The Ice Palace.
Jugram Haschwalth received the report and immediately ordered the Holy Soldiers around him to go and wait there and bring the person over.
As Ryūsaki stepped out of the dark blue passage, a dark red sky came into view, and medieval-style buildings were covered with patches of unmelted snow.
"Is this the world built in the shadows?" Ryūsaki murmured.
He glanced to the side and saw twenty Quincy dressed in identical Quincy, all of them Holy Soldier.
The figure who appeared to be the leader stepped forward. "So you're the one who came in through the Sun Gate? Come with us! The Legion Commander wants to see you."
"Please lead the way," Ryūsaki replied politely.
He never intended to sneak in unnoticed. Sōken had also said that going through this passage would definitely alert the people inside, so he could only obediently follow the Holy Soldier to see the legion commander.
Nothing unexpected happened On the Road. In the conference room of the Ice Palace, Ryūsaki met the legion commander that the Holy Soldier had mentioned. It was the same person from Zero's shared memories, Jugram Haschwalth!
There were nearly thirty chairs on both sides of the oval table, all of which were empty. Only a blond man was sitting at the head of the table, sipping coffee. Ryūsaki was led directly to the first seat on his right.
"Please sit down!"
Jugram Haschwalth asked indifferently, "What would you like to drink?"
Ryūsaki sat down, smiled, and said to the Holy Soldier behind her, "A glass of watermelon juice, with ice, please."
The Holy Soldier didn't say a word, turned around and prepared drinks and brought them over. The Wandenreich was completely self-sufficient in food, and this space was constantly being improved, becoming incredibly vast.
Jugram Haschwalth glanced at Ryūsaki a few times, and after a moment of silence, asked, "Are you a descendant of Sōken Ishida?"
"Excuse me, I haven't introduced myself yet!" Ryūsaki wasn't surprised that Jugram Haschwalth knew who he was, nor did he deny it. "Sōken Ishida is my father. I borrowed his key to get in here."
"Has the leader of the die-hards finally seen the light?" Jugram Haschwalth sighed softly.
He recalled the internal divisions within the Quincy. The departure of several powerful Quincy, led by Sōken Ishida, from the Wandenreich was a minor issue; their unwillingness to change their fighting style was the fundamental reason for their parting Soul Reaper.
Because the Quincy Emperor was defeated, many Quincy refused to rejoin the Wandenreich Quincy was recruited.
After the final purge more than two hundred years ago, Quincy in the World of the Living can be described as rare, and the Wandenreich no longer risks exposure to recruit Holy Soldier in the World of the Living.
Jugram Haschwalth then asked, "How many Pure-Blood Quincy like you are left in the World of the Living?"
Slurp!
After taking a deep sip of watermelon juice, Ryūsaki thought for a moment, "My parents, my brother, as far as I know, that's it! There was also a girl from the Kurosaki Family recently, but she was infected by the Hollow."
Sōken Ishida's travels around the world aren't solely for eliminating Hollows; he's also searching for other Quincy who remain in the world. Unfortunately, he's encountered very few Quincy in recent years, and they're all hybrids.
Some people have Quincy blood in their veins and possess Reiryoku that allows them to see Hollows, but they have no one to teach them how to fight, so they don't even qualify Quincy.
"Being able to enter through the Sun Gate on your own means you know a little about this place. What's your reason for coming here?" Jugram Haschwalth had to be wary of whether Ryūsaki had ulterior motives.
"The Soul Reapers are the enemies of the Quincy, but in these years in the World of the Living, I have forged some new grudges with them. To take revenge, I need greater strength, so I have come," Ryūsaki replied calmly.
Jugram Haschwalth stood up. "I hope it's as you say, but to integrate here, it's not enough to just have the same goals; you also need sufficient strength."
"Long'an, take him to the training grounds and let the Holy Soldier test his level to determine if he is qualified to stay."
"Yes."
Jugram Haschwalth turned and left. He had seen that Ryūsaki was extraordinary; he probably wouldn't dare to venture into the Wandenreich alone without some skill.
According to Jugram Haschwalth's speculation, Ryūsaki's current strength is definitely beyond that of Holy Soldier, but before awakening her own abilities, she probably wouldn't be able to defeat the Sternritter members.
Long'an, with a full beard and wearing a white military cap, led the way and began to introduce the four classes of the Wandenreich.
In the Wandenreich, status is also determined by strength. The lowest level consists of ordinary residents, whose combat power is very weak. They can be said to be the cornerstone of this world, mainly responsible for producing food and the like.
The next level up is a low-level force called the 'Guards Corps,' which is large in number, possesses considerable combat power, is skilled in using various Spirit Weapon, and most of them can fire hundreds of arrows in succession with Holy Bow.
