The world where Saitama lived was still dangerous, especially before they had actually set foot in it. Unexpected incidents could happen at any time, and there were countless unknown risks.
Qin Yi had naturally taken all of this into consideration. As he traveled by airship toward the Realm Gate, he dispatched messengers to deliver orders to King Chengdui and King Yuanli.
At that moment, King Chengdui was already drowning in paperwork.
Sitting in a high-rise office in the Material Realm, he stared at the towering stacks of documents surrounding his desk, his eyebrow twitching violently.
"There are really this many documents for the Material Realm?"
The official standing across from him scratched his head awkwardly. "Lord Mortal, the Material Realm now encompasses dozens of integrated worlds. With the Realm Gates and Uzumaki channels fully operational, the daily administrative workload is immense."
Chengdui casually picked up a file and skimmed it. "You've got to be kidding me. Someone who reaches the required strength threshold to ascend to the Minor Immortal Realm has to go through 'me' first?"
His temper flared instantly.
"All such requests require your signature before they can be transferred to the Minor Immortal Realm," the official explained respectfully. "Even ordinary travel between different worlds must be strictly logged and managed."
"What a massive hassle." Chengdui scowled, snatched a pen off the desk, and aggressively scribbled across the paper. "Create Ascension Tokens. Once someone hits the required strength, their Ascension Token will automatically activate. Anyone who receives one must report to the Minor Immortal Realm within three days!"
His wild, aggressive handwriting sprawled across the page as he stamped the file approved.
"Ascension Tokens..." The official blinked in surprise before nodding rapidly.
That would indeed simplify things immensely. Previously, officials had to manually track down every individual who met the cultivation threshold and forcibly escort them to the Minor Immortal Realm, an enormous drain on administrative resources. Seeing how effortlessly Chengdui had solved a major bureaucratic bottleneck, the official's view of the former King shifted completely.
This Mortal Lord actually possessed genuine administrative talent.
Chengdui picked up a second document, frowning again as he read. The Material Realm was currently undergoing massive cross-world integration while simultaneously dealing with mountain-high backlogs. His workload felt bottomless, and every single issue was a headache.
Just then, a knock sounded at the office door.
"Come in!"
A soldier in full military attire entered, immediately placing his right fist over his heart in a crisp salute upon spotting Chengdui. "Lord Mortal! Our King has sent me to deliver an order. He requests that you report to the Realm Gate immediately to accompany him into the One Punch world!"
Chengdui's mouth twisted into an exasperated sneer. "You're joking, right? Or is His Majesty out of his mind?" He gestured wildly around the room. "Do you see all these documents in my office? I'm telling you right now, there are fucking mountains of them! There's another stack outside as wide as a plaza!"
His voice rose to an angry bark. "Get out! Tell His Majesty I don't have time!"
The soldier stood frozen, utterly dumbfounded. He opened his mouth to press the issue, but Chengdui simply flicked his sleeve, blasting him out the door with a gust of wind. With no other choice, the soldier scrambled up and headed back to the Realm Gate alone.
---
Meanwhile, in the Underworld Realm, Li Yuanli was just as swamped.
Having constructed a massive administrative city in the void of the Underworld, he was rushing from sector to sector, besieged by subordinates delivering non-stop reports.
"This area, that sector, and that district over there all need proper urban zoning," Yuanli directed briskly. "And set up an entry bureau at the main boundary of the Underworld Realm immediately. Every soul coming in or out must be registered. Anyone who isn't dead and lacks an official pass is strictly barred from entry. Form an enforcement unit right away!"
His orders were sharp and concise, and the scribes beside him recorded every word at breakneck speed.
The newly established Underworld Realm had endless logistical details to resolve. Li Yuanli had even linked the Underworld directly to his own King's World to accelerate its development and boost his own power growth. In the past, such an action would have required Qin Yi's explicit approval, but now that ruler and subject were fully aligned, there were no hurdles left to clear.
Unlike Chengdui, Yuanli was a hedonist at heart. His long-term goal was to turn the Underworld Realm into a comfortable, automated paradise so he could slacker off.
"King Yuanli! Our King orders you to proceed to the Realm Gate and accompany him into the One Punch world!" a messenger called out, hurrying over.
"The One Punch world?" Yuanli raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to look up from his files. "I don't have time. Didn't the Parliamentary Institute say it was a simple recruitment mission with zero danger? Let him go by himself."
He dismissed the imperial decree without a second thought.
The messenger stood there, stunned. He anxiously hovered around Yuanli, repeatedly trying to persuade him, but Yuanli ignored him completely, continuing to review paperwork as if the man didn't exist. Half an hour later, the defeated messenger had no choice but to leave.
---
Qin Yi waited in the reception office beside the Realm Gate for two full hours before the messengers returned with the news.
The response left him completely speechless.
"I... got rejected?"
'What the hell?' Both of his subordinate Kings had turned him down without a moment's hesitation, leaving him completely stood up.
It was embarrassingly awkward.
"Forget it. I'll go alone," Qin Yi said, helplessly waving a hand.
He didn't hold it against them. One was managing a rapidly expanding Material Realm with an absurd administrative load, while the other was building the infrastructure of a newly created Underworld Realm from scratch. Considering the sheer volume of work on their plates, their blunt refusals were unexpected, but understandable.
Qin Yi stood before the shimmering portal and pondered for a moment before summoning Ulquiorra and the other Espada.
"Where is Yasuo right now?" Qin Yi asked.
A nearby soldier quickly reported, "Lord Yasuo is currently sight-seeing across various worlds. He mentioned he was deeply fascinated by our nation's realm structures."
"Sight-seeing?" Qin Yi shook his head. "That guy really has it easy."
Without further delay, Qin Yi led Ulquiorra and the Espada through the Realm Gate.
After a brief wave of spatial ripples passed over them, the group emerged into a foreign sky.
The One Punch world.
Hovering high in the atmosphere and looking down at the modern cityscape below, Qin Yi's eyes glinted. "Deploy the reconnaissance drones. Gather and analyze all available data regarding this world."
Grimmjow grinned, pulling a sleek black box from inside his jacket and opening it.
'Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!'
A swarm of miniature drones, each no larger than a honeybee, shot into the air, their wings vibrating at high frequency as they scattered toward the horizon.
"Master, the drones should complete their initial scan and return full data in approximately four hours," Grimmjow reported.
"Good," Qin Yi nodded. "Let's find somewhere to sit down and relax first. This world seems peaceful enough for now."
Before long, the group spotted a nearby café on the street level. More than ten tall, intimidating figures filed into the establishment together. Most of the Arrancar wore cold, stern expressions, making their sudden entry deeply intimidating to the local patrons.
"One coffee for each of us. No sugar, please," Qin Yi said with a smile, snapping his fingers at the nervous barista.
Looking out at the quiet street, the peaceful, mundane atmosphere reminded him subtly of his past life on Earth.
(End of Chapter)
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