Yama Rising

Chapter 570: Grim Banquet (2)

Bloody beautiful.

It was an indescribably bizarre sight.

It was the living dead everywhere he looked. The actions of the female living dead were sluggish, and their bodies were covered with livor mortis spots. They also wore traditional Daeian clothing, also known as hanbok, all of which bore some semblance to the outfits worn by women during the Cathayan Tang Dynasty, except that… all of their breasts were exposed.

It was ridiculous.

“To think that a nation that had just learned the basics of civility is actually thinking of declaring independence… Is Hell only evicting them because you find their ways too barbaric?” He chuckled softly at his own joke, and then led the way straight into the church. Qin Ye followed closely after him.

The piece that they played was like a song of grouse. It was incredibly harsh on the ears, and even interspersed with howls and screams. Rumyantsev briefly introduced the piece, “The original Black Friday. Russian Underworld’s Theatre of the Red Square Collection. I’ve pulled out all the stops for my meeting with you today.”

Four other Yin spirits dressed just like Rumyantsev were already standing in front of the banquet hall. As soon as they noticed Rumyantsev and Qin Ye entering the hall, they immediately raised their hands and bowed with great flair and poise, “Warmest greetings to the esteemed Emissary of Hell! You bring glory to the banquet hall this evening!”

They all looked human, but it was clear to Qin Ye from the stiff expressions on their faces that they were nothing more than skeletons wearing the skins of human beings.

Rumyantsev smiled genially and bowed back elegantly. Then, he snapped his fingers, “Everyone, please take your seats.”

As soon as the doors shut, there was the soft tingle of a bell. Moments later, a number of living dead attendants carrying silver trays walked out of the shadows and set them gently on the table, before revealing its contents.

“Yinsnake Berry accompanied by Serpent Grass.” Oleg smiled and made a gesture of invitation, “The chefs have specially brought this all the way from the headquarters of the Russian Underworld to introduce the local delights back in the North. Sir, have a taste.”

After all, he wasn’t prepared to participate in these negotiations to begin with. The longer things dragged on, the more unfavourable the situation would be for him. The best thing to do right now would be to end things as quickly as he could.

Unfortunately, this was more easily said than done. From the onset, the Russian Emissaries had been dragging things out, buying as much time as they could to continue observing the Emissary of Hell before them. Qin Ye needed to broach a topic that would force them to talk. But what could he possibly say to achieve something like that?

“150 years ago, when you accompanied Prefect An Daoquan of Yan Capital to the Tsar’s birthday celebration, you didn’t seem to be in such a hurry.”

Qin Ye cursed in his heart. He didn’t lose his composure, but he knew that composure alone wouldn’t be able to tide him through the multifaceted problems that had arisen. He didn’t know the right words to speak, the right procedures for such diplomatic exchanges, or even the right etiquette for presenting himself! Given the circumstances, there was no doubt that the longer he remained here, the more likely he was to let the cat out of the bag!

Rumyantsev raised his hand, and a living dead attendant immediately walked up and handed him a silky white napkin. He wiped his mouth with great poise before addressing Qin Ye’s sudden remark, “A banquet isn’t the right forum to be discussing matters of business. It’s more important to enjoy the food now, is it not?”

Whoosh. At once, the evil ghosts seated around the table jerked their gazes over abruptly.

No matter how they tried to couch it, they were still undoubtedly trespassing the fiefdom of another underworld without their consent. This was an encroachment on the sovereignty of a nation. Qin Ye’s angle of attack was spot on!

Qin Ye swept a deadly glare across each Yin spirit at the table, “Entry of ambassadors and a diplomatic delegation? Did Hell agree to this? Or does the Russian Underworld already think nothing of Hell after a hundred years of silence?!”

Ten seconds later, Valentin quipped back, “Sir, might you have failed to notice the fact that Liu Yu has already declared independence?”

At once, there was silence.

Rumyantsev had already tightened his fist so hard that his spoon was completely bent. He drew a deep breath and turned to Zhong Kui, “Previous dynasty?”

He knew that it was only a matter of time before Hell had to give a reason for its sudden silence. And since that was the case, now was a better time than any other to disclose the reason for the same. After all, it was the perfect bombshell for the purposes of seizing the initiative.

BOOM!

This is news to us… This is phenomenal!

What’s more, this was an incredibly heavy statement, laden with implications - What’s the new King Yanluo of Hell like? Is he a hawk or a dove? Zhong Kui has mentioned that the Harken is personally leading troops and marching for Daehan right now… Is he… trying to make an example of the Russian Underworld to the rest of the netherworld?!

This wasn’t a topic of discussion he could just sweep under the rug and ignore! These words were probably false, but even in the 1% off-chance that this was true, he couldn’t fathom what kind of implications this would bring to the rest of the netherworld! As an ambassador-at-large, he didn’t answer merely to his own actions. He was answerable for the actions of the Russian Underworld as a whole!

However, Qin Ye simply turned and gazed deeply at Rumyantsev, “Mr Marquis, there’s no need for adulations where none is sought. Furthermore, you needn’t even think about entering Hell to scout Hell out. If there’s something you must do, then perhaps you should turn your attention to something that the preceding King Yanluo of Hell had tasked me to hand back to the Russian Underworld.”

“This is--...” The Russian delegation froze, and then immediately shot to their feet!

Humiliation… This is a disgrace!

Rumyantsev was keenly aware that the First King Yanluo of Hell was the one that defeated all of his competition and raised Hell as a superpower, and the Second King Yanluo of Hell was the one that allowed Hell to stand on top of the world!

He’d naturally also heard that the Second King Yanluo of Hell had once challenged Tsar Arturo, save that… he hadn’t heard anything about the Second King Yanluo taking the Tsar’s dagger with him! And to think that this dagger was actually tossed onto the table like that under the hand of a mere Infernal Judge!

But over and above the humiliation they were facing, Rumyantsev was filled with deep scorn and resentment for Hell right now.

Why did they have to invite him to a dinner banquet and treat him well even though he’s prying at the core of our script of death?

It was all because of the entity behind this dagger - the underworld that represented infinite strength!

The words “By Hell’s Dictum, all rabble shall disperse” that have resounded for ages throughout the netherworld would never fade simply because of the passage of a hundred years!

1. The breast exposing hanbok is actually real?!

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