Chapter 343

The problem of making phone calls has not been resolved.

"As for the phone..." Kevin scratched his head and said, "I..."

Kevin really didn't want to say that. Even if everyone was less educated, he wouldn't lie to those who were less educated. But he still couldn't completely believe that this guy wouldn't add some personal agenda to his wishes.

Kevin was reluctant, but he faced another problem: MEI's idea was limited intervention.

Intervention is crucial; if no one intervenes, it's not 'limited intervention.' His continued opposition will inevitably disrupt MEI's plans, but he simply can't bring himself to let Ichigo make that call.

Noticing Kevin's reluctance, Kisuke Urahara felt he had to add fuel to the fire.

"Actually, it was my idea to have Ichigo ask the Goddess for help," Kisuke Urahara finally said. "I thought things would go smoothly, but I didn't expect Mr. Kevin to misunderstand it."

"What are your thoughts?" Kevin frowned.

His intuition told him that this hat-wearing, grinning guy wasn't exactly a fool. He figured he was either full of bad intentions or at least half-full of them.

"Exactly," Kisuke Urahara said. "This is actually to ensure that Lucia can be saved."

"Oh~" Kevin seemed to suddenly realize something and said, "Indeed, with this kid's abilities, I don't think he could break in all by himself."

Kevin had never fought against a Shinigami master, but Ichigo was truly lousy! Such a weakling would just be throwing his life away if he went in, so it was to be expected that he would drag Mei in with him.

"Actually, no," Kisuke Urahara said. "With Ichigo's potential, he really could do it."

"What?" Kevin said, somewhat incredulously, "If that's the case, then why bother looking for my Mei? And don't be angry, but if this orange-haired kid can storm the execution ground..."

"Aren't you Grim Reapers ridiculously incompetent?"

This made Kisuke Urahara seem a little embarrassed, since he was no longer a Shinigami. But this was somewhat...

"No." Kisuke Urahara didn't show it. "Ichigo has great potential and he's not alone. Also, Lucia's identity is a bit special, so there will be people in Soul Society helping her."

"Actually, it's not quite what Mr. Kevin thought," Kisuke Urahara said with a smile. "The person can definitely be rescued, but the problem is what happens after they're rescued."

"Giving the power of the Shinigami to someone else is no small matter, especially since Lucia is a member of the Kuchiki family. This is a disgrace to the Kuchiki family."

"So..." Kisuke Urahara said in a slightly lower voice, "Even if we rescue them, both the people who stormed the execution ground and Lucia will face endless pursuit."

"The Seireitei won't let this go so easily."

"Oh ho~" Kevin finally understood and said, "I get what you mean. Saving people isn't actually difficult, and there are even people inside who don't want that girl to die. The difficult problem is how to give those people inside a way out."

"But are you sure?" Kevin said, "Won't it be a problem to find my lovely Mei? She's Goddess, and the God Race and the Grim Reaper don't get along, do they?"

"They are indeed not easy to deal with," Kisuke Urahara said. "But people are contradictory, and so are Shinigami. Sometimes, the less respected they are by the God Race, the more they crave God Race recognition. The nobles of Seireitei are especially like this. They all say that they have an unparalleled hatred for the God Race and that they will kill their way to the God Realm and destroy the God Race tomorrow, but those guys crave the God Race's recognition more than anyone else."

Kisuke Urahara knew all too well what those people inside were thinking, especially the nobles.

In their view, they were no different from the God Race; they were born Grim Reapers, just like the gods, natural God Race. They were completely different from those souls who, through luck or other means, barely became Grim Reapers.

So those guys are more eager to gain the approval of the God Race than anyone else.

"So that's why you need MEI?" Kevin said.

"Yes." Kisuke Urahara affirmatively.

"Then wouldn't it just require Mei's word?" Kevin countered. "Wouldn't a simple nod from her give them a way out?"

After Kevin said that, Ichigo seemed to realize that it really was that simple.

"Of course it's not that simple." Kisuke Urahara said, pressing down on his hat. "If it were really that simple, that would be great. But the reality is that if the Goddess only agrees but doesn't take any action, Lucia will be doomed."

"Why?" Kevin asked, puzzled. "Just so Mei can acknowledge Lucia or something..."

"It's not that simple," Kisuke Urahara said. "The Shinigami, especially the nobles, have very conflicted mindsets. If the Goddess only makes a verbal promise, it will be of no use at all. Because of the conflict between the Shinigami and the God Race, she might even be regarded as a complete traitor. At that time, even if someone wants to release her, they can't! They will have no choice but to bite the bullet and execute Lucia."

"But if she could actually do something," Kisuke Urahara explained, "Then the situation would be completely different."

