The Emperor said something to the young man beside him, and then closed his eyes.
"Yes, Father."
The young man named Ayu smiled and then walked to the front of the curtain.
"Gentlemen, please hear me out."
Ayu laughed loudly and said.
"I know some people may know about this, but they may not be clear about the specific details, so I will give you a brief overview now."
The nobles present looked up at the man, and all of them showed expressions of surprise.
Some nobles who sat close together and had a good personal relationship chatted in very low voices.
"Why is the Crown Prince here? Logically speaking, he is not qualified to preside over the meeting."
"Who knows? Maybe it's the Emperor's idea. Haven't you heard the rumors?"
What rumor is it? Tell me about it.
"The current emperor seems to be ill, so it's reasonable to have the Crown Prince come and train him in advance."
Having overheard every word of the conversation, the Scribe roughly understood the identity of the person upstairs.
Nevertheless, he showed little interest, just as before.
Ayu merely glanced at the nobles' expressions, a slight smile playing on his lips, before beginning his narration.
In the Red-light District Incident, we first ruled out a natural disaster because, according to reliable intelligence, some people saw man-eating monsters, and...
"Those who possess special abilities look no different from us, but their physical abilities..."
"We therefore suspect that the two explosions..."
The information Ayu mentioned was similar to what Scribe had learned from the Hyakuya Family. Even if there were some new things, they were just guesses and deductions.
Essentially, their understanding of the Demon Slayer Corps and demons is still very superficial.
Okay, now that we've covered that, I'm sure you all have a basic understanding. So feel free to share your thoughts.
With his hands outstretched, Ayu gestured for the others to ask questions.
Now that monsters and those special humans have appeared, have we captured any of them alive?
A burly man with a scar on his face, arms crossed, said coldly.
"Although what the Crown Prince said is correct, seeing the actual product will convince everyone, won't it?"
The man's name is Niguma, and he is the manager of a company engaged in the manufacturing industry.
Their annual production of firearms and ammunition occupies a significant market share.
Upon hearing Niguma's words, Ayu glanced at him, a glint of something unreadable flashing in his eyes.
However, his face was still full of smiles.
"As far as I know, no live animals were caught."
"That means there's no evidence."
Taking a deep breath, Niguma looked around at the nobles.
"Which companies were the first to go there? Can someone come forward and explain?"
Upon hearing this, the surrounding nobles began to laugh and discuss again.
"Was it the Shinri Family? I remember their young clan leader went there too."
"I wonder if it was the Shinri Family, or the Hyakuya Family, who also went."
"Let's see what they say. At least they should give a reason."
As they talked, the nobles' attention turned to Hyakuya Ryufu and Shinri Keito.
"Hyakuya Clan Head, Shinri Patriarch, do you two have anything to say?"
Ah Yu's voice remained gentle, and his speaking pace was neither too fast nor too slow.
The first to stand up was Hyakuya Ryufu. His answer was simple, but also very down-to-earth.
It doesn't seem to contain much valuable information, but it's also flawless.
Overall, it was a narrow success in silencing these nobles.
"Thank you, Hyakuya Clan Head. If you make any new discoveries, I hope you can share them with us in a timely manner."
"That's natural."
Bai Yuliufeng nodded to A Yu and then fell silent.
Before that, he had glanced at the Scribe, intentionally or unintentionally.
Despite noticing his gaze, the Scribe pretended not to care.
If everyone at this meeting spoke like Hyakuya Ryufu, then he would have nothing to worry about.
However, when Shinri Keito spoke, the Scribe realized that something was wrong.
Huiren stood up, glanced around at the expressions of the nobles, and then said with a smile.
"The information obtained by the Shinri Family is similar to what Hyakuya Clan Head said, and even somewhat less."
"In this respect, the Shinri Family does indeed have a need to learn from the Hyakuya Family."
Faced with Shinri Keito's flattery, Hyakuya Ryufu nodded slightly in response.
After all, no matter how much he disliked Shinri Keito and the Shinri Family, he wouldn't directly turn against them in front of so many nobles, or even the Emperor and the Crown Prince.
He still had to go through the motions of politeness.
"However, our Shinri Family did not come away empty-handed."
Changing the subject, Shinri Keito's voice rose a few decibels.
He waved his hand and then looked excitedly at Crown Prince Ayu on the second floor.
'Your Crown Prince, please allow me to express my views and opinions.'
Of course, Shinri Patriarch, I will give you plenty of time.
