Chapter 21: Conquest, Yoruichi Shihōin's Allegiance
Tobi, central city.
After receiving guidance from Gilgamesh, Abarai Renji immediately continued his renovation work.
Before Abarai Renji had even gone far, Rukia sought him out, as she too had encountered problems.
And after Rukia received guidance, new people came looking for help.
The renovation of a region, especially one like Tobi, was bound to face many problems.
Gilgamesh knew this well.
Time gradually passed.
Finally, with no one seeking him out for the time being, Gilgamesh could breathe a slight sigh of relief.
Sitting on a throne built of stone, Gilgamesh gently rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit of a headache.
What Gilgamesh lacked most now was not King's Way points, but talent.
The combined population of Hōkō and Tobi was roughly over a hundred thousand.
Although Gilgamesh could still manage for now, he couldn't personally attend to every matter.
In the future, as his territory continuously expanded and the population under his rule grew, even Gilgamesh, with his A+ level Charisma, would be unable to manage everything.
For this, he needed talented individuals to share the burden of management, in other words, ministers under his rule.
Gilgamesh was well aware that for a kingdom to establish itself and develop, the King, his ministers, and the common people were all indispensable.
However, both Hōkō and Tobi were barren and desolate lands, making it incredibly difficult to find suitable talent in such places.
At this stage, Gilgamesh could only choose the best from the less-than-ideal, selecting some individuals with limited abilities to help him share the management tasks.
But this was clearly not a long-term solution.
For the kingdom to develop, it absolutely needed excellent talent.
As for Abarai Renji and Rukia, while they possessed talent, they hadn't matured yet, and it would still take time and experience before they could stand on their own.
Gilgamesh had considered seeking out Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Hinamori Momo, and Kira Iziru, who were currently still in Rukongai.
But he didn't know which of the four directions of Rukongai they were in, let alone their specific district.
This made it impossible for Gilgamesh to even begin recruiting them.
The talent problem definitely needed to be solved.
If the talent problem wasn't resolved, the kingdom's territory couldn't expand smoothly.
Yoruichi Shihouin had returned to this place at some unknown time.
Looking at Gilgamesh, who was rubbing his forehead, she couldn't help but ask, "This is the first time I've seen you like this. What kind of difficult matter could be troubling our King so much?"
Gilgamesh let out a light sigh upon hearing her words.
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This was not a private matter, so Gilgamesh didn't hide anything and directly told Yoruichi Shihouin.
Then, Gilgamesh looked at Yoruichi Shihouin and asked, "Does Black Cat know where to find excellent talent?"
Yoruichi Shihouin naturally understood the importance of talent.
Not to mention a kingdom, even the various divisions of the Gotei 13 have Lieutenants and eight seated officers below the Captain to help manage internal division affairs.
That's why when she saw Gilgamesh single-handedly managing Hōkō so orderly, and bringing vitality and hope to the originally poor, backward, and chaotic Hōkō, Yoruichi Shihouin couldn't help but marvel and be amazed at his immense ability.
It could be said that Gilgamesh's governing ability surpassed anyone she knew, even the Four Great Noble Clans and the Captains of the Gotei 13.
However, regarding Gilgamesh's question, Yoruichi Shihouin didn't answer immediately. Instead, she asked, "I've always been curious, why do you want to establish a kingdom?"
"Given your ability, if you were to only look out for yourself, you would surely live a hundred, even a thousand times more comfortably than you do now."
Gilgamesh smiled slightly upon hearing this, a hint of reminiscence flashing across his face as he said, "When I first arrived in Soul Society, I met Rukia and Renji."
Gilgamesh recounted his experiences upon arriving in Soul Society to Yoruichi Shihouin.
After finishing his narration, Gilgamesh asked, "What did Renji and Rukia do wrong? What did those tragically deceased children do wrong? What did the souls who came to Soul Society do wrong? Why must they endure such hell?"
Facing Gilgamesh's four questions, Yoruichi Shihouin's mouth opened and closed, but she didn't know how to answer.
Gilgamesh also didn't expect an answer and provided the solution himself.
"It's not their fault, but this seemingly glorious, yet fundamentally rotten Soul Society, and those high and mighty Shinigami and nobles."
Saying this, Gilgamesh paused, and then his young body erupted with an indescribable King's Way majesty, making Yoruichi Shihouin's heart tremble involuntarily.
"I swear before Rukia and Renji."
"The chaos of Rukongai, I shall end."
"The errors of Soul Society, I shall rewrite."
"I was King in life, and I shall be King in death."
"I will create a nation here where everyone is well-fed and clothed, and happy every day."
"What the Shinigami don't manage, I will manage!"
Gilgamesh's domineering words pierced Yoruichi Shihouin's heart like arrows.
Although Yoruichi Shihouin was born into the Shihōin Clan, one of the Four Great Noble Clans, she had long disliked and been displeased with the nobles' conduct.
Especially some nobles who simply didn't treat the common people of Rukongai as human beings.
Not only the nobles, but the Shinigami too.
Those Shinigami, under the guise of maintaining Soul Society's stability, had massacred countless common people of Rukongai, causing their souls to revert to spirit particles and return to Soul Society, ultimately to be used by them.
In the eyes of those Shinigami, this was the only value of those massacred common people.
Gilgamesh perceived Yoruichi Shihouin's thoughts.
He remembered that in the original work, Sosuke Aizen, in order to create a Hōgyoku, directly sacrificed tens of thousands of souls from Rukongai who had the potential to become elite Shinigami.
Not only Sosuke Aizen, but during the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, with a casual remark of 'to correct the balance of souls in Soul Society,' massacred over twenty-eight thousand common people in Rukongai without permission.
Similar examples were countless in Soul Society's past history.
These were all evidence of Soul Society's crimes.
Just as Gilgamesh said, the fault lay not with the innocent people who were massacred, but with this seemingly glorious, yet fundamentally rotten Soul Society.
Yoruichi Shihouin's mind trembled violently, and an unprecedented, crazy idea was born in her mind.
That was to help Gilgamesh establish his kingdom.
No, it was to help Gilgamesh become the King of Soul Society.
At that time, under Gilgamesh's rule, would Soul Society become a paradise where everyone was well-fed and clothed, and happy every day?
And Gilgamesh's lips curled into a slight smile; he felt pleased.
Because Yoruichi Shihouin's conquest progress had reached 100%.
In Gilgamesh's mind, the King's Way System's notification sound rang out.
[Detected that important plot character - Yoruichi Shihouin has become the host's subject, gained 10,000 King's Way points.]
End of Chapter