Yama Rising

Due to the fact that the Heavenly Radiance Pavilion had been severely damaged by Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa, the meeting venue was changed to the surrounding temples.

The subject and the procedure of the meeting were completely different concepts that were both related, yet also independent of one another. The subject dictated what was going to be discussed during the meeting, while the procedure described what things had to happen during the meeting. For example, the subject for the conference to re-sign the treaty on the non-proliferation of forbidden arts had already concluded discussion, but there were still some procedures left to be completed.

Passing through a corridor that was lined with wind chimes, Qin Ye arrived in front of a large fabric sliding door with a red and white mask embroidered onto its surface, and in the instant that Qin Ye arrived, the door had already been slid open by the servants standing on either side of it.

Beyond the door was an extremely deep corridor that was lined on either side with ukiyo-e artwork. Under the swaying light of the lanterns, the artwork presented a rather unsettling sight to behold. At the end of the corridor was a Nipponese-style screen, and after passing around the screen, one would arrive in a room with an area in excess of 100 square meters. There was only a row of tall timber tables in the room, each standing at over a meter and half in height, and behind them were countless pieces of artwork depicting the renowned Goddess Kishimojin. Rows of bronze oil lanterns constructed in the form of intricate sparrows were positioned around the room, giving the entire room an air of eeriness.

There were a total of 10 tables in the room, and the rulers of the three pillars had already present. They were accompanied by six Infernal Judge level death gods of all ages and different genders, but all of them were wearing professional suits.

The ones occupying the main seats weren't the rulers of the three pillars. On the contrary, they were seated quite close to the edge of the room. Instead, an elderly underworld emissary who appeared to be around 80 to 90 years of age was occupying the maint seat. He was wearing a pair of black-framed glasses, and he gave Qin Ye a friendly nod before making an inviting hand gesture. "Yanluo Qin, I am the president of the Ghostdom Trade Organization, otherwise known as the International Underworlds Trade Association, you can refer to me as Jian. The Cathayan Underworld has always been an instigator and an important member of the GTO. However, the GTO's rules have always been fair, and fairness is the most important thing in world trade. The GTO's agreement is signed once every 100 years, and it's already 85 years overdue for a re-signing."

Qin Ye nodded in response. This was a responsibility that the Cathayan Underworld should rightfully undertake, so there was no need for him to try and deny it.

Jian's myopia seemed to be quite severe, and he adjusted his glasses as he leaned closer to the script on the table before continuing, "Aside from re-signing its past agreement, the GTO would like to propose another important subject of discussion on this occasion, which is the accession referendum proposed by the Caribbean's Beluga Whale Alliance."

He raised his head before continuing, "The Beluga Whale Alliance has already submitted an accession application several decades ago, and they've also submitted all of the required paperwork, but they've been kept out of the Ghostdom Trade Organization this entire time as not all of the four pillars were present to pass a verdict on their application."

This was only a formality, and Qin Ye didn't have much interest in it. With a flick of his wrist, his beaded bracelet fell into his hand, and he massaged it absentmindedly as he asked, "They count as a nation with autonomous jurisdiction power?"

"They do." It was Hypnos who replied instead of Jian, and he did so with a resigned shrug. "The rulers of the new continent didn't stop them from submitting their application, and according to international regulations, if 30 years or more go by without a response to a party's application to liberate themselves, then it will be viewed as an automatic forfeiture of sovereignty. At the same time, no war efforts can be raised against a new underworld during the first 50 years of its existence."

Qin Ye wanted to ask something, but didn't do so in the end.

This was because he had suddenly recalled something.

Every single death god had their own legends, and at this point in time, many death gods were evil ghosts who were worshipped after their deaths, allowing them to rule over nations, even though these nations weren't very large.

However, the caliber of their legends was insufficient, and their religions weren't incomplete, so no matter what they did, there was no way they could become Yama-Kings, and they could count themselves immensely fortunate to even become Abyssal Prefects. Thus, these 50 years were most likely a grace period during which they could write their own legends.

This was a vast project that had to be undertaken over the course of centuries, and it was what Liu Yu had planned to do in the past. Of course, the writing of legends didn't guarantee one's ascension to the Yama-King level, it only made the prospect a possibility. After writing the legends, they would still have to communicate with the mortal realm, perhaps through divine miracles, perhaps through supernatural events, perhaps through hidden messages... Regardless of what method they pursued, their objective was to snowball this legend generation after generation, ideally transforming it from a legend about a single death god into a brand new religion, and only then would they have a chance of reaching the Yama-King level.

It was not a coincidence that the four pillars were the origin nations of the world's four major religions. Only they had the world's most complete religions.

Jian took a glance at Qin Ye and said, "The request they made was for Death God Anubis to personally sign their application, and Death God Anubis agreed."

This was a warning to Qin Ye, informing him that those three pigs from the Caribbean were under the protection of Anubis.

It made sense. After all, pigs and dogs were a perfect match, both in IQ and in appearance.

"So?" he asked in a nonchalant manner, and he was starting to grow rather impatient.

If you want me to sign something, then hurry up! I have no interest in staying in Nara any longer than I have to. 

Jian smiled and explained, "We welcome all powers who wish to join our GTO. After all, this world needs diversification in cultures. No one knows who will be the final rulers of the new continent, perhaps it could be those three, and there's no reason for us to turn them down."

Is he essentially asking me whether I would like to exercise my veto rights? Has news of what just happened at the banquet hall already made it here? 

Qin Ye had no interest in demeaning himself by dealing with death gods of this caliber.

Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa were still alive, so those three ants wouldn't be able to do anything.

"I welcome them as well," he replied in a calm voice.

