Yama Rising

Qin Ye wanted nothing more than to have someone to bounce ideas off and discuss the next steps of his plan with right now.

But, unfortunately, there weren’t more than 20 such talents in the new Hell who were capable of maintaining such a discussion with him, and each of these talents currently held an appointment where they would be of the greatest influence. The only ones with spiritual intelligence around him right now were Kwon Kyung-ho and Ryu Changmin, but they… were clearly not intelligence based champions…

Calm down… calm down… He covered his chest and took several deep breaths before he finally calmed his stirring mind down. Then, he pulled out a pen and a paper and slowly jotted down his thoughts.

Sometimes, it was better to write everything down once than to repeat himself a million times.

What ensued was a period of silence, save for the soft rustling of his pen against the paper. It was impossible for there to exist any surveillance tools in such a private place for ambassadorial use. And if Black Mamba even deigned to look over his shoulders, his trusted aide otherwise known as Fate would most certainly detect the presence of an uninvited guest.

“Evidence. Elocution.” These were the two words that he first penned down. And then, he murmured to himself as he went on writing, “International diplomacy is completely different from my encounter with the three daolords. Perhaps it was partially attributable to the fact that the daolords are only Abyssal Prefects, but the implications of international diplomacy are clearly far greater in terms of both importance and the quantity of resources involved.”

He lifted his pen, and then moved on to the next line, “No underworld is willing to believe any claims unless you possess compelling evidence. Even I couldn’t help but feel uneasy at the weight of my words in the absence of any evidence. In other words, the tongue is only as mighty as the weight of the evidence backing it. No matter how much one might be endowed with the gift of the gab, everything would be in vain if no proof is adduced.”

He rubbed his wrist, and then continued penning down his thoughts with a pensive voice, “What I need most right now is how Hell arrived at the conclusion that there is the shadow of the Argosian Underworld behind the Russian Underworld’s movements right now.”

Then, he thought for a moment, and then cancelled the last statement he’d written down, “No, what I would first have to show is that the Russian Underworld has taken an interest in the Resentment Crystal Mine, which is ironclad proof that they’re slowly but surely making their foray into the fields of Forbidden Arts. This would also serve as the foundation for Hell’s investigative works that followed. Therefore, I’ll need an official record of information, or some form of secret file stamped by the relevant authorities in Hell, or perhaps… even the records of my entire conversation with Rumyantsev…”

He paused for a moment, and then continued, “Then, I’ll also need records of the investigations of Hell’s darkfeathers in the Russian Underworld. It’s only with these that I’ll finally be able to show compelling evidence of the Russian Underworld’s ambitions.”

“And that’s all just the first order of business. The second thing that I’ll need would be the detailed investigation report of the Khuree Resentment Crystal Mine, including its geography and its use in the development of Forbidden Arts. It’s only with these two items in place that I can finally convince the Alkebulan Underworlds that the netherworld would soon see the emergence of a fifth underworld possessing the might of Forbidden Arts.”

“And thirdly, I’ll need a complete write up setting out our deductions as to why we think there’s the hand of the Argosian Underworld secretly spurring on the Russian Underworld from behind the shadows. And these can’t be just bald assertions. They would have to contain proper logical discourse.”

“Without this complete set of information in hand, it’s pointless no matter which of the Alkebulan Underworlds I end up at!!”

He punctuated his final statement with several exclamation marks before finally setting his pen down.

He would probably only be able to remain here for another week at best.

At the very least, he would need to get the Black Mamba Mythic Spirit to give him his word that he would contact the other chieftains on Hell’s behalf. Otherwise… Qin Ye would have no choice but to return to Hell to consider alternatives as to how he might possibly deal with the two Dukes of the Russian Underworld.

He gazed blankly at the sheets of paper on the table, mulling over his thoughts desperately. He was currently alone in a foreign land. How was he supposed to remedy these issues?

“I’ve underestimated these negotiations.” He massaged his temples with a deep sigh, “Previously, I’d always been able to come out on top of my negotiations with the daolords because of the pitfalls that they dug for themselves, and I’d actually allowed these minor successes of mine to cloud my judgment on the weight of international negotiations. In fact, even if they believe in what I say right now, they would probably still be reluctant to spring into action unless they have something in black-and-white to show for it. This would be the weight behind my words. Absent these things, everything I’ve said thus far amounts to nothing more than empty words.”

It was only when he graduated from the rivers of Hell and entered the international arena that he finally understood just how naive he’d been all this while.

He sat on the sofa, drinking cup after cup of tea. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn’t find a plausible solution at all.

