Despite the questions in their hearts, they continued listening.
"Fifthly, our Cathayan Underworld wants to rapidly develop the communications industry, striving to establish communication services that can rival those of the mortal realm and to set up a worldwide communication network."
"Number 12..."
"Number 13..."
Qin Ye's report was very long, but no one was complaining. The Cathayan Underworld had ushered in this new era, so everyone was naturally intent on hearing Qin Ye's future plans. Everyone was listening carefully to which industries the Cathayan Underworld wanted to develop in, examining whether the future path that the Cathayan Underworld wanted to take overlapped with their own plans.
The more the three pillars heard, the warier they became.
This was because all of the points that had been raised thus far had been glossed over by a single sentence each.
Could it be that they wanted to develop all 17 of those industries? But that simply wasn't feasible!
The development of an industry didn't just involve creating the relevant technology. That was only the foundation, and many more resources had to be expended thereafter.
There were also many logistical issues that had to be ironed out, and things were made particularly difficult by the fact that everything had to start from scratch, so it was definitely impossible to develop all of those industries at once.
The Cathayan Underworld needed a core industry to develop, and they knew that Qin Ye wasn't foolish enough to be so blinded by the prospect of the profits that could be made that he wanted to dip his toe into everything.
"So none of the points that have been raised thus far is the main focus for the Cathayan Underworld..." Yamaraja murmured to himself with tightly furrowed brows. "In that case, what exactly does he want to do? What has the Cathayan Underworld chosen?"
The more he delayed the announcement, the more unbearable the suspense became.
The waiting process was far more torturous and grueling than hearing the final outcome.
Time slowly passed by, and finally, Qin Ye flipped over another page, upon which he reached the final point.
An involuntary smile appeared on his face at the sight of this final point, and he raised his head to look at the ruler death gods of the three pillars.
At the same time, the three ruler death gods cast their eyes toward him as well.
They were the only ones in this world who could compete with the Cathayan Underworld, and they were listening intently to hear what Qin Ye had to say next.
The three ruler death gods knew that the final point was about to be announced, and they took a deep breath in unison as they sat up straighter with wary looks in their eyes.
This was going to be the Cathayan Underworld's true choice, one that they had taken over all of the aforementioned lucrative industries...
"The final thing that I have to announce is also the most important thing," Qin Ye said as he raised his head to look at all of the death gods present. "Our Cathayan Underworld will be taking on its biggest project for the next century, and its codename is Moon Palace."
Moon Palace?
All of the death gods' eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this.
This was the future path chosen by the Cathayan Underworld, but was it one that was suitable for them to pursue as well?
Qin Ye put down the report as he declared, "In the next 20 years, the Cathayan Underworld will be trying to break through this plane and send Yin spirits into space!"
The ruler death gods of the three pillars almost sprang to their feet upon hearing this.
Yamaraja, Anubis, and Thanatos were staring at Qin Ye with slack-jawed expressions, and their mouths were gaped open, but they were unable to utter even a single word.
All of the other death gods were also completely astonished by this announcement.
Several of the top 10 consortiums' chairmen had risen to their feet with incredulous looks on their faces, and as for the rest, it was taking all of their self-control not to stand up alongside their peers.
Everyone fell completely silent.
Qin Ye paid no heed to everyone's reactions as he continued, "In 50 years, we'll be establishing planar aviation bases and space stations comparable with the ones in the mortal realm. We will be shifting our focus to outer space, and in 100 years, we'll begin the colonization process, searching for all planes in space that could potentially harbor resources. For this purpose, our Ctahayan Underworld has decided to set an entire province aside as our research and launch center!"
He paused here momentarily, then continued, "The Moon Palace project will be the Cathayan Underworld's next 100-year plan, and further details will be revealed during the press conference to be held after this international trade conference, so please stay tuned for that."
That was the conclusion of his report, but the entire hall was still completely silent.
Only after a full 30 seconds had passed did Anubis finally return to his senses as he asked, "So you're saying that space exists for our plane?"
Isn't there only Limbo up there?
"It does," Qin Ye replied in a confident voice. "Our space is known as the Yin Space System, and it's situated in the seventh spiral of the Yin Space River. In order to enter and exit the plane, a special method must be employed."
Crack... A faint crack rang out as Yamaraja's fingers sank into the stone table in front of him. "What is this special method?"
"The Cathayan Underworld is currently conducting experiments, but our information comes from a reliable source in the form of the second King Yanluo, who is the only person from the underworld to have visited other planes. The method that he described is quite far-fetched, so we're still testing to see if it works."
