Yama Rising

Qin Ye was incredibly vigilant. His wealth of life experiences had taught him to be wary of everything that happened around him, and it didn’t help that he even felt as though the things happening around him were being orchestrated by a greater being that seemed to loom over him.

The few days of calm and peace appeared to assuage the tension in his heart slightly. But, even then, he couldn’t shake off the niggling feeling that this was more indicative of the fact that the pieces had all fallen into place, and the storm was ready to erupt. The fact that no other incidents were happening was no different from the calm before the storm. Thus, he was unable to let up completely.

Qin Ye’s secretary knocked on the door to his office, “Sir, Mr Wang has arrived.” Moments later, the door opened, and Wang Chenghao walked right into the room.

“Yes.” With that, the secretary left the room.

Time trickled by quickly as Qin Ye went about his duties, while Wang Chenghao continued to inspect the grand office space he was in. Twenty minutes later, Qin Ye finally set his documents down and massaged his temples as he leaned back into his seat to get some rest. He picked up a teacup without a word.

Wang Chenghao could sense that there was something different about Qin Ye from when they’d last met.

Perhaps this is only befitting of the leader of a sprawling city having charge over 20 million Yin spirits…

It’s warm…

Items that bore or transmitted warmth were incredibly precious in the netherworld because they gave Yin spirits the illusion of being alive. Sure, Wang Chenghao might have already gotten used to living in the icy cold reaches of Hell by now, but that only made the warm cup of tea even more surprising and pleasant to the taste.

Qin Ye set down his teacup, leaned back into his seat and chortled softly, “What’s the matter? Looks like you’ve picked up a thing or two in your previous few internships, haven’t you? Are you finally getting used to things around here?” He had been far too busy with official matters in both the mortal realm and the netherworld that banal interactions such as these were actually a breath of fresh air to his weary mind.

Wang Chenghao nodded, “So, what exactly is the difference between an assistant and a secretary?”

“......” Wang Chenghao was momentarily dumbfounded by Qin Ye’s response - Bloody hell… what a good response. But why does it still feel like there’s something amiss here…

And then, both men began to guffaw at the idiocy of their exchange.

Having laughed their fill, Qin Ye rapped the table softly, “But, seriously, if we look at the two, the secretary’s role would be to take charge of the clerical affairs, including writing letters, handling correspondence, and so on and so forth. On the other hand, the assistant would be tasked with the more administrative affairs, including attending executive meetings on my behalf when I’m not around. You will be conferred the authority to handle these administrative matters as you deem fit and call the shots where decisions are concerned. These are all functions that the secretary cannot perform.”

“One must start somewhere.” Qin Ye massaged his temples, “Besides, with the backing of someone as powerful as I, are you truly satisfied with simply getting by as an ordinary Yin spirit? What do you think your other classmates from the First Academy of Cultivators are going to say when they finally descend into Hell? You’re going to become a huge laughingstock!”

Even then, Qin Ye didn’t bother giving Wang Chenghao any further room for retort. Besides, no measure of retort would change Qin Ye’s mind, “How’s things in the City of Salvation been?”

Qin Ye retracted the incredulous look on his face and nodded in agreement, “Unfortunately, it’s not going to be easy to achieve something like that in the near future. I’ve also had this discussion with Arthis, and it would seem that transportation between cities is largely dependent on the particular type of Yin beasts available to us. Now that the ecosphere of the entire netherworld has changed completely, we’ve been unable to locate any suitable Yin beasts to facilitate transportation. Plans in this regard will have to be shelved for now. What’s the other point you were going to raise?”

Qin Ye furrowed his brows and nodded, “I’ve got it. I’ll get down to it some time this month, I suppose.”

Wang Chenghao looked up, only to find Qin Ye standing to his feet and gazing out into the deep night sky - he was probably the only one still hard at work at this ungodly hour at night. Qin Ye stretched lazily and cracked his joints as he continued, “To make the new currency more appealing to the masses, I’ve dangled the fruit of higher interest rates to the citizens. However, all of that is still contingent on their acceptance of the new currency. Therefore, my intention is to smoothen the path to acceptance with a great sale.”

“And what about this? What purpose does this serve?” One Tail pointed to the plans for a massive amusement park with great astonishment, “You plan to erect an amusement park in the middle of the underworld? Who’s going to do it? How will we power its operations?”

“However, this method can only be used to power a single city.” Qin Ye opened the door and allowed a soft breeze to sweep into the room, “Meanwhile, Hell will still need to find a more sustainable source of energy to support its operations. The Harken was only willing to make an exception for Hell because these upcoming celebrations coincide with the first celebration of the Hungry Ghost Festival in the last century. The gates of Hell will be open once again. It’s symbolism is undeniable.”

“Are you an idiot?” Qin Ye rolled his eyes at Wang One Tail, “On what basis would Kong Mo be receiving Yin spirits from the mortal realm? Qufu was established decades ago, and the Yin spirits he’d received back then are all Yin spirits who were already wandering about the mortal realm back when Qufu was first inaugurated. But it’s been decades since then. Who knows just how many more Yin spirits are wandering the mortal realm again? What do you think these Yin spirits are? Dead?”

Qin Ye glared ferociously at Wang Chenghao. At once, Wang Chenghao made a mental note never to kid around about the volatile King Yanluo of Hell ever again.

Yet what was the most astounding about these plans was simply the sheer scale of its implementation!

And the only means of entry is through the purchase of tickets using the prevailing currency of Hell! In fact, that wasn’t the only condition to enter the amusement park. All who had satisfied the first condition of purchasing a ticket using the new currency of Hell would even have to register their unique Yin energy signature with Hell’s government for verification before they would be allowed entry! Such registration was something that closely involved Hell’s arts, and its operations naturally required the personal oversight of both Qin Ye and Arthis!

The old school zone would be filled with entertainment facilities designed around themes that have traditionally been popular throughout Eastmount Province, including commentaries of the region, operas, lanterns, and even pear garden districts. On the other hand, the new school zone would feature the more popular and trendy new-age themes, including Naruto, LoL, Starcraft, Diablo and other big names!

Ah, that’s right - he had no heart.

This was a remarkable feature that the planning committee had ironed out with Qin Ye. They would be creating a giant robot Diablo that moved just like the real thing. Numerous spaceships would shuttle about around the Diablo replica, dangerously avoiding the destructive burns of its “lightning fury” attack as they swooped about on one of the most thrilling attractions in the amusement park. The specifications of the rides here were absolutely through the roof!

“Holy crap…” Wang Chenghao gasped in amazement, “That’s awesome…”

Ah, that’s right… they’re already nothing more than souls…

“But I’ve got a question.” Wang Chenghao wondered aloud, “Brother Qin, how do you deal with the issue of security at such a massive amusement park?”

“This is going to be the first grand festivity celebrated in an entire century! We simply cannot allow for any mistakes! Besides, the occurrence of the Hungry Ghost Festival is also when the Special Investigations Department will be on full alert. You’re now known as an Infernal Judge back in the mortal realm, and would be regarded as one of the mainstay pillars of existence in the mortal realm. How… would you balance these commitments of yours?”

1. A black hole-ish technique.