Two hours later, his fingers twitched slightly, and Ryu Changmin and Kwon Kyung-ho appeared.

“My Lord.” The two ghosts bowed to him.

“I want you to head back to Hell immediately.” Qin Ye spoke with some measure of hesitation, “Ryu Changmin, I’d like you to approach Arakshasa and tell her that I’ll need a complete record of the Resentment Crystal Mine.”

“Remember, the first thing I’ll need is the full particulars of how it was first discovered, and the second thing I’ll need is the supernatural phenomenon accompanying its appearance. Thirdly, once you obtain these things, I want you to locate Zu Chongzhi and Lu Ban and have them draft up a detailed analysis and inference of the information we have at hand. This would have to include the age of the Resentment Crystals, and the possible amount of it the mine contains. Naturally, it would also have to include an analysis as to what the Resentment Crystals can be used for. Oh, that’s right. Do remember to include as many photographs as possible.”

“Yes.”

“And if Arakshasa still isn’t back yet, then you’ll have to head out at once and locate her as quickly as you can. Remember that time is of the essence. Everything needs to be completed within the next three days. And by that, I mean that you’ll have to be back in three days’ time. Now, I want you to locate Abra immediately and have him book you a return flight. Meanwhile, I’ll immediately get in touch with the Special Investigations Department of the mortal realm to allow your connecting flight to transit immediately.”

“Understood.” Qin Ye’s expression was unusually serious and somber, and Ryu Changmin naturally responded with commensurate sobriety.

He was grasping at straws. Qin Ye was aware that after taking into account the travelling time involved, this would leave the scholars at most a day, or even just over a dozen hours to organize their thoughts, go through the information and produce a detailed analysis. However… having some hastily put-together proof on hand was far better than none at all.

Pre-emptive strike.

This was something that he’d picked up back during the Hungry Ghost Festival. At the very least, he was keenly aware that he couldn’t just sit around, hoping that the situation would resolve itself. As far as international negotiations were concerned, preparation was the key to success.

With that, Ryu Changmin took a step back. It was only then that Qin Ye turned towards Kwon Kyung-ho, “I also want you to return to Hell. However, I’ll need you to seek an audience with the Harken right away and have it write up its deduction about this entire incident. The focus of its deductions will have to pertain to why we say that the Argosian Underworld is the one acting behind the scene. The Harken will have to sign off on its deductions thereafter. Remember, this will have to be done up in a formal way, and packaged just like a formal diplomatic document.”

“Secondly, as you’ve heard, Ryu Changmin will be searching out the ones who’d been involved in the development of the Forbidden Arts. There are a few of the returning scholars who would naturally fall outside of this category of scholars. I want you to gather them up and have them prepare a report on the situation in the East Continent and the potential changes to the international landscape if the Russian Underworld manages to actually develop Forbidden Arts. Again, this is a report that will have to be done up formally, and packaged just like a formal diplomatic document. Thereafter, I’ll need you to hand their report over to the Harken to run through and endorse its contents. As with Ryu Changmin, I’ll need you right back here in three days’ time.”

“Yes.”

With that, the two ghosts finally departed, and it was only then that Qin Ye took his seat again. He drew a deep breath and waved his hand. At once, Fate appeared in the air.

Success or failure, everything would be determined in the next few days.

If he managed to succeed, then the critical situation in the East Continent would finally be resolved. Otherwise… he might well have to watch passively on the sidelines as the Russian Underworld plods along the avenue of Forbidden Arts.

“Time is one thing, but the true pitfall that we face right now is the fact that everyone serving in Hell right now lacks experience in international meetings. Although it’s a little late to get started, but… how would we know until we try?”

Didn’t you come to the Alkebulan Underworlds with such a mindset to begin with?

Qin Ye had practically come up with his plans on the flight to Alkebulan. This step into the international arena was something that Hell would have to take sooner or later. And now that things had come to this, there clearly wasn’t any point dallying any longer.

He didn’t know whether these plans of his were going to work. However, this was still the only possible course of action forward that had occurred to him over the last two hours.

And that was to write his own destiny!

“If I’m going to convince them, then the evidence I produce must be compelling enough - so compelling that it leaves them no room for doubt.” The gaze in his eyes was filled with determination, “Everything started in Daehan, so there’s no reason to be concealing the truth about Daehan. And to that end, the only eyewitness to the crucial events at Daehan is none other than me.”

“This is something that only I can do.”

Everything that happened in Daehan began to play through his mind like a movie, and he slowly ruminated on these experiences of his for over an hour before finally lifting Fate.