Dead silence ensued once again.
After 10 seconds of silence, Hela murmured to herself in an astonished voice, "My god... What did I just hear? Space exists for our world?!"
"Is that true? If so, then what was the point in fighting over territory for the past thousands of years?"
More and more voices began to ring out, and shortly thereafter, the entire hall had erupted into a raucous frenzy!
"Is this really true?! Has the Cathayan Underworld already verified the existence of space?!"
"This is incredible! This moment is one that's going to change history!"
"I can't believe this... So this is going to be the main focus for the Cathayan Underworld!"
"Even now, I still can't help but wonder if my ears were playing tricks on me!"
"Yanluo Qin!" Anubis was trembling slightly as he said, "The Aegyptian Underworld strongly requests that the Cathayan Underworld release all of the information it has on this subject! This is something that affects our entire plane!"
The worldview that he had built up over thousands of years had been destroyed in an instant.
If space existed, then what had everyone been doing for the past thousands of years?! Why hadn't any discovered space before this?!
What was the point in fighting over resources in the underworld? There were infinite resources in space!
Thanatos had already made his way to the main path running down the center of the hall, and he yelled, "The Argosian Underworld concurs with this request! The Cathayan Underworld must fulfill its duties as one of the four pillars and lead the entire plane into the new era! Please release all information that you have on this subject right away!"
No wonder they displayed no interest in any of the industries that were mentioned. If I had known about this beforehand, then I wouldn't be interested in any of those industries, either!
In the future, it wasn't even going to matter who had more speaking rights in the underworld, everyone was going to be fighting to establish dominance in space! If the Cathayan Underworld could establish their Moon Palace in the cosmos, then it would be able to strike out at any underworld at a moment's notice, and there would be no way to strike back at them! Who would dare to oppose the Cathayan Underworld then?
This was an astonishing bombshell, and Thanatos's first reaction wasn't to think about how to oppose it. Instead, he wanted to verify the authenticity behind this claim.
If space truly existed, then who would bother to fight over the underworld? There was no limit to the territory that could be conquered in the vast cosmos!
"The Hindustani Underworld also concurs!" Yamaraja had also risen to his feet. "Yanluo Qin, please release all of the relevant information right away!"
"The Nipponese Underworld concurs!"
"The Russian Underworld concurs!"
"The Hopi Underworld concurs!"
"The Northern Europa Underworlds concur!"
"The Red Moon Federation concurs!"
"The Star Cluster Alliance concurs!"
"The Alkebulan Underworlds concur!"
In the blink of an eye, 33 of the underworld's 34 ruler death gods had risen to their feet!
For all of the small underworlds, branching out into the heavens was the only way for them to gain more power!
Amid the raucous commotion, Qin Ye made a quieting gesture as he called for silence.
The commotion instantly died down, and only then did he continue, "We have no information to release as of yet. Our only source of information is a verbal statement from the second King Yanluo, and even I haven't seen space for myself. At the moment, the Cathayan Underworld is working toward making space exploration a reality."
"The Argosian Underworld's round table is willing to assist the Cathayan Underworld in this project! All we ask is that you make all findings publicly available to everyone!" Thanatos immediately said. "Please trust us, Yanluo Qin. We've had our differences in the past, but if space exploration can become a reality, then all conflicts between underworlds will cease to exist! We wouldn't do something foolish out of selfish greed at the risk of ruining this grand plan!"
"The Aegyptian Underworld would like to apply to participate in the Moon Palace project, and we are willing to provide you with our best Yin rune experts! This is a global effort, no single nation can complete this project!"
"The Hindustani Underworld is situated closest to the Cathayan Underworld! Not only can we provide you with our best scientists, we can even provide our land! Our Hindustani Underworld has a very diverse geography and topography, and we can fulfill the requirements to construct any type of aviation base!"
Right after the three pillars' ruler death gods made their declaration, a string of urgent voices rang out almost in complete unison.
"The Psalm Consortium is willing to donate eight hundred billion Yin jade into the Moon Palace project!"
"The Abbasid Consortium is willing to provide a trillion Yin jade in exchange for a place on the Moon Palace project!"
"The Purple Radiance Consortium is willing to provide a trillion Yin jade, as well as all of our scientists, to join the Moon Palace project!"
"The Blue Forest Consortium is willing to provide a trillion Yin jade, as well as access to all of our research laboratories, to join the Moon Palace project!"
"The Fellmer Consortium is willing to provide a trillion Yin jade to join the Moon Palace project!"
Some of the other ruler death gods in the hall also wanted to speak, but their words got stuck in their throats.
