Yama Rising

A group of Yin spirits were walking over the tiled ground as their robes flapped incessantly around them.

They were making their way through a hallway in the Kailasa Temple of the Hindustani Underworld, and the hallway was lined with statues of deities from Hindustani religions. All of the servants who caught sight of this group of Yin spirits immediately backed away to the side to grant them free passage, then bowed as a gesture of respect.

The group was led by Faizal Eben Abdullah Aziz, current chairman of the Abbasid Consortium, and behind him were all of the higher-ups of the Abbasid Consortium.

Up ahead, a gate that was five meters tall was already slowly beginning to open, and shadows were flickering incessantly beyond the gate. 10 chairs had been placed around a massive stone table, and all of the representatives of the other consortiums were already present.

"Sorry for arriving late." Faizal quickly made his way over to his seat before immediately sitting down, and even though he was still panting slightly, he immediately asked, "Is there any news?"

"No." Archbishop Antonio, the chairman of the Psalm Consortium, was seated beside him, and he replied with furrowed brows, "The Cathayan Underworld is refusing to meet with anyone, and even the ruler death gods of all of the underworlds haven't been granted audiences."

"Damn it!" Faizal picked up his coffee cup before taking a sip. "Is Yanluo Qin really trying to keep us out of this? Surely that's not possible! We hold shares in most of the world's companies, and no matter what industries they want to develop in, they have to deal with us!"

Fujii Heihachiro gently tapped the table, then said, "In my opinion, the fact that the Cathayan Underworld is refusing to communicate with us is a sign that they're not pleased with us."

Indeed, the top 10 consortiums had sat on the fence until the very last moment, and that was inevitably going to be frowned upon.

However, there was no helping that. Prior to attending the international trade conference, the top 10 consortiums had all received news that the Heavenly Fire Research Center had managed to develop electron and proton Yin runes. Under those circumstances, how could they possibly make the decision to side with the Cathayan Underworld?

Who could've possibly imagined that the Cathayan Underworld would suddenly pull out such a stunning trump card, right when all seemed lost, to deal the three pillars a lethal blow?

"But he'll inevitably have to collaborate with us, so he'll have to see us sooner or later, anyway! Why is he doing this?" The chairman of the Blue Forest Consortium, Johnson, gritted his teeth as he speculated, "Could it be that he wants us to atone for our mistakes? In that case, we'll do that! If he wants benefits, then we'll give him benefits! The problem is that he's refusing to even tell us what he wants!"

This was no different to torture for them!

After a few seconds of silence, Archbishop Antonio sighed, "We'll discuss this later. We made an error in judgment on this occasion, so it's only right that we pay for our mistake. However, we didn't gather here to talk about this."

A serious look appeared on his face as he swept his gaze across everyone present. "What we need to know is what future path the Cathayan Underworld is going to take! They've earned themselves an unprecedented opportunity, and they'll be sure to do everything in their power to maintain their advantage! In order to do that, they'll have to choose a path that grants them the greatest profit over the longest period of time, and the most profitable industries in the world are all related to cutting-edge technology. We have to know their choice so that we can best organize our resources."

It was certainly no easy task to mobilize a consortium.

In order to prepare for the massive changes that were about to sweep over the entire world, they had already drawn upon most of their available funds, just to be able to keep up with the Cathayan Underworld.

Earning money was one thing, but what was far more important to them was to be able to take part in the world's most high-end projects and to remain as leaders of the financial world in the new era.

For this purpose, all of the companies under the consortiums had endured a hellish week, during which stock had been taken all types of data, account books, and assets. Thus, aside from the billions of liquid assets that the consortiums themselves could invest at any time, they also had access to the tens of billions worth of property owned by their subsidiary companies that they could quickly convert into more liquid assets that they could use for investment!

In order for any nation to develop industries, companies were essential, and the top 10 consortiums owned a vast number of companies.

After a few seconds of contemplative silence, Faizal said, "After we collate all of our resources, it'll be time for the battle to begin. Who are our opponents going to be?"

All of the consortium chairmen looked at one another upon hearing this.

They were all allies, but they were also each other's fiercest competitors.

Johnson played with the ring on his finger in an absentminded manner as he said, "The signing of this agreement has been delayed for 10 years, so it's already well overdue. While it's true that we'll eventually be competing against one another at some point, for now, we have to join forces and kick out all of the meddlers first. In order to guarantee that we won't attack one another when it's time to strike, we have to sign the Kaisala Agreement by the end of today."

This was their true objective for coming here.

The top 10 consortiums were far from harmonious. Each of them held shares in dozens, even hundreds of companies, and they were all competing against one another. However, they weren't the only ones with considerable power in the financial world.

There were also many large and powerful companies, and even though they hadn't formed consortiums, some of them were even more competitive than the top 10 consortiums when it came to certain industries!

For example, there was the Black Orchid Shipyard of the Croatian Underworld, which was part of the Argosian Underworld. The top consortiums had been trying to buy into the shipyard for a long time as they were world leaders when it came to ship-crafting, but no suitable opportunity had arisen.

There was also the Ace Mining Company of the Alkebulan Underworlds, which was the top company in the world in the field of mining equipment and technology, and the top 10 consortiums had also failed to buy into it.

If the Cathayan Underworld wanted to develop these industries, then the top 10 consortiums would face competition from these existing companies. Thus, the first thing that they had to do was get rid of these meddling parties, and only then would the competition between the top 10 consortiums truly commence.

