Shunsui's words were like a muffled thunderclap, instantly igniting the atmosphere throughout the room.
Kenpachi, the most hot-tempered of them all, directly asked Shunsui:
"Those nobles again? What good suggestions could they possibly have? This road construction didn't cost them a single coin, and even the labor was done by the Shinigami of the Gotei 13. What suggestions could they possibly offer? Or rather, what right do those people have to raise objections in this matter?"
Listening to Kenpachi, Byakuya frowned but did not refute him. After all, in this matter, the nobles who had contributed neither money nor effort truly had no right to protest.
Compared to Kenpachi's broad attack on the nobles, Byakuya wanted to hear what reason the nobles had found this time to oppose the road construction.
Shunsui sighed helplessly at Kenpachi's words, pulled an envelope from his robes, and explained to everyone:
"Before this meeting began, the Tsunayashiro Family, together with most of the nobles, submitted this protest. Honestly, the contents are rather troublesome."
With that, Shunsui projected the envelope through the holographic display, allowing the captains to see the letter's contents.
Putting aside all the polite formalities, its main points could be summarized in the following passages:
"Most of the land occupied by the routes surrounding the Seireitei consists of private fiefs belonging to nobles. Although those nobles have long since died, the Gotei 13 has no right to alter those lands without authorization. According to Soul Society law, when a noble line completely dies out, its family property is to be taken over by the Noble Conference—that is, by the nobles as a whole."
"Furthermore, everything within those territories is to be managed accordingly by the Noble Conference, and all income earned is to be distributed equally among every noble family that still