These consortiums were normally so stingy that it was a chore just to get a single Yin jade out of them, but in the face of a truly monumental opportunity, they were all displaying the power of their wealth.
The sums of money that they were offering exceeded many of the smaller underworld's annual GDPs, and all 10 of the consortiums had expressed an urge to participate in the project, which culminated in an investment of trillions! That was such a staggering amount of money that it was downright unfathomable!
All of the other ruler death gods immediately turned to Qin Ye with envious looks in their eyes. Qin Ye hadn't even brought out any concrete evidence to support his claim, and there were already trillions of Yin jade being thrown at him!
Of course, everyone was aware that if the Cathayan Underworld's claims turned out to be false, then they wouldn't receive even a single cent, but they still couldn't help but be extremely envious of Qin Ye's position.
Qin Ye made a quieting gesture once again, and the entire hall obliged.
He was like a musical conductor, and his movements dictated the words and actions of everyone in the hall.
"First, I'd like to announce that we've already formed a collaborative partnership with the Sacred Treasure Consortium."
One furious pair of eyes after another immediately turned toward Heihachiro Fujii. In the face of the scorching scrutiny from the other nine consortium chairmen, Heihachiro Fujii remained seated calmly in his chair, looking directly ahead with a faint smile on his face.
You mad? You jealous? You hatin' on me? So what! I am the ultimate winner here! This is what you get for not being in the same cultural circle as the Cathayan Underworld! My consortium has already been selected ahead of all of your consortiums!
At this point, it had become clear to Heihachiro that Qin Ye was using him as a shield, but even if he had to dedicate all of the Sacred Treasure Consortium's power to the cause, he was going to act as a satisfactory shield for Qin Ye!
"Damn it!" The chairman of the Fellmer Consortium was gritting his teeth tightly as he withdrew his murderous gaze. "When did that old bastard get a chance to speak with the Cathayan Underworld? No wonder he signed that agreement without any qualms back in the Kailasa Temple! Curse him, that shameless old fox!"
However, he still hadn't given up yet.
Qin Ye had proclaimed the Sacred Treasure Consortium to be a collaborative partner, but not their only collaborative partner! Thus, there was still a chance for everyone else.
Meanwhile, in the corner of the hall, Izanami was wearing a smile as vibrant as a blooming red spider lily.
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Despite the questions in their hearts, they continued listening.
"Fifthly, our Cathayan Underworld wants to rapidly develop the communications industry, striving to establish communication services that can rival those of the mortal realm and to set up a worldwide communication network."
"Number 12..."
"Number 13..."
Qin Ye's report was very long, but no one was complaining. The Cathayan Underworld had ushered in this new era, so everyone was naturally intent on hearing Qin Ye's future plans. Everyone was listening carefully to which industries the Cathayan Underworld wanted to develop in, examining whether the future path that the Cathayan Underworld wanted to take overlapped with their own plans.
The more the three pillars heard, the warier they became.
This was because all of the points that had been raised thus far had been glossed over by a single sentence each.
Could it be that they wanted to develop all 17 of those industries? But that simply wasn't feasible!
The development of an industry didn't just involve creating the relevant technology. That was only the foundation, and many more resources had to be expended thereafter.
There were also many logistical issues that had to be ironed out, and things were made particularly difficult by the fact that everything had to start from scratch, so it was definitely impossible to develop all of those industries at once.
The Cathayan Underworld needed a core industry to develop, and they knew that Qin Ye wasn't foolish enough to be so blinded by the prospect of the profits that could be made that he wanted to dip his toe into everything.
"So none of the points that have been raised thus far is the main focus for the Cathayan Underworld..." Yamaraja murmured to himself with tightly furrowed brows. "In that case, what exactly does he want to do? What has the Cathayan Underworld chosen?"
The more he delayed the announcement, the more unbearable the suspense became.
The waiting process was far more torturous and grueling than hearing the final outcome.
Time slowly passed by, and finally, Qin Ye flipped over another page, upon which he reached the final point.
An involuntary smile appeared on his face at the sight of this final point, and he raised his head to look at the ruler death gods of the three pillars.
At the same time, the three ruler death gods cast their eyes toward him as well.
They were the only ones in this world who could compete with the Cathayan Underworld, and they were listening intently to hear what Qin Ye had to say next.
The three ruler death gods knew that the final point was about to be announced, and they took a deep breath in unison as they sat up straighter with wary looks in their eyes.
This was going to be the Cathayan Underworld's true choice, one that they had taken over all of the aforementioned lucrative industries...
