Yama Rising

Zhao Yun was stumped once again by this question.

Wasn't this common knowledge?

The sun, moon, and stars of the Cathayan Underworld were manifested by Hell's three creation-grade divine artifacts. As for how these celestial bodies were manifested, even beings above the Yama-King level were unable to find out.

No one would bother to ponder this question as there was simply no point!

Qin Ye paid no heed to what Zhao Yun was thinking as he pointed up at the sky and said, "Look, the sun and the moon of the underworld are the same as the ones in the mortal realm. You can even see some familiar constellations like the Big Dipper. However, do you know what the oldest star chart in the world is?"

Zhao Yun was completely unable to follow Qin Ye's logic, and he shook his head in response. "I'm afraid I do not."

Qin Ye smiled as he replied, "Ironically, the world's earliest star chart wasn't made by anyone from Europa or Usonia, where astrology is most popular. Instead, it was drawn in 600 AD by the Cathayan astronomer, Li Chunfeng, but it's currently being showcased in the Britannian Museum."

"I'm sure the three death gods of Northern Europa would be open to exchanging it for something."

"There's no need for that," Qin Ye replied. "The mortal realm is the mortal realm, while the underworld is the underworld. This is not an artifact of the underworld, and the mortal realm and the underworld should never intersect. If this artifact were in the underworld, I would've requested the five Northern Europa nations to hand it over long ago. Now that I think about it, we actually have a larger collection of national treasures from other nations than them."

A smile appeared on Zhao Yun's face upon hearing this.

Qin Ye continued, "We can see the Big Dipper, but where are all of the other constellations?"

He seemed to be talking to himself as he mused, "If the stars manifested by the three divine artifacts were based on the stars of the mortal realm, then there's no way it would be so different. I'm more inclined to believe that these aren't the stars of the mortal realm. Instead, these are stars from another plane. In other words, the space of the underworld."

Zhao Yun was at a loss for words, and only after a long while did he reply, "I don't know what to say..."

"That's alright," Qin Ye said with a smile. "This only occurred to me recently. I think that the three divine artifacts are perhaps just relay devices, mirrors of sorts. They reflect the stars of outer space, but are unable to perform a divine miracle, such as creating stars, on their own."

Zhao Yun nodded in response. "That does sound like it makes sense. After all, only a god of creation is able to create a planet or a plane. Creation-grade divine artifacts are immensely powerful, but such a miraculous feat is still beyond them."

Qin Ye's hair was swept up by a gust of Yin wind as he murmured, "In that case, what lies beyond this starry sky?"

Zhao Yun massaged his own brows as he asked, "Pardon me for asking, but what is the point in all of this speculation?"

Qin Ye didn't offer a direct reply. Instead, he lowered his head as he said, "I'm sure you're aware of just how capable the new energy resource is of generating astronomical profits. As such, we need to take measures to prevent potential wars that could arise over these profits! In order to do that, we only have one option; to create second-grade forbidden arts! That's what we must do next. We must be able to keep the massive profits that we generate safe in order to be free from worries. However, our ultimate objective is not just to be free from worries, we have to think about what the catalyst to usher in the next era will be. Only then will it always maintain an insurmountable technological advantage over the rest of the world."

The two of them just so happened to have arrived beside a balcony that was constructed purely from wood, with a wooden raised flower bed at the center, planted in which were plants that had been offered as tribute from various places.

It had to be said that the plants of the underworld each had their own unique beauty.

There were spider lily flowers that were as red as blood, Yin locust wood that was bright blue like the sky, dreamleaf flowers that were as translucent as crystals, and many more exotic plants that were spectacular to behold.

Beside the raised flower bed were rows of hanging palatial lanterns, organized in order from highest to lowest. At night, this was a very beautiful place to be.

Qin Ye raised a hand to pluck off a leaf from a Yin locust tree. The bright blue leaf contained specks of radiance, making it appear as if he were holding a miniature starry sky in his hand. At this point, they had already been walking for over half an hour, and as soon as they stopped here, servants immediately set up teaware and snacks for them. Everything was so efficient and well-rehearsed, and by the time Qin Ye and Zhao Yun turned around, the faint fragrance of tea was already wafting toward them.

The two of them made their way over to a pair of taishi chairs before taking a seat. Qin Ye picked up a teacup before taking a sip, then continued where they had left off. "You have some questions for me, don't you?"

"I do." Zhao Yun had also picked up a teacup, but he wasn't drinking from it. "You told Northern Europa's Five Nation Alliance earlier that we would produce chips, while they produced computers and phones, thereby allowing us to dominate the market for high-end technology. In my opinion, after the industrial revolution brought on by the new energy resource, we will enter the information era. The information era relies heavily on computers and phones, as has already been demonstrated in the mortal realm. I'm wondering how that relates to outer space."

An amused smile appeared on Qin Ye's face as he replied, "The notion that the information age is the next era is only a story sold to outsiders who don't know any better. The next era that I'm talking about is a true new era that even the mortal realm hasn't stepped into yet! That is the true objective that we are aiming for! The mortal realm has already completed all of the trial and error for the electricity era and the information age, so all we have to do is replicate their path. In 10 years, maybe 15 years at most, our technology will reach the same level as that of the mortal realm. That doesn't count as a new era."

He leaned forward slightly as he continued, "Haven't you noticed? Due to the fact that the mortal realm has already shown us the way, the underworld isn't actually taking scientific research and development all that seriously. That's even more reason for us to grab this opportunity and establish a foundation for the next era during this era! In doing so, we will always stay ahead of the pack and ensure eternal glory for our Cathayan Underworld!"