Most of these troops patrol and train Silbern, which is the outer region of the Wandenreich.
Then there are the special forces known as the 'Holy Soldiers,' which are numerous and specifically responsible for Guards Silbern.
Besides the abilities they were granted, the Quincy have all mastered basic combat techniques, making them individually very strong and capable of killing Gillian on their own.
If multiple people work together, they can even serve as sparring partners for the Knights.
Aside from the Emperor, the highest rank is the Sternritter, comprised of powerful individuals granted unique abilities by His Majesty. Their status and strength far surpass those of Holy Soldier.
Most importantly, the Sternritter are not guilty of killing those of lower rank, regardless of the reason; this is a rule set by the Emperor.
Jugram Haschwalth could only make slight adjustments to prevent the Sternritter from engaging in excessive killing, lest it disrupt the population balance within the Wandenreich.
The reason Long'an told Ryūsaki all this was that he hoped Long Xiao would give it his all in the upcoming assessment and strive for a good position.
After he finished introducing the highest level, Ryūsaki asked, "Being granted special abilities is understandable, but how does one become granted special abilities?"
Long'an stopped, his expression serious. "There are several methods, but for now, proceed with your trial! I'll tell you later."
There was another line, 'It's no use telling you if I fail the trial,' Long'an didn't say aloud.
When Jugram Haschwalth asked him to assess Ryūsaki's level, Long'an knew that the kid was extraordinary and that at least five Holy Soldiers would be needed to fight him.
If Ryūsaki wins, that's fine; if he loses, he'll be executed on the spot. After all, you have no strength and you wasted Jugram Haschwalth's time for a personal audience, so what use are you... even though Ryūsaki didn't want him to meet with her.
The two left Silbern and arrived at the outskirts of the Wandenreich.
The buildings Silbern were much shorter, but the streets were also much busier. No longer were there only solemn Holy Soldiers guarding the streets; people strolled through them, some leisurely and some hurriedly.
When a group of rather lazy low-ranking soldiers saw Long'an, they immediately stood at attention and saluted. Only after Long'an and Ryūsaki had walked away did they begin to discuss the interesting things that had happened in the past few days.
The two walked slowly until they reached the edge of the city, where they finally saw a magnificent building.
A curved wall, over ten meters high, stretched to both sides, its edge invisible. It had no roof, Ryūsaki sensed with her spiritual perception that its internal diameter exceeded two kilometers, containing a large amount of ethereal Reiatsu.
A dozen or so ordinary soldiers guarded the entrance, led by two masked Holy Soldiers, while two others sat at the entrance working and distributing entry passes.
Quincy citizens came and went in an endless stream. Some elderly people brought their grandchildren into the building, some couples went in laughing together, and some young people dressed as Guards Corps came out.
Long'an said, "This is the Second Trial Ground. You can choose to fight against other people, or you can fight against Hollows. There are Hollows captured from Hueco Mundo inside."
Ryūsaki asked curiously, "Hollow? What level is the strongest Hollow energy?"
Long'an proudly declared, "Arrancar!"
"Arrancar?"
Ryūsaki was surprised, and he already guessed what had happened... Hueco Mundo must have lost its Hueco Mundo and become a disorganized mess, giving the Quincy an opportunity to take advantage.
Long'an stopped talking and led Ryūsaki straight to the gatekeeper sitting at a table distributing entry cards. When he explained that they needed cards, they gave Ryūsaki two cards.
One card shows 'Two Gillian', and the other says 'Fighting the Holy Soldier'.
Inside, there are five giant pits, each 200 meters long, wide, and deep, as well as more than twenty smaller pits.
The various walkways along the edge of the deep pit served as both dividing walls and observation platforms, where many people watched their comrades fight.
"Choose a large arena to enter, then crush the cards in your hand. The staff will arrange opponents for you to fight against. Inside, killing your opponents is not a crime," Long'an explained.
"Is it alright to kill the Holy Soldier?" Ryūsaki asked doubtfully.
"Yes, innocent."
Seeing Long'an nod, Ryūsaki said no more, walked towards a large arena with a faint smile on her face, and then jumped into it.
Four of the five giant craters were empty, and the large arena where someone was fighting wasn't with Gillian, but with two Giant Hollows, and the battle was fierce.
"Wow, someone else has entered the big battle area."
Is it Holy Soldier?
"Judging from your attire, that's not it."
The onlookers around were excited to see someone jump into the arena; they knew there was going to be a good show.
Ryūsaki simply picked up the Gillian sign and crushed it with a flick of his wrist. Two huge shadows appeared, and when the shadows dissipated, two enormous Gillians appeared in front of Ryūsaki.