"The final thing that I have to announce is also the most important thing," Qin Ye said as he raised his head to look at all of the death gods present. "Our Cathayan Underworld will be taking on its biggest project for the next century, and its codename is Moon Palace."
Moon Palace?
All of the death gods' eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this.
This was the future path chosen by the Cathayan Underworld, but was it one that was suitable for them to pursue as well?
Qin Ye put down the report as he declared, "In the next 20 years, the Cathayan Underworld will be trying to break through this plane and send Yin spirits into space!"
The ruler death gods of the three pillars almost sprang to their feet upon hearing this.
Yamaraja, Anubis, and Thanatos were staring at Qin Ye with slack-jawed expressions, and their mouths were gaped open, but they were unable to utter even a single word.
All of the other death gods were also completely astonished by this announcement.
Several of the top 10 consortiums' chairmen had risen to their feet with incredulous looks on their faces, and as for the rest, it was taking all of their self-control not to stand up alongside their peers.
Everyone fell completely silent.
Qin Ye paid no heed to everyone's reactions as he continued, "In 50 years, we'll be establishing planar aviation bases and space stations comparable with the ones in the mortal realm. We will be shifting our focus to outer space, and in 100 years, we'll begin the colonization process, searching for all planes in space that could potentially harbor resources. For this purpose, our Ctahayan Underworld has decided to set an entire province aside as our research and launch center!"
He paused here momentarily, then continued, "The Moon Palace project will be the Cathayan Underworld's next 100-year plan, and further details will be revealed during the press conference to be held after this international trade conference, so please stay tuned for that."
That was the conclusion of his report, but the entire hall was still completely silent.
Only after a full 30 seconds had passed did Anubis finally return to his senses as he asked, "So you're saying that space exists for our plane?"
Isn't there only Limbo up there?
"It does," Qin Ye replied in a confident voice. "Our space is known as the Yin Space System, and it's situated in the seventh spiral of the Yin Space River. In order to enter and exit the plane, a special method must be employed."
Crack... A faint crack rang out as Yamaraja's fingers sank into the stone table in front of him. "What is this special method?"
"The Cathayan Underworld is currently conducting experiments, but our information comes from a reliable source in the form of the second King Yanluo, who is the only person from the underworld to have visited other planes. The method that he described is quite far-fetched, so we're still testing to see if it works."
Dead silence ensued once again.
After 10 seconds of silence, Hela murmured to herself in an astonished voice, "My god... What did I just hear? Space exists for our world?!"
"Is that true? If so, then what was the point in fighting over territory for the past thousands of years?"
More and more voices began to ring out, and shortly thereafter, the entire hall had erupted into a raucous frenzy!
"Is this really true?! Has the Cathayan Underworld already verified the existence of space?!"
"This is incredible! This moment is one that's going to change history!"
"I can't believe this... So this is going to be the main focus for the Cathayan Underworld!"
"Even now, I still can't help but wonder if my ears were playing tricks on me!"
"Yanluo Qin!" Anubis was trembling slightly as he said, "The Aegyptian Underworld strongly requests that the Cathayan Underworld release all of the information it has on this subject! This is something that affects our entire plane!"
The worldview that he had built up over thousands of years had been destroyed in an instant.
If space existed, then what had everyone been doing for the past thousands of years?! Why hadn't any discovered space before this?!
What was the point in fighting over resources in the underworld? There were infinite resources in space!
Thanatos had already made his way to the main path running down the center of the hall, and he yelled, "The Argosian Underworld concurs with this request! The Cathayan Underworld must fulfill its duties as one of the four pillars and lead the entire plane into the new era! Please release all information that you have on this subject right away!"
No wonder they displayed no interest in any of the industries that were mentioned. If I had known about this beforehand, then I wouldn't be interested in any of those industries, either!
In the future, it wasn't even going to matter who had more speaking rights in the underworld, everyone was going to be fighting to establish dominance in space! If the Cathayan Underworld could establish their Moon Palace in the cosmos, then it would be able to strike out at any underworld at a moment's notice, and there would be no way to strike back at them! Who would dare to oppose the Cathayan Underworld then?
This was an astonishing bombshell, and Thanatos's first reaction wasn't to think about how to oppose it. Instead, he wanted to verify the authenticity behind this claim.
If space truly existed, then who would bother to fight over the underworld? There was no limit to the territory that could be conquered in the vast cosmos!
"The Hindustani Underworld also concurs!" Yamaraja had also risen to his feet. "Yanluo Qin, please release all of the relevant information right away!"
"The Nipponese Underworld concurs!"
"The Russian Underworld concurs!"