Jian nodded in response, then adjusted his own glasses again before looking down at his script as he continued, "In that case, we'll be voting on the accession of the Caribbean during the next world trade conference. You'll have to be prepared, Yanluo Qin?"

"What do I have to prepare?" Qin Ye was perplexed.

Anubis smiled and explained, "The Cathayan Underworld will be holding the conference. Due to your absence, the Aegyptian Underworld hosted two editions of the world trade conference in succession. According to the past sequence, after the Aegyptian Underworld, it's the Cathayan Underworld's turn to hold the conference, so you'll have to prepare to host the conference in 15 years."

Qin Ye's smile faded upon hearing this, and he looked at the three pillars with a calm expression. They were clearly seated with amicable smiles on their faces, yet Qin Ye felt as if they had rested their swords on his neck and were getting ready to deliver a swift and vicious slice.

I see, so this is what you had planned! 

If the Cathayan Underworld were to host this conference, then many things would have to be revealed. For example, where was Fengdu? Why were there only a couple Yama-Kings left out of the original 20 or so? Where was the Aurogon? Where was the Ksitigarbha? Where were the Sixfold Ghost Kings and the 10 Yama-King Palaces? What right did they have to continue as one of the four pillars with their pitiful array of personnel?!

It was very likely that a war would immediately follow!

He could prohibit them from visiting other Yama-Kings to conceal the severe lack of Yama-Kings in the Cathayan Underworld, but there was no way to conceal the degree of development of an entire underworld.

He had seen the grand spectacle of countless ships gathered on the coastline of the Red Sea. He had never been to the capital of the Aegyptian Underworld, nor seen the symbolic pyramids. He also hadn't ever been to the Elysian Fields of the Argosian Underworld or the Mahabodhi Temple of the Hindustani Underworld, but he knew full well that Everburn most likely couldn't even begin to compare with these other capital cities and majestic landmarks that had stood for thousands of years.

Those spectacles were born on the basis of thousands of years of cultural evolution and cutting-edge Yin rune technology, and there was no way to replicate the same level in just a few years. At the very least, it would take the new Cathayan Underworld 500 years of development to reach the same level.

This was clearly a trap that had been set for him by the rulers of the three pillars, and he realized that he had still underestimated them in the end.

His mind was racing, but his expression remained calm as he asked, "Is that a requirement?"

"According to the rules, it really is the Catahayn Underworld's turn," Jian replied with a smile. "In addition, the Cathayan Underworld needs to re-sign trade agreements with the rest of the world. I have here the last agreement that Yanluo Xu signed, and I can give you a copy to take back."

Qin Ye rose to his feet and said, "Alright, I understand. Is there anything else? If not, then I'll get my representatives to take care of the rest of the proceedings."

"That's all for now, you're free to leave, Yanluo Qin."

Qin Ye immediately vanished as a gust of Yin wind and quickly returned to his own room.

There was no one else in the room, and he stood in the empty room with a grim expression. As expected, the international political stage was fraught with peril, and he had only just overcome the first hurdle.

His mind was racing as he quickly made mental projections of how things could snowball from here.

Firstly, refusing wasn't an option. If he were to do that, the image that he had just painstakingly established would collapse again. It would make other underworlds feel that the Cathayan Underworld doesn't deserve its current status. Most importantly, the Cathayan Underworld is enjoying the power and benefits afforded to one of the four pillars, so it had to take on the corresponding responsibilities and duties.

Could they continue to isolate themselves from the world?

No, that wasn't an option, either.

He heaved a faint sigh as he murmured to himself, "The history of Cathay in the mortal realm is enough to paint a compelling story. After its accession was when Cathay entered a period of rapid development, becoming the economic engine of the entire world, and as a result, its status and influence became more and more prominent. At the moment, the Cathayan Underworld is unable to take on too many international duties, so in order to bolster our influence, the economy is the most important thing for us to take advantage of. I'm unable to even deploy troops to the Australis Underworld right, and it's very fortunate that it's not my turn yet. Otherwise, they would've raised that instead of the world trade conference. Above all else, they want to know the true current state of the Cathayan Underworld, and I must say that their instincts are extremely sharp."

He rose to his feet as he began to slowly pace back and forth in the room. "Following accession, I'll be able to import products from all over the world, and that would be extremely beneficial to the current poverty-stricken Cathayan Underworld. Hosting this upcoming world trade conference will be a massive risk, but it's one that I have to take. It's crucial for the future of the Cathayan Underworld, and we can't afford to be ostracized by the rest of the world. But how do we do this? How can we host this conference perfectly while concealing the true state of the Cathayan Underworld from them?"

Zhao Yun had told him that this was an important international conference, and it couldn't be postponed or turned down.

His mind continued to race, and after a long while, he heaved a heavy sigh. "This most likely is only the beginning as well. Even if I manage to weather this storm, what would follow would be direct clashes between national economies. I haven't seen how the GTO does things, but I'm sure all nations have their protected industries. However, the Cathayan Underworld currently has far too many industries that have to be protected, and there's no way we'll be able to protect all of them. All of the world's underworlds, governments, and consortiums will undoubtedly flock to the Cathayan Underworld after receiving news of our accession, and they won't pass up any industry they can take advantage of. If I don't address this issue properly, there could be no way for any local businesses to survive in any of our industries!"

At that point, the Cathayan Underworld would still be the Cathayan Underworld, but all of the businesses would be run by foreign nations, and the local Yin spirits would only be able to do basic entry-level jobs. Who would the Cathayan Underworld even belong to then?

One wave was coming after another, and he hadn't even gotten a chance to catch his breath after weathering this storm before a new storm arrived.