"So you've set your sights on outer space?" Zhao Yun asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"That's right," Qin Ye replied in a calm manner as he leaned back in his chair. "At the very most, this industrial revolution will only last 20 to 30 years. After we develop the second-generation forbidden arts, we'll form a space exploration team right away. I've already thought of a name for our first rocket, we'll name it Chang'e, what do you think?" [Chang'e is the goddess of the moon in Chinese mythology.]

You're thinking way too far ahead!

Zhao Yun repressed his own exasperation as he asked in a skeptical voice, "Why? Is outer space worth exploring for us?"

"Of course it is!" Qin Ye replied as his eyes immediately lit up. "Firstly, if we can establish a space station or attain the ability to fire rockets, we'll be able to carry forbidden arts! Currently, forbidden arts are sealed within the modules, but when the time comes, we'll be perfectly capable of firing our forbidden arts! Thus, we'll be able to threaten the entire world, and no matter how massive our future profits become, we'll be able to protect ourselves!"

Zhao Yun nodded in response. Sufficient protection had to accompany profits. Otherwise, those profits would be stolen.

"Secondly, there may be extremely abundant resources in outer space. On Earth, rare earth is extremely precious, but it can be found in abundance all over the moon. The 'blue water droplets' all over Mars have been confirmed to be sapphire ore, and this indicates that violent volcanic activity has taken place on Mars in the past. That means that there could be unimaginable amounts of precious ore hiding beneath its surface! It may only be 11% of the size of Earth, but what about the other planets? The emergence of electricity entails that the final parts of the underworld that have yet to be explored will be explored soon. Furthermore, massive exploitation of resources will inevitably follow. As we saw in the mortal realm, humans have managed to use up resources that have arisen over the course of hundreds of millions of years in just a few decades, and that will surely apply to the underworld as well. Sooner or later, we'll have to consider exploring other planes."

Zhao Yun heaved a faint sigh in response. "But Your Excellency, this is all pure speculation. There's no way for us to know whether space even exists for the underworld! Just as you said, if we rise beyond the sky in the underworld, we'll reach Limbo! There's nothing up there!"

"I'm naturally aware of that," Qin Ye replied. "However, there's one person who can give me an answer."

This step was imperative to deciding whether the Cathayan Underworld could lead the rest of the underworld for the centuries, even millennia, to come, so he had to find out the truth.

Zhao Yun was perplexed for a moment before an enlightened smile appeared on his face. "Of course! How could I have forgotten about the second King Yanluo..."

He had actually gone on vacations to other planes!

"If we don't set our sights on the sky, then we'll have to turn to the sea," Qin Ye mused. "However, I would rather focus on the cosmos. After all, the sea is also a part of our world, and the mortal realm is already beginning to taste the bitter fruits of excessive resource exploitation. I don't want the underworld to suffer the same fate, so it's always better to expand outward rather than constantly dig deeper into our own plane. In the mortal realm, if they want to conduct space exploration, then they'll have to develop advanced artificial intelligence first. After that, they'll have to develop technology that can allow humans to hibernate during long voyages in space. Both of these types of technology have only ever been seen in sci-fi films. However, the underworld is different. Yin spirits have unlimited lifespans, and their physical conditions can be examined through their soulfire. In addition to that, they don't need to breathe or eat... They're natural astronauts! We can't not take advantage of this! The 15-day break for this international trade conference isn't for them, it's for me instead."

He rose to his feet, and at the same time, Wang Chenghao rounded the corner, approaching him before extending a respectful bow. "Your Excellency, the ship to Australis is ready, and the voyage is projected to take a day and a half."

"I'll be right back." As Qin Ye departed with Wang Chenghao, he said, "Only after confirming whether space exists or not can I decide whether our Cathayan Underworld should dedicate our scientific research and development power to space exploration. If that need does arise, we need to decide which nations we want to work for us on this project. This is a project for the future, but it must be finalized now. During my absence, I'll be counting on you to hold the fort, Brother Zhao."

"Yes," Zhao Yun replied with a respectful bow, and by the time he stood up straight again, Qin Ye was already gone.

A faint smile appeared on Zhao Yun's face as he disappeared on the spot while murmuring to himself, "He is the perfect King Yanluo candidate. With him at the helm, Hell will be safe and prosperous for thousands of years to come."

……………………………………………………

The world was very peaceful

All nations were very quiet. To everyone's surprise, the three pillars didn't kick up a fuss. All of the underworlds were busy planning for the future, and there was no story about this edition of the international trade conference even on The Underworld Weekly, which was the highest-selling newspaper in the underworld.

"Looks like someone's determined to keep what happened during the conference strictly confidential..." Qin Ye murmured to himself as he set the newspaper aside. "If I recall correctly, The Underworld Weekly is published by the Psalm Consortium. They'll be desperate for the usage rights of news-related patents, such as mechanical printers. At the same time, they'll be trying to extend their influence into the media sector... Actually, why am I even thinking about this?"

He was situated in a very large room with extravagant decor that had a pronounced Cathayan style, and there was everything that one would ever need here in this room.

He stood up and cast his gaze out the window, looking at the boundless sea outside. The light of the sun was shining down onto the surface of the sea, giving it the appearance of a rippling black gem.

This area of the sea was already quite close to Australis, and it had already been a day and six hours since his departure from the Bohai Sea. In six more hours at most, he would arrive at the world's gate, the place that was full of mysteries.

Right at this moment, the entire ship swayed violently, as if it had just crashed into some type of massive object.