"Please rest assured, Lord Kenma. Although we are borrowing your power, it will in no way affect your strength."
"The contract merely collects the ambient spiritual pressure that you would otherwise waste in your daily life."
"Even if an anomaly occurs at the Gates of Hell, it will not affect your battles, not even at the same moment. Please be at ease on this point."
The man's voice was heavy as he gave Kenma his solemn guarantee.
Kenma was slightly taken aback; this was beyond his expectations.
"Is that all?"
"That is all."
Seeing that the man did not seem to be lying, Kenma pondered for a moment, then raised the scroll in his hand and asked, "If Hell erupts into a riot and the Gates of Hell cannot suppress it, what will happen to those who have signed this contract?"
Kenma remembered a movie where a sinner from Hell broke through its restraints and caused a riot.
And then there was the new major plot hole Kubo had dug, the "Hell Howling" arc.
The middle-aged man said, "In the history of millions of years, Hell has erupted in turmoil several times. These are all recorded in my clan's archives."
"It's either because too many souls are stored in Hell, making its weight in the world too great for Hell to completely suppress, or because a powerful contemporary who provides spiritual pressure to the Gates of Hell suddenly perishes…"
Kenma did indeed have an impression of this.
In the "Hell Howling" arc, after the deaths of Yamamoto Shigekuni, Yhwach, and Unohana Retsu, the suppression of the Gates of Hell did indeed loosen.
Szayelaporro took advantage of this to temporarily break free from Hell's shackles and return to the world of the living.
Thus, this could corroborate the man's words.
The man continued, "When a riot truly occurs in Hell, the Gates of Hell will temporarily stop collecting the spiritual pressure of these contractors, and it will have no effect on these powerful individuals. After Hell returns to normal, the Gates of Hell will reactivate the terms of the contract."
Hearing this, Kenma nodded.
In that case, it wouldn't affect the contractors at all, regardless of whether Hell was in a state of anomaly or not.
The man raised his head slightly, and seeing Kenma's gentle nod, his heart stirred.
"If Lord Kenma can agree to sign with us… whatever your request, as long as it does not involve the other contractors, we will do everything in our power to fulfill it!"
"Please be at ease, Lord Kenma. We would never speak falsely on such a major matter and will certainly do as we say. Otherwise, so many powerful individuals would not have agreed."
Considering that major bosses like Aizen and Yhwach had both signed the contract, Kenma was naturally confident in their credibility.
He waved his hand. "There's no rush for this matter. If I refuse, what will you do?"
"This…"
The man's tone became hesitant.
Seeing his attitude, Kenma leaned his upper body forward, lowering his head slightly, and stared straight at the man.
The dim lamplight flickered, not fully illuminating his features, and the lower half of his face was shrouded in darkness.
"What, is this question difficult to answer?"
"Or perhaps, you don't know how to answer it either?"
The man's body stooped even lower, almost pressing against the floor.
He gritted his teeth, no longer caring for empty things like honor or face, and revealed his intentions completely.
"If Lord Kenma does not agree… we will disturb you day and night, kneeling for long periods without rising."
"Whether at your home or at your division, as long as you do not agree for a single day, we will cast aside our pride and continue to plead until you consent!"
Kenma was momentarily speechless at the man's response.
He had thought the man's hesitation meant he had ill intentions, such as coercion, bribery, or blackmail.
But he never would have imagined that a member of the great Five Noble Families of the Soul Society, and the most mysterious one at that, would, after all this, have such a plan.
So… shameless, so willing to pester him to death.
It was truly beyond Kenma's expectations.
'Where is the pride of a great noble? Where are the schemes of those who stand at the pinnacle of the Soul Society?'
'After all that, this is the result?'
The man heard the stirring from in front of him and smiled bitterly in his heart.
He naturally knew that his methods were somewhat… unrefined.
But besides this, what else could he do?
Since it had come to this, he decided to lay it all bare, to confess all his thoughts.