Seeing the sudden change in Shinri Keito, Ayu, though unsure of what was going on, still expressed his support for him.
After all, this was the first time he had ever heard of such unknown creatures and special humans.
We would be delighted if someone were willing to share information.
"First, regarding those monsters, I call them ghosts, and those special humans, I call them Demon Slayer."
Shinri Masato's first words jolted the Scribe, who had been resting his chin on his hand, into turning his gaze towards him.
"According to the intelligence obtained by our family's samurai, the undead have an extreme craving for human flesh and blood, and it seems that they feed on it."
"And those Demon Slayer, as the name suggests, are beings who slay demons."
Just as Shinri Keito was about to continue speaking, a discordant voice suddenly interrupted him.
Chapter 435 A Battle of Words
"It says earlier that the monsters that become ghosts are immortal, but later it says that Demon Slayer can kill ghosts."
Niguma chuckled coldly and said with a hint of disdain.
"Shinri Patriarch must be half asleep, his words have such a big loophole."
"Of course not, please let me explain."
Huiren wasn't angry at Niguma's interruption; he simply continued speaking.
"This brings us to the special equipment of those Demon Slayer."
"According to the survivors, they may have relied on the weapons they had to effectively kill the ghosts."
"Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that these people do possess special abilities that we are unaware of."
"I understand what you mean."
With a hearty laugh, Niguma slapped the table and said loudly.
"The Shinri Patriarch is trying to tell us that these people have chakra or ki, and can go up to the sky and down to the ground."
Upon hearing this, the surrounding nobles burst into laughter.
Upon hearing this, Ayu, who lived on the second floor, also showed a hint of embarrassment on his face.
Ultimately, wielding Katana against an enemy is undoubtedly a foolish act in their eyes.
At this point in time, the samurai profession is already on the verge of being phased out.
Families and businesses alike turned their attention elsewhere, seeking new opportunities.
Firearms or imported weapons are far superior to the samurai who will eventually disappear.
After all, a samurai who has trained for ten years might be instantly killed by someone who has only been wielding a gun for three days in battle.
Niguma once stated that his goal was to enable an ordinary person to slaughter a samurai squad once they had a gun.
While this may be an exaggeration, it does demonstrate to some extent that firearms are indeed the choice of most people today.
"Alright, alright, everyone, stop laughing."
Ayu, who was on the second floor, shook his head and began to restore order to the scene.
"Shinri Patriarch may have been deceived by the survivors' words. After all, experiencing something like that might have terrified him."
Having given Shinri Keito a way out, he then signaled to the other party that he could shut up.
However, Shinri Keito did not think as he expected, and instead continued speaking.
"Since the survivors' words are unreliable, why don't we let the people involved speak for themselves?"
He held his fingers together, forming a pyramid shape with his hands, and a strange smile appeared on his face.
"Among all of you here, isn't there someone who happened to experience the Red-light District Incident that night?"
Upon hearing this, the nobles gasped in astonishment.
Regardless of whether the ghosts and Demon Slayer are credible, the fact remains that Entertainment District suffered heavy losses and significant casualties.
Little did they know that someone who had gone through such an ordeal could still attend this meeting as if nothing had happened.
On the second floor, Ayu also showed a curious expression, and even the Emperor, who was resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened his eyes.
"Find out who it is and make him tell you everything without revealing a single word."
"Yes, Father."
Nodding emphatically, Ayu asked.
"Since Shinri Patriarch says so, he must know the person's identity. Could you tell me?"
"Of course, I think that gentleman would be happy to share."
Looking at the Scribe, Shinri Keito extended his right hand in an inviting gesture.
"Please tell me, Mister Scribe."
When he revealed the other party's identity, the already shocked nobles immediately turned their attention to the Scribe.
Tsukishiki Pharmaceuticals is already very mysterious, but its influence surpasses that of most of their families or businesses.
The Scribe in charge of management was an unknown figure to them.
How could such a noble yet mysterious person go to the Entertainment District and survive?
The hushed discussions were more chaotic than ever before.
"That's the manager of Tsukishiki Pharmaceuticals. He looks so young."
"Yes, yes, but the identity should be correct, since he looks very similar to the man on the badge."
"I heard he's already married and has a beautiful and capable wife, so why is he still going to the Entertainment District?"
As the discussion progressed, the topic seemed to shift towards gossip.
For these nobles at the very top, they had already had their fill of many earthly pleasures.