Yama Rising

Oda Nobunaga was a warlord, and his assessment of the armor couldn’t be far off. Zhao Seven was a captain who was habitually sent to the frontlines of battlefields. Their unanimous affirmation of this set of armor meant that the final and most important preparatory work leading up to the upcoming imperial court meeting was finally complete!

That said, he knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to convince the twelve envoys to transact with him. For that, he would need leverage - one which lay in benefits, otherwise known as armaments!

Armaments that only Hell could manufacture and produce!

“I’m truly looking forward to it…” He sighed and retracted his hand, “I’m already eagerly anticipating your arrival…”

Speak of the devil!

He immediately received it with great excitement. Incidentally, the survey form right at the top of the stack was filled out by none other than Chaghan, Lord of the Bamboo Region.

“What is the preferred mode of entertainment in your fiefdom? He didn’t fill this one out. The options given were A: LOL. B: Mahjong. C: Naruto. D: Patty. In other words, his answer wouldn’t have been any of the above…” His crafty, cunning eyes curled up brightly, and a crooked smile crept up the corner of his lips, “Question 3: What is your favourite brand and fashion style? A: Tang style. B: Ming style. C: Armani. D: Paul Smith. Still no response? Ah! That’s right! There wasn’t the option of Yuan Dynasty style.”

“... Question 12: How well do you understand electricity? If Hell were supported by the infrastructure of electricity, which electronic appliance or amenities do you find to be of greatest importance? A: Computer. B: Cellphone. C: Television. D: Movies. … No response!”

He read on quickly and soon arrived at the final, twenty-fifth question, only to realize there was still no response. Furthermore, there were a few words written at the end in striking red ink.

Very good… Qin Ye could practically hear his heart thumping out of his chest. Chaghan… I sincerely hope you don’t regret these callous words of yours at the imperial court meeting later on.

Not at all!

Without hesitation, he picked up the second sheet of paper and looked at it.

He had responded to at least ten questions, far more than the previous questionnaire that Qin Ye had just skimmed through. However… it still wasn’t enough!

Rustle, rustle, rustle… One by one, Qin Ye looked through each and every one of the survey forms that were returned to him. Then, when he finally got to the response from the Lord of Licchavi, he paused for a moment.

He didn’t respond to a single question.

The results were far better than he could have ever imagined!

Arthis and Nobunaga shook their heads at the same time.

Qin Ye turned around, and his eyes glinted with confidence as he smiled faintly at them, “It began in 1970, and it saw the advent of electronics, televisions, computers and cellphones… It brought us out of the age of energy proliferation and sent us hurtling straight into the age of information. In other words, we transitioned from televisions into networks of computers and the internet in just twenty-odd years. Do you think this movement merely represents the addition of one type of resource to the list of many? No! This is the age of information explosion! You can’t begin to fathom how fearsome societal progress has been these last twenty years if you haven’t personally experienced life in the mortal realm in recent times.”

He gazed into the distance and snorted contemptuously, “They’ve been busy butting heads with the three daolords in a desperate struggle for territory! They’ve been trying so hard with the sole intention of getting back into the old Hell in order to seize Hell’s legacy! And the only other thing they’ve been doing is to look internally to cultivate their own forces!”

And this single unified notion was none other than the notion of information inequality.

They didn’t know. Isn’t this simply going to be a conference of sorts? What’s most important is still the product that is the set of battle armor, isn’t it? What else could we possibly achieve with a mere conference?

Arthis and Oda Nobunaga glanced at each other, and immediately followed behind Qin Ye.

It was completely different from the usual ancient styled building in the vicinity. This was something that looked no different from the citizens’ assembly halls back in the mortal realm. That said, the present building was far smaller. The entire structure was constructed with white pillars. Qin Ye walked right up to its luxurious mahogany doors and pushed on it. Oda Nobunaga’s eyes brightened up immediately, “This is…”

There were rows after rows of seats arranged in tiers within the building. Countless Yin spirits from Yin Construction were putting on the final touches on the interior of the hall.

It was new and novel.

But if Wang Chenghao were here, the design of the building would most certainly have been met with disdain. After all, wasn’t this structure no different from the tiered lecture halls back from the First Academy of Cultivators? The only difference was that it was a slightly more upmarket and luxurious version of it.

As Oda Nobunaga looked over, both the astonishment in his heart and the curiosity in his mind only continued to grow. The auditorium was small, yet it was incredibly gorgeous!

The walls on both sides were adorned with relief sculptures. This was a style that had never been seen in ancient Cathay. After all, ancient Cathayan architecture was largely centered around the use of wood, and its designs tend to be atmospheric and elegant. Yet the decors in this building exuded a completely different kind of magnificence that he was used to, and the key to all of this lay in the marvelous relief sculptures that ran down the hallways in the building. It was almost as though they were transported to a corridor of myths and legends.

A particular notion was already at his fingertips, and yet he didn’t quite manage to grasp it in hand.

“In other words, we’re showing the twelve envoys a completely different culture despite being of the same heritage. Think about it. What happens when a person who has immersed himself in the ancient Cathayan culture for thousands of years sees the majestic pyramid for the very first time? The kind of shock and amazement is far more impactful than you could ever imagine.”

Arthis froze in shock. Her mind spun, and she immediately connected the dots, “Are you talking about… the luxury stores in the mortal realm? And those ancient premium luxury restaurants?”

Bzzt!

He finally understood. He finally understood it! That said, it still astounded him that a simple launch event could be used to achieve such incredulous ends!

Everything from beginning to end would be undergirded by top-quality service...He swept his gaze about the auditorium, taking in every bit of the new culture he could see… And then, he shook his head helplessly.

Suppressing the deep admiration in his heart, he cupped his hands respectfully to Qin Ye, “Lord Qin, what do you call this masterstroke?”

“This is called advanced marketing science. Or, you could simply call it… a dimensional strike.” Qin Ye’s eyes blazed with passion, and he licked his lips avariciously, “I’m crushing the existing two-dimensional feudal lords with a whole new dimension of reality. With this… I’m confident of taking them down and reining them in completely!”

1. The third industrial revolution brought forth the rise of electronics, telecoms, and computers.

2.