracted drastically upon seeing this. Never did he think that Iwasaki Yatarō, who was revered like a god by the entire Iwasaki Family, would choose to adopt such a pose in the instant that he saw Qin Ye.
However, he immediately reacted. Given what Iwasaki Yatarō was doing, there was certainly no way that he could just keep on sitting. That would be a massive act of disrespect to both Qin Ye and his ancestor!
Thus, Iwasaki Kyouya quickly adopted the dogeza pose as well, and he stared intently down at the tatami mat beneath him, wondering why his ancestor was putting on such a lowly display. What was it about this particular Yama-King that made him so special?
The paper figure paid no heed to Iwasaki Kyouya's thoughts. In reality, it was even more stunned than Iwasaki Kyouya. Never did it think that the Yama-King in question would be the Cathayan Underworld's King Yanluo!
That, in addition to the Heavenly Dao scroll from earlier, immediately ignited a scorching flame in his heart!
Amid the silence, Qin Ye smiled and asked, "You recognize me?"
"I do! You are the ruler of the Cathayan Underworld, the third King Yanluo, the leader of one of the underworld's four pillars!" Iwasaki Yatarō was intentionally rattling off these titles for Iwasaki Kyouya to hear. "I wouldn't dare to say that I'm familiar with you, but I was fortunate enough to have caught a glimpse of you from afar during the conference in Nara, and from that point on, I never dared to forget your face!"
"You were granted access to the conference in Nara?" Qin Ye asked.
Iwasaki Yatarō replied, "The ships that welcomed all of the underworlds at the conference in Nara was the biggest order our Mitsubishi Corporation had received in the past decade."
I see. It looks like the Mitsubishi Corporation really isn't doing all that well in the Nipponese Underworld.
This made sense, considering the existence of the Sacred Treasure Consortium and the Hongan-ji Consortium. As a consortium that had only arisen within the past 100 years, what right did the Mitsubishi Corporation have to become a powerhouse in the underworld right away?
"As I'm sure you’re aware, once your name is written down on a Heavenly Dao scroll, your soul will be destroyed if you go against the terms listed on the scroll."
"Yes!" Iwasaki Yatarō replied in a determined voice. "Please tell us what you would like us to do, Your Excellency!"
This was definitely not an opportunity that he was going to pass up!
None of the exceptionally powerful and influential figures in the mortal realm wanted to settle for mediocrity in the underworld, but opportunities were simply very difficult to come by.
The room fell silent again.
No one said anything, and only after a few seconds did Qin Ye made an inviting hand gestures. "Take a seat."
The paper figure sat down onto the table with its legs folded beneath it, and Qin Ye said, "I need a fleet of ships to be prepared in the next few years. This fleet must be big enough to transport 200,000 Yin spirits from Chubu to Hokkaido without being discovered by anyone. Can you do that?"
The paper figure extended a deep bow. "We may not be able to do this within five years, but it may be achievable in five years."
Before Qin Ye had a chance to ask, the paper figure continued, "After arriving in the Nipponese Underworld, our Mitsubishi Heavy Industries naturally chose to pursue shipbuilding as our first option as it was the industry that we were most familiar with."
Qin Ye didn't cut him off. Information was extremely important when it came to planning, and he was confident that someone as intelligent as Iwasaki Yatarō wouldn't waste time spouting useless nonsense at a time like this.
"The Sacred Treasure Consortium has a monopoly on the Nipponese Underworld's shipbuilding industry, but their shipbuilding skills and technology are outdated. They haven't kept much of an eye on the development of the mortal realm during the past century. After all, a century is far too short a period of time in the underworld. The field that we chose to pursue was submarine construction. For people like us, even in the mortal realm, we had some connections in the underworld. Not everyone is content with the Sacred Treasure Consortium's monopoly over the shipbuilding and sea freight industries. Currently, our Mitsubishi Consortium of the underworld has three major investors who are supporting us in our submarine endeavors. However, this is a very difficult piece of technology to develop, and over the past three years, we've only managed to complete half of the research. If you can give us another five years, I'm fairly confident that we should be able to develop the first generation of submarines."
