Chapter 289: Oda Nobunaga's Pledge of Loyalty

Arthis sighed softly and looked at Qin Ye.

Habits become second nature over time.

His ability to react to exigencies and his masterful grasp over the human heart are both qualities that a top-politician should possess.

Oda Nobunaga’s eyes gleamed brightly. His initial thought had merely been to arm his troops. After all, this was the only way he could develop his troops further to put them on par with the armies of the Nipponese underworld. In other words, it hadn’t even occurred to him that the old Hell could be used as a proving ground for training!

“And that’s not all.” Qin Ye placed his hands behind his back and spoke with an air befitting of a future King Yanluo. He smiled faintly, “Let me ask you, what do you call it when an ordinary Yin spirit is equipped with a full set of blight vermin carapace?”

Then, she promptly heard the sound of cracking knuckles coming from Qin Ye’s hands, accompanied only by a menacing gaze.

Do you even know what you’re saying right now? Huh? Do you? If not, can you have the self-restraint not to respond altogether? Would you die if you didn’t speak for a moment?!

Qin Ye withdrew his frigid gaze and declared with a sonorous voice, “It’s called the establishment of the Yin artifact manufacturing industry!”

Both of them once used to be rulers in their own rights, and they naturally understood what benefits the establishment of a brand new industry would bring to the nascent Hell! How many jobs would something like that create for them?

“No-no-no. There’s more, there’s more.” Qin Ye wagged his finger as he continued to explain, “Most importantly, this would constitute a special product of Hell. Do you understand what that means?”

“You’re… looking to sell skins?” Her voice rose substantially, “This would be the first set of skins produced by the new Hell! The artwork must be perfect, and the workmanship has to be exquisite! First-timers can even earn… Cough, cough… What I mean is that you can use it as a bargaining chip at the imperial court meeting with the feudal officials at the end of the year!”

Qin Ye heaved a sigh of relief, and he finally let go of the slight measure of reluctance and regret in his heart.

It would have to be the passing of a person who was unable to enjoy his wealth.

It would be where the money remained unspent, and his biological child wasn't able to inherit his wealth!

It had to be the situation where the child was entitled to inherit his father’s wealth, only to discover that his father had only willed him a sliver of it worth no more than a hundred dollars!

Unfortunately, Qin Ye was in that exact situation with the old Hell right now.

“There are no lousy heroes - only lousy players.” He uttered the oft-cited maxim with great emotion as he swept an arrogant gaze past Arthis. It was clear what he meant underneath the facade of his words - Trash, look at how the expert would handle the game on Hell-difficulty settings. Has any other underworld thought to approach the start of the game this way over the last thousands of years? I don’t think so. Watch, and learn.

“Then, esteemed Lord Yanluo, shall I begin with the preparations?” A calm voice interrupted Qin Ye’s thoughts, causing him to snap out of his great fantasies. He turned to look at the man who had just spoken, and the smile on his face was promptly replaced with a grave expression, “Lord Nobunaga, are you certain?”

That’s right… THIS is the greatest haul from this trip!

Oda Nobunaga… had finally taken the step to pledge his loyalty.

Oda Nobunaga didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he simply gazed deeply into the vast reaches of Hell for a long time, before he finally gently, but cautiously nodded his head.

General Zhenyuan!

“This is because you’re only an Anitya Hellguard right now. Given that Oda Nobunaga is also a Hellguard, you don’t possess the rights to confer such an appointment on him.” Arthis muttered softly, “Bite the tip of your finger and wipe your blood across the palm of my hand. I’ll do it.”

Qin Ye stared at Arthis as though he had just seen a ghost - Haven’t I already told you more than a dozen chapters ago that I can still fight if there’s a knife in my body, but I’ll equally still scream and shout like a little girl when the nurse draws blood from me during a routine examination at the hospital? I mean… whose fault is it that you’re asking me to bite my tongue or bite my fingertips all the time? Do you have a vendetta against tongues and fingertips in particular?

Whoosh… As soon as the talisman diagram on the palm of her hand was completed, the entire space around them trembled softly. Arthis’ right hand suddenly erupted with innumerable wisps of boundless Yin energy that rose high into the sky like a blazing inferno that was dozens of meters tall. Her hair and her clothes instantly began to flutter wildly.

As soon as the first stroke of the brush landed in Hell’s Records, Oda Nobunaga’s entire body trembled, and the space around him instantly began to clatter violently. Copious amounts of Yin energy lingered about him, while innumerable spots of netherflames surrounded him.

What they didn’t realize was that in that very same instant, Nohime, Oda Nobunaga’s closest aides, as well as the remaining thousand or so Umamawari horse guards all found themselves experiencing the exact same circumstances!

Whoosh! The brush continued to paint calligraphic strokes, and Oda Nobunaga’s full name was etched into Hell’s Records in no time. As soon as that was completed, a strand of golden soulfire flew out from Oda Nobunaga’s forehead and landed onto Hell’s Records, instantly igniting his name with a faint golden netherflame.

The Nipponese armor had vanished without a trace, and it was now instead replaced by an ancient Cathayan armor. He wore a full platemail over his body, while the buckle of his belt was etched with the face of a golden beast. He was further protected by two copper mirrors over the front and back of his body. An embroidered scarlet robe replete with a green velvet tie peeked out of his armor. He carried an identity token around his waist. The words “General Zhenyuan” were inscribed on the front, while the words “Oda Nobunaga” were etched clearly on the back.

Hell’s first general… Who would’ve thought that it would be a Nipponese to boot? Qin Ye chuckled helplessly. It couldn’t be helped. Talent was something that he desperately needed right now. That was the privilege he was willing to extend only to the very first general in Hell. If other foreigners came along right now, he would most certainly make them work for their title.

As though sensing the bewilderment in Qin Ye’s gaze, Arthis promptly explained, “This is only natural. All Yin spirits must have a place of anchor. Otherwise, they would be no different from drifters. He couldn’t be considered a part of any underworld in the past because the Nipponese weren’t willing to extend that courtesy to him. That was why the Yin energy from his body was naturally weaker back then. But now… I daresay that his strength has increased by at least 20%.”

Murai Sadakatsu stood right behind Oda Nobunaga in his new Cathayan armor. With a loud thud, he knelt to the ground and declared at the top of his voice, “My life belongs to Hell!!”

Right behind her, a thousand or so Umamawari horse guards knelt down in unison and looked to the sky, where they promptly bellowed with a thunderous roar, “Our lives belong to Hell!!”

“Excellent…” Back in the old Hell, Qin Ye shut his eyes and nodded with deep satisfaction, “Don’t worry, the Cathayan underworld will see to it that your dreams are fulfilled.”

“Believe me. You’ll personally witness our march into Amano-Iwato within a hundred years’ time!”

1. This is a reference to cosmetic sets in MOBA game, when you can change the appearance of champions of heroes.

2. A japanese term that was akin to a chief advisor for the emperor that encompasses both the offices of the first secretary and regent. They were the effective rulers of Japan during the Heian period, before the shogunate took over.