Yama Rising

Impressive...

Qin Ye was rather taken aback as he raised an eyebrow. He truly didn't expect Yang Jiye, who was only an Infernal Judge, to have been able to detect his arrival.

Felipinas was an extremely important nation, acting essentially as a horizontal barrier across the Pacific Ocean. Ever since the founding of the nation, Qin Ye received memorials from the 12 envoys every month, but they were all mundane reports that Zhao Yun could address in his stead. Furthermore, he had rewarded many people following the founding of the nation. Arakshasa and Qin Changxin had been directly promoted using Hell's Record, but none of the 12 envoys were rewarded.

They were outside of the nation, and as such, Qin Ye had to be wary of them to a certain extent.

Abyssal Prefects were already high-grade underworld emissaries capable of sweeping up massive waves in Asia, and no matter how loyal someone like Yang Jiye was, there was no need for Qin Ye to tempt him with the possibility of rebellion by promoting him to an Abyssal Prefect.

There was no way that anyone would know about his decision to travel here as it was a spur-of-the-moment decision even for himself, and he was interested in taking advantage of this opportunity to see exactly how Yang Jiye was serving the Cathayan Underworld as one of the 12 envoys.

A self-deprecating smile appeared on his face as this thought occurred to him. "To think that I've already learned to become wary of my subordinates after only such a short tenure as King Yanluo. Is this what they mean when they say power changes people?"

As soon as his voice trailed off, a messenger bird was sent flying through the air, but he still didn't reveal himself. Several minutes later, the alarms ringing out throughout the city drew to an abrupt halt, following which a gust of Yin wind flew directly toward Qin Ye before materializing into Yang Jiye.

Even though he wasn't on the battlefield, he was still wearing a suit of armor, and the steely aura unique to a soldier was emanating from his body in spades. As soon as he arrived, he immediately cupped his fist in a salute before falling to one knee. "Lord of Luzon, Yang Jiye, pays his respects to Yanluo Qin. I didn't know you were coming, please forgive me for the insolence I displayed just now."

A burst of Yin energy gently lifted him back up into a standing position, and Qin Ye said in a calm voice, "No need for formalities, General Yang. The etiquette of kneeling has already been abolished in the new Hell, and as long as your heart is with the Cathayan Underworld, it doesn't matter if you kneel or not."

Yang Jiye shuddered ever so slightly upon hearing this, and he cupped his fist in another salute as he replied, "As you wish."

In contrast with the last time he had met Qin Ye, the past few years of toil and accrued experience had left a clear mark on Qin Ye's demeanor. The current Qin Ye was carrying a sense of innate authority, and standing before him, one felt as if nothing could escape his scrutiny.

This was the aura of a qualified ruler of a major underworld. Yang Jiye couldn't help but think back to the young man that Qin Ye had once been. The war of unification and these past few years ruling over the Cathayan Underworld had made him grow and develop rapidly. It seemed that Hell was in good hands.

"General Yang?" Qin Ye called out, and only then did Yang Jiye return to reality from his train of thought.

"My apologies, Yanluo Qin, my mind wandered elsewhere for a second."

In the past, he had only been loyal to Hell, but in this moment, he finally developed a new sense of loyalty and acceptance of this new King Yanluo.

"There's no need to be so stiff and formal," Qin Ye said with a smile as he cast his gaze toward the city. "I have an urgent matter that I require your assistance in, General Yang. How about we speak as we walk? Also, I don't want anyone to know that I was here, and make sure you keep this matter a secret once I depart."

A serious look appeared on Yang Jiye's face, and he immediately replied, "I'll be sure to do so, Yanluo Qin. Please come with me."

As soon as his voice trailed off, a burst of Yin energy rose up around Qin Ye's body, and several seconds later, he had already transformed into an unremarkable-looking eunuch holding a horsetail whisk.

Yang Jiye transformed into a gust of Yin wind to lead the way, and Qin Ye was just about to follow him when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Hold on, something doesn't seem right here... Why have I gotten used to transforming into a eunuch?! Do I identify as a eunuch now?!

