I said you are all war criminals

"Then the Fifth Division was attacked. Who will come to support you?"

Xiangzi's eyes were fixed on Nana.

Yili watched silently.

Of course, if necessary, Ichiri could take over Xiangzi's body and use it to do anything. However, Ichiri would not do anything that would make others feel uneasy unless it was necessary.

So, Yili just watched this conversation between close friends.

"That's not funny."

Nana's voice was low, with a barely perceptible tremor.

“…it’s funny if you know the punchline.”

Xiangzi said in a low voice.

Yili watched the conversation until the end.

"Honestly, I don't know... I'd probably be confused, right? Or maybe I'd feel uneasy, hoping that guy would just disappear from my sight..."

In Xiangzi's eyes, the pair of banana ponytails on Nana's head were swaying gently.

“…Disappear.”

Ichiri closed his eyes.

Honestly, Ichiri had hoped this visit would allow Shoko to calm down and think about "what's right and what's wrong." No matter how you slice it, Shoko in the other world was too radical, and Ichiri didn't want his own Shoko to become like that. Whether it was modifying Shoko's sacred text abilities or sending him to Soul Society to commune with the Shinigami, Ichiri hoped Shoko would change his extreme temper.

However, the appearance of Nana Ohba may make all this come to nothing.

Thinking of this, Yili sighed, then opened his eyes again and looked at the throne again.

Liang is gone.

Yili knew that his behavior was too rude and it was not Liang's fault. However, seeing Liang leave, Yili still felt a little lonely... After a brief period of loneliness, Yili threw himself back into the work at hand.

...It was beyond Ichiri's plan that Shoko Toyokawa could meet Nana Ohba in Soul Society.

Three years ago, at the banquet where Ichiri killed Nana Ohba and used her flesh and blood to awaken himself as the "reincarnation of Yhwach," Ichiri did not consume Nana's soul. However, Ichiri should have completely consumed all of Nana's demonic and spiritual powers, and Nana's reincarnation in Soul Society would have been just an ordinary person.

...Becoming vice-captain in just three years?

This speed is too fast.

According to the information Ichiri gathered from the memories of his past life, Yhwach, Shinigami are divided into twenty ranks of spiritual power. Among them, the most common members are 20th rank, while the vice-captains are 4th or 5th rank... How did Nana Ohba jump 15 ranks in just three years? No, considering she was reincarnated only three years ago, the spiritual power gap is probably even higher.

This is how the same thing?

“…The Soul King?”

This is the only reason I can think of.

Soul King, that is Goto Ichiri's "father"... To be more precise, he is Ichiri's previous life, the father of "Yhwach".

In addition, the Soul King is the world's first powerful entity, the source of the Quincy and the Grim Reaper. He was born at the beginning of the universe and is a life created by the world itself to reject the chaotic development of the original world.

and……

"Foolish king."

Ichiri fell back slightly, leaning against his throne.

Despite witnessing everything, the Soul King allowed the cowardly Death Gods to attack him. The Death Gods dug out the Soul King's heart, severed his legs, and ripped open his internal organs before removing them from his body, stripping them of their power and sending them to the netherworld.

And those Death Gods continue to weaken the power of the Soul King, just to create a "King" that is easier for them to control.

...What a foolish king.

Ichiri leaned back against her cold, majestic throne, the image of the Soul King's betrayal looming in her mind. She couldn't help but sneer. It was truly ridiculous that such a king, supposedly an almighty one, should have met such a fate.

If it were her, Yili was certain that she would never make sacrifices for others.

“…Everything is for myself.”

Thinking of this, Yili closed his eyes.

She fell asleep again.

…It was a gentle dream, she dreamed of a time before everything began. Everyone was laughing and carefree, and everyone was living for themselves.

154

Chapter 154 Before the meeting.

There are still about three hours until the official "meeting".

Shoko Toyokawa sat in the reception room of the 5th Division, drinking her coffee slowly.

Coffee was introduced to Japan in the 16th century. Perhaps for this reason, the coffee provided by Soul Society is different from the current completely Japanese coffee and tastes more Western.

This is a taste that Xiangzi is not used to.

This is not pretentious. In order to present coffee with a sweet taste and mild flavor, Japan generally adopts slow and long-term roasting techniques. It usually takes more than 20 minutes from raw beans to roasting, which is much longer than the average roasting rhythm of 15 minutes in Europe and the United States. Slow roasting makes the coffee flavor spectrum more dynamic and stable. The full and complete Maynard reaction makes the coffee produce more "Maynard" components during the roasting process. This is the main reason why Japanese coffee tastes mellow, thick, sweet and slightly bitter.

This is the change that Japan has made to coffee over four hundred years of history.

...The same goes for the Japanese.

The Japanese today are completely different from the Japanese hundreds of years ago.

"Soul Society..."

Xiangzi closed his eyes and whispered the name of this world.

How should I put it… This so-called Soul Society was even more backward than Xiangzi had imagined. Seriously, this wasn't even Meiji-era Japan; it was Edo-era at best.

“It’s not keeping up with the times at all.”

Xiangzi clearly noticed this.

Even Nana Ohba, who had only been in Soul Society for three years, knew nothing about the "modern times."

...The same goes for Xiangzi's matter.

Xiangzi subconsciously clenched his fists until his nails dug into his flesh and blood flowed from between his fingers.

"I……"

Drops of blood seeped out from between his fingers, leaving marks on Xiangzi's exquisite uniform.

"What a mess, Toyokawa Shoko."

She smiled self-deprecatingly, her spiritual energy surging, and the wound healed quickly, leaving only a shallow mark. After clenching her fist to confirm that it was all right, Xiangzi slowly stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window is the quiet Soul Society, everything seems so peaceful.

But Xiangzi knew in his heart that this was just an appearance.

Beneath their calm surface lie the arrogant souls of the Shinigami and their deep-seated contempt for the Quincies.

"A peace treaty..."

Xiangzi murmured in a low voice.

To be honest, Xiangzi despised Goto Ichiri's behavior of almost showing weakness. Especially since Ichiri was so strong towards his subordinates and so weak towards the God of Death...

She sat on the tatami, gently pressing her brow. The damn migraine came back, making her even more irritable... Xiangzi had this little problem since the simulation.

The knock on the door interrupted Xiangzi's thoughts.

"Please come in."

The sliding door was gently pushed open, and Yukinoshita Yukino and Gokou Ruri walked in one after another.

"Tell me, how is the situation?"

Xiangzi picked up the coffee cup.

"According to the information we've gathered, this meeting will be held at the Maou Conference Hall in Seireitei, at..."

Yukinoshita Yukino paused and calmly stated the information she had gathered, "The only captains participating in the meeting are Byakuya Kuchiki, Shunsui Kyoraku, and Kisuke Urahara. It seems that Captain-General Yamamoto will not be in attendance."

"Only three captains..."

Xiangzi snorted, "It seems that the Death Gods don't take this meeting seriously, or rather..."

"Or rather, they have something to rely on and don't take us seriously at all."

Gokou Ruri took over Xiangzi's words, her voice as cold as ever, but with a hint of barely perceptible anger.

"It looks like a trap."

Yukinoshita Yukino crossed her arms across her chest, her tone remaining calm.

"What about traps?"

Xiangzi placed the coffee cup heavily on the table with a dull sound. A few drops of dark brown liquid splashed out and spread on the tatami like a blooming black mandala.

"His Highness's order is to sign a treaty, forcing the God of Death to refrain from interfering with the real world... This mission must be completed no matter what."

Xiangzi's face was gloomy. "Even if I die, I must complete it..."

"...Your Highness is not that unkind."

Yukinoshita softly defended their Majesty, Goto Ichiri, "His Majesty is a very gentle person."

"That's because you've been abroad all the time, so you think so."

Xiangzi sneered, "Everyone knows that Her Highness..."

As soon as she said this, Xiangzi closed her mouth. She obviously realized that she shouldn't continue talking, especially in front of her colleagues.

"...Never mind, let's get back to the meeting. His Majesty's only order is 'The God of Death shall not interfere with the living world'; the rest is up to me. However, since His Majesty has sent you, it seems he wants to hear your opinions. What do you think we should propose as a treaty?"

"First, we need to make one thing clear."

The snow under the snow is the beginning.

"We are not going there to seek peace, we are going there to negotiate. Therefore, the conditions we propose must be beneficial to us, rather than blindly making concessions."

"Yukinoshita is right."

Gokou Ruri rarely agreed, "We Quincy are not lambs to be slaughtered."

"I think we can exploit the Shinigami's greatest fears," Yukinoshita Yukino pushed her glasses up, a gleam of light flashing across the lenses. "The safety of the living world is of vital importance to them. We can use this as a bargaining chip to make them make concessions on the treaty."

"Humph, that's true. What those guys fear most is the collapse of the real world and the imbalance of the soul."

Xiangzi sneered, "After all, maintaining the balance of the world is their self-proclaimed 'duty'."

"We can offer to have the Quincy assist the Shinigami in maintaining the balance of the real world."

Yukinoshita Yukino continued, "Of course, this is conditional."

"What conditions? Don't tell me you're planning to beg for mercy from the god of death?"

Xiangzi raised his eyebrows, his tone full of disdain.

"of course not."

Yukinoshita Yukino said calmly, "We can ask the Shinigami to promise not to interfere with any of the Quincies' actions in the real world under any circumstances. As long as it doesn't involve the Hollows and the Shinigami, then the Shinigami have no right to interfere in anything else."

"That's a good idea."

Xiangzi's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a cold smile, "Didn't those Shinigami say that 'Quincy destroys the Hollows to disrupt the balance'? If that's the case, then they should just deal with the Hollows."

Wu Geng Liuli shook her head, her tone as cold as ice: "I don't agree."

"Oh?"

Xiangzi raised his eyebrows and looked at her with interest, "Liuli, what do you think?"

"'Hands-off' isn't enough,"

Gokou Ruri said coldly, "Why should we passively accept their 'non-interference'?"

She stood up suddenly and said sternly, "When did it become their turn to give orders?"

"Liu Li..."

Yukinoshita Yukino spoke softly, but was rudely interrupted by Gokou Ruri.

"Yukinoshita, I know what you're thinking,"

Gokou Ruri's eyes were like two sharp blades, piercing straight at Yukinoshita Yukino, "You think we should value peace and avoid conflict as much as possible, right?"