From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 295: The Official Choice

At the Kyoto City Police Department, Shiratori Hayato led Kurahashi Seiji into the conference room.

In truth, if the high-ranking officials of this police station hadn't completely vanished, leaving mostly low-level officers who had lost contact, someone of Shiratori Hayato's rank wouldn't have been able to step foot inside this conference room for another ten years.

After all, his ancestors were not Kazoku, nor did his family possess the resources of a police dynasty. As a low-ranking officer with no background, a promotion was entirely out of the question.

Yet, right now seemed to present an opportunity. Over the past two days, relying on his mobilization and intelligence-gathering capabilities, he had finally managed to stabilize this area, and subsequently received a notification from Tokyo.

In reality, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was also quite helpless. They would have loved to contact the head of the Kyoto Police Department, or high-ranking officials like the Chief Superintendent, Assistant Commissioner, or Senior Commissioner, but those people had received the news far too quickly—and fled even faster.

Now, several of them were unreachable, and of the two they could contact, one was in Tokyo and the other in Osaka! Every officer ranked Assistant Inspector or higher had completely vanished!

Therefore, Shiratori Hayato, a mere Patrol Sergeant, had shockingly become the highest-ranking officer they could get in touch with. To say it was profoundly ironic would be an understatement.

Meanwhile, Kurahashi Seiji appeared exceptionally calm. Standing beside Shiratori Hayato, he gazed at the person on the screen.

"Prime Minister, Mr. Kurahashi Seiji has arrived!" Along with a notification chime, the man who had been thoroughly mocked and ridiculed by the Japanese Media appeared before the two of them.

However, this man—whom everyone considered lazy, prone to give up and let things rot, useless, and even notorious—now looked particularly high-spirited!The sharpness in his eyes was almost palpable, and his words were incredibly direct. "Mr. Kurahashi, I hear you are a descendant of Lord Seimei?"

"It is a great honor that my name has reached your ears. Yes, Lord Seimei is the Ancestor of the Kurahashi family," Kurahashi Seiji replied.

"Excellent! You must have seen the miserable state of Kyoto while being there. We hope you can assist the Government in managing the city!" Shimao declared, his voice carrying a hint of urgency. "After all, the city must be in absolute chaos right now!"

"Actually, it is not. With the help of Mr. Shiratori and many Patriots, we have already stabilized the situation in this city and are working hard to restore order," Kurahashi Seiji stated calmly. "The Tokyo Metropolitan Government really only needs to worry about how to fight the Yokai and Ghosts!"

"Is that so?" Shimao asked, his tone laced with deep thought as he turned to glare at the two highest-ranking officials from Kyoto beside him.

It was these two who had claimed the city was in a state of utter pandemonium, yet now it seemed perfectly fine!

The two High-level Officials exchanged a nervous glance, feeling a sense of impending doom. After all, if their departure hadn't plunged the city into chaos, didn't that mean their existence was entirely dispensable to the city?

This was absolutely terrifying. Their usefulness had been completely negated. If the city could function perfectly well without them, what was the point of their existence?

The two immediately decided to throw a wrench into the city's works. Without them, those insignificant commoners should be living in absolute misery. What right did they have to live well?

Fortunately, Kurahashi Seiji did not dwell on this matter for too long. He had far more important things to discuss.

Shimao was thinking along the same lines. "Master Seiji, I would like to invite you to become an Advisor to the Japanese Government. We are going to rebuild the Onmyōryō, and you will become its Director!"

Hearing this, Kurahashi Seiji asked out of Curiosity, "Is this a decree issued by you, or by the Emperor?"

"Is there a difference?" Shimao paused. The Emperor? That was a truly ancient term; he had almost forgotten that Japan still had such a person!

Kurahashi Seiji replied with utmost seriousness, "Of course there is. The authority of an Onmyoji stems from imperial Power, or rather, the Rights of the nation's sovereign. Only with true authorization can one wield the Power to claim and manage!"

"Procedural justice, right? I understand." Shimao nodded. "I will have His Imperial Majesty the Emperor personally sign the Executive Order. I am sure he will be very pleased with this arrangement!"

As a mere mascot, the Emperor would naturally be thrilled to suddenly wield such Power.

"By the way, Prime Minister, I want to make one point clear to you," Kurahashi Seiji continued. "I hope the Japanese Government can dispatch personnel to Kyoto as soon as possible to Clean Up and relocate the citizens here. A Blood Glow flickers in the Seven Mansions of Vermilion Bird, meaning the Hundred Demon Night Parade Incident that occurred during the Heian period is about to happen once again!"

