Yama Rising

The academic society of the underworld was a very delicate thing.

All nations had their own scientists, and they would regularly hold all types of seminars together, but the scientists from the new continent were always absent.

This made sense, given the current state of the new continent, which prevented any of its scientists from leaving its borders.

However, there was one exception, and it was the independent scientist, Benjamin Franklin.

Benjamin Franklin just so happened to be studying overseas 100 years before Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa went insane, so he missed the most chaotic time period at the very beginning. After that, he spent the next few centuries founding the Euler's Gem No. 1 Energy Resource Research Station.

Currently, he was seated on one of the large sofas, nodding in Archimedes's direction as a polite gesture of respect.

Just like in the previous conference hall, the sofas formed a semi-circle around the room, surrounding a particularly intricately crafted sofa at the very center. That seat had clearly been left for Archimedes and Aristotle, and they didn't refuse the kind offer as they sat down onto it, then looked around at all of the Yin spirits present with a faint smile.

No one said anything.

The only sound in the room came from the crackling netherfire burning in the lamps in the corners of the room.

Only after a full three minutes had passed by did Aristotle finally break the silence. "I'm glad to see that all of you have returned. Have you already made your decision?"

Kana Fujii wore a smile of impeccable etiquette as she said, "Esteemed death god, it's not a matter of whether we've made up our minds or not. The situation here is that the three pillars need our help and want us to stand on your side."

On this day, she wasn't wearing a kimono. Instead, she was wearing a tight-fitting business suit, giving her a very sharp and professional appearance. She picked up her coffee cup in an elegant manner before taking a sip, then continued, "Hence, we're not here to tell you our decisions. Instead, we want to know if you've made any new discoveries indicating that the Cathayan Underworld is unreliable."

These wily old foxes certainly weren't going to make a choice unless there was enough evidence to convince them.

Archimedes wore a warm smile on his elderly face as he said, "I understand and respect that, but what could you possibly still be hesitating about in light of the Cathayan Underworld's recent actions? Invest in us and stand on our side, and you'll receive resources from the three pillars. On top of that, depending on the amount you invest, you'll receive a corresponding proportion of the end product once the new energy resource is developed. We are not like the Cathayan Underworld, we won't keep the new energy resource to ourselves. Instead, we'll share it with everyone who plays a role in developing it. I'm sure it's not too difficult to weigh up your options here."

"But you have to ensure that you'll actually be able to develop a new energy resource." Khilok set down his coffee cup and folded his hands over his own stomach as he said with furrowed brows, "Also, you have to ensure that you can complete it before the Cathayan Underworld brings out their new energy resource. At the very least, you have to ensure that your new energy resource is fully developed within a quarter. All of us are acutely aware of the situation at hand, so there's no need to waste time going around in circles. At the end of the day, you're only speculating about the state of the Cathayan Underworld. You have no concrete evidence to support your claims, and while it may seem like the Cathayan Underworld is deceiving the entire world, there could always be other factors at play here. You want us to pick sides now, but we all know just how unforgiving the Cathayan Underworld can be to those who pick the wrong sides. The third King Yanluo's political style is different from that of his two predecessors in that he's willing and able to endure adversity and even humiliation. People like him always strike with the most ruthless ferocity when they decide to exact their revenge! He won't afford everyone the opportunity to repent and make up for their mistakes, that was already made clear during the conference for the re-signing of the treaty on the non-proliferation of forbidden arts."

"In that case, why did you all come here today?" Aristotle asked.

"It's because we're still unsure, of course," Khilok replied with a smile. "There's an old saying that warns against putting all of one's eggs in a single basket, is there not?"

The elderly man from the Psalm Consortium said, "I can tell you the decision made by our two chairmen. They don't approve of investing in the Cathayan Underworld at the moment, nor do they approve of taking your side."

"What do you mean by 'at the moment'?" Archimedes asked as his eyes narrowed slightly.

"The end-of-year energy resource conference is coming up in a month, and it's no exaggeration to say that this conference is essentially solely being held for the Cathayan Underworld," the elderly man replied as he gently massaged the cross that he was holding. "We need to wait for a bit longer."

"And what about after that?"

The elderly man's smile faded as he put on a serious expression. "If the Cathayan Underworld is still unable to bring out anything..."

He pursed his lips, and Kana Fujii took a deep breath before continuing where he left off. "In that case, the Psalm Consortium and the Sacred Treasure Consortium will be working together to found the Brighter Tomorrow Investment Company in Hokkaido of the Nipponese Underworld."

A cold look flashed through Archimedes's eyes upon hearing this. "Is it really just going to be an investment company? There are no taxes imposed on companies registered in the city of Wakkanai in Hokkaido. On top of that, confidentiality is a top priority, and there's virtually no possibility of any information regarding the companies there being leaked. That makes it the perfect place to set up a business fortress, ensuring confidentiality while also avoiding expensive tariffs, thereby making it known as the Cayman Islands of the underworld. If you're founding your investment company there, does that mean you're planning to hide from the beginning to the end and control everything solely with this shell company?"

He leaned back onto the sofa as he said, "In that case, regardless of the final outcome, you'll always be the winners. However..."

He released his Yin energy without any reservation, allowing it to surge through the entire room as he warned in a cold voice, "If you want to appease both sides at the same time, you'll inevitably end up falling through the middle and not being able to appease either side! Don't you know what we want? Do you think the three pillars really need investments from you?!"

No one said anything.

They were naturally aware that the three pillars wouldn't need their monetary investment. Instead, what the three pillars wanted was their participation and their influence on the rest of the world!