"If the Goddess can really appear in this operation, Ichigo will not only receive great help, but Lucia will also be free from any trouble. Her return to the Gotei 13 will be no problem, and no one will pursue Ichigo's matter either."

"But it won't work if she only offers verbal help."

"What a twisted mentality," Kevin muttered, unable to understand and unwilling to try. "So, you need all the help from my MEI now, including practical assistance."

Kevin didn't want to understand, but he really couldn't ruin MEI's plans now, and things had already gone this far, so he really couldn't stop anything.

I had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Then let's fight."

"But I still stand by what I said," Kevin said, "If you dare to make any weird wishes to Mei, I'll kill you!"

Kevin wasn't joking.

Ichigo didn't quite understand, but he had already sensed Kevin's feelings for Mei. He glanced at the phone in his hand and suddenly made a decision.

"How about Mr. Kevin makes the call himself?"

Chapter 402 Make a phone call! Make a phone call!

Kevin looked at the phone in his hand...

It has to be said that this kid has really given himself a huge problem.

"Aren't you afraid I'll make a different wish after I get through?" Kevin said, holding the phone. "Besides, I can't even guarantee I'll get through."

"I believe in Mr. Kevin." Ichigo's answer was very simple: he believed.

"Believe?" Kevin wasn't too impressed with Ichigo's answer. He said expressionlessly, "While I appreciate your actions, we haven't met often or had much interaction. I don't see any reason for me to help you."

"If I make this call and make a different wish, you will lose the chance to save Lucia forever."

Kevin's reminder didn't seem to give Ichigo any more thought. Ichigo looked even more serious and trusting as he said, "Because I think Mr. Kevin is a trustworthy person, I choose to believe Mr. Kevin."

"Are you an idiot?" Kevin said, gripping his phone. "This isn't an opportunity everyone gets. And are you really sure I can get through?"

"This is your last chance, are you just going to give it up like this?"

"Because I believe," Ichigo said without hesitation, "Because I believe in Mr. Kevin."

This is probably the biggest characteristic of the protagonists in shonen manga: they can always trust the people on their side without reservation, even naively. But it is probably precisely because of this trust that they are the protagonists of shonen manga.

It is because of this pure trust that they have become countless popular anime protagonists.

"Alright." Kevin didn't want to persuade Ichigo to take back his words. Since Ichigo had done this, he didn't care anymore and said, "Kid, firstly, I might not be able to help you summon Mei."

"Secondly, people can be treacherous, and not everyone deserves your trust."

"That includes me, of course," Kevin said, opening the phone. "I hope you won't regret it."

Hopefully...

"Are you just going to wait here, Sister MEI?" Seele asked curiously, looking at Li Pu was idly sitting there and not continuing to study the samples. "If you want to get involved in this in a limited way, why don't you take the initiative? That might be better. If you take the initiative, we'll have a lot of control over when to join them and when to withdraw."

"If I were just a person, it wouldn't matter," Li Pu said, shaking his head. "But right now, it's clear that I can't be considered a complete person."

"The concept of faction is something I can't avoid now. The reason I'm fighting Honkai Beast is because they attack indiscriminately and threaten the safety of Belldandy and Ying Yi, so they must be eliminated."

"So Death belongs to another camp. There are conflicts, but it's still in a relatively peaceful state." Li Pu explained, "And I happen to be the Goddess. From the perspective of the camp, I still have to abide by these things. After all, some rules of this world have to be respected. To run and break the rules without thinking about anything would be incredibly stupid."

"Rules are not meant to be broken, and the world cannot be overturned by one person," Li Pu said. "Finding loopholes within the rules and playing them reasonably is the way to maximize profits."

Li Pu forgot who said it, but it's true that it could become a motto for many teenagers with delusions of grandeur. Even when he himself hadn't fully graduated from his delusions of grandeur, he liked this phrase a lot.

But only after society teaches you a lesson will you realize that while rules can indeed be broken, the costs are enormous and the risks are extremely high. If you only want to achieve certain specific goals, you don't actually need to break the rules; you just need to find loopholes and exploit them. You can then achieve high returns with low risk and low cost, provided that what you're doing doesn't require breaking the rules.

The current situation is the same; her goal isn't to break the rules or anything like that, so she doesn't need to pay such a high price.

All you need to do is find some seemingly 'reasonable' bugs within the rules and exploit them.

"Will we be able to get through if we wait here?" Seele asked with some concern. "Waiting for that phone call? Didn't Sister Mei say that this call requires his effort and a bit of luck to get through?"

"Hmm~" Li Pu did not deny this point, saying, "If we follow the rules, that's true, but if we look for some 'reasonable' bugs, we can definitely get through to me on the phone."

"A reasonable bug?" Seele didn't quite understand what that meant.