With a forlorn internal sigh, he followed Yang Jiye into the city. Following the alarm that had rung out earlier, the gates of the city were tightly shut, and all of the netherworldly citizens in the city had deserted the streets. Walking along the wide and empty street, Qin Ye could sense countless pairs of curious eyes peeking out at them from within the houses on either side of the street. The two of them paid the scrutiny no heed, and as they walked along, Yang Jiye was acting as Qin Ye's tour guide.

"This is the business district, and we're currently on Bhrikuti Street, which stems from the Princess Bhrikuti of Luzon legends. Almost all of Luzon's large shopping markets, top restaurants, and other important consumer businesses are on this street. If we walk all the way to the end of the street, we reach the Manila District, which derives its name from the capital of Luzon, and all of Luzon's high-grade underworld emissaries are here, including our Yang Clan. At the center of the Manila district is the parliament hall, and after that, we'll emerge from the city and arrive at the Luzon military barracks. If the need arises, we can immediately summon troops directly from the barracks. There won't be any resistance as the local death god of Luzon is only an initial Infernal Judge, and he's already surrendered to the Cathayan Underworld long ago. Most importantly, most of the Yin soldiers of Luzon are Yang Clan forces, so they won't stir up a rebellion even if they wanted to."

Qin Ye cast his gaze toward the direction that Yang Jiye was pointing in, and he was greeted by the side of a city with strong foreign elements. The religions of Catholicism, Islam, and Buddhism were extremely popular here, creating a city with a diverse religious profile.

There were resplendent churches, pristine white mosques, and colorful Buddhist temples all over the city, as well as Buddha statues, prophet statues, and various other types of religious monuments. There was one statue roughly every 100 meters, and it gave the city a strong religious atmosphere. These religious buildings blended together perfectly with the surrounding ancient Cathayan-style buildings, forming a contrasting yet cohesive package that presented quite a spectacle to behold.

This was the difference that time could make. There was clearly far more cultural complexity in this city than the new capital that was Everburn. There was a mix of foreign and Cathayan elements, as well as three different religions, and it was apparent to anyone that saw this place that Yang Jiye was conscientiously running the nation without any ulterior motives. With that in mind, Qin Ye asked, "How long until the end of your term, General Yang?"

Yang Jiye shook his head in response. "The 12 envoys don't serve in terms. Out of all of the tax revenue in the entirety of Luzon, aside from the 20% that goes into the national vault and the tribute to the Cathayan Underworld that is given once every 50 years, there are no other costs. The Felipinas is situated in a rather special position in that it's the first barrier between the Pacific Ocean and Southern Asia. As long as you trust me to fulfill my duties, I'm willing to defend this land for the Cathayan Underworld indefinitely.

Qin Ye nodded in response.

Ever since he entered the main part of the city, Yang Jiye hadn't attempted to hide anything from him. As King Yanluo, Qin Ye hadn't been here for a few years, and now that he was finally here, Yang Jiye had to give Qin Ye a basic tour, informing him that there was a point to the structure of the city. Qin Ye was confident that given sufficient time, the next step for Yang Jiye would be to invite him to spectate the training of the soldiers and even deliver a political address to the officials of the nation.

This was a display clearly telling Qin Ye that the Felipinas was still under the Cathayan Underworld's control, and that it didn't have any thoughts of rebellion. No matter how much Qin Ye trusted Yang Jiye, these necessary formalities couldn't be skipped.

"I have full trust in you, General Yang," Qin Ye replied with a smile. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have come to see you on this occasion."

He really wanted to see the entirety of Luzon, but he simply couldn't put his own heart at ease until he obtained Xu Fu's notes.

He had made a massive promise to the rest of the world, and it was imperative that he obtained what was required to back up the promise.

It was clear that Qin Ye was about to cut to the chase, and having realized this, Yang Jiye didn't reply right away. Instead, he gestured to the surrounding area, and a dozen or so Yin soldiers immediately surrounded them from 10 meters away, ensuring that no one could approach them.

"What have you come to see me for, Your Excellency?"