If they could recruit the top 10 consortiums to join the project, then that would create an image that the entire world was standing on their side, thereby allowing them to influence some fence-sitters and neutral parties. Their ultimate goal was to force all of the scientists to deny the Cathayan Underworld access to their patents.

Without access to patents, even if the Cathayan Underworld could develop the new energy resource first, they would have to share it unless they wanted to instigate a world war! During the research and development process, they would have to incorporate all of the patents related to electricity!

Of course, it would be even better if they couldn't develop the new energy resource at all due to lack of patent accessibility.

At least 505 of all of the financial backers of all of the world's major research laboratories were among these top 10 consortiums. As for the rest, they could use their own investments and influence to sway the underworld that the remaining scientists belonged to, thereby exerting pressure upon them indirectly.

"We're not begging you to join us, we're presenting you with an opportunity," Archimedes said in a cold voice as he rose to his feet and withdrew his Yin energy. "We can allow you to wait until the conclusion of the energy resource conference, but if you want to pick a side, then you have to show some sincerity. Don't try to placate us with some shell company!"

If you want to join us, then you have to do so using the name of your consortium! This is an opportunity to change the world! You either don't participate or fully dedicate yourselves, fence-sitters are not welcome here!

After that, Archimedes and Aristotle vanished from the room.

The room fell completely silent, and after a short while, Kana Fujii shrugged as she said, "What did I tell you? I knew that they wouldn't allow that. Do you really think the death gods of the three pillars are idiots?"

No one seemed to have been fazed by Archimedes's display of anger, and Khilok also shrugged as he picked up his coffee cup to take another sip. "The process of negotiation has always been a series of tests to probe out the opposing party's boundaries. I'm certain there are going to be far more situations like this one arising over the next month."

It was far too difficult to intimidate these wily old foxes, and Archimedes was also aware of that himself.

The new energy resource was not just a battlefield for all of the major international powers, but also for these top consortiums as well.

Benjamin Franklin had remained silent this entire time, but he finally spoke now. "Let me ask you this, everyone: if the Cathayan Underworld fails to bring out anything again, which side are you going to stand with?"

His question was met by complete silence.

Franklin adjusted his suit as he rose to his feet, then said, "My apologies, but I don't have any time to waste here. The thought of a new energy resource related to electricity fills me with irrepressible excitement! If the Cathayan Underworld can't do this, then we'll do it ourselves! I need a guarantee, powerful financial backers, and all the equipment I want. If all those conditions can be satisfied, then the Euler's Gem No. 1 Energy Resource Research Station and the Sirian International Underworlds Research Center can consider revoking their agreement with the Cathayan Underworld. If any of those conditions can't be fulfilled, then we'd rather choose the Cathayan Underworld. I'll be taking my leave now. If the subsequent meetings are just going to be more pointless squabbles like this one, then I won't be coming back."

……………………………………

Time flew by very quickly, and in the blink of an eye, a month had already passed by.

Qin Ye was seated in his office, inspecting the reports from the Resurgence Team. During this past month, progress hadn't sped up as expected. Instead, it had entered a rather slow phase.

This was understandable to him.

What they had to do now was to compare the Yin rune charts of three substances in order to find something from the underworld that can attract energy from both the mortal realm and Heaven. They also had to find the electron Yin rune from the vast sea of Yin runes in existence.

Only after finding these things would progress rapidly accelerate. However, they hadn't managed to find these things thus far.

Having said that, at least they were making progress, albeit slow progress, in contrast with what they were doing eight months ago, which was essentially banging their heads repeatedly against a wall. This time, everyone was confident that they were on the right path.

"Then there's the special group that was founded a month ago led by Zu Chongzhi and the others with the purpose of studying the connection between compass rocks and voidsilver..." Qin Ye murmured to himself as he scrutinized a report intently. "What's interesting is that voidsilver was what was stated in Xu Fu's notes, but a compass rock had been restored by the new six paths of reincarnation, which means that there must be some type of connection between the two. Electricity and magnetism have always been interconnected. Compass rocks are magnetic in nature, while voidsilver contain electricity. In the end, what Xu Fu chose was voidsilver. In that case, does this mean that compass rocks will transition toward becoming voidsilver under certain special physical conditions? Following the conversion, he discovered that tourmaline of the mortal realm is a more suitable fit. He didn't have any opportunity to test out all of the types of ore in the underworld, and as a result, he must've essentially been forced to create an energy resource that incorporated elements from the mortal realm as well."

He heaved a faint sigh as he set down the report. In reality, he couldn't understand anything. He could only read the conclusive summary at the end, but even that contained too much jargon for him to fully understand.

He cast his gaze toward a flower pot sitting on his desk, within which sat a lotus flower that was gently swaying from side to side.

"It's already been a month, yet the gates of Heaven still haven't opened. Has there been a delay?"

He didn't dwell on this matter for long. After all, in contrast with the research and development currently taking place, this was a completely inconsequential matter.

It didn't really make a difference to him when the gates of Heaven opened.

"Your Excellency." Right at this moment, the door was opened, and Secretary Jiang approached Qin Ye before offering up a scroll in a respectful manner. "This scroll has just arrived from Ashmound, and it pertains to the end-of-year energy resource conference."

It's finally here...

Qin Ye accepted the scroll, and he didn't even have to inspect its contents to know roughly what it was going to say.

If he continued to remain silent, the rest of the world could completely turn on the Cathayan Underworld, but there was nothing for him to present at the moment!

"Looks like I'll have to act like a shameless bastard again. Thankfully, that's my specialty..."