"Belldandy's power here is to grant wishes, but granting wishes is related to something called 'Yggdrasil'," Li Pu explained. "If you want to grant someone else's wish, you probably can't get around this thing."

Yggdrasil, also known as Yggdrasil. Of course, there is also a more straightforward and accurate translation for this.

World Tree!

The anime and manga explain the function of this thing; it's part of a system that supports the Goddess. Sariel and Urd are both administrators of this system; you could say they're both programmers in the celestial realm.

This thing provides the Goddess with the energy to move on the ground, and it is also a tool for fulfilling wishes.

However, neither the anime nor the manga provides a detailed explanation of the relationship between this thing and the Goddess, but it is certain that mortals must go through the Yggdrasil system to summon the Goddess.

"I think the gods will probably use this opportunity to let Ichigo get through to me on the phone at the right time," Li Pu said confidently. "We just have to wait."

"The right time?" Seeing Li Pu's certainty, Seele didn't know how to refute him.

"Interests." Seeing that Seele seemed to disagree with him, Li Pu explained, "Once a race forms a group, they will definitely have their own interests and plans. In the face of organizational interests, national hatred and family feuds are actually meaningless. Hatred is just a matter of not getting what they want."

It might be a bit radical or poorly explained, but the saying "There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests" is certain.

"Moreover, expansion is one of the most fundamental interests for any race and group."

Expansion can be considered a biological instinct. When an organism forms a group and survives in a special social structure, the various new needs that arise within this social structure will force the species to continuously expand.

In one sense, it is what is commonly referred to as capital.

Whether the divine realm has 'capital' is hard for Li Pu to say, but they certainly have a need for expansion.

Based on Li Pu's current assessment, they will most likely support his actions. This is because they must see a path that can be expanded upon through him, so they will likely use some technical means to lower the threshold for Ichigo to get through to him on the phone.

They even set certain standards for him that Ichigo could definitely reach.

Ichigo can summon himself as long as these criteria are met.

Mei looked at her phone without saying much to Seele. Now was the time to prove her guess. If it was indeed as she predicted, the phone would definitely ring. If it didn't ring by the time she was about to miss this opportunity, then she might need to completely overturn her assumptions and start over.

However, based on the evidence gathered so far, this hypothesis is probably the most reasonable.

Will it ring or not?

Li Pu was getting a little impatient, but she still patiently waited there.

Waiting for the phone to ring.

"Ring ring~" Just then, as if to prove Li Pu's conjecture, Li Pu's phone suddenly rang.

"As expected!" Li Pu's heart sank. It seemed her guess was correct. But if it wasn't wrong, what was next? She hadn't figured out how to negotiate with the gods yet.

But you can answer the phone now.

"Hello, I am the Battle Goddess Vivian." As soon as the call connected, a lot of things flooded Li Pu's mind. It was hard to explain what they were; it seemed more like some kind of instinct driving her to do certain things.

For example.

"I can grant you one wish. Please wait a moment, I'll be right back by your side," Li Pu said before hanging up the phone.

She stood up and said, "It seems I was right."

"Seele, stay home and watch the house. I'll be right back."

At the Urahara Shop, a mirror that had been prepared beforehand suddenly lit up. The figure of a beautiful young girl emerged from it. This girl was none other than Li Pu; there could be no one else.

"Ha~ Ichigo, I..." Li Pu about to say something when another figure in the room caught his attention.

"Kevin?"

Kevin! There was nothing else here that could attract Li Pu Kevin. She said incredulously, "You... how did you get here? I thought you wanted to be alone."

This was truly beyond Li Pu's expectations. Why was Kevin here?

"Um..." Kevin scratched his head sheepishly and said, "That's a long story..."

"To make a long story short," Li Pu said, sounding a little annoyed, "You rascal..."

She glanced at the people around her and then at the gate that looked like it had been broken down, and suddenly she understood! She understood what had happened.

"I said..." Li Pu said, even more displeased, "You didn't come here to cause trouble, did you?"

This is really too obvious. It's highly likely that Kevin was afraid Ichigo would summon him, so after being scolded by Ichigo, he secretly followed Ichigo here.

"Eh..." Kevin scratched his head, embarrassed to answer, which was a tacit agreement with Li Pu's words.

"I..." Li Pu was truly speechless.

She really didn't know what to say. Did the people in the Honkai 3rd world not have any thought processes in their heads? Or were their thought processes all straight? The kind that never change direction?

Otto is, Siegfried is, Kiana and Mei are, and now Kevin is too!

So it's quite ironic that that world is protected by a group of people whose thought processes are so rigid.

"Never mind..." Li Pu didn't want to say anything more. She crossed her arms and said to Ichigo, "Tell me, what's your wish, kid?"