Dark golden words reflected in Asano Kiyoshi's eyes. As the scroll circled around him, waves of pure, mysterious power continuously transformed his body, stripping impurities from his soul and elevating the level of his Soul Body. Feeling that power surging endlessly within him, Asano Kiyoshi felt as though every pore in his body had been reborn.
After taking several deep breaths, he suppressed the excitement in his heart.
When he looked at the golden seal again, Asano Kiyoshi's last trace of doubt vanished.
The mark he had absorbed was merely an incarnation of the King's Seal's power. Its physical shell remained where it was, so its disappearance would not be noticed during the next transfer.
After calming himself, Asano Kiyoshi recalled some of the instructions Captain-Commander had given him before he entered the Great Spirit Art Corridor.
"Remember, gather as much information about the Tsunayashiro Family as possible. Anything will do. That family has grown far too ambitious lately, and since you ruined their plan this time, they will certainly bear a grudge against you. Every additional piece of information you collect will give you a little more strength to fight back when they frame or target you. Do you understand?"
Recalling Captain-Commander's teachings, Asano Kiyoshi walked toward the bookshelves.
After searching carefully, he finally found records concerning the Tsunayashiro Family from the past ten years in a corner.
The records were extremely detailed. They listed everything from the Tsunayashiro Family's daily expenditures to internal reforms and personnel transfers, as well as statistics on all kinds of family assets.
Yet many of the figures contained strange inconsistencies. For example:
"Seireki Calendar Year 2043: Natural disaster, severe drought. Harvests within the family territory sharply declined, resulting in a fiscal deficit. All income and expenditures were reduced, and a request was submitted