"Lord Kenma, setting aside your noble status as the son-in-law of the Shihoin family…"
"As one of the legendary 'Three Great Talents' of the Seireitei, your strength is naturally incomparably formidable. No matter how brutish or thoughtless we might be, we would not dare to bare our teeth and bark madly before a person of such power."
If it were a weak person, his attitude would naturally be different.
But what use did they have for the weak?
The Gates of Hell required the strong!
Even if his clan was a great noble family of the Soul Society, before these top-tier powerhouses of the world, they, the great nobles, were the weaker party!
Yamamoto Shigekuni, Unohana Retsu, Yhwach, and the 'Three Great Talents'…
Every single one of these top-tier powerhouses was not a good person to cross!
How could they dare to use their status to bully, coerce, or threaten?
Weren't they afraid that if they displeased one of them, their entire clan would be slaughtered?
At that point, their clan's mission to monitor Hell would be completely finished.
Other than shamelessly kneeling and begging for a powerful individual's consent, what other methods did they have!
Faced with the man's attitude, which was nearly as low as the dust, Kenma did not answer, but instead turned his gaze to Shun'gen, who was to his side.
"Father, what do you think?"
Shihoin Kenma's face was devoid of joy or sorrow; not a trace of emotion could be seen.
"This is your affair. Whether you agree or not, the decision should be yours alone."
Although the old man's words expressed no opinion, Kenma instantly perceived his inclination.
'He wants me to sign the contract…'
If he didn't, he wouldn't have specifically instructed Kenma to come here to introduce him to this middle-aged man.
He wouldn't have even prepared this small stage for tonight's negotiations.
After careful consideration, Kenma finally nodded.
"I agree to this contract."
The middle-aged man suddenly raised his head, Kenma's figure reflected in his eyes, which instantly burst with a divine light.
Then, he immediately lowered his head again.
"I wonder, Lord Kenma, what would you have my clan do?"
"Well…"
Kenma really didn't know what he should ask them to do right now.
However, just because he didn't have a request now didn't mean he wouldn't in the future.
He had some half-baked ideas for his future plans regarding Hell.
Of course, they were merely nascent thoughts, not yet what could be called a clear and specific plan.
When that time came, perhaps these people could be of use.
"I don't have any thoughts on that right now."
"We'll talk about it in the future. I hope you won't have forgotten this promise by then."
The man straightened up and nodded solemnly. "Naturally!"
"We will remember your great favor for the rest of our lives!"
Kenma took a brush and ink, unrolled the scroll, and wrote his name on it with flamboyant strokes.
Shihoin Kenma!
With that, the transaction was officially complete. The man extended both arms, respectfully took the scroll, and thanked Kenma repeatedly.
Seeing that there was no other business, Kenma took his leave from Shun'gen.
The lamplight suddenly swelled, brightening the room considerably.
A genuine smile appeared on Shun'gen's old face, and even his deep wrinkles seemed to be instantly ironed out and smoothed, radiating joy and satisfaction.
"Kenma, you just go back to your room. Don't worry about me."
"Today is your and Yoruichi's big day. Nothing is more important than the two of you spending tonight well."
After offering a few words of concern, Kenma withdrew.
After a long while, the man slowly rose to his feet. His expression suddenly relaxed, and his entire demeanor loosened considerably.
"Whew, I've finally accomplished this goal. This is a joyous occasion."
Shun'gen teased, "What, does my son-in-law make you that nervous?"
The man nodded, directly acknowledging the jest in the old man's words.
"Of course I was nervous!"
"Lord Shun'gen, this son-in-law of yours… he is truly imposing and extraordinary."
Kenma, of course, was unaware of what this member of the last great noble family thought of him.
Having left Shun'gen's small courtyard, he had now arrived at the door of the wedding chamber.
The room was lit, casting a bright glow.
Even standing outside, Kenma could clearly feel the brightness within.
And his new wife, Yoruichi, was waiting for him inside.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]