"The hundred demons will march both inside and outside the city, and anyone not taking shelter within the city walls will become their target. Kyoto is highly likely to be their destination!"

"The Hundred Demon Night Parade?" Shimao was stunned. Behind him, the crowd of High-level Officials of the Japanese Government also froze in disbelief.

Naturally, they were not making this call from Congress, but rather through a private connection in the Prime Minister's official residence. After all, their statements in Congress a while back had nearly enraged America next door. Although the stationed troops and the Pacific Fleet hadn't moved, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office had mobilized almost completely, threatening to investigate every single Member of Parliament down to their roots!

As a result, the pressure on these people was immense. Now, upon hearing the news about the Hundred Demon Night Parade, almost everyone started harboring ulterior motives.

"Yes, the Hundred Demon Night Parade!" Kurahashi Seiji confirmed. The information he possessed clearly indicated just how terrifying this event truly was, and what kind of catastrophic disaster it would unleash.

Even back when Onmyoji were everywhere and Buddhist masters were abundant, his Ancestor, the Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei, was still besieged and forced to defend Heian-kyo. This alone proved how horrific the event was!

Given Abe no Seimei's personality, he would never easily let any Yokai go, yet he had no choice but to remain holed up in the city. One could only imagine just how terrifying the countryside and the monsters in the outside world truly were.

"The crisis in Kyoto is only the beginning. If we cannot control desires and reduce the resentment of the Populace, this city will become a Realm of Ghosts!"

Shimao nodded slightly. "What do you need us to do? Is it enough to just Clean Up the city?"

"Of course not. We must disperse the resentment of the majority. The best way to achieve this is to ensure political transparency, save the oppressed, and ideally, perfect the city's administrative systems!"

Kurahashi Seiji declared, "Any positive political guidance must be implemented!"

Hearing this, Shimao fell silent, and the entire Cabinet followed suit. After all, they knew exactly what this entailed.

But knowing was one thing; agreeing was another entirely!

These men were essentially Capital Spokespersons, people who profited off the backs of the citizens. Asking them to cough up their money now was worse than killing them!

"Why don't you be a bit more direct? You want us to Untie the Ropes for them? Isn't the environment we've given them relaxed enough already?"

"Exactly! We didn't make them pay higher taxes, we didn't force them to keep working, and we even gave them free healthcare!"

"It's one thing for these people to be ungrateful, but to harbor resentment? On what grounds?"

"You want us to concede our Interests? Or distribute our wealth to these people? We absolutely cannot do this. Otherwise, in the future, every time they claim their resentment has spiked and caused the hundred demons to appear, won't we just have to pay up again?"

"If we pay up every time, won't we go bankrupt? We cannot encourage this kind of behavior!"

The voices of the various Cabinet members buzzed in Shimao's ears. Their words differed, but their essence was the same: pacifying or apologizing was fine, but parting with their money was absolutely out of the question!

This left him feeling somewhat indignant. Surrounded by these Insignificant Vermin, how could he possibly govern and heal the nation of Japan?

Thus, he stepped forward to offer a word of fairness. "If we are truly facing something like the Hundred Demon Night Parade, sacrificing a bit of our Interests should be acceptable, shouldn't it?"

The very next second, someone interjected, "Your Excellency Shimao, you also own properties in Kyoto. Why don't you lead by example?"

Shimao immediately spoke with righteous indignation, "We cannot resolve their resentment through such methods! After all, even if it works this time, what about the next? Perhaps we can use Administrative Means to grant them Tax Exemption for a period of time, and then observe the effects?"

As long as the knife hadn't cut his own flesh, he naturally felt no pain. But the moment the blade turned toward him, he quickly changed his tune.

Therefore, after summarizing everyone's thoughts, Shimao addressed Kurahashi Seiji, "Master Seiji, we can enhance your authority and grant you an even higher status. Could you think about whether there's another way to resolve this crisis?"

Listening to their conversation, Kurahashi Seiji was so angry he almost laughed!

What he had proposed was already the simplest method with the lowest Price! Just what exactly were these people thinking?

Did they really have to wait until the situation became unsalvageable before considering a remedy?

"This is the simplest method. Of course, there is one other way, which is to completely Clean Up the source of all this resentment..." Kurahashi Seiji finally understood why the Ancestor and founder of the Tsuchimikado family, Abe no Ariyoshi, had been so extreme!

It wasn't that he was being extreme; rather, it was simply the easiest solution he could come up with!

"You must be joking, Master. Don't worry, let us deliberate on this a bit more!" Saying that, Shimao hung up the phone.