A serious look appeared on Qin Ye's face, and he made a grabbing motion to completely soundproof the area. Then, instead of informing Yang Jiye of what had happened during this past week, he asked, "General Yang, what is the smuggling situation like in the Felipinas?"

Yang Jiye was rather taken aback by this question, and after a brief pause, he gritted his teeth before replying, "I'm sure there are instances of smuggling. Unfortunately, I'm not capable enough to completely abolish this foul practice..."

"I'm not accusing you of anything, General Yang. I know just as well as you do that there's no way to completely prohibit smuggling, especially in a place like the Felipinas, which is known as the first barrier between the Pacific Ocean and Southern Asia," Qin Ye said. "What I want to know is how many fleets there are and who their leaders are. Are they a legitimate force, and who is supporting them?"

Yang Jiye pondered this form a moment before replying, "There are three large fleets and countless smaller ones. As you just said, the Felipinas really is the first geographic barrier to Southern Asia. To the left, we have the Hindustani Underworld and the Maluku Islands. Down below, we have the Red Moon Federation, and to the right is the Star Cluster Federation. All ships that come from the new continent must pass through the Star Cluster Federation, and 90% of them stop at the Felipinas. However, the Star Cluster Federation is far too small to stop these ships, and all of the fleets that dare to smuggle across the Pacific Ocean are supported by prominent powers, so the Star Cluster Federation wouldn't dare to try and stop them anyway. As such, their only choice is to turn a blind eye. After passing through the Star Cluster Federation, one would enter the Southern Asian underworlds, which is widely known as an area within the Cathayan Underworld's scope of influence. Even the most powerful death gods don't dare to kick up a fuss in the Cathayan Underworld, so during the past 1,000 or so years, this has already become a set point where smuggled merchandise is dumped and sold. Not only do they bring merchandise from the Pacific Ocean, they also carry valuable information about the new continent. I thought this was beneficial, so I issued an order specifically not to stop these fleets."

At this point, the two of them had already made it to the parliament hall at the center of the city.

The Felipinas had many foreign and religious buildings, but the most important building was the parliament hall, and it had been constructed in the classic ancient Cathayan style.

It was a resplendent and extravagant nine-story building, and there were many Yin soldiers standing on guard duty on the white marble staircase in front of the entrance. Even though Yang Jiye had accompanied an unfamiliar underworld emissary here, no one took an extra glance at them.

Yang Jiye made an inviting hand gesture, but didn't walk up the staircase. Instead, he made his way into a side chamber, following which the door was silently shut. The chamber's decor was in the ancient Cathayan style with taishi chairs and an old-fashioned square table. Cups of tea had already been poured on the table, and the aroma of the tea was wafting through the air.

Qin Ye sat down, and Yang Jiye took a seat across from him before continuing, "One of these three fleets comes from Northern Usonia, another comes from Southern Usonia, and the final one is a Caribbean fleet. You may not be very familiar with them. They began as pirates and engaged in smuggling in secret, and they refused to sell any of their merchandise in the new continent. That fleet is the smallest of the three major smuggling fleets, but it always carries the most valuable merchandise, such as a lot of precious ore and plants from the new continent."

Not only have I seen them, I've even had a recent run-in with them.

Qin Ye was rather intrigued to hear this, and having detected his intrigue, Yang Jiye immediately continued, "According to the information gathered by my sources, they hold at least two S rank, or AA grade mines, as well as five or six A grade mines and at least two Yin jade mines. They're not a force to be reckoned with yet, but they're extremely wealthy, and I've heard that all of the fleets that go out to sea in the new continent have to pay them a 1% sea tax. Otherwise, even the other two smuggling fleets wouldn't be able to go out to sea. In fact, any that have tried to make the voyage from the new continent across the Pacific Ocean have inexplicably disappeared before reaching the other side. Speaking of the other two smuggling fleets, they must be supported by certain death gods as the merchandise that they trade is very special. It's..."

Yang Jiye habitually cast a glance out the window before concluding in a low voice, "Military gear."