"The Hopi Underworld concurs!"
"The Northern Europa Underworlds concur!"
"The Red Moon Federation concurs!"
"The Star Cluster Alliance concurs!"
"The Alkebulan Underworlds concur!"
In the blink of an eye, 33 of the underworld's 34 ruler death gods had risen to their feet!
For all of the small underworlds, branching out into the heavens was the only way for them to gain more power!
Amid the raucous commotion, Qin Ye made a quieting gesture as he called for silence.
The commotion instantly died down, and only then did he continue, "We have no information to release as of yet. Our only source of information is a verbal statement from the second King Yanluo, and even I haven't seen space for myself. At the moment, the Cathayan Underworld is working toward making space exploration a reality."
"The Argosian Underworld's round table is willing to assist the Cathayan Underworld in this project! All we ask is that you make all findings publicly available to everyone!" Thanatos immediately said. "Please trust us, Yanluo Qin. We've had our differences in the past, but if space exploration can become a reality, then all conflicts between underworlds will cease to exist! We wouldn't do something foolish out of selfish greed at the risk of ruining this grand plan!"
"The Aegyptian Underworld would like to apply to participate in the Moon Palace project, and we are willing to provide you with our best Yin rune experts! This is a global effort, no single nation can complete this project!"
"The Hindustani Underworld is situated closest to the Cathayan Underworld! Not only can we provide you with our best scientists, we can even provide our land! Our Hindustani Underworld has a very diverse geography and topography, and we can fulfill the requirements to construct any type of aviation base!"
Right after the three pillars' ruler death gods made their declaration, a string of urgent voices rang out almost in complete unison.
"The Psalm Consortium is willing to donate eight hundred billion Yin jade into the Moon Palace project!"
"The Abbasid Consortium is willing to provide a trillion Yin jade in exchange for a place on the Moon Palace project!"
"The Purple Radiance Consortium is willing to provide a trillion Yin jade, as well as all of our scientists, to join the Moon Palace project!"
"The Blue Forest Consortium is willing to provide a trillion Yin jade, as well as access to all of our research laboratories, to join the Moon Palace project!"
"The Fellmer Consortium is willing to provide a trillion Yin jade to join the Moon Palace project!"
Some of the other ruler death gods in the hall also wanted to speak, but their words got stuck in their throats.
These consortiums were normally so stingy that it was a chore just to get a single Yin jade out of them, but in the face of a truly monumental opportunity, they were all displaying the power of their wealth.
The sums of money that they were offering exceeded many of the smaller underworld's annual GDPs, and all 10 of the consortiums had expressed an urge to participate in the project, which culminated in an investment of trillions! That was such a staggering amount of money that it was downright unfathomable!
All of the other ruler death gods immediately turned to Qin Ye with envious looks in their eyes. Qin Ye hadn't even brought out any concrete evidence to support his claim, and there were already trillions of Yin jade being thrown at him!
Of course, everyone was aware that if the Cathayan Underworld's claims turned out to be false, then they wouldn't receive even a single cent, but they still couldn't help but be extremely envious of Qin Ye's position.
Qin Ye made a quieting gesture once again, and the entire hall obliged.
He was like a musical conductor, and his movements dictated the words and actions of everyone in the hall.
"First, I'd like to announce that we've already formed a collaborative partnership with the Sacred Treasure Consortium."
One furious pair of eyes after another immediately turned toward Heihachiro Fujii. In the face of the scorching scrutiny from the other nine consortium chairmen, Heihachiro Fujii remained seated calmly in his chair, looking directly ahead with a faint smile on his face.
You mad? You jealous? You hatin' on me? So what! I am the ultimate winner here! This is what you get for not being in the same cultural circle as the Cathayan Underworld! My consortium has already been selected ahead of all of your consortiums!
At this point, it had become clear to Heihachiro that Qin Ye was using him as a shield, but even if he had to dedicate all of the Sacred Treasure Consortium's power to the cause, he was going to act as a satisfactory shield for Qin Ye!
"Damn it!" The chairman of the Fellmer Consortium was gritting his teeth tightly as he withdrew his murderous gaze. "When did that old bastard get a chance to speak with the Cathayan Underworld? No wonder he signed that agreement without any qualms back in the Kailasa Temple! Curse him, that shameless old fox!"
However, he still hadn't given up yet.
Qin Ye had proclaimed the Sacred Treasure Consortium to be a collaborative partner, but not their only collaborative partner! Thus, there was still a chance for everyone else.
Meanwhile, in the corner of the hall, Izanami was wearing a smile as vibrant as a blooming red spider lily.
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