Qin Ye shook his head in response. "I want a definitive answer. Will you be able to develop the submarines in five years or not?"
The paper figure was seated silently on the table, and there were countless emotions surging through its heart.
Iwasaki Yatarō was certainly no idiot, and he immediately understood what 200,000 Yin spirits entailed. Qin Ye was asking for his help to start a war!
With the assistance of submarines, there was no way that Tamamo-no-Mae of Hokkaido would be able to stop 200,000 Cathayan Yin soldiers!
Once they conquered Hokkaido, the Cathayan Underworld would have a firm foothold in the Nipponese Underworld, and given its power, it would only be a matter of time before it conquered the entirety of the Nipponese Underworld. If the Mitsubishi Consortium could make a significant contribution in this war, then its status in the Nipponese Underworld would undoubtedly be massively elevated!
However, if they were to do this, then they would be betraying the Nipponese Underworld. If the operation were to fail, then the entire Iwasaki Family would be erased without the possibility of ever being able to reincarnate.
Of course, the Cathayan Underworld certainly wasn't afraid of the Nipponese Underworld, but in an era of peace like this, they had to contend with pressure from the three pillars and the Russian Underworld as well.
This was a decision that could transform their fate, and he didn't dare to make it rashly.
"Your Excellency..." he said in a slightly bitter voice. "I'm afraid this is too difficult a decision for me to make on the spot..."
Qin Ye raised a finger in response. "One month is all it'll take for our Cathayan Underworld to wipe out all resistance. If we aren't able to do that, we'll take all of the members of the Iwasaki Family in the Nipponese Underworld to the Cathayan Underworld. At the same time, I'll convince the Cathayan government to accept the immigration applications of all of the important members of the Iwasaki Family in the mortal realm. Even if the plan fails, you'll be Yin spirits of our Cathayan Underworld, and Izanami wouldn't dare to do anything to you."
He paused momentarily before continuing, "Of course, if you can provide the submarines, there's no way this plan will fail. This is the only time that I will be making contact with you."
This was a once-in-an-era opportunity, and success would equate to unfathomable rewards!
Time seemed to have fallen completely still, and even after a full 10 minutes, the paper figure was still seated in silence. Finally, it said in a determined voice, "Alright, then we'll take a gamble!"
"You don't regret this decision," Qin Ye said with a faint smile. "The Asia-Pacific Economic Development Conference will be held in half a year, and when that time comes, you'll receive your first present from me."
"I look forward to it!" Seeing as a decision had already been made, there was no room for Iwasaki Yatarō to backtrack now.
During this meeting, their intention to collaborate had been established, but as for the finer details of the plan, those would have to be fleshed out through frequent interactions and exchanges of all types of information between the two parties, and these exchanges had to be facilitated by suitable opportunities.
At the moment, the Cathayan Underworld hadn't opened itself up to any other nation. Formosa was its only foreign affairs outpost, and if the Cathayan Underworld were to suddenly become too close with the Mitsubishi Corporation, that would attract a lot of unwanted suspicion and attention.
A buildup was required for everything, and only once everything was ready would it be time to initiate the plan, particularly when it came to a major operation to bring down a nation that would take years to complete.
With everything decided, Qin Ye heaved an internal sigh of relief before raising his cup. "I propose a toast to commemorate our first collaboration."
"Cheers." Iwasaki Kyouya was still reeling from what he had just seen, and he hurriedly also raised his cup before downing his sake in one go. "May I ask how long you'll be staying in Nippon, Mr. Qin? I don't have much time left, but it would be my honor to provide you with my best hospitality."
Qin Ye was reaching out with his chopsticks for a piece of sashimi, and he stopped what he was doing as he replied, "Actually, there is something that I would like your help with."
"Please go ahead!" both the paper figure and Iwasaki Kyouya urged in unison.
Qin Ye set down his chopsticks as he asked with a serious expression, "Have you heard of the three great yokai of Nippon?"
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