There were no objections to that.

There was no time for them to waste, and if they didn't sign this agreement, then they would begin lashing out at one another before their competition could be eliminated.

Whoosh… A sheet of parchment paper that had side lengths of over a meter was rolled out onto the table, and it was riddled with all types of complex symbols.

All of the consortium chairmen pulled out their pens before signing their names, then deposited their netherworldly fire as their mark.

Heihachiro Fujii pulled out an exquisitely crafted pen, then gently rolled up the sleeve of his kimono, yet right as he was about to put pen to paper, he suddenly faltered in his movements. "The Cathayan Underworld won't be happy with what we're doing here, will they?"

"Of course not," Archbishop Antonio replied with a smile. "Regardless of what path they choose to pursue, they must have collaborative partners, and the best collaborative partners for them would be ones that only have technology and skills to offer, but don't possess any influence. They definitely don't want to see our consortiums involved with the collaborative partners that they choose."

Johnson chimed in in an indifferent voice, "By doing this, we're also telling Yanluo Qin that our influence on this world is not to be ignored. I understand that he's unhappy with us for making the wrong choice, and we can compensate him for that, but it's bad practice for him to be keeping us out like this."

Heihachiro Fujii nodded in response before signing his name onto the sheet of paper.

Right at this moment, the sound of a long horn rang out from outside, and the 10 consortium chairmen exchanged a glance with one another before rising to their feet.

That sound indicated that it was time for them to go on the move and proceed to the first stage of their plan.

……………………………………

Northern Dragon Port, Formosa.

After a day of travel, the chairmen of the top 10 consortiums arrived at the port.

Heihachiro Fujii was the final one to emerge from the ship. He was not fond of noisy and clamorous occasions, and he wouldn't even have come here if it weren't for the fact that this conference was far too important for him to miss.

Kana Fujii was supporting him from the side, and he waved a dismissive hand, upon which the dozen or so bodyguards, secretaries, assistants, and Kana Fujii herself backed away to give him more personal space.

He was looking at this city, this completely brand new city.

It was resplendent and glorious with antiquated Cathayan-style buildings positioned neatly next to one another, and even though there weren't many Yin spirits traversing through the city, it still gave off a sense of prosperity and vitality.

"For at least the next century, this is going to be the number one port in the entire world," Heihachiro Fujii mused as he strode forward, and Kana Fujii hurriedly rushed to his side to support him, but he didn't seem to have noticed at all as he continued, "When the time comes, this island will be filled by representative teams from all of the underworld's nations, and there could even a branch of the International Committee of Energy Resources could be set up here. Countless companies and industries related to energy resources will at least set up departments here, and when that time comes, this city will become a cosmopolitan. Walking on the streets, you'll be able to see countless foreign Yin spirits. This place will become the heart of the world's energy resources, but I wonder how long this will last for… What do you think?"

Kana Fujii faltered slightly before extending a respectful bow as she said, "I'm not sure…"

"I'm not asking you." Heihachiro Fujii turned to the side, where an Emissary of Hell with his hands clasped behind his back had appeared no more than two meters away from him.

"The quasi-divine artifact within my body is vibrating…" Heihachiro Fujii laid a hand onto his own chest as he cast his gaze around him. "No one else here seems to be able to see you. Are you… an Abyssal Prefect?"

Qin Hui nodded in response. "You can call me Abyssal Prefect Qin, and it's true that no one else here can see me."

Heihachiro Fujii's pupils contracted ever so slightly upon hearing this.

He had only just arrived at a port, and a high-grade Emissary of Hell had already appeared. Who had sent this Abyssal Prefect here? Could it be… a Yama-King?

He forcibly repressed the excitement that was welling up in his heart, but he could already smell the scent of an opportunity in the air!

"Can I help you?" he asked with a calm smile, but the veins on the back of his hand were bulging, such was the tightness with which he was gripping his cane.

Qin Hui also put on a smile with impeccable etiquette as he cupped his fist in a salute in response. "If you have some time now, our King Yanluo would like to see you."

Crack!

The handle of Heihachiro Fujii's wooden cane was almost snapped straight off his cane by him, and he eagerly replied, "Of course I have time. Would he like to meet me now?"

"That's right," Qin Hui replied with a slight bow. "Rest assured, no one will notice your departure, Ghost King Zhao's Yin energy will make sure of that."

Heihachiro Fujii was so excited that he could scream!

There were still six hours until the conference was scheduled to recommence, and the doors of the Cathayan Underworld had remained tightly shut to all of the world's nations and consortiums, yet it was being opened to him now!

He waved off all of his bodyguards, then closed his eyes, and when he reopened his eyes, he found himself situated in a resplendent hall.

The hall wasn't very large, but it was constructed in a very impressive and daunting fashion. However, Heihachiro Fujii was in no mood to be appreciating the hall's architecture. As soon as he arrived in the hall, he immediately sensed an overwhelming aura descend upon him, and he instantly extended a deep and respectful bow. "Heihachiro Fujii pays his respects to the Cathayan Underworld's King Yanluo!"

There was no response, but he knew that the young ruler on the throne was looking at him.

Only after a few seconds of silence did a voice ring out in response. "If a conflict of interest were to arise between your consortium and Amano-Iwato, what would you do?"