Whoosh… Fate didn’t resist Qin Ye’s movements. This was the legacy that the Second King Yanluo had left to him. Wisps of gold lingered in the air, before slowly converging into the tip of the brush. And then, Qin Ye slowly began to shift it to his will.

“Things have taken a turn for the interesting, and it’s time again for Fate to rear its ugly head.”

Qin Ye raised his brow quizzically. He was only holding Fate in his hand, and yet Fate had automatically written everything on his mind.

“Although Yanluo Qin had paid some heed to the gravity of the new Hell’s first diplomatic mission, it was unfortunately still insufficient.”

“This isn’t entirely his fault. After all, practically everything in Hell required his attention at this point in time. Does one expect a piece of salted fish to suddenly transform into a majestic shark capable of lording over the entire domain of the seas? Such transformation takes time. Obviously, Yanluo Qin is still in the process of such a transformation, and he hasn’t quite arrived at the peak of the food chain.”

“He encountered some measure of difficulty in his first voyage to the Alkebulan Underworlds. These are typically matters that he would originally have thought of had he addressed his mind to it. However, a multitude of things have happened since his trip to Daehan. One thing led to another, and his investigations eventually uncovered the Russian Underworld’s plans that had been brewing for decades on end. By the time he realized it, it was already a race against time. All he could do was to think up the best remedial measures to salvage the situation. Credit where it was due, the Third King Yanluo has done remarkably thus far. Unfortunately, he’s already gone as far as he can go, and everything is left entirely up to fate.”

“So… revered Third King Yanluo, what kind of beautiful chapter would you require me to write up for you?”

For some strange reason, Qin Ye couldn’t help but sense that ever since Fate officially changed hands, it had slowly but surely begun to change its tone of voice when it spoke to Qin Ye…

And now, it was no longer the haughty, annoying brush that it used to be.

That said, he didn’t have the luxury of time to settle the old scores with this brush. Qin Ye closed his eyes and focused his mind on the most pressing issues at hand. At once, Fate began to move in accordance with his thoughts.

Whoosh… Golden light gathered at the tip of the brush as it began to sweep through the air, leaving a trail of calligraphic words behind it.

“Year 20XX AD, Third King Yanluo of Hell, Qin Ye, went on a voyage to the Black Mamba Underworld, the gateway to the Alkebulan Underworlds, and--…”

Just then, Qin Ye opened his eyes and glanced at Fate in deep consternation.

What he had intended to write was: “--and succeeded in convincing all of the Alkebulan Mythic Spirits to travel to Khuree to quash the burgeoning ambitions of the Russian Underworld.”

However…

He was unable to go on!

Unfortunately, Fate was only able to manipulate the destiny of the Yin spirits under its jurisdiction, and that naturally excluded the Mythic Spirits of a foreign underworld. In fact, even when he was in Daehan, a vassal state of Hell, Fate had only been able to do no more than to incidentally influence Marquis Rumyantsev.

Then… why don’t I write about myself?! I’ll write a magnificent chapter of how I’ve managed to conquer Alkebulan!

Unfortunately, that was much easier said than done.

Just as he fell silent, Fate automatically moved on its own accord and explained the rules to him, “That is beyond my jurisdiction. The Mythic Spirit of a foreign land possesses far more Yin energy than I can influence. Furthermore, there aren’t sufficient particulars and details to go on with.”

Is that so…

Qin Ye sighed. He should have known it wasn’t going to be so easy. Otherwise, wouldn’t Fate be classified as a divine artifact even greater than the three divine artifacts of Hell? He could simply write “Third King Yanluo of Hell conquers the four top underworlds”, and that would be the end of the story.

But as it turns out, what is written cannot be too far off from how reality would pan out. The workings of Fate couldn’t be visible to the naked eye. After all, it was intended to all come together in a confluence of coincidences in order to give rise to the desired result. Naturally, there were limits to what it could do.

After a moment of silence, he once again shut his eyes and another idea surfaced on his mind. This time, Fate immediately flew into action without the slightest signs of hindrance.

“Year 20XX AD, in the foreign lands of the Black Mamba Underworld, the Third King Yanluo of Hell, Qin Ye, recorded a complete, accurate account of their discovery of the Russian Underworld’s foray into Forbidden Arts, in full compliance with the requirements of an official diplomatic documents. There were no loopholes whatsoever. The full particulars are as follows.”

“Year 20XX AD, one of the twelve envoys, Lord Liu Yu of the Hanyang Underworld, conspired with Tsar Arturo of the Russian Underworld, and set into motion the Russian Underworld’s script of death that